"The World's Most Irritable Manticore"
by Reverend Dungeon Master(for adventurers with more bravery than common sense)
You are slogging through a lovely stretch of wasteland, the sort of place where even the grass looks like it’s given up on life. Suddenly, a shadow passes overhead. You look up, expecting a cloud or a pigeon having a rough day.
Nope. It's a Manticore. And it's glaring at you like you owe it money.
It circles once, twice, and then descends with all the grace of a drunken cow. Its wings beat the air into a frothy mess and its great spiky tail fwips about, ready to introduce itself in the rudest way imaginable.
You are now in combat with a creature that’s basically the ugly offspring of a lion, a bat, and a very passive-aggressive hedgehog.
Manticore (BECMI Stats)
Armour Class (AC): 4
Hit Dice (HD): 6 + 3 (29 Hit Points on average, give or take a bad mood)
Move: 120’ (40’) / 180’ (60’) flying
Attacks: 2 Claws (1d4 each), 1 Bite (2d4), or 6 Tail Spikes (1d6 each, ranged up to 180’)
No. Appearing: 1 (thank the gods)
Save As: Fighter 6
Morale: 9 (it fancies its chances)
Treasure Type: D
Special Abilities:
Tail Spike Barrage: Once every other round, the Manticore can launch up to 6 tail spikes at targets within range. It distributes them however it pleases (and it’s feeling very petty today). After firing 24 spikes, it must recharge by growing more, which is about as awkward as it sounds.
Flight: Because nothing’s more annoying than an angry lion-bat-thing you can’t reach with your sword.
Tactics:
It prefers to hover just out of melee range, spitting spikes at you like an over-caffeinated cactus.
If someone mocks its appearance (say, "nice wings, mate!"), it charges in full fury, flapping and snarling and making noises that can only be described as "deeply unnecessary."
Treasure Tally (Type D):
(Found in its lair, a cave it decorated itself with shredded adventurer boots.)
2,000 silver pieces
1,500 gold pieces
3 gems (worth 100 gp each; suspiciously sticky)
1 potion of growth (because clearly what a Manticore needs is to be bigger)
A badly dented shield engraved with “Property of Sir Reginald the Unwise”
Narrator’s Note:
If you win, congratulations! You’ve defeated an aerial lion armed with a tactical javelin rack. If you lose, well, you’re about to become yet another bit of questionable wall art in the Manticore’s cave.
For more dimwitted duncery* visit Red Cape Games, home of Dungeon Dunce Weekly.
*A totally real word in the Oxford Dictionary.