In the Dungeons & Dragons

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 role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, the manticore is a large 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....

 with the body of a lion

Lion

The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

, dragon

Dragon

A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

 wings, and a somewhat humanoid head. It is based on the mythological manticore

Manticore

The manticore is a legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth , and a trumpet-like voice. Other aspects of the creature vary from story to story. It may be horned, winged, or both...

.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The manticore was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set

Dungeons & Dragons (1974)

The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...

 (1974), where they were described as huge, lion-bodied monstrosities with a tail full of spikes that can be fired.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The manticore appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as having a lion body, bat wings, and a human head. It attacks by loosing a volley of iron spikes from its tail.

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the manticore, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set

The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...

(1977), and Expert Set

Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set

The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...

(1981 & 1983). The manticore was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game

Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)

The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons Game is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1991....

set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), and the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The manticore appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The manticore is further detailed 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...

#153 (January 1990), in "The Ecology of the Manticore."

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The manticore appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The manticore appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The manticore appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Description

A manticore's long tail has a cluster of deadly spikes, which the creature can launch at its foes as weapons.

A manticore is usually lawful evil in alignment.

In the Eberron

Eberron

Eberron is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of Khorvaire...

 campaign setting, the manticore is the heraldic beast of the dragonmarked House Kundarak.