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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Manananggal

Manananggals are wicked monsters that live as humanoids during the day but feed upon them at night. To hide their depravities, these beings disguise themselves as everyday people—typically recluses or eccentrics— and use their proximity to a community to pick out their next targets before striking under cover of night. Manananggals use their long, hollow tongues to drain victims' blood from vital organs such as the liver, and the resulting odd drainage marks make it difficult to determine the exact nature of a victim's death. This typically leads to confusion, terror, and mistrust among communities, which most manananggals savor. While they fly, manananggals make a distinctive ticking sound, leading some to refer to the creatures as “tik-tiks,” and badly affected communities descend into fearful chaos at the first reports of this telltale noise.

Manananggals share their cannibalistic, body-separating traits with other types of tanngals, such as penanggalans, though a number of characteristics set them apart. For instance, whereas penanggalans relish vinegar and even bathe in the substance, manananggals abhor the merest scent of it.

Recall Knowledge - Aberration (Occultism): DC 24
Unspecific Lore: DC 22
Specific Lore: DC 19

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Elite are marked in red below.
NOTE: The +2 damage bonus to non-strike offensive abilities (+4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Elite ManananggalCreature 9

Legacy Content

CE Medium Aberration Tanggal 
Source Pathfinder #166: Despair on Danger Island pg. 87
Perception +18; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common
Skills Acrobatics +20, Deception +18, Religion +15
Str +5, Dex +5, Con +2, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +4
Light Blindness
AC 28; Fort +16, Ref +19, Will +21
HP 200; Weaknesses slashing 8
Speed 30 feet (or fly 80 feet when body is separated)
Melee [one-action] claws +20 [+16/+12] (agile, magical), Damage 2d8+2+9 slashing plus GrabMelee [one-action] jaws +20 [+15/+10] (magical), Damage 2d10+2+9 piercingOccult Innate Spells DC 28 (+4 dmg); 4th sleep; 3rd fear; 2nd darkness (×3); 1st ray of enfeeblement (×3); Cantrips (4th) dancing lights
Blood Drain [one-action] Requirements The manananggal has a creature grabbed; Effect The manananggal drives its tongue into the grabbed creature to drink its blood. This deals 4d6 damage, and the manananggal gains temporary Hit Points equal to the damage dealt. A creature whose blood is drained by a manananggal is drained 1 until it receives healing (of any kind or amount).Separated Body A manananggal typically resembles a living humanoid. It doesn't appear as an aberration at first glance and receives a +4 status bonus to its Deception DC when Impersonating a humanoid. At any time but especially at night, a manananggal can, as a three-action activity with the manipulate trait, rip its upper torso from its bottom half, leaving the lower torso limp and helpless but allowing the upper torso to fly free. A manananggal can separate its body at any time, but it risks further damage if it does so during the day. The manananggal's upper and lower halves share the same pool of HP. If its lower half is damaged, the manananggal is immediately aware of the attack. Each minute a manananggal remains separated after sunrise and before sunset, it takes 2d6 points of damage until it reattaches its upper and lower torsos or is destroyed, whichever comes first.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Grim Blades

Minatan folktales have it that a forgotten demigod created the first manananggals by bisecting the torso of a human with a divine knife. The demigod then cut into the human's shoulders and drove a pair of bat wings into their back, birthing the first manananggal. The divine power of the demigod's knife still resonates in every manananggal and makes each of the aberrations susceptible to cuts from similar weapons. Communities dealing with a manananggal's terror train with light blades and other slashing weapons to cut the monsters from the sky.