Mantari

A mantari looks like a black or dark gray marine ray about 3 feet long and 4 feet across, trailing a long whiplike tail tipped with a stinger. Two eyes face forward; the mouth lies on the underside.

Mantari mostly hunt giant rats and similar vermin but will gladly go after bigger prey. Clumsy on the ground, they fly by innate magic, launching suddenly and hitting top speed almost at once, banking sharply with their 'wings.' They cruise just high enough for the tail to reach targets below while keeping their bodies hard to hit, and slash with the tail as they pass.

A tail strike deals 1-4 damage and stings. Unless the victim saves vs. poison, each hit drains 2 points each of Strength and Dexterity, adjusting all combat numbers. The loss is temporary; a survivor regains a point of each per turn up to normal. Once either score drops below 3, the victim is paralyzed, and the mantari lands to eat. Its mouth is useless in a fight and simply sucks up the remains, inflicting 1 point of damage each round.

They like damp, filthy, vermin-rich places, often dark stone-floored chambers where they lie still and pass for a puddle of brackish water. They build no nests or lairs. Packs hunt together under the strongest member, male or female.

Twice a year males show off in aerial races and stunts to win mates. Some six weeks on, the female gives birth in flight to 2-5 young. They cannot fight but grow up in just under two months, and their parents defend them furiously against intruders.

Mantari keep cave and dungeon vermin in check, favoring rats but also eating giant insects, spiders and anything else that strays into range. They hate bats and refuse to share airspace with them. Intelligent neighbors hunt them in self-defense rather than for food: the earthy-tasting flesh is mildly toxic, and anyone eating it must save vs. poison or be nauseated and helpless for 2-5 rounds.

One caught within a week of birth and trained patiently by a skilled handler for at least a month becomes a loyal pet that attacks on command and guards against anyone but its master. Young sell for up to 200 gp as guards or pest killers. Sages argue over their origin; some call them magically altered stingrays, others kin to lurkers above, trappers, miners and cloakers.

Great mantari are rumored to haunt the deepest reaches of the deep underworld in large numbers, near trappers and their kin. Just as fast and fierce, they span nearly 10 feet, fly less nimbly (maneuverability class C), have 5+5 HD and deal 1-6 per tail hit.