Ray

Rays, or sea bats, are broad, flat fish of warm tropical shallows, dark above with the eyes and pale below with mouth and gills, their huge fins giving a bat-winged look and their short tail acting as rudder. Most eat shellfish and crabs and seldom bother humans. Many bury themselves in sand or silt on the seabed to ambush prey.

A manta can weigh 3,000 pounds and waits half-buried for prey to swim close. Its maw, 10 to 12 feet wide, can gulp down a man-sized or smaller creature whole: if its attack roll beats the number it needed by 2 or more (say a 16 when 14 would hit), the target vanishes down its throat, dead once six rounds have passed. A swallowed victim can fight back from inside with a dagger or short sword at -4, against the ray's normal Armor Class; larger weapons will not fit. A manta holds only one man-sized victim or three size S ones at a time.

Attacked from behind, it lashes with its tail stinger instead, dealing 2-20 damage, and the victim is stunned for 2-8 rounds unless a save vs. paralyzation succeeds. Its stomach may hold treasure.

This tropical ray hides in the sand with its back spines sticking up. Green or brown, the spines pass for seaweed 90% of the time. The ray is 6 feet long and 15 feet wide, and its 12 spines cover a 3-by-4-foot patch, one per square foot. Each step onto a spine counts as one attack, and anyone pierced must save vs. poison or die on the spot. Falling onto the ray means 2-8 spine attacks. If attacked, a pungi tries to swim off.

Sting rays forage along shallow sea floors. Step on one and its tail spine strikes for 1-3 damage; the victim must save vs. poison or be paralyzed for 5-20 turns, losing 1 hit point for each of those turns.

These are an intelligent, evil race of mantas with their own language and worship of dark powers. They delight in hunting sea-dwelling humanoids, whom they sacrifice or devour. Communities of 10 to 100 dwell in mazes of coral with a hidden entrance.

Priests lead them. Each group of 10 includes one with 2nd-level priest ability, each 20 one of 3rd level, and each 50 a 2+2 HD priest of 5th level. A community of more than 50 has a 4+4 HD leader with 8th-level cleric ability guarded by two 3+3 HD guards of 6th level. Their spheres are Sun (darkness only), Protection, Necromantic, Healing, Elemental (water), Divination and Charm. Leaders and guards carry treasure type U, all usable without hands.

For every 20 met, there is a 50% chance one is a vampiric ray-folk with double Hit Dice, a hit that drains one energy level, and regeneration of 3 hit points per round.