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Displacer Beast
First appearanceGreyhawk (1975)
In-universe information
TypeAberration
AlignmentNeutral

The displacer beast is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is often portrayed as a panther with sleek blue fur, six muscular legs, and two tentacles that end in ovular pads covered in spikes.

The displacer beast is one of a limited selection of Dungeons & Dragons monsters that has appeared in every edition of the game since its initial introduction in the Greyhawk (supplement) for the original edition of Dungeons and Dragons in 1975. These creatures were inspired by the coeurl in A.E. van Vogt's Voyage of the Space Beagle.[1] Displacer beasts are one of a select few Wizards of the Coast's items of Product Identity.[2]

Publication History

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The displacer beast was inspired by the coeurl in Voyage of the Space Beagle, with Gygax explicitly saying that they were "ripped-off" from the novel.[3]

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

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Displacer beasts were introduced in the Greyhawk supplement in 1975. They were first described as having "black fur", and they always appeared 3" from their actual position, explaining their name.[4] During this time, there was no "displacement" trait listed in their stat block; instead, it was to be treated as a "man wearing a displacement cloak", a magic item that made it 10% harder to hit the wearer.[4][5]

Basic Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1978)

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There were very few changes to the displacer beast between its first appearance and the basic Dungeons & Dragons monster. Due to the changes made between editions, the displacement ability is officially written in the stat block, and the ability is changed from making it 10% harder to hit them to giving -2 to hit on dice rolls to hit it, and +2 to its saving throws.[6]

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition (1979-1986)

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The displacer beast has few changes in its description and abilities, other than those necessary to its conversion in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.[7] However, in Dragon Magazine issue #109, more information was given about the beast in The Ecology of the Displacer Beast by Bill Mickelson. This article explains how the displacer beast's displacement ability works, stating that the creature casts an illusion of themselves 3 feet away through incredibly fast vibration of their skin.[8]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1987-1999)

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In the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the displacer beast's displacement is further expanded upon: to determine the true position of the displacer beast, the attacker must roll a d10. On a result of 1-5, the illusion is in front of the creature; on a 6-7, the creature's left; on an 8-9, the creature's right; and on a 10 it is behind the creature.[9] As well, the Monstrous Companion Volume 1 gives more insight into the behaviours of the creature: they are carnivores and enjoy any meat they can find, including even young dragons.[9] Displacer Beasts are also described as travelling in packs, though those packs are not based on the family.[9]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

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The displacer beast received little changes to their descriptions in their change from the second to the third edition. However, the image of the displacer beast appears much more alien, with a skinny malnourished body and slender appendages. It is also mentioned that the creatures prefer to hunt smaller creatures, unlike the previous description.[10]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

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The biggest change between the third edition and the 3.5 edition of displacer beasts is the description of their eyes. In every prior edition, the displacer beasts have had green eyes, which continued up until the third edition.[10] However, in the Monster Manual for 3.5, the section of the description mentioning the green eyes is removed.[11]

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-2014)

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In the fourth edition, displacer beasts had several smaller changes made to their descriptions. Their alignment was changed from the neutral alignment to unaligned, a change that happened to many beasts.[12] They also gain a new ability named shifting tactics, which allows the displacer beast to teleport whenever a creature misses them with an attack.[12] As well, it is explained that the home plane of the Displacer Beast is the Feywild, a plane introduced in the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons.[12]

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014-present)

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Displacer Beasts received several minor changes in their transition from the fourth edition to the fifth edition. Firstly, they received a new explanation for their hatred of blink dogs: in the Feywild, hunters used blink dogs to drive displacer beasts to the fringes of the Feywild.[13] As well, the beasts return to an evil alignment and enjoy the sport of killing animals, unlike the unaligned fourth edition displacer beast. It also explains the origins of the displacer beasts, stating that they were originally bred by the Unseelie Court(link) to hunt wondrous creatures before the Seelie court began hunting them using blink dogs.[13]

Description

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The third edition art of a displacer beast, showing off a more alien, malnourished physique and red eyes.

The displacer beast is a six-legged panther with dark navy fur and a tentacle that extends from each shoulder, which ends in pads covered in spikes.

