Manticore

Manticore
Information
Class	Beast
Variations	Imperial manticore Mardyacore
Occurrence	Mountains Woods
Immunity	Venom

	One of the world's oldest and deadliest creatures, I used to feel excitement at times like this, but now the beast is just in my way. Its meat and hot blood will help me survive this icy hell.
- Geralt on encountering a manticore, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

A manticore, otherwise known as a mardyacore, is a giant beast with the body of a lion, bat wings, and scorpion tail. As a young witcher, Geralt fought a manticore. He also killed one in early 1267, near the town of Dorian.

They are said to somehow use the lethal poison of the Bohun Upas in their stinger, and have an appetite that allows them to eat as many as 20 people per moon. Scholars at the Oxenfurt Academy believe that manticores have three rows of teeth, though this is not proven. Manticore's claws also never stop growing, so scratching various surfaces helps to keep them short, and easily slash their prey dead. They mainly inhabit mountain caves as well as woodlands under cover.

The Witcher

Siegfried relates the story of how his father, Eyck of Denesle, died fighting a manticore when he first meets Geralt in the sewers. A letter from Patrick de Weyze can tell you same story.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

The Witcher 2 flashback, Imperial manticore

In The Witcher 2, Geralt recalls that he fought an imperial manticore in one of his flashbacks while pursuing the Wild Hunt.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Manticores were supposed to appear in the third game during its development in 2013 - 2014 but was removed around this time. It was supposed to appear in the mountains near Kaer Morhen fortress in the third game but was replaced by a forktail.

Information from leaked materials

Strange, flying creature, mix of lion, bat and scorpion. It attacks from the air and uses its long tail ended with a poison gland to poison the opponents. Mantikora lives in high mountains. It's strong and demanding opponent, even though it's not bigger than a lion.
Mantikora attacks alone.

• Role in the group: Individual
• Preferred behavior: aggressive - chases the opponent and attacks.
• Special attacks and actions:
  • Strong attacks - her attacks are slow paced but deal high damage.
  • Tail attack - the monster uses it's tail to hit and poison his opponent. Player can dodge or use Quen to protect himself. Manticora's poison effect lasts very long. When hit, player will need to use a potion or Heliotrop to get rid of the critical effect.
  • Knockdown - Manticora uses her wings to knockdown the opponent. Player has to dodge the attack.
  • Tear apart - enabled on knocked down opponents. Monster attacks the opponent with it's claws and deals very high damage.
  • Aerial bash - the creature flies into air dives down. If player dodges, Manticora hits the ground and is stunned for a short while. Player can see the shadow of the monster before it dives and also Geralt's witcher medallion vibrates showing danger.
  • Jump attack - Manticora can quickly fly to it's target from a max distance of 15 meters. She hits her opponent with her claws and deals medium damage. Player can cast Quen or dodge to protect himself.
• Defence:
  • Dodge and counterattack - the monster dodges using it's wings and immediately counterattacks.
  • Huge creature - doesn't play every hit animation. Her attacks aren't disrupted.
• Vital points:
  • Instant kill:
    • Piercing 3 hearts (cost 3 points for each heart). The hearts are blocked with Rib cage.
  • Protection:
    • Crushing ribs - rib cage protects the heart of the monster. Player has to crush it's ribs first (cost: 5 points).
  • Critical effect/disable ability:
    • Crippling one wing - disables the Aerial bash and Knockdown abilities (cost: 2 points).
    • Crippling both wings - disables the Jump attack (cost: 2 points each wing).
    • Piercing the poison gland - disables the Tail attack ability (cost: 2 points).
  • Massive damage: none
• Immune to: Silver, all witcher's signs except for the Yrden
• Vulnerable to: Steel, Yrden

Andrzej Sapkowski

"There's a cruel man-eater in these parts, laddie. He fell on a knight riding along the road with nowt but a boy for company. They say the monster rent the knight's head right off — helmet and all — and split the horse's gizzards..."
"A dragon?"
"Nay, it's no dragon," said the one in the straw hat. "Tis said to be a manticore, or some such. The boy said 'tis a flying beast, awful huge. And vicious! We reckon he would devour the knight and fly away, but no! They say he settled on the road, the whoreson, and was sat there hissing and baring its fangs..."
...he saw the great tawny body being lifted up by the soldiers. The monster's bat-like wings and scorpion tail dragged inertly along the ground.

pgs. 10-11, Time of Contempt (U.K. edition)

Trivia

• Manticore is a Persian mythological beast with the body of a lion and the tail of a dragon or a scorpion. It is often depicted having a human face, like Sphinx, but unlike the latter is more of a mindless beast. It can throw venomous spines to paralyze its prey.

Gallery

From Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

A manticore in Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni, illustration by Tomasz Łaz.

Manticore venom

Manticore head

External links

•  See the GWENT standalone game version card: Manticore