Mantidrake

Large monstrosity, lawful evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 147 (14d10 + 70)
Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
23 (+6) 15 (+2) 20 (+5) 9 (-1) 14 (+2) 13 (+1)

Saving Throws Dexterity +6, Constitution +9, Wisdom +6, Charisma +5
Skills Perception +6
Damage Immunities see table below
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

Special Traits

  • Flyby. The mantidrake doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
  • Keen Smell. The mantidrake has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
  • Draconic Heritage. Roll a d10 and refer to the table below to determine a mantidrake’s draconic parent and breath weapon.
d10 Head Color Breath Weapon Immunity Type
1-2 Black 60-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line of acid Acid
3-4 Blue 60-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line of lightning Lightning
5-6 Green 30-foot cone of poisonous gas Poison
7-8 Red 30-foot cone of fire Fire
9-10 White 30-foot cone of cold Cold

Actions

  • Multiattack. The mantidrake makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) piercing damage.
  • Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) slashing damage.
  • Spikes. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (4d6 + 2) piercing damage.
  • Dragon Breath (Recharge 5-6). The mantidrake exhales its breath based on the results from the table above. Each creature in the area affected must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) damage on a failed save, of half as much on a successful one. Damage type determined by the table above.

About

This creature resembles a large, powerfully built lion with a dragon’s head where its head would normally be, a pair of large scaly draconic wings, and a long serpentine tail that ends in a volley of sharpened spikes.

Mantidrakes were born from fell experiments and dark rituals that crossed evil dragons with manticores. The result: a creature that combines the best and worst traits of both of its parents. From a distance, a mantidrake is often mistaken for a normal manticore. Only when opponents close against it do they see that the creature is something different.

Mantidrakes, like dragons, are territorial predators and often claim a wide expanse of land as their hunting ground. Creatures that wander into a mantidrake’s territory rarely go unnoticed, especially during the daylight hours when the mantidrake spends most of its time hunting.

Slain prey is either devoured on the spot (if the mantidrake is hungry) or carried back to its lair and stored for later (or fed to the young if such creatures are present). Mantidrakes are generally solitary creatures though sometimes a pair may be encountered. Such an encounter is with a mated pair.

Female mantidrakes are just as common (or rare depending on how you classify this creature) as males and are just as likely to be encountered as both sexes are skilled hunters. When gestating, a female curtails the time she spends hunting to spend it in the lair preparing both herself and the lair for her young. Young are born live and by 2 years of age, they are independent enough to go out hunting on their own.

A typical mantidrake is about 10 to 12 feet long and weighs about 1,100 to 1,300 pounds. Its draconic head is scaled and is the same color as its dragon parent. The color slowly fades and meshes with the mantidrake’s leonine body which is covered in dull tan fur, except for its underbelly which is scaled like a true dragon’s. Its wings are of the same color as its dragon parent, dark, almost black (and in the case of a black dragon parent, the wings are actually black in color).

A mantidrake’s environment varies based on its dragon heritage: black mantidrakes can be found in warm marshes, deserts, or underground; blue mantidrakes favor warm hills and mountains, rarely being found underground; green mantidrake s favor temperate or warm forests and underground settings; red mantidrakes favor warm mountains and underground settings; and white mantidrakes favor cold mountains, cold deserts, and underground environments.

Mantidrakes are aggressive combatants and begin most attacks with a blast from their deadly breath weapon. This is followed next by a volley of spikes or a claw/claw/bite routine against the closest opponent.

Mantidrakes prefer to use their powerful wings to stay aloft and fight from the air where it can rain a combination of its breath weapon and deadly spikes down on its opponents.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Horrors © 2018, Frog God Games, LLC; Authors: Kevin Baase, Erica Balsley, John “Pexx” Barnhouse, Christopher Bishop, Casey Christofferson, Jim Collura, Andrea Costantini, Jayson ‘Rocky' Gardner, Zach Glazar, Meghan Greene, Scott Greene, Lance Hawvermale, Travis Hawvermale, Ian S. Johnston, Bill Kenower, Patrick Lawinger, Rhiannon Louve, Ian McGarty, Edwin Nagy, James Patterson, Nathan Paul, Patrick N. Pilgrim, Clark Peterson, Anthony Pryor, Greg Ragland, Robert Schwalb, G. Scott Swift, Greg A. Vaughan, and Bill Webb

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