| Hit Dice: | 1d10+1 (6 hp) |
| Initiative: | +4 |
| Speed: | 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 30 ft. (poor) |
| Armor Class: | 17 (+1 size, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 17 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +1/+0 |
| Attack: | Slam +5 melee (1d4+4) |
| Full Attack: | Slam +5 melee (1d4+4) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Darkness, improved grab, constrict 1d4+4 |
| Special Qualities: | Blindsight 90 ft. |
| Saves: | Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +0 |
| Abilities: | Str 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 10 |
| Skills: | Hide +10, Listen +5, Spot +5; racial bonuses |
| Feats: | Improved Initiative |
| Environment: | Underground |
| Organization: | Solitary, pair, clutch (3–9), or swarm (6–15) |
| Challenge Rating: | 1 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Always neutral |
| Advancement: | 2–3 HD (Small) |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
The stalactite above seems to break apart, revealing itself to be a creature that resembles a squid or octopus, with a stonelike shell covering its body and a tough membrane stretched between its unfolding tentacles.
The darkmantle lurks near cavern roofs, waiting for prey to pass beneath. Its ability to create magical darkness makes it difficult to defeat.
The darkmantle hangs from a ceiling by a muscular “foot” at the top of its body. It can look like a stalactite, by holding its tentacles stiffly under itself, or like a lump of rock, spreading its tentacles so the membrane between them covers its body. Its shell and skin usually resemble limestone, but a darkmantle can change its color to match almost any type of stony background.
Scholars believe the darkmantle has recently evolved from a similar but far less capable subterranean predator. A darkmantle is about 4 feet long from the tips of its tentacles to the top of its head. It weighs about 30 pounds.
A darkmantle attacks by dropping onto its prey and wrapping its tentacles around the opponent’s head. Once attached, it squeezes and tries to suffocate the foe. A darkmantle that misses its initial attack often flies up and tries to drop on the opponent again.
Darkness (Su): Once per day a darkmantle can cause darkness as the darkness spell (caster level 5th). It most often uses this ability just before attacking.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a darkmantle must hit a Large or smaller creature with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it attaches to the opponent’s head and can constrict.
Constrict (Ex): A darkmantle deals 1d4+4 points of damage with a successful grapple check.
Blindsight (Ex): A darkmantle can “see” by emitting high-frequency sounds, inaudible to most other creatures, that allows it to ascertain objects and creatures within 90 feet. A silence spell negates this ability and effectively blinds the darkmantle.
Skills: A darkmantle has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. These bonuses are lost if its blindsight is negated. The creature’s variable coloration gives it a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks.
Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 38.