Manggus

A manggus was an evil spirit that lived on the steppes of the Hordelands. They used their power to frighten others and demand sacrifices.

Description
A manggus stood as tall as an ogre, but its skin hung in flaps about its body. They had bloodshot eyes and wept tears of blood. Four large fangs dominated its mouth. All manggus were capable of shapechanging.

Combat
During a rare occurrence when a manggus fights in its natural form, they attack with a bite and hand-held weapon, typically a large maul. Manggus fight with ferocity, but will retreat if they feel the battle has turned against them.

Manggus are generally found in the form of a human, though they were able to shapechange into any creature that they had seen.

All manggus could use the following spell-like abilities: ESP, comprehend languages, cause fear. They could also cause disease per touch.

They were immune to charm and hold spells and cold-based magic. Damage from fire caused a manggus to revert back to its natural form. Magical weapons were needed to harm them.

Habitat/Society
Most manggus lived alone or in pairs. Males and females bonded for life and were devoted to each other while they shunned other manggus to avoid competition for food.

Manggus preferred to use trickery to get close to humans, even ruling over small villages and demanding sacrifices. They would prey upon travelers or small farms as well. When danger or threat of discovery was suspected, a manggus would move to a new location.

Ecology
All manggus were predators of humans and demihumans. They usually avoided larger cities to minimize the chance of discovery.