Deep Dive - The Displacer Beast
The Displacer Beast is another one of those original Dungeons & Dragons monsters that might not be super special, but it is well-loved. Our not-so-cuddly cat is a six-legged puma with tentacles, has one great ability and has always had great art. Not every creature can have the power of a lich, the lore of a dragon or the consistently hideous bad art of an otyugh, but these kittens deserve some love!
The Displacer Beast was inspired by the Coeurl, and it is quite a powerful kitten. The Coeurl is a feline-like creature from the 1939 science fiction story Black Destroyer by A. E. van Vogt, later added as a part in the novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle (1950). In the story, our heroes are flying through the universe in their spaceship in search of excitement and adventure. They land on a planet with basically just deer-like creature roaming in large herds. Like all great plans, the crew wants to explore the remains of an ancient civilization that had lived on the planet, all that remains, a great city now reduced to ruins and ash. This isn’t the planet you want to visit on a casual vacation. While our crew does the explortion, our villain, the Coeurl, approaches the ship, pretends to be an unintelligent animal, and quickly infiltrates it.
In the story, the Coeurl is a wise and terrifyingly evil creature, black as night with cat-like features and barbed tentacles. It kills several crewmen once the ship leaves the planet, before it is tricked into a rescue pod and ejected into the cold black void of space. The Coeurl then kills itself once it realizes its fate and that it was defeated by a bunch of humans who probably can’t even purr or blur.
Now that we have our Displacer Beast’s origin story out of the way, let’s jump right in. One of the nice things about a creature that hasn’t changed that much over the editions is that you can drill down and take a look at every little aspect of the creature, so get ready for it!
OD&D - Displacer Beast
No. Appearing: 2-5
Armor Class: 4
Move: 15”
Hit Dice: 6
% in Lair: 35%
Treasure Type: D
No. of Attacks: 2 tentacles
Damage/Attack: 2-8/tentacle
The Displacer Beast was introduced in the Greyhawk Suppliment (1975), it somewhat resembles a puma - if that puma had six legs and two tentacles growing from its shoulders. Its entire body is covered in a short black fur, and its eyes glow a hellish green. Pretty creepy, probably enough to put it at the top of the scary giant cat list.
Now displacement itself wasn’t a ‘thing’ in Dungeons & Dragons, meaning that the term itself wasn’t defined in the rules. The description of the Displacer Beast states that they always appear to be 3” from their actual position, leaving the reader to wonder if this was an illusion and therefore subject to the same rules as illusion spells. Well, good thing that in OD&D, those aren’t spelled out either! So where do we find a game definition displacement? In typical OD&D fashion, the rules for displacement are found in the description of another item (or creature in some cases), and the item, in this case, is aptly named the Displacer Cloak. The creature description states that for purposes of hitting them, the Displacer Beast is treated as a character wearing a Displacer Cloak.
The Displacer Cloak is described as a device that warps light waves to make the wearer appear to be up to 1” away from where he is standing. It makes it 10% harder to hit its wearer, whether by smiting or wand (add +2 to saving throws). Which just means our alien-cat is pretty hard to hit. A question that could be asked is that since it states that the Displacer Beast appears 3” away from its actual position and the cloak makes it 10% harder for 1”, does that mean it’s 30% harder to hit? As we have learned throughout doing these deep dives, the original games leave a lot to desired when it comes to rule clarification.
The Displacer Beast’s magical resistance is high, equalling that of a 12th level fighter. This is the 2nd highest tier available for saving throws in this edition of the game, meaning that the Displacer Beast is extremely resistance to magic. You can only get better if you were a level 13+ Fighting Man or a level 11+ Magic User, so that should put it into some sort of perspective as to how good they are against magic.
In battle, the Displacer Beast has one primary method of attack. Both of the tentacles on the displacer beast have sharp spikes covering them, allowing them to cause 2d4 damage each. It is a little disappointing that there were no claw attacks from our mean cat, especially since they have six total legs. One might assume that the extra set of legs and claws would have been a genetic mutation to help the Displacer Beast in battle, but this is not what the creators had in mind. Since they aren’t going to get a claw attack, we guess a bite attack is out of the question too.
The final line in the description states that there is great enmity between Displacer Beasts and blink dogs. Sounds like the set up to a great dog vs. cat story set inside the world of Dungeons & Dragons right? Well, if you think so, then it’s on you to create it since we are only given that Blink Dogs are always lawful and will always attack Displacer Beasts on sight.
