The Manticore

Also see Mantygre or mantyger

Im a bit woozy and not very creative after last big book project so monsters for a while

These are a mythology classic and changed wildly from ancient Persia, to Greeks and Romans to Medieval Europe and modern fantasy. So good for my treatment for monster stats. I'll probably update the mantyger and make more LE and amp up the more chaotic manticore as related but hate each other. 

Manticore
Chaotic Evil Chimeric Monster
Lesser Manticore AC +6 HD 5 Att Bite d6 Claws x2 d6 Tail d6 Morale 8 Mov 24
Greater Manticore AC +10 HD 9 Att Bite 2d4 Claws x2 2d4 Tail 2d4 Morale 10 Mav 15
-Tail can strike with a spiked tail or shoot a bolt that performs like a crossbow, light for a lesser with 2d4+4 shots, and medium with 5d4 shots for a greater manticore. They regrow a d6 bolts per day rolled when they wake after a sleep.
-They may use a bite or claws to grapple a foe instead of damage and then inflict damage automatically the following rounds. One hold the target it can fight back or escape but -2 all rolls, if two holds a humanoid smaller than the manticore is helpless. When close might try two grapples with claws, then bite the held target

A manticore feeds off human flesh and is a spiteful, cruel brute who even eats the bones. A manitcore is a human-headed lion hybrid, with ferocious triple rows of teeth and a spiked tail. Males are more red hued, gregarious and control territory more aggressively, while the blue hue females and youths tend to live alone and hunt with stealth by night. Females are more likely to use their appearance as partly human to trick a human, while the males are too vain and impatient. They live in caves in wild and rocky places near humans to eat

Some wear ancient caps or hats as worn in ancient times in the age of Exilon. They are very long-lived, but you see some beardless youths. Smaller types are more likely to be the more basic sort and savage. Older ones have long beards and hair, which the smarter and civilised ones may groom and wear more jewellery and use magic items.

Manticores are rivals of Mantygers and Luecrotta and don't get along, all three appear grouped in beastiaries. They were mostly in far away lands in ancient times but an ancient empire spread them for gladiator games. Their blood is black stinking ichor with subtle notes of demonic taint. Demon cults may believe feeding manticores impresses demons which smart manticores encourage. Typically they don't speak and are a bit thick. 

Lesser manticores might have a d4-1 varient features, greater have a d4+1

Varients
1in4 If both claws hit they inflict bonus rake damage with feet claws
1in4 rows of teeth +d4 if lesser and +2d4 if greater
1in4 can speak crudeley, but mostly they talk about the joyful delights of cruelty
1in6 cluster of spikes like a mace, can fire up to half at once like a burst attack
1in6 poison scorpion tail and darts are poison too, save or take poison damage (blessed d4, grater 2d4)
1in6 wings or a bat, bird or dragon for Fly 24
1in8 berserker +2 it and damage when enraged, fight into negative HP without loss of consciousness, will turn on allies if no available foes, these are the more brutish sort
1in8 civilised with a fancy hat, grooming, language and faux manners of old nobility, more calculating and likely to have followers and minion thralls and believes it is noble, wants you to know its name while it eats you alive
1in8 have horns and get a bonus butt attack as a claw but double if charge attack
1in10 make fly-by attacks and shots then continue to move any remaining Mov score
1in10 tail is 3-6m long and can make an entangling attack, then sting them automatically each round, but it stops being able to fire bolts while holding victim
1in10 have infinite ammunition but regrow one bolt per round instead of a d6 per day
1in12 require silver or iron or magic to hit a lesser or +1 magic to harm a greater manticore
1in12 regenerate 1 hp per round
1in12 spellcaster, lesser Lv3 and a greater Lv5
1in20 ancient hat or jewellery with magic properties

d12 Manticore Plot Hooks12

1 A foreign king has sent the local king a caged manticore, help ensure its safe transport for a leg of the journey. Oh and get it some meat, we've been feeding it corpses of criminals

2 A clan of manticore have adopted a roost of cliffs above a trade road and need to be wiped out
3 A poor village has a fancy manticore eating people and bossing them round, and their lord a knight won't do anything about it 

4 People have heard a maiden calling for help at night and whoever goes outside vanishes, their footprints just stop

5 A manticore demands a baby each day or it will kill us all, it lives in that cave on the hill

6 A breeding pair of manticores have just fallen in love and sharing a lair and all sensible authorities want them and their brood killed

7 An evil wizard has pet manticores guarding his tower and he lets them find their own food which is of course people

8 An evil demon cult champion has taken to riding a manticore and killing travellers to feed it

9 A demon cult somehow have a gaggle of young manticores who now roam and feed themselves. The cult and their pets must die 

10 A manticore has been eating goblins and leaving trails of excrement everywhere. It is only a matter of time before it eats someone for a healthier diet

11 A noble has been chaining enemies to a rock to feed the local manticores and local preachers warning its a sign of great evil

12 A robber knight in a ruined castle has added a manticore to their gang, so now they always murder at least one person they rob for the beast. Perhaps this sinister outlaw knight is sponsored by a rival territory or is a demon cultist or both 

(page below has a manticore and a luecrotta)