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Revision as of 02:59, 29 March 2007
A displacer beast is a fictional creature from the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.
Publication history
Licensing
The displacer beast is considered a "Product Identity" by Wizards of the Coast and as such is not released under its Open Gaming License.
Ecology
Displacer beasts are fierce and vicious, and hate all other creatures. These sentient, magical cats often kill purely for pleasure, though they never fight among themselves. This beast uses a magical displacement ability, a form of illusion which causes it to appear to be a few feet away from where it actually is. This makes the creature hard to hit, while it attacks with its long tentacles.
The hide of a displacer beast has many useful magical properties, making it highly sought after by wizards and alchemists. Many thieves use the eyes of a displacer beast as good luck charms, believing that they will protect the bearer from detection.
Environment
Displacer Beasts live mainly in tunnels, sewers, and the Underdark.
Typical physical characteristics
A displacer beasts is a magical beast resembling a puma with a pair of powerful black tentacles sprouting from its shoulders, and two to four additional forelimbs. Displacer beasts are coloured blue-black, like a dark panther. The tentacles are tipped with horny edges which can inflict terrible wounds and resemble the club-shaped catching tentacles of a squid.
Alignment
Displacer beasts are neutral.
Society
Displacer beasts in Eberron
In the Eberron campaign setting, the displacer beast is the heraldic beast of the dragonmarked House Thuranni.
Creative origins
The displacer beast is inspired by the coeurl, a feline-like creature from the science fiction novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A. E. van Vogt.
Other media
Displacer beasts were included in nearly every one of the Final Fantasy video games, known as Couerl (also translated as Cuar, Cuahl, Quirl, etc) in reference to its original inspiration.
A displacer beast was also a creature in Douglas Niles's novel Darkwell and it kills the Calashite, Daryth, after a long chase-down.
References
- Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989).
- Mickelson, Bill. "Ecology of the Displacer Beast." Dragon Magazine #109 (TSR, 1986).
Footnotes
- "Frequently Asked Questions". D20srd.org. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
- "Gary Gygax Interview". Retrieved 2007-02-19.