Basic D&D - Displacer Beast
Armor Class: 4
Move: 150’ (50’)
Hit Dice: 6
No. of Attacks: 2 tentacles
Damage/Attack: 2-8/2-8
No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter Level 6
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: D
Alignment: Neutral
The Displacer Beast is introduced in the Dungeons and Dragons Basic Set (1977) and not much changes between these two editions. It is now described as a large black panther instead of a puma; to us, that makes it even more badass. In the hierarchy of large cats, the black panther is higher than the puma for sure.
The Displacer Beast still only gets to attack with its tentacles, each still dealing 2d4 damage each. It's claim to fame, displacement, changes only because the to-hit rules are changed. Now instead of being 10% harder to hit, any creature attempting to hit the beast has -2 to their attack rolls. It still always appears to be 3' from its actual position, and still receives a +2 bonus on all saving throws. They are sited as semi-intelligent beasts, nothing at all like the Coeurl, who were dangerously smart and had built whole civilizations.
Once again, the final line in the description is about the Displacer Beast’s feeling for the blink dog. Displacer Beasts hate and fear blink dogs, and will always attack them and anyone traveling with them. We’re telling you, there’s a great story behind this somewhere. Maybe other editions will shed some light on the subject.
AD&D - Displacer Beast
Frequency: Very Rare
No. Appearing: 2-5
Armor Class: 4
Move: 15"
Hit Dice: 6
% in Lair: 25%
Treasure Type: D
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 2-8/2-8
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: -2 on opponent’s attack dice
Magic Resistance: Save as 12th lvl fighter +2 on die
Intelligence: Semi-
Alignment: Neutral
Size: L
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Monster Manual, 1977 TSR Inc.
The cuddly and loving Displacer Beast is found in the Monster Manual (1977) and comes with such a small and brief description that it’s like they weren’t even trying. Little changes in their description, with that said, we can find a plethora of knowledge in the article The Ecology of the Displacer Beast in Dragon Magazine #109. So while the basic stats stay the same, we can take a look at the six-legged feline in deep detail.
The article begins by describing Displacer Beasts as incredibly rare creatures as their litter sizes usually number only 1-2, with a maximum of four. At birth, Displacer Beasts have no tentacles and are about the size of a household cat. After eight weeks, they grow small tentacles and growing quite quickly and are about the size of a lynx. Over the next few months, these kittens grow in size and after 4 months are considered fully develop and adults, though they will still be a lot smaller than an older Displacer Beast topping at a whopping 90 lbs and only 4 to 5 feet in length. After a year, they will increase to 350 pounds and be about 7 to 8 feet in length; after two years, the males will be 10 feet in length and over 500 pounds while the females will stick to about 9 feet and 450 pounds. So much for our loveable housecats!
As for what they look like, it's pretty much what you expect from six-legged cats with tentacles on their shoulders. The art is straightforward, and for once in AD&D, it doesn’t make us laugh so hard we stop breathing for a few minutes. The male Displacer Beasts are described as being purple-black and larger, while the females are described as blue-black and being smaller. They can run quite quickly, utilizing all six legs to propel themselves forward, though there were reports of them running on just their back four legs with their front legs up in front of them like they were some sort of tentacled-cat-centaur creature.
Speaking of how fast and quick they are, its speed is only slightly above average at a blistering speed of 15”. The article and the descriptions of the Displacer Beast in previous editions compare our cat to the puma and black panther and both of those creatures are fast and agile. These large cats are described as creatures that through their sheer speed they are incredibly deadly creatures, yet the Displacer Beast has the same speed as an intellect devourer. To add a bit more insult on, the common goat gets a speed of 18” and other herd animals have a speed range of 12” to 24”. The article goes on about how these cats survive just like their common brethren, hunting deer, elk, and other animals, using their speed to chase them down which is just weird. Much of their prey has the same or faster base speed than them and Displacer Beasts are cheating by having an extra set of legs!
One of the key differences between these beasts and regular cats is not just the shoulder tentacles, but their ability to create illusions of themselves in other locations. There is a little bit of scientific talk about their displacement ability, which can be summed up by saying the Displacer Beast has a layer of skin that vibrates so incredibly fast that it can bend or refract light. It is through this natural ability that the Displacer Beast can ‘cast’ an illusion of itself up to 3 feet away from its actual location. Something important that is mentioned is that this ability is considered a natural magical property that can be controlled by the beast and even after they die, you can fashion their hide into a displacer cloak.
