Darkmantle
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, a darkmantle is a strange magical beast
which lives in caves.
(2000), and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). The creature was expanded upon in Dragon
#275 (September 2000).
The darkmantle appeared in the fourth edition Monster Manual 2 (2009).
, roughly 4 feet long, with webs of membrane between the tentacles. Its part is shelled, and it has a muscular "foot" on the top of it. Though darkmantles have eyes, they "see" by using echolocation
, much the way a bat
does. Using a mixture of telekinetic ability and the flapping of its webbed tentacles, it can perform low level flying.
. It waits until someone is underneath, and then drops down, wrapping its tentacles around the head of the victim. It smothers them, and then proceeds to eat them from a mouth located under its head. Darkmantles also have an offensive/defensive ability in the ability to suck the light out of an area.
Darkmantles cannot speak.
They are neutral in alignment.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, a darkmantle is a strange magical beast
Magical beast (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, magical beast is a type of creature, or "creature type". Magical beasts are similar to animals in many ways, but usually have a higher intelligence, and possess supernatural or extraordinary abilities....
which lives in caves.
Publication history
The darkmantle first appeared in the third edition Monster ManualMonster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
(2000), and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). The creature was expanded upon in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#275 (September 2000).
The darkmantle appeared in the fourth edition Monster Manual 2 (2009).
Description
A darkmantle resembles something akin to a dark brown colored squidSquid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
, roughly 4 feet long, with webs of membrane between the tentacles. Its part is shelled, and it has a muscular "foot" on the top of it. Though darkmantles have eyes, they "see" by using echolocation
Acoustic location
Acoustic location is the science of using sound to determine the distance and direction of something. Location can be done actively or passively, and can take place in gases , liquids , and in solids .* Active acoustic location involves the creation of sound in order to produce an echo, which is...
, much the way a bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
does. Using a mixture of telekinetic ability and the flapping of its webbed tentacles, it can perform low level flying.
Habitat and society
The darkmantle attacks by attaching itself to the ceiling of a cave and disguising itself as a stalactiteStalactite
A stalactite , "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of limestone caves. It is a type of dripstone...
. It waits until someone is underneath, and then drops down, wrapping its tentacles around the head of the victim. It smothers them, and then proceeds to eat them from a mouth located under its head. Darkmantles also have an offensive/defensive ability in the ability to suck the light out of an area.
Darkmantles cannot speak.
They are neutral in alignment.