Intelligent, shape-changing, spider-like creature with magical abilities

An intelligent, shape-changing, spider-like creature with magical abilities, the Aranea has three distinct forms; in its natural form, it appears as a giant spider, but one having a pair of small arms (about 2 ft long) located just below its fanged mandibles. The second form is a hybrid spider-humanoid form, a sort of a spider-centaur having a multi-eyed spider face. The third form is that of a humanoid which might be any size from halfling to human; other than its dark, coarse hair and slightly bulging eyes, this form is not particularly spider-like. The humanoid form is distinctive; an individual aranea cannot change its humanoid form, either in terms of appearance nor size. An aranea remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one, and can only change forms once per round. An aranea generally speaks Common and may be able to speak other humanoid languages as well. It has Darkvision with a 60 feet range, and can cast spells as 4th-level Magic-users. These powers can be used in any form. In human or hybrid form, the aranea may utilize weapons and other equipment of the same sorts that might be used by normal characters. In these forms it has a movement rate of 30 feet p

As the monstrosity approaches across its web, you notice that unlike other giant spiders, this one has a pair of diminutive arms and hands, and an oddly brain-shaped hump on its back.

An aranea is an intelligent, shapechanging spider with sorcerous powers. In its natural form, an aranea resembles a typical giant spider, with a humpbacked body a little bigger than a human torso and venomous fangs. Although considered a Large creature, an aranea's mass is no more than a typical human's; its size comes from its long legs. An aranea can be distinguished from other giant spiders by the hump on its back that houses its brain and by the fact that, in addition to eight legs, it has a fifth pair of limbs, each about 2 feet long, located ahead of the first pair of legs. These limbs end in hands, each equipped with three clawed fingers and a double-jointed thumb.

When aranea are encountered in groups, some might be young: identical in all respects to adult areanea but without the spellcasting trait.

Aranea often use their shapechanging ability to lure unsuspecting victims into ambushes. Less often, they assume humanoid form to infiltrate human societies, where they conduct research and gather information for their inscrutable purposes.

An aranea is an intelligent, shapechanging spider with sorcerous powers. In its natural form, an aranea resembles a humpbacked spider a little bigger than a human, and weighs about 150 pounds. The hump on its back houses the aranea's brain. All araneas have a single alternate form as well-this alternate form is that of a Small or Medium humanoid. Although an aranea can assume a spider-hybrid variant of this form, it cannot use its change shape ability to assume multiple humanoid forms-this additional shape is locked into one unique appearance. Araneas typically gather in small colonies of two to six individuals, making webbed nests high in trees.