The discussion of the illusion goes over the mechanics of how this works, but the real nugget of gold in this article is the reason why blink dogs and Displacer Beasts hate each other. We have been waiting for 11 years for this information and it finally comes! Before we find out the answer though, the author does make sure to point out that it isn’t simply because one is a cat and one is a dog as, and they remind us, cats and dogs don’t actually hate each other and that that is just a trope. The real reason why these creatures hate each other is because of each creature’s natural abilities, whether blinking or displacement, interferes with the other’s nervous and mental system. The author goes on to describe one of his tests to support this conclusion:
I have seen a blindfolded displacer beast jump and yowl when a blink dog was allowed to teleport itself within several feet of the formers cage. The blink dog, in turn, began to snarl and bark in the direction of the displacer even though it, too, was blindfolded, had its sensitive nose covered, and was within the area of a spell of silence. Detection of the other is automatic for each and appears to trigger hate, ferocity, and violence in both animals, especially the displacer beast, whose special nerves are spread throughout its entire body. This occurs whenever the creatures are within 150 feet of one another.
The Ecology of the Displacer Beast, Dragon #109
We guess when another creature causes you mental and physical anguish just by doing what it naturally does, it’s pretty easy to develop an intense hatred for that creature. Because this hatred has developed over time, each creature can detect each other even when the abilities aren’t even being used. A blink dog still hits a Displacer Beast even when it isn’t displacing, just like the Displacer Beast hates a blink dog even when it isn’t blinking. What’s more, each other can fairly accurately pinpoint where the other creature is, which means that a Displacer Beast can find a blink dog as soon as it starts blinking around.
2e - Displacer Beast
Climate/Terrain: Temperate mountains
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Pack
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore
Treasure: B
Intelligence: Semi- (2-4)
Alignment: Lawful Evil
No. Appearing: 2-5 (1d4+1)
Armor Class: 4
Movement: 15
Hit Dice: 6
THAC0: 15
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 2-8 (2d4)/2-8 (2d4)
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: -2 on opponent’s attack roll
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: L (8’-12’ long)
Morale: Elite (13-14)
XP Value: 975
The Displacer Beast is first introduced in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989) and then is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). We are given a bit more lore, a bit more artwork and our favorite kitten is in the big leagues! It can be spotted on the cover of the Monstrous Compendium Volume One alongside the greatest monsters of D&D like the Beholder and the… umber hulk? gorilla with pincers? Honestly, we aren’t sure, but hey! There is the Displacer Beast with a beholder on the cover of the first Monstrous Compendium, so that’s a pretty cool cat!
Monstrous Compendium Volume One, 1989 TSR Inc.
Monstrous Compendium Volume One, 1989 TSR Inc.
While little lore changes for these kittens, we are given more detail about their life and societal structures. They are, and you might be shocked to hear this, carnivores and they like to feast on the meat of whatever comes their way be it animal, monster, humanoid or even young dragons. Now, this next part will shock you truly. Displacer Beasts like to hunt and kill for pleasure! Who could imagine a cat-like creature going around torturing and playing with its food, and then leaving its body to decompose without even eating it? Where ever these Displacer Beasts travel, they leave behind a trail of carnage… they really are cats aren’t they?
Displacer Beasts usually run in packs, destroying all in their path. No matter how destructive the pack is, the beasts will never fight amongst themselves which feels un-cat like, but that does make the pack a well-run and highly efficient killing machine. There is no mention of an alpha male/female that controls the pack, which leads one to believe that each member of the pack is respected and the creatures understand, as a collective, that they are stronger together than they are alone - which is something that every party at the table could do to learn.
Monstrous Manual, 1993 TSR Inc.
Speaking of packs, Displacer Beasts don’t stick to their families. Mating season comes around in the fall, and two Displacer Beasts will find each other, they are typically from different packs, and their young will be born in the springtime. The young take 4 months for their displacement ability to work, signifying they are adults, and then the next 2 months they’ll learn how to hunt. After that, the Displacer Beasts split up and find other packs to travel with. If you ever stumble on to a cave littered with bones, treasure, equipment and some cat fur… you better hope that the occupants have vacated the premise or you are about to deal with some very angry, very territorial cats and add your bones to the litter.
Before we jump to the next edition, one last tidbit is revealed for these murder-cats. Magic users and alchemists value the hides of the Displacer Beast for certain magical preparations and you would think they’d mention Displacement Cloaks, but sadly nothing. One thing that is mentioned is that thieves see the eyes of Displacer Beasts as lucky and will collect them, believing that these glowing green eyes will protect them from being detected… which is interesting, as these eyes still glow green even after the creature who originally was using them is dead.
