.50 cal. Manticore

[Savage Wombat]

Could a manticore take Rapid Shot and fire two volleys of tail spikes, for a total of 12?

 

[Camarath]

No because using the Manticore's Spikes abilty is a standard action.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

No because using the Manticore's Spikes abilty is a standard action.

Attacking with a bow is a standard action. Attacking with a bow and using the Rapid Shot feat becomes a full-round action. How would this be different?

Note that I agree that the Manticore shouldn't be able to fire 12 spikes in a round. First of all, it'd need the point blank shot feat. Second of all, they are not iterative attacks. It already gets 6 spikes in one shot at full BAB. That's enough. I don't want a manticore (CR5) being able to do 12d8+24 points of damage in a single round

AR

 

[Camarath]

Attacking with a bow is a standard action. Attacking with a bow and using the Rapid Shot feat becomes a full-round action. How would this be different?

Because it is a Special Ability so it works as it is written.

Spikes (Ex): With a snap of its tail, a manticore can loose a volley of six spikes as a standard action (make an attack roll for each spike). This attack has a range of 180 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. The creature can launch only twenty-four spikes in any 24-hour period.

Standard actions can not by be substituted for attacks in an Attack Action or a Full Attack Action unless the rules state that they can be. Nothing in the ability states that it may be preformed in place of an attack or preformed as part of any action other that the standard action that is stated as the way to use the ability.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Ah, I see. It's listed as well in the Attacks as it is in the Special Attacks (3.0). I guess if they wanted it to be absolutely clear, they should have left it only in the Special Attacks section, and changed the description of the ability to something akin to "instead of attacking, the manticore may, as a standard action, launch 6 spikes, each at an attack bonus of +6 [etc]".

AR

 

[jgsugden]

Hey, if you're the DM and you want to have a manticore fire two sets of tail spikes as a full round action after substituting some feats, go for it. Figure out the effect it would have on the CR (probably none or +1) and then make the switch. My players enjoy it when I throw a slight variation at them to keep them on their toes.

Under the core rules, this is not allowed. I'm just saying that being a slave to the core rules is not always wise.

 

[Camarath]

Ah, I see. It's listed as well in the Attacks as it is in the Special Attacks (3.0). I guess if they wanted it to be absolutely clear, they should have left it only in the Special Attacks section, and changed the description of the ability to something akin to "instead of attacking, the manticore may, as a standard action, launch 6 spikes, each at an attack bonus of +6 [etc]".

It is listed that same way in 3.5. But other special abities that require attack rolls (such as a Beholder's Eye Rays [Free Action]) are also list under the Attack and Full Attack entries (for convenience sake I assume) and I do not believe that any of those abilities is ever listed as being usable multiple times in a Full Attack. Even though they are not listed as natural weapons so would not be prevented from receiving additional attacks from a high base attack bonus on that account.

 

[Caliban]

Attacking with a bow is a standard action. Attacking with a bow and using the Rapid Shot feat becomes a full-round action. How would this be different?

Because you can't use Rapid Shot with a standard attack action.

You have to take the full attack action with a bow before you can use Rapid Shot.

The Tail Spikes are only usable as a standard action, not a full attack action.

 

[Darklone]

The manticores Snap ability is a kind of Manyshot anyhow... 6 shots with one standard action? Kewl.

Edit: Don't forget that flying manticores NEED to move... they can't easily use full attack actions.