Displacer beasts' eyes glow bright green with an evil glare. This glow endures even after a displacer beast's death; thieves consider it a highly prized good luck charm said to ward off detection.[14] The hides of displacer beasts are also sought after, as they can be fashioned into the magical item known as a Cloak of Displacement.[15]

By vibrating their skin at a high frequency, they are able to generate an illusion of themselves 3" from where they actually are, making them more difficult to hit. Although this is a magical ability, dispel magic and detect magic cannot be used to determine its location, but true seeing allows for the caster to ignore the effect of the displacement ability.[14] In the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the displacement ability can be disrupted by an attack until the end of the displacer beast's next turn, and is also disrupted if the creature is incapacitated or otherwise has a speed of 0. In some editions of Dungeons & Dragons, the displacer beast has a chance of producing a mutated whelp that becomes much larger and more dangerous than the normal displacer beast, known as a pack lord.[12] Pack Lords can grow up to 20 ft. in length and 10 ft. high at the shoulder, with additional abilities like Nimble Stride, while other abilities, like Shifting Tactics, are upgraded to superior versions.[12] Displacer Pack Lords have not been added to the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

Ecology

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Displacer beasts are carnivores who hunt for pleasure and hunger. Unless they are raising their young, displacer beasts hunt in packs; a pack is able to take on anything from small game to bands of humanoids.[9] Displacer beasts mate during fall, with litters of one to four cubs being born in the spring. Within four months, displacer beast cubs reach maturity, but they remain in their homes until their displacement abilities are fully developed.[9] Once they gain their displacement, the matured cubs are taught to hunt by their parents for two months, after which the family group disbands to join other packs.[9] Displacer beast lairs are fiercely protected while the young remain within them, and are often littered with the bones and equipment of their prey.[9]

Packs of displacer beasts are experts in setting up ambushes for their prey. A single beast will strike at its prey and draw it into a forested or covered area, allowing for the rest of the pack to spring on the creature and kill it.[13] They target prey even when they aren't hungry, entertaining themselves by toying with them until they are.[13] Displacer beasts drag their prey after killing them into quiet areas, finding a peaceful spot before they feed on them.[13]

The displacer beast has a natural hatred of the blink dog, a beast with similar abilities to the displacer beast but an opposing alignment. In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, displacer beasts hated blink dogs because the two creature's abilities affected one another's nervous systems, causing a hostile reaction in close proximity.[9] However, in Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition, the displacer beasts have a different reason for their hatred: after their training and selective breeding by the Unseelie Court, the Seelie Court used blink dogs to track down the displacer beasts, forcing them to the Feywild's outskirts.[13]

  1. ^ Gygax, Gary. "Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 400". ENWorld. ENWorld Publishing Ltd.
  2. ^ SRD-OGL_V5.1.pdf (PDF) (5.1 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 1. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  3. ^ Gygax, Gary. "Interview with Gary Gygax". Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b Gary, Gygax (1975). Greyhawk. TSR, inc. p. 38. ISBN 978-613-4-10248-3.
  5. ^ Gygax, Gary (1974). Dungeons & Dragons (Single Volume ed.). Tactical Studies Rules. p. 63.
  6. ^ Gygax, Gary (1977). Dungeons and Dragons. Tactical Studies Rules. p. 24.
  7. ^ Gygax, Gary (1979). Monster Manual (1st ed.). TSR Games. p. 28.
  8. ^ Mickelson, Bill (May 1986). "Ecology of the Displacer Beast". Dragon Magazine (109): 32.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Monstrous Compendium, Volume 1. TSR. 1989. p. 27.
  10. ^ a b Monster Manual (3rd ed.). Wizards of the Coast. October 1, 2000. p. 60. ISBN 0786915528.
  11. ^ Monster Manual (3.5 ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 66.
  12. ^ a b c d e Monster Manual (4th ed.). June 2008. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Monster Manual (5th ed.). Wizards of the Coast. September 30, 2014. p. 81. ISBN 0786965614.
  14. ^ a b Stewart, Doug (1994). Monstrous Manual. TSR, inc. p. 56. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  15. ^ Crawford, Jeremy; Schubert, Stephen (September 2011). Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium. Wizards of the Coast. p. 72. ISBN 0786957441.
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