Sidae: Diminutive Arachno-Centaurs

Sidae

The shy Sidae (suh-day) of the Nightsun Forest have long lived in secret villages deep in the forest where few dare to tread. They have a tenuous truce and something of a symbiotic relationship with the people-eating halflings of the forest; the halflings keep intruders out of the heart of the forest and the Sidae agree not to kill the halflings.
These omnivorous hunters have the upper body of a halfling, which retains a neotenous and relatively youthful appearance through most of their life cycle. Their lower body resembles the body of a jumping spider.
Due to living beneath the dense canopy of the Nightsun, both their humanoid and spider halves are extremely pale, aside from warning patterns that can appear like tattoos upon their flesh and chitin. Different families can have a pattern that commonly manifests, and these patterns are hereditary. They tend to wear loose clothing; they enjoy how it drapes and flutters as they jump and dance about, and for the same reason, both male and female Sidae usually wear their pale hair long. Sidae have ruby-colored eyes and pointed teeth.
The diminutive Sidae are as a rule curious and sociable, but they are loathe to be noisy and quite wary of danger due to the deadly nature of the forest from which they hail.

Webs

Sidae don’t spin webs, although they like to weave and some communities husband giant spiders for their silk.

Religion

Their traditional religion and rituals are nature-oriented and Druidic. Sidae spore druids, unaffiliated with any villiage, cultivate mushroom groves and serve as spiritual advisors to the clans.
Sidae love dancing and acrobatic displays, and such feats are a large part of their ceremonies.

Hunting and War

When hunting, they observe their prey for as long as necessary to ensure a decisive kill, and they believe in the power of overwhelming numbers. “Overkill” and “mercy” are slightly alien concepts to them; the smallest creatures in the Nightsun can bear the deadliest venoms, and an injured beast is twice as ferocious.
Disputes over territory and prey are tactfully mediated by druids; all-out war between two groups of Sidae is unthinkable, since it would attract the attention of monsters that could annihilate both parties.

Strife in the Forest

Sidae have lived sheltered in the heart of the Nightsun for many epochs; only recently, due to the actions of the gnomes in Sputterspew, have some been driven out by truly terrifying aberrations - experiments, failed or successful - that the gnomes released into the forest.

Beyond the Nightsun

The Sidae are only now beginning to be seen in the outside world; fortunately for them, everything about them other than their spiderlike legs and pointed teeth makes them seem much less dangerous than they are. The Sidae that have fled southeast have an especially good relationship with the Creakers in the marshes of Nilorval (they have a shared love of dancing) and those that traveled elsewhere have often found shelter and succor in the churches of Ushius.
Nonetheless, the small Sidae have not yet found a home outside the Nightsun, though they have proven to be adaptable to a degree that surprises even the Sidae themselves.

Features

Ability Score Increase. Increase an ability score of your choice by 2. Then increase either your Wisdom or Dexterity by 1. You can’t choose the same score to increase twice.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Age. Sidae hatch from eggs; clutchlings reach adolescence by 10, are considered adults by 16, and usually live to be 35. However, in more hospitable conditions, they can live to be about 60. Their spider halves molt several times throughout their lives, which is a thoroughly uncomfortable process during which they sleep at least sixteen hours a day.
Alignment. A Sidae usually relies on others for their survival, and this need for cooperation pushes them toward Lawful alignments. They are also likely to be neutral, more interested in preservation of themselves and those close to them than notions of good or evil. Nonetheless, they are as susceptible to dogma and ideals as any other group.
Size. Your size is Medium or Small - you can choose when you choose this race. You probably aren’t more than four and a half feet tall, whether male or female, even when using your spider half to stand as tall as possible.
Darkvision. Accustomed to the shroud of the Nightsun Forest, your ruby-colored eyes have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Sidae Jumping. Instead of walking on your turn, you can spend movement to use your powerful spider legs to jump horizontally, ignoring most nonmagical difficult terrain when you do so. You can also jump vertically this way, spending 1 additional foot of movement per vertical foot. For example, you can jump 5 feet vertically (spending 10 movement) and 20 feet horizontally in the same turn.
Clingy Feet. You can stand on vertical surfaces, leaving your hands free.
Careful Hunter. When initiative is rolled, you can change your result to a lower number of your choice, to a minimum of zero. You can’t change it back.
Prey Drive. When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, you can choose to deal additional damage equal to your level plus the number of allies you have within five feet of you or your target.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all uses of this feature after finising a long rest.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Languages. You can speak Common, Halfling, and Sidae, which is a dialect of halfling. You can’t read, but you can spend a language choice from a source other than your race to learn to read.
Names. Sidae have child names and adult names. A Sidae child name is usually a cute (by Sidae standards) onomatopoeia, such as Skitch, Chit, or Meep. A Sidae chooses their adult name during a ceremony at 16, and these names can vary greatly, from simple (Dae, Shade, Traw) to embarrassing (Darkshadow, Falling-Leaf). Outside of the Nightsun, most Sidae use the name of their race as their surname. Within the Nightsun, they would refer to themselves as being from a certain place, e.g., "I am Shade of Saltbark Village."