Displacer Beast Ecology
ABOMINATIONS! How dare you speak of those... those... THINGS in our presence, human! Of course, they are not fey! They do not respect the natural order; do not respect life, feed, and murder! I will take my leave I must rest. - Mal'liktfa Elder of the Spring Court of the Fey
Introduction
To recover lost documentation once again, I'm doing new research for the guild. Sadly knowledge may have been lost, but I'll do my best to replace it. Displacer Beasts are becoming a much more known creature, although not necessarily from a growing population but instead a decline. Conservation efforts aren't the most simple messages to get across, especially with such a devious predator, but still vital. The efforts are hindered in some ways by their name of Hell Cats to some cultures.
Displacer Beast Physiology
Origins
It is clear that Displacer beasts are not just mammalian but also feline. The Fey Courts have adopted many of nature's creatures into their fold, and with unchecked wilderness, adaptations are free to emerge. The closest relations to these sleek predators would have to be panthers and other large cats, but they diverged at some ancient time.
Displacer Beasts are not fey yet originate in their current form from the Feywilds. Clearly, they are no longer welcome in the Fey's realms as well. From what I understand, they were creatures of Summer, about bounty and life yet now twisted. Always nocturnal, it seems that by nature, they prefer the dark. The events that caused their expulsion are a dark secret to the Fey and taboo. The best I could find is that some outside influence had turned the Beasts against the courts and had gone on a murderous rampage.
Regardless of who or what caused this event, The Courts of the Fey drove out Displacer Beasts, mostly with Blink Dogs. Fleeing through secret passages, unknown ways, and often dumb luck, Displacer Beasts found their way into many realms. Including the dark tunnels of the Material Plane's Underdark.
How to Identify a Displacer Beast
These cats are very different and distinguishable from their more natural kin. First is their extra limbs. Displacer Beats have a second set of fore-legs and long prehensile tentacles that come from just behind the first and second sets of leg's shoulder plates. All displacer beasts have glowing yellow eyes and luxurious dark coats, usually purple. They are almost large as lions, standing between 4 and 5 feet tall and up to 12 feet long to their hindquarters. Their tails are like their tentacles, long and prehensile.
Rakers, the Deadly Whips
The tentacles are powerful and muscled appendages. These whips are also long, up to twice a Displacer Beast's full body length. While the limbs, or as I call them, rakers have a full range of motion, they don't grip well. They end in flattened ends, much like that of the longer tentacles on a squid. Instead of suction cups are curved hard teeth used to slash at foes. The rakers act independently of each other as well giving them a 360-degree coverage.
Nocturnal Predators
Displacer Beasts are stalkers of the night and dark. Carnivores that hunt with stealth and a quick kill, who are merciless. Displacer Beasts have advantages over other big cats in a few different ways. They can hang onto trees and even rocky walls with their sharp hooked claws. Their rakers provide further offense and avenues to a kill other than biting down on a vital area of an animal. Like many other large cats, Displacer Beasts only need to eat once a week if the meal is large enough.
Bending Light
Displacer Beasts get their namesake from their extraordinary ability to camouflage themselves by bending light. This ability is inherent to them and instinct from a young age. However, Displacer Kittens often are less able to control the ability and even have mistakes like bending upwards. They "displace" themselves appearing somewhere they aren't. This bending is just an illusion as they are more manipulating how they reflect light. Their coats of fur angle in unison and are reflective and thick enough to throw their image, much how a ventriloquist throws their voice.
The skill comes in their ability to throw their image believably. Even slight mistakes can ruin the ploy. First is having their illusion where it won't be where anything else would be. If they throw their image on a wall, it appears distorted and flat against the wall. Another talent is the ability to shift the fake position quickly to another believable place. It takes far more experience but worth it for tricking prey.
The most perceptive can faintly see the almost invisible distortion of light in their exact position. Displacer Beasts are also momentarily unable to bend after being struck as a pain reflex, which is unavoidable in most cases, will cause their fur to flatten dispelling the ruse. They can quickly recover. Their only flaw is that if bleeding or wounded, they can't project blood or other liquids. A trick to keeping the cat from displacing is to get it wet as they can't project with damp fur.
Nomadic Stalkers
Solitary predators that live in environments not known for an abundance of food, Displacer Beasts roam the dark tunnels and empty wastes searching for food. Their idea of what can be food is a much broader definition than most creatures their size. They will follow tracks for prey sometimes many days in hopes of a meal. Because of this lifestyle, they do not have dens or nests and will find alcoves, crags, or tall foliage suitable for a single night's rest and move on.
This lifestyle also causes issues for any herd animals they come across. Unlike other predators who learn the balance of food and let the herd heal, Displacer Beasts systematically destroy them over time.
Eating Habits
Displacer Beasts have a unique way of eating compared to some creatures. Once prey is found and secured, they will first devour the intestines. I believe this if for the unique vitamin contents since they live in less light-filled environments. Once they have eaten most of the entrails, they will eat the animal's meat and then leave. They can eat a large amount of food rather quickly as they will continuously slash at a dead body making mincemeat of other parts while they feed.
Habitat Range
Being Nocturnal Displacer Beasts prefer dense forests, dark tunnels, and other places difficult to access and with little light. While they will sleep during the day if possible in more well-lit areas, they won't stay in those places for long.
