Ray, Manta
Climate/Terrain: Shallow tropical waters
Frequency: Uncommon
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Non- (0)
Treasure: J-N(×10), Q(×5), X
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 6
Movement: Sw 18
Hit Dice: 8-11
THAC0: 13 (8 HD), 11 (9-10 HD), 9 (11 HD)
No. of Attacks: 1 tail or 1 bite
Damage/Attack: 3-12 (bite) or 2-20 (sting)
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: G (32’-40’ wingspan)
Morale: Elite (13)
XP Value:
8 HD 3,000
9 HD 4,000
10 HD 5,000
11 HD 6,000
Rays, also known as sea bats, are native to warm tropical shallow waters. They are broad, flat creatures, with eyes on the upper, dark colored surface of their body and the mouth and gills on the lighter underbelly. Their pectoral fins are huge, which gives them a batlike appearance, and they use their short tail as a rudder/ They feed on mollusks and crustaceans and only rarely attack humans, with the exception of the malevolent ixitxachitl. These long, flat creatures bury themselves in the silt and sand of the sea floor in order to surprise their prey.
Manta Ray
These huge creatures, which weigh as much as 3,000 pounds, bury themselves in the ocean floor waiting for victims to arrive. The manta has a giant maw (10 to 12 feet across) that can totally engulf any creature man-sized or smaller in a single bite. If the manta’s to hit roll is 2 or more greater than the number it needed to hit (e.g., rolls a 16 or better when it could hit on a 14), then it has swallowed its prey. Swallowed creatures die at the end of six rounds. Any creature swallowed can attack from inside the ray at -4 with a dagger or shortsword (other weapons require too much space to wield effectively); the ray’s Armor Class remains the same. A manta ray can swallow but one man-sized creature or three S creatures at once.
If creatures attack its rear, it can use its stinger instead of its bite. If it strikes, the victim suffers 2-20 points of damage and must save versus paralysation or be stunned for 2-8 rounds.
The manta ray’s stomach may contain treasure.
Originally found in MC1 - Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989).
RAY, Manta
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 18”
HIT DICE: 8-11
%IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: J-N (× 1O),
O(× 5), X
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 and 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK : 3-12/2-20
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT Neutral
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Manta Ray: These huge creatures “fly” through the worm ocean waters searching for prey. Small specimens have a tip-to-tip spread of 32’. While the largest grow to some 44’ across. They often rest on the floor of the sea, their coloration blending with the bottom, waiting for a victim to pass. The manta ray then attacks. It has a huge maw- the mouth size equal to one-quarter of its width — which can totally engulf most non-giant creatures in a single gulp. If the manta scores 10% (2 numbers) over its required “to hit” score, it has swallowed such prey as will fit in its mouth. Any creature swallowed will be dead in 6 melee rounds. The creature may attack the manta ray from inside, its armor class remains the same, and hits are at a cumulative -1 per melee round with regard to damage, i.e. -6 in the last melee round the swallowed creature can attack before being dead. In addition to its bite, the manta ray has a powerful tail spine. This weapon inflicts 2-20 points of damage upon any creature it strikes, and if the victim fails to make a saving throw against paralyzation it is stunned for 2-8 melee rounds from the force of the blow. The manta ray will strike with its tail spine only in situations where it is seriously threatened and the opponent to be struck must be at the rear quarter of the ray. The manta ray’s stomach is the repository of indigestible items — such as the treasure types indicated.
Originally appeared in Monster Manual (Gary Gygax, 1977).
