Displacer Beast - Revision history

Tao alexis: /* Advantages */

2025-02-18T21:22:27Z

Advantages

Tao alexis at 21:21, 18 February 2025

2025-02-18T21:21:52Z

Tao alexis at 20:57, 18 February 2025

2025-02-18T20:57:32Z

Tao alexis at 05:27, 9 October 2023

2023-10-09T05:27:02Z

Tao alexis at 05:25, 9 October 2023

2023-10-09T05:25:16Z

Tao alexis at 05:19, 9 October 2023

2023-10-09T05:19:00Z

Tao alexis at 05:17, 9 October 2023

2023-10-09T05:17:56Z

Tao alexis at 05:17, 9 October 2023

2023-10-09T05:17:40Z

Maxwell at 04:40, 30 September 2023

2023-09-30T04:40:46Z

Tao alexis: /* Behaviour */

2023-09-03T04:44:18Z

Behaviour

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:22, 18 February 2025
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	See [[Bestiary]]		See [[Bestiary]]
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		+	[[Category: Reviewed]]

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 '''Displacer beasts''' are formidable, [[Cougar|cougar]]-like monsters that prefer expansive, treeless country covered by dense grasses or the sheltered expanse of ancient Precambrian shield-lands. They thrive in lands ranging from temperate to arctic climates, as their metabolism allows them to adapt to harsh environmental conditions. Surpassing a cougar in size, they boast a weight equivalent to that of a lion. Some variants have six legs, like the one shown, while others possess only four. Their powerful, sinewy bodies are built for stealth, endurance and sudden bursts of overwhelming speed, making them exceptionally efficient predators.
-[[File:Displacer Beast.jpg|left|350px|thumb]]
+[[File:Displacer Beast.jpg|left|505px|thumb]]
 __TOC__
 The tentacles are flexible and sinuous, sprouting from their shoulders, with some species possessing four rather than two. These appendages, covered in sharp, retractable barbs, move with unnatural precision, striking at prey or warding off attackers with whip-like ferocity. The barbs, unlike mere claws, hook into flesh and tear upon withdrawal, increasing the severity of wounds. The beasts have learned to use these appendages not only for direct strikes but also to trip prey, rip apart barriers or ensnare smaller creatures with calculated efficiency.

