Innate level: 5
Range: medium (20 meters)
Save: none
Spell resistance: no
Area of effect: gargantuan (8.33 meter radius)
Duration: instantaneous
Description: The manticore fires spikes scattered amongst nearby targets. Each spike performs a ranged touch attack against its target, with damage doubled on a critical hit.
Notes[]
- There are two forms of this ability—the monster ability (also used as a cast spell item property) and the shifted ability. The shifted ability is intended for the manticore and epic manticore forms of greater wildshape III.
- For the monster ability, there are 6 spikes, each dealing 1d8 + 2 piercing damage.
- For the shifted ability, the number of spikes is half the caster's shifter level to a maximum of 5. If given to a non-shifter in the Toolset, the number of spikes is fixed at 6. (In the case of a non-shifter gaining this ability through a non-standard polymorph, the number of spikes is half the caster level to a maximum of 5.) The damage each spike inflicts is one d4 per spike fired. (So if three spikes were fired, each would do 3d4 damage, for a total of 9d4 damage spread over up to three targets.)
- The monster ability only targets enemies, while the shifted ability will also target neutral player characters and associates (the "standard hostile" targeting scheme).
- The spikes are scattered evenly among the targets. If there are more spikes than targets, then the remainder of the spikes after an equal division amongst the targets is applied to the first target.
- Targeting a point the right distance from a group of enemies can cause some of that group to be outside the area of effect, resulting in fewer targets, hence more spikes per target.
- The spike damage is affected by all forms of damage reduction. Furthermore, damage reduction applies per spike, not per volley. For the monster ability, the maximum damage of a single spike is 10, so damage reduction of 20/+1 will block all spike damage. For the shifted ability, the (normal) maximum damage of a single spike is 20, so damage reduction of 20/+1 will block all non-critical spike damage. (See also perfect self.)
Builder notes[]
- In the creature special abilities tab in the Toolset, the first listing of "manticore spikes" corresponds to the monster ability, and the second listing corresponds to the shifted ability.
- Typically the difference between the (intended) monster ability and the shifted ability assigned via the Toolset is the damage of each spike (1d8 + 2 for the monster ability vs. 6d4 for the shifted).
Custom content notes[]
- scripts:
X0_S1_mantspike(monster ability),X2_S1_gwspikes(shifted ability)