Manticore (dNetHack)
| f manticore (No tile) | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 14 |
| Attacks |
Claw 1d6 physical, Claw 1d6 physical, Bite 1d8 physical, Sting 1d4 poison (strength), Arrow 1d6 paralysis |
| Base level | 9 |
| Base experience | 300 |
| Speed | 12 |
| Base AC | 3 |
| Base MR | 30 |
| Alignment | -1 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 2250 |
| Nutritional value | 800 |
| Size | large |
| Resistances | poison |
| Resistances conveyed | poison |
|
A manticore:
| |
- For the monster in SpliceHack and Hack'EM, see Manticore (SpliceHack).
A manticore, f, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The manticore is a demihuman animal that is a strong and carnivorous feline—it is capable of flight and can be seen via infravision.
A manticore has two claw attacks, a bite attack, a poisonous sting, and a projectile attack that fires paralysis-inducing spikes at the target. Manticores possess poison resistance.
A manticore is poisonous to consume, but eating a manticore's corpse or tin or quaffing its blood has a 1⁄3 chance of granting poison resistance.
Generation
Randomly generated manticores are always created hostile.
The Wizard of Yendor may create a clone of himself in the guise of a manticore via the Double Trouble monster spell.
Manticores drop 4-24 paralysis-poisoned spikes upon death—a revived manticore only has a 1⁄6 chance of dropping spikes when killed.
Strategy
The manticore's ranged paralysis attack is not to be taken lightly, as it can be potentially lethal without a source of free action or other means of resisting.
Origin
The manticore (or mantichore) is a legendary creature from ancient Persian mythology with some similarities to the Egyptian sphinx. The name originates from an Ancient Greek term (μαρτιχόρας, martikhórās) which is transliterated from the creature's Old Persian name of "martichora": the source of the name is Ctesias, Greek physician of the Persian court during the Achaemenid dynasty, who wrote that it was translated into Greek as "androphagon" (ἀνθρωποφάγον, literally "man-eater"), but was mis-transcribed as 'mantichoras' in a faulty copy of Aristotle—Aristotle's works would influence the idea of the manticore in later medieval and post-medieval bestiaries across Europe, as well as in heraldry.
According to Photius and Aelian, a manticore has the blue-eyed face of a human, the red-furred body of a large lion, and a tail that either resembles that of a scorpion or is covered in venomous spines; the spines are similar to porcupine quills, and in some accounts can be launched like arrows. Stings from the manticore's tail were instantly fatal, with only the elephant being immune to those poisons. As implied by its name, the manticore prefers to hunt humans and can take down 2-3 at a time. Some modern depictions, such as Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, additionally give manticores wings, with the manticores of D&D being given bat-like wings (or dragon-like ones in later editions).
Encyclopedia entry
The manticore is a true monster, with a leonine torso and legs,
batlike wings, a man's head, a tail tipped with iron spikes, and
an appetite for human flesh.
The manticore stands 6 feet tall at the shoulder and measures 15
feet in length. It has a 25-foot wingspan. Each section of the
manticore closely resembles the creature it imitates. The leonine
torso has a tawny hide, the mane is a lion's brown-black color,
and the batlike wings are a dark brown with sparse hair. All
manticores have heads that resemble human males; the mane
resembles a heavy beard and long hair.
In combat, the manticore fires volleys of 1-6 tail spikes.
The spikes are coated in a paralyzing venom.
Complete Monstrous Manual ]