3e/3.5e - Displacer Beast
Displacer Beast
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 6d10+18 (51 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Tentacle +9 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: 2 tentacles +9 melee (1d6+4) and bite +4 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., displacement, lowlight vision, resistance to ranged attacks
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +10, Listen +5, Move Silently +7, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Stealthy
Environment: Temperate Hills
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pride (6-10)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: 1/10 coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Usually Lawful Evil
Advancement: 7-9 HD (Large); 10-18 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: +4
Monster Manual, 2000/2003 WotC
The Displacer Beast is found in the Monster Manual (2000/2003) for 3e and 3.5e. Sadly, there is little to no meat on this cat… and we aren’t just talking about their shiny new artwork. Their artwork is… difficult for words. It’s definitely cat-like and maybe they were trying to go back to the origins of the Displacer Beast with the Coeurl and make it look really alien. For us, it looks completely ridiculous and like it hasn’t eaten in about 3 months. It’s way too emaciated for it to weigh up to 500 pounds, it has strange skin spikes along its spine and elbows, looks like it has no fur and we are pretty sure they drew this picture right before the thing sneezes… it’s a step in the wrong direction artwise and frankly… it’s a bit of a relief. We can’t have a monster in Dungeons & Dragons journey through the history of this game without having at least one bad artwork or else we wouldn’t have anything to complain about.
Now, there is very little difference in the 3e Displacer Beast and past editions, and the biggest change for this alien-cat-horror monster is not what is different from the past editions and this edition, but rather what is different between 3e and 3.5e. In 3e, the Displacer Beast is described as:
The displacer beast is a savage and stealthy carnivore that resembles a puma with six legs, glowing green eyes, and two muscular tentacles growing from its shoulders.
Monster Manual, 2000
In 3.5e, they remove the description that it has glowing green eyes. The reason for this huge and massive change? The artwork in both versions has red eyes. I guess it was too much trouble to ask the artist to adjust a few pixels.
The only true addition to the Displacer Beast in 3.5e is we are introduced to the Displacer Beast Pack Lord. These pack lords are giant mutations, growing up to 20 ft. in length and up to 10 ft. high at the shoulder. They have up to 4X the amount of hit point of a normal Displacer Beast and gain a few new abilities to make themselves a far deadlier killing machine than the average cat. Other than that, these creatures are the same as their smaller brethren, though pack lords are often found leading groups of normal Displacer Beasts, so if you’re not sacred at the sight of this mega cat in front of you, just wait for the realization to set in that he probably has a bunch of friends nearby.
4e - Displacer Beast
Displacer Beast - Level 9 Skirmisher
Large fey magical beast / XP 400
Initiative +11 / Senses Perception +12; low-light vision
HP 97; Bloodied 48
AC 23; Fortitude 21, Reflex 22, Will 20; also see displacement
Speed 12
Tentacle (standard; at-will) Reach 2; +13 vs. AC; 1d6 + 4 damage.
Bite (standard; at will) +13 vs. AC; 1d10+4 damage. Beast’s Fury (standard; at will) Requires combat advantage; the displacer beast makes two tentacle attacks and a bite attack against a single target.
Displacement ✦ Illusion All melee and ranged attacks have a 50% chance to mis the displacer beast. the effect ends when the displacer beast is hit by an attack, but it recharges as soon as the displacer beast move 2 or more squares on outs turn. Critical hits ignore displacement (See also shifting tactics).
Shifting Tactics (free, when an attack misses the displacer beast because of its displacement; at will). The displacer beast shifts 1 square.
Threatening Reach The displacer beast can make opportunity attacks against all enemies within its reach (2 squares).
Alignment Unaligned / Languages None
Skills Stealth +14
Str 18 (+8) | Dex 20 (+9) | Wis 17 (+7) | Con 17 (+7) | Int 4 (+1) | Cha 10 (+4)
Monster Manual, 2008 WotC
The Displacer Beast is introduced in the Monster Manual (2008) and, quite frankly, it's a bit of a disappointment for us. We don’t mean that they changed the creature so much we don’t recognize it, in actuality, it is very close to the previous lore and the artwork is even pretty good so we can’t harp on that! No, it’s disappointing because there is so little for us to talk about. Though that isn’t to say there is nothing to talk about, and this strange cat even gets an interesting past!
