Manticore

Manticores are a type of highly feared chimeran monster. The manticore is known for its variety of fearsome features and its tendency to eat its victims whole.

Appearance

In legend, manticores take a wide variety of appearances. Generally speaking, however, a manticore is said to be a red lion with a scorpion tail, venomous spines that it is capable of shooting at its prey, and three rows of sharp teeth. Varying by legend, manticores may either have the face of a man or the face matching their red lion body. They may also have horns and/or bat-like wings. Given their unknown and clearly chaotic nature, it may be true that manticores have some variety in features; for instance, one manticore may have wings, while another does not.

Origins

Manticores originate from Parsanshar, and their name means "man-eater." The manticore has, however, spread up north into the Achaean Empire. No one knows how they were created or what their origins are, like most all chimerans, and many speculate that they were created as a result of magical anomalies in the Wastes, much like chimeras themselves.

Abilities

Given their wide variety of features, manticores have numerous frightening abilities that make them more than formidable for any warrior. They eat their victims whole, leaving behind no possessions, bones, clothing, or even armor or weapons, for manticores can digest virtually anything. The manticore has venomous barbs on its back that it can fire at its enemies like arrows, paralyzing them, in addition to the paralytic sting of its scorpion tail. Although a manticore's bite is not venomous, given their triple rows of teeth, it leaves a devastating wound. Manticores, however, prefer their prey whole, so they generally only use these teeth to grab, hold down, or kill their victim - if they did not successfully paralyze it - before swallowing it.