An red floating mantle. Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast.

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The Lore

The Silt Sea makes up the eastern border of the known regions of Athas. No one knows what’s on the other side of it, and they have only the barest idea of what’s under the dust. Sometimes, weird creatures will drift in from those far and deep regions. One of these weirdoes is the floating mantle.

Floating mantles are giant flying jellyfish, though no one in Athas calls them that because they don’t know what a fish is. Despite their strong psionic powers, their flight is entirely mundane. Their bodies secrete a lighter than air gas into internal cavities to keep them aloft, and they expel small quantities of this gas to propel themselves.

These creatures live in small groups called colonies, which are psychically linked to form a collective consciousness. They have some fairly obvious sexual dimorphism: males are a pale red in color, while females are a pale yellow. Both grow much more vivid in coloration when they feel agitated or threatened.

During their reproductive cycle, the female will carry a large litter of “polyps” to term. This causes her to become larger, bluish in color and much more irritable, as the pregnancy is highly uncomfortable for her. When in this state, she’s known as a “bluesting”. When threatened, a bluesting might prematurely release some of its polyps, which can fight ferociously but don’t last long. Even when they’re properly birthed at the right time, polyps are still fragile and only a small fraction of them will grow up to join the colony.

The book describes floating mantles as “quiet and inoffensive”, which I guess means they only attack sapients if they feel threatened, or to defend their young. They probably feed on small animals, and mainly hunt on the Silt Sea. When they do fight, they use the same natural weapons they use for hunting: sting-covered tendrils that deliver a paralytic poison, and the ability to drain the life force of a helpless victims.

When hurt, a floating mantle emits a psychic scream that stuns attackers and warns their fellows of danger. Finally, the gas that they use is probably hydrogen, because it gives them an unfortunate tendency to explode when exposed to fire or electricity.

The Numbers

Floating Mantles are Aberrant Magical Beasts with the Blind tag, which makes them immune to blinding effects and gaze attacks. They perceive their surroundings with Blindsight 20. Mantles have a flight speed of 6, with an altitude limit of 3 and the ability to hover.

Adult mantles are vulnerable 10 to fire and lightning. Polyps have too little stored hydrogen for this.

Flying mantles are also immune to the effects of their Psychic Scream powers, whether used by themselves or by another mantle.

Floating Mantle

This typical specimen is Small in size, and a Level 13 Controller with 126 HP. Its basic attack is a Tentacle Rake (melee 2 vs. reflex) that deals poison damage and slows for a turn. If they have combat advantage against a target, they can use Life Leech (melee 2 vs. Fortitude) as a minor action. This deals poison damage, dazes and immobilizes (save ends both) and gives 10 temporary HP to the mantle. Of course, a target who’s hit by this once becomes susceptible to it until they save against that daze, since dazed characters grant CA.

Also as a minor action, the mantle can squeeze out a Jet to shift its speed.

When the mantle is first bloodied, a lot of stuff happens. First, Jet recharges. Then it lets out a Psychic Scream! The scream is a free action attack vs. Will in a Close Burst 2. On a hit, it deals psychic damage, and makes it so the affected targets take 10 psychic damage whenever they make an attack against the creature (save ends). As an effect, the floating mantle becomes invisible until the end of its next turn.

If the mantle is reduced to 0 HP by fire or lightning, it suddenly explodes! This is another Close Burst 2, vs. Reflex this time, dealing high fire damage and pushing targets 1d4 squares. On a miss, it does half damage. This is probably the only variable push I ever saw.

Floating Mantle Bluesting

Bluestings grow to Medium size. They’re Level 15 Artillery with 111 HP, and a greater blindsight range of 25.

Their Tentacle Rake Attack has reach 3 and does more damage than the common mantle’s, and they also gain the ability to fling their tiny stingers at distant targets. This Flinging Nettles attack targets Fortitude and deals poison damage out to range 20.

If enemies manage to get close, the bluesting can let out a Toxic Burst, which targets creatures in a Close Burst 1 and deals poison damage on a hit. If the bluesting has less than four accompanying polyps, one appears in an adjacent square, acting right after the bluesting in initiative order.

They have the same Jet ability as the common specimen, and can also perform a Sudden Birth (recharge 4+) as a minor when pressed. This is more or less the same as the secondary effect of the Toxic Burst above: it puts a new polyp in play within 3 squares if there are less than four accompanying the bluesting.

Psychic Scream and Sudden Explosion work the same as in the common specimen, but do more damage since bluestings are higher level.

Floating Mantle Polyp

These Tiny youngsters can either be pre-placed in an encounter, or be produced by bluestings (in which case they’re not worth XP). A previously-placed polyp is one that reached term and was birthed normally, and adults will fiercely defend it. One produced during combat is considered premature and will die a few minutes after the fighting stops. Adults are less attached to those. In either case it’s not yet hooked up to the hive mind and it’s recklessly hangry.

Polyps are Level 15 Minion Brutes. Their Tentacle Rakes do poison damage, and when they die they let loose a Psychic Scream in a close burst 2, which deals psychic damage and dazes for a turn on a hit.

Encounters and Final Impressions

These are likely the most peaceful and sympathetic aberrant creatures you’re likely to find anywhere. They’ll most likely be found just chilling and minding their business, and will only become dangerous if the PCs strike the first blow. The capybaras of the Far Realm.

Their lore is both disturbingly biological and a breath of fresh air. The first part is obvious (poor premature polyps!), and the second one is because here we have an example of powerful Athasian wildlife that isn’t so mindlessly aggressive it thinks armed adventurers are a good meal.

Standard flying mantles need to either appear in pairs or have some other opportunistic flanking buddy that will help them get their initial combat advantage on a target. Other than that all of them have some interesting ways to punish PCs that do too well against them.