4th edition introduced a lot of changes, some of them are for the better while others were for the worse. One great change that 4e brought about was the Feywild which is a new plane and was a vibrant reflection of the Material Plane. It is the home of the fey, of nature and life, and is as deadly as it is beautiful, for more information, check out our post on the Feywild. All this to say that 4th edition introduces the idea that these murder-cats are from the Feywild and have somehow found their way onto the Material Plane to wreak havoc.
Apart from the sparse description, if you dig into the stat block, there are a few changes and additions that make the Displacer Beast even more interesting. For the first time, the beast’s alignment is no longer lawful evil and is now listed as unaligned, making it less an evil monster, like a typical housecat, and more of a gentle beast just trying to get by. This is a big change from previous editions, where the Displacer Beast was a creature you could throw at a party of adventurers with the knowledge that it was fighting for fun, not just to eat. Purely evil creatures that kill for the fun of it may not be any more dangerous and deadly to their opponents than those that are killing just for food, but it sure feels that way.
While their speed remains slightly disappointing, as in all editions, the Displacer Beasts gain the addition of the Shifting Tactics ability that allows them to move around the battlefield whenever a creature misses them. This opens up their movement a lot and helps them get back to those juicy spellcasters in the back, or at the very least allow them to get a few more of their pack in the fight against your fighters. The Pack Lord also gets a bonus that allows them to ignore difficult terrain, and this opens up even more opportunities to use them. Got thick brush that will keep the party from moving quick? Time for an ambush. Got a lot of loose rock making you slip and slide down? Time for an ambush.
The last bit of information for this edition before we head off to the final one is that the Displacer Beasts can be trained as attack beasts or guard animals. That said, its pretty funny that the next line in the description says that “they’re prone to turning against their trainers.” So while it is possible to train them, we’d rather just stick with any other creature as our guard animal which includes dogs, llamas, and owlbears.
5e - Displacer Beast
Large Monstrosity, lawful evil
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (10d10+30)
Speed 40 ft.
Str 18 (+4) | Dex 15 (+2) | Con 16 (+3) | Int 6 (-2) | Wis 12 (+1) | Cha 8 (-1)
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 11
Languages None
Challenge 3 (700xp)
Avoidance. If the displacer beast is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
Displacement. The displacer beast projects a magical illusion that makes it appear to be standing near its actual location, causing attack rolls against it to have disadvantage. If it is hit by an attack, this trait is disrupted until the end of its next turn. This trait is also disrupted while the displacer beast is incapacitated or has a speed of 0.
Mulitattack. The displacer beast makes two attacks with its tentacles.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit 7 (1d6+4) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) piercing damage.
Arriving at 5th edition, the Displacer Beast is once again introduced in this edition’s Monster Manual (2014). Building on 4th edition, we get more information about their Feywild origins. Historically, Displacer Beasts roamed the twilight lands of the Feywild, and one can only imagine how terrifying that must have been for many of the other inhabitants of those lands. At some point, they were captured and trained by the Unseelie Court and their natural hunter abilities were reinforced like they were some sort of prized racehorses. They grew into such ferocious creatures that the Unseelie Court would use them to hunt down pegasi, unicorns, and other wondrous creatures.
Monster Manual, 2014 WotC
As in previous editions, the Displacer Beasts don’t play nice with others and they learned to escape their masters, roaming the Feywild free once again. They became such a horrible problem that the Seelie Court, who are the ‘nicer’ fey of the Feywild, took to hunting them down with Blink Dogs. This almost led to the extinction of their race, except many found ways to escape to the Material Plane and they all hold on to their hatred for blink dogs.
The Displacer Beast is streamlined back to its earlier roots with just tentacle attacks, displacement, and slightly above-average speed. Their AC is slightly below average for their challenge rating and their displacement ability is in line with the past editions. The new ability they get in this edition is Avoidance, which means if they are ever subject to an effect where they take half damage on a successful save, they’ll take no damage if they succeed and only half damage on a failed save. It’s a lot like the rogue and monk ability known as Evasion, but this works on everything!
One last thing we should mention for 5e is that throughout the past editions, they have all described the Displacer Beast with green glowing eyes… and sometimes the artwork failed quite a bit in that. In 5e, those eyes are glowing a soft yellow BUT their eyes are described as “glow[ing] with an awful malevolence” which we guess could be mistaken for yellow as opposed to green… but we don’t like it!
So there it is the Displacer Beast. They may not have changed very much over the years, but then the starting product was pretty scary to begin with. While we keep calling this cuddle-monster a cat, it is not one you keep as a pet, and if you see one on the battlefield, realize that you're probably not looking directly at them and adjust your aim accordingly.
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