Displacer Beast Monster Card art by Joe Bilicic

Displacer Beast Culture, Psychology, and Lore

By Vassar Oenbring

“We tracked the Displacer cat for days, but it eluded us in the depths of Ellwood. Our Druid cast Scry to find its lair, but the spell seemed to fizzle, indicating that the beast was on a distant plane. We have resorted to bribing it with fresh kills to keep it from stalking the villagers. So far, this fragile arrangement has kept the peace.”

– Sylvania Bloodvine, Wood Elf Huntress

Culture and Psychology

Displacer Beasts are encountered in wildlands throughout the planes, be they forests, mountains, jungles, or rocky badlands. They prefer varied and dense terrain that allows them to use their camouflage to the fullest. Their intelligence and unique magical abilities set them apart from more mundane predators, while their voracity and casual cruelty makes them frightening opponents.

Like other large predatory cats, Displacer Beasts are most often solitary hunters. Lone Displacers are usually nomadic, roaming across territories covering hundreds of square miles. Some particularly itinerant individuals traverse continents and rarely return to previous ranges. When resources are abundant, however, or when competitive threats are powerful, Displacer Beasts are known to congregate.

Whether called a pride, an ambush, or a prowl, the names given to groups of Displacer Beasts suggest the nature of such gatherings. A prowl of Displacers usually consists of two sires and up to six offspring. Larger groups made up of extended family members have been occasionally encountered; these may consist of up to 50 Beasts. Displacers have no spoken language, but use telepathy to communicate with each other, with a range of up to 500 feet.

A Prowl of Displacers can have a devastating effect on the prey species within a large area. When these crafty cats work together, they can stalk and kill most non-magical beings, ranging in size from a musk rat to a Hill Giant. Fey creatures are some of their favorite prey. Displacers seem to seek out Centaurs, Faerie Dragons, Satyrs, Sylphs, Quicklings, Leprechauns, Brownies, Blink Dogs, and other creatures with extraplanar powers before they expend energy chasing down ordinary animals and humanoids. It is speculated that Displacers draw nourishment from the magical essence of these creatures, perhaps using it to recharge their own. They are attracted to spells and magical items as well, and are known to haunt the land surrounding Mages’ towers, Druids’ caves, and Summoners’ circles.

Prowls tend to nest in caves, ravines, deep thickets, and other places with natural cover. Several Displacers nesting together can create a lair that occupies a pocket dimension outside of the Material Plane, effectively protecting their young and making them difficult to track. A Displacer must spend 1 full minute to planeshift into its nest, and will only do so if certain it is not being followed or observed.

Groups larger than prowls have been reported. Such groups are most often formed during times of crisis, when the Displacers of a region unite, either to oppose a common foe or migrate to a new area. These great prides of are led by fearsome Alphas. These large and powerful cats dominate their inferiors with snarling, psionic attacks, and physical combat. During the rare occasions when Displacers fight to the death, Alphas are typically involved.

While hunting and sleeping occupy most of their time, Displacer Beasts have been observed at play as well. Youngsters cavort and chase each other, while adults display elaborate dances with whirling tentacles. Displacers appear to enjoy moonlight, and have been spotted basking in the glow of particularly bright moons. During the acclaimed Father Moon of 1184, Displacer Beasts were sighted near numerous cities and other inhabited areas. Some say they appeared good-natured during this time, and reports exist of Displacers rolling about on their backs and even playing with dogs. Displacers detest shrill sounds such as whistles, piccolos, and bagpipes, and alternately attack or flee from the source of such noise.

Special Tactics

Single Displacer Beasts hunt for sport as well as for food. With their great speed and strength, Displacers enjoy stalking and pouncing upon vulnerable prey, then bearing it away to devour it at their leisure. Whenever possible, Displacers make use of their tentacles to attack from high ledges or tree limbs where they are out of reach of direct reprisal. It is uncommonly known that Displacer Beasts’ tentacles grow back when severed. This fact helps to explain why the large cats take risks with this appendage, using them alternately to assault enemies armed with blades, as live bait for schools of carnivorous fish, or even to pluck interesting items out of a fire.

Members of a prowl are masters at the art of ambush. A favored tactic against weaker foes is to drive them into the waiting tentacles of their young, where the kits can toy with their prey for practice. Prowls also excel at large-scale fighting, and use their speed and reach to devastating effect. Prowls coordinate their attacks telepathically and will ambush and flank their opponents whenever possible.

But by far the most infamous, terrifying, and effective Displacer Beast tactic is their use of self-projection. This ability functions as an advanced form of the spell Mirror Image, though Displacers typically project only one mirror form, over which they have significant control. The projected image of a powerful Displacer is nearly indistinguishable from its physical form, while the image of a young beast may show discoloration, translucence, or haze around the edges.

Displacers can project their image from 3’ to 20’ away from their physical bodies, and use the projected image to confuse and frighten their enemies.

“I woke in the dark to a horrible purring. There, in the corner of my room—my timbered bedroom with the door shut and latched—sat a huge and tentacled cat. It stared into me with bright green eyes and I imagined that a flash passed between us. I saw myself disemboweled, crawling desperately away, while the beast sauntered behind me and toyed with my guts. I pushed the thought from my mind and bolted from the room. I snatched my sword from over the hearth, but already the beast glowered from atop my kitchen table. I fumbled with the lock on the front door and rushed out outside.

