tembo sound right, lol, wasn't the damage that made them scary, it was the life they sucked that sucked!
level drain was horrible, especially from a low lvl critter!! Drain = broken and obnoxious as hell in 1st/2nd ed, hated it as DM, where as losing healing surges is scary and nasty but doesn't wreck a character, which is damn better
Tembo are evil prowlers and hunters of the weak and infirm, hated killers of kids, precious farm animals and elderly (who are important "wisemen" etc in Athas, think about it, no written culture etc so elders really would be respected)
Tembo are NOT "dreadnoughts", more like to jump out, suck life, flee, pounce when vicitm isn't looking, rinse repeat until they are a withered husk
so a
skirmisher or lurker is more likely
my fave were those damned bloody belgoi, I had to makeup custom rules to make them more fun, less suck, or insta gib
how good are they now as dangerous NPCs?