These cats also prefer drier environments with heat. While they can survive in colder climates, arctic areas, especially snow, make refracting the light too tricky for most specimens.
Life Cycle
Displacer Beasts still hold some strands of their fey origins. One of these traits they still possess is the long lifespans. Displacer Beasts can live much longer than lions or tigers in which they share relations. Hell Cats live up their 80's. They mature quickly from necessity once done nursing; they leave at the young age of 2 years old from their mother's care to the broader world.
Displacer Beasts and Other Creatures
Blink Dogs
As previously mentioned, Displacer Beasts particularly don't like Blink Dogs. One on one, a Displacer Beast will usually win, although no guarantees. Mostly though, Blink Dogs don't travel alone. Displacer Beasts may not abandon a hunt to slay a Blink Dog, but if they aren't particularly hungry, they may have found new prey.
Fights with Blink Dogs are a dazzling experience as both creatures are battlefield tricksters attempting to out-maneuver one another. While Blink Dogs can truly move quicker by blinking, Displacer Beasts make up for their disadvantage through raw power.
Lately, within the past few decades, Displacer beasts have begun to gain the upper hand. New tactics of swinging a raker opposite sides simultaneously instead of both reaching for the same target has started to catch many Blink Dogs.
Basilisks
Basilisks are not very often on the menu even for mighty predators. Their ability to turn a creature to stone who locks eyes with them is a dangerous hurdle for most would-be attackers. With their ability to bend light, though, Hell Cats often have the upper hand. Basilisks are often easy prey to a prepared Displacer Beast.
Drow
Drow are probably the most experienced humanoids when it comes to fighting and encountering displacer beasts. Drow are known for having well-prepared tactics and tools for combating Displacer Beasts. Since both prefer darker tunnels, most Drow have met at least 1 Hell Cat in their life-time. Most of the time, many more than that.
Prey
These hyper predators consider almost any living creature prey. Aside from non-edible creatures, such as elementals or fungus, Displacer Beasts rarely hesitate to attack. Since they are very often hungry, this makes them a highly dangerous and aggressive creature. Once the victim is secured and slain, the Displacer Beast often gorges on the animal for many hours but leaving the heads untouched.
Spiders
One type of creature, in particular, is avoided by Hell Cats, and that is spiders. Smaller spiders don't bother them, but larger specimens, Driders, and especially Phase Spiders will spook a Displacer Beast. I theorize this is a learned behavior as Phase Spiders are usually the victors in a fight with a Displacer Beast.
Displacers as Ranger or Druid Companions
It seems hard to believe that these aggressive and sadistic cats would make for a good companion. However, if raised from a cub and with plenty of food, their lifestyles, if more at ease, make them much more docile and agreeable creatures. Most druids would describe their companions as loyal but with a dark side.
I wouldn't suggest raising a Displacer Beast as a pet for the average person, but then again, I'd not recommend a fraction of the animals that the wealthy seem to be fond of keeping.
Variations
Tunnel Cats
The most common and well-known Displacer Beasts are tunnel cats. They range from 7 to 12 feet long and with their tentacles being twice their body length. With sleek black, grey, or purple coats, they are adept at hiding in dark places, even without their light bending.
Fisher Cats
Semi-aquatic variants of Displacer Beasts, Fisher Cats are primarily interested in aquatic prey. Still solitary and moody creatures, they are often best avoided. The rakers are up to quadruple their lengths and have bioluminescent hairs between the raker's claws to attract fish. The Rakers are also less adept at slashing and more accustomed to stabling and reeling in prey. With body lengths between 5 and 10 feet long, they are a similar size but slightly smaller. Their coats are usually lighter blues, and they live near remote rivers, streams, and lakes.
Their light bending is wavy, making them appear as rippling water and usually more focused on prey in the water or a deterrent to would-be attackers who stumble upon a Fisher.
Vine Cats
Living in deep jungles, Vine Cats prefer to roam the tree-tops of vast tropical forests. Their rakers are lighter green attached to their dull brown coats to blend in as a tree and leaves. They hunt but quickly snatching monkeys, lizards, and other tree-dwelling animals for food. Far less nomadic, they are more ambush predators but still don't make any nests and move locations often. They are also far less aggressive and tend to ignore competition in these natural target-rich environments.
Vine Cats are the smallest variety. Only 3 to 5 feet long, they have rakers that extend triple their body length though to reach prey further.
Their light bending is the most complex in execution as they can re-create the various light levels coming through the leaves of their homes. Often they project themselves in another tree that would actively deter prey towards their exact positions. It is a perfectly imperfect ruse.
Starlight Displacers
The largest Hell Cats are the Starlight Displacer Beasts. Black Coats dotted with white and yellow specks; they resemble a muted starlit night. Standing 7 feet tall and 14 to 17 feet long, they stalk fields and hills of warmer climates. They dig holes in the ground and sleep during the day. They are the only Displacer Beasts that refract objects to overlay themselves and can do so in their sleep. They hide their holes with near-perfect copies of the foliage over their den entrances.
Once night falls, they project the stars onto their hides and stalk smaller creatures for food. They aren't fond of rain though as many Hell Cats and will stay inside during a storm.
DM's Notes
Displacer Beasts are a classic D&D terror or the dungeons and caves. A fight with them should be both challenging and exciting. Don't be afraid to utilize their abilities fully.
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