Manticores and Scorpicores are the level 6 creatures of the Dungeon. They are recruited from the Manticore Lair.
"Manticores and their venomous cousins, the scorpicores, have features combined of bat, lion and scorpion. They attack with stabs from their stinging tails. Scorpicore attacks have a 20% chance of paralyzing an opponent. Creatures thus petrified take 50% damage and are unfrozen when attacked or after three rounds." RoE manual
Paralyzing special ability
Paralyzing Venom is a special ability of Scorpicores. A target surviving a Scorpicore's attack has a 20% chance of being paralyzed immediately after. Paralyzed creatures forgo their turn for the remainder of the current combat round and the two combat rounds thereafter, unless they are attacked meanwhile. Paralyzed creatures take full damage from attacks, but retaliate at only a quarter of their strength. The effect can be removed with Cure or Dispel. Paralyzing Venom is negated by the Recanter's Cloak and Cursed Ground, but not by the Orb of Inhibition.
The description of the Paralyzing Venom attack seems to be wrong, since it is just copy-pasted from Petrification. The Paralyzing Venom is actually significantly better (in not making creatures take 50% less damage, but retaliate more weakly), but the very low stats of Manticores and the still just as low probability of a trigger don't help much.
Heroes with a specialty
Synca the Overlord has manticores as a specialty, which increases the attack and defense skills of any manticores or scorpicores for each level attained after 6th level and gives them a speed bonus of 1.
See also:
Troglodyte
Infernal Troglodyte
Harpy
Harpy Hag
Beholder
Evil Eye
Medusa
Medusa Queen
Minotaur
Minotaur King
Manticore
Scorpicore
Red Dragon
Black Dragon
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