“The glow of the full moon was bright as silver and cast my homestead in pale light. There again was the cat, sitting upright like a sphinx on the path to my cabin, it lashed its tail, weaved its head, and crouched as though to spring. I gripped my sword and felt the cold sweat of death. But the cat did not attack. Instead it turned a circle and rolled about on its back. Then it righted itself, preened for a moment with its tentacles, and strutted into the woods. It looked back at me once, with what I swear was a grin.”

-Anbar Coldcreek, Billbuck Mountains colonist

Qualities

Curious. Displacer Beasts are enchanted by unique objects, places, and creatures. They will go out of their way to investigate changes in their territories, and will hide to observe from a distance until they determine what is what. Multiple accounts exist of naturalist Mages creating trails of magical items for Displacer Beasts, and thereby establishing workable contact.

Capricious. It is practically impossible to predict Displacer Beasts’ behavior or to understand their reasoning. They can be playful at times, and they can be cold-blooded murderers. All Insight and Persuasion checks are made at Disadvantage against Displacer Beasts.

Ethereal Appetite. Given a choice, Displacer Beasts prefer prey that have the ability to planeshift. Magical objects or spells such as Dimension Door leave a trace upon their users that Displacer Beasts sense and pursue.

Fey Foe. Displacer Beasts have an inveterate hostility toward Fey creatures and Blink Dogs, and will band together to exterminate them whenever possible. They are immune to enchantment spells and effects cast by Fey.

Unforgiving. Once injured or wronged, Displacer Beasts never forget their enemies. Attempts by foes to disguise themselves in subsequent encounters with the same Displacer Beast are made at Disadvantage, as are any attempts at Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation.

Weaponry

Melee 1. Material Bite. A Displacer Beast may forgo its other attacks to snap at a foe that has attempted to move away from the Material Plane, such as a Ghost’s Etherealness ability. The Displacer Beast must make this attack within one round of attempt to planeshift. (1d6+4 piercing, DC 14 INT Save, or the bite returns the creature to the Material Plane.)

Melee 2. Tentacle Grapple. In place of one of its Tentacle attacks, a Displacer Beast may choose to Grapple instead. If the Grapple is successful, the tentacle deals 1d6 piercing damage as it wraps around its opponent. (Grapple Check, 1d6 piercing.)

Ranged 1. Hurl Object. Displacer Beasts may use their tentacles to fling sticks, stones, and whatever else may be lying around at their enemies. This ability replaces one Tentacle attack. (1d6+4 bludgeoning, range 50/100)

Ranged 2. Cats’ Eyes. Most often used while hunting, a Displacer Beast may use a full-round action to focus its psionic gaze upon a single creature that can see it. A creature failing its Save is mesmerized by the Displacer’s eyes and loses its next action. (Range 30/60. DC 12 CON Save, or victim loses their next action.)

Special Units

Alpha. These brawny prowl leaders have maximum hit points and grant Pack Tactics to other Displacer Beasts within 30 feet. Alphas are stalwart creatures, immune to Fear and Charm effects.

Climber. These Displacer Beasts have a climb speed of 30 feet and can scale sheer surfaces with ease. Individual Climbers tend to be avaricious and are known to climb cliffs to pursue magic items and other shiny baubles.

Ethercat. These creatures are rarely seen, but that is hardly comforting, given that they can use the Etherealness spell 3 times per day.

Lashoska. With elongated tentacles, the Lashoska has a reach of 30 feet when using the Tentacle attack.

Special Abilities

Pocket Nest. Must be cast as a Ritual spell with 1 minute casting time. Displacer Beasts build pocket planes for their young, which can only be accessed with an elaborate tentacle dance and intense concentration.

Dimension Door. As the spell, once per day.

Maul. Upon succeeding on a Grapple, a Displacer Beast may use a full-round action to rend its Grappled opponent. This attack is made at Advantage and deals 3d10+4 slashing damage.

Pounce. A Displacer Beast may move twice its Speed and attack with its Tentacles if it did not Move during the previous round.

Project Self. Displacers are infamous for their ability to project their image up to 20’ in any direction. The image may mimic the cat’s behavior, or manifest different behaviors. Victims must Save DC 16 WIS or risk being fooled by the image. The DC is reduced to 12 if the PC has had previous encounters with Displacer Beasts. Displacers using Project Self in combat receive +4 AC. In other contexts they use this ability to herd prey and distract the attention of their victims.

Movement

Run. Excellent. Displacer Beasts are quick and agile, and utterly tenacious.

Climb. Good. Displacers’ long retractable claws allow them to clamber up almost anything.

Swim. Good. Unlike other big cats, Displacers enjoy water. They have frequently been observed bathing, and their tentacles help them to swim quickly and efficiently.

Burrow. Poor. While seemingly capable, Displacer Beasts abhor digging.

Fly. n/a

Grudges

The Fey recite fanciful legends about the origins of the Displacer Beast, few of them plausible and none of them flattering. It is known only that these malevolent felines emerged in the Fey, where their propensity for murder has been endlessly memorialized in the songs of Pixie balladeers.

Displacer Beasts sometimes attack the Undead, particularly Ghosts. Because the bite of a Displacer can rend and catch even Ethereal flesh, stories exist of Ghosts pitifully howling while being torn apart and devoured by Displacer Beasts. It is thought that Displacers feast on the Undead connection to the Negative Planes, making a meal of what most creatures would find insubstantial. As a result, some sentient Undead avoid confrontations with Displacer Beasts if able.

Displacer Beasts are often the least popular inhabitants of their territories. Their indiscriminate appetites and the joy they take in slaughter make them reviled by mundane creatures, Undead, and Fey alike.

Displacer Beasts