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 }}
-'''Displacer beasts''' are formidable, [[Cougar|cougar]]-like monsters that prefer expansive, treeless country covered by dense grasses or the sheltered expanse of ancient Precambrian shield-lands.  They thrive in lands ranging from temperate to arctic climates, as their metabolism allows them to adapt to harsh environmental conditions.  Surpassing a cougar in size, they boast a weight equivalent to that of a lion.  Some variants boast six legs, like the one shown; others have only four legs.
+'''Displacer beasts''' are formidable, [[Cougar|cougar]]-like monsters that prefer expansive, treeless country covered by dense grasses or the sheltered expanse of ancient Precambrian shield-lands. They thrive in lands ranging from temperate to arctic climates, as their metabolism allows them to adapt to harsh environmental conditions. Surpassing a cougar in size, they boast a weight equivalent to that of a lion. Some variants have six legs, like the one shown, while others possess only four. Their powerful, sinewy bodies are built for stealth, endurance and sudden bursts of overwhelming speed, making them exceptionally efficient predators.
 [[File:Displacer Beast.jpg|left|350px|thumb]]
 __TOC__
-The tentacles are flexible and sinuous, sprouting from their shoulders.  Some species possess four rather than two.  These appendages are agile and equipped with sharp, barbed tips that the beast uses to strike at prey or fend off threats.  Strikes are both quick and accurate, allowing the creature to incapacitate or kill its prey efficiently.
+The tentacles are flexible and sinuous, sprouting from their shoulders, with some species possessing four rather than two. These appendages, covered in sharp, retractable barbs, move with unnatural precision, striking at prey or warding off attackers with whip-like ferocity. The barbs, unlike mere claws, hook into flesh and tear upon withdrawal, increasing the severity of wounds. The beasts have learned to use these appendages not only for direct strikes but also to trip prey, rip apart barriers or ensnare smaller creatures with calculated efficiency.
 == Behaviour ==
-Though the beast will appear in tightly knit groups, hunting together, they are not familial. The origin of displacer beasts is unknown; every example of the beast that has been examined has proven to be male. The manner in which more displacer beasts come to be, something that must be so because their number has never been observed to diminish, has been an enduring mystery.
+Though the beast will appear in tightly knit groups, hunting together, they are not familial. The origin of displacer beasts is unknown; every example of the beast that has been examined has proven to be male. The manner in which more displacer beasts come to be, something that must be so because their number has never been observed to diminish, has been an enduring mystery. Their presence remains a constant threat in regions they inhabit, their numbers neither waxing nor waning, suggesting some unseen or unknown method of reproduction.
-More intelligent than a typical feline, a group of displacer beasts make very dangerous hunters. They will prefer to stalk a party in the wild for days, typically allowing their prey to move miles ahead in the daytime while tracking them steadily and catching up again at night. The displacer beast will use its black coloring and other abilities (see below) to move close enough to strike for one round with its tentacles before returning to the dark, where it may wait hours before moving in again, sensing when its prey has relaxed through a keen sense of smell. Several displacer beasts will attack one after another, each choosing to risk an attack when it feels most likely to cause damage and then escape safely.
+More intelligent than a typical feline, a group of displacer beasts makes for a fearsome, coordinated hunting force. They will stalk a party for days, keeping their distance during daylight hours before closing in at night, using their natural black colouration and phasing abilities (see below) to move unseen. A typical attack strategy involves one beast striking swiftly with its tentacles before vanishing into the dark, only for another to attack hours later, ensuring their prey never truly rests. They strike when their quarry is weakest — fatigued, wounded or distracted — using their extraordinary senses to detect subtle shifts in body heat and scent that indicate exhaustion or vulnerability.
 == Advantages ==
-The tentacles emerging from its back are covered with bone-spikes, which the beast is able to snap at opponents, delivering a blow that is comparable to being hit with a massive mace. These tentacles can hit at a range up to two [[Combat Hex|hexes]] (10 ft.) At the same time, the creature can attack with its claws and its bite. It will usually attack a single target with its claws and bite, then up to one or two other targets with its tentacles. If it hits with both its front claws in a single round, the beast will rake with its back claws for 2–8 damage each.
+The tentacles emerging from its back are covered with bone-spikes, which the beast is able to snap at opponents, delivering a blow comparable to being struck with a massive mace. These tentacles can hit at a range up to two [[Combat Hex|hexes]] (10 ft.), allowing them to attack creatures outside their usual reach. At the same time, the creature can attack with its claws and bite, focusing its assault on a single target while striking others nearby with its tentacles. If it hits with both front claws in a single round, the beast will rake with its back claws for 2–8 damage each, shredding through flesh and [[Armour List|armour]] alike. This makes engaging a displacer beast in melee combat a highly dangerous proposition, as it is capable of overwhelming even seasoned warriors with sheer ferocity.
 See [[Bestiary]]

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 [[File:Displacer Beast.jpg|left|350px|thumb]]
 __TOC__
-The tentacles are flexible and sinuous, sprouting from their shoulders and upper spine.
+The tentacles are flexible and sinuous, sprouting from their shoulders.  Some species possess four rather than two.  These appendages are agile and equipped with sharp, barbed tips that the beast uses to strike at prey or fend off threats.  Strikes are both quick and accurate, allowing the creature to incapacitate or kill its prey efficiently.
 More intelligent than a typical feline, a group of displacer beasts make very dangerous hunters. They will prefer to stalk a party in the wild for days, typically allowing their prey to move miles ahead in the daytime while tracking them steadily and catching up again at night. The displacer beast will use its black coloring and other abilities (see below) to move close enough to strike for one round with its tentacles before returning to the dark, where it may wait hours before moving in again, sensing when its prey has relaxed through a keen sense of smell. Several displacer beasts will attack one after another, each choosing to risk an attack when it feels most likely to cause damage and then escape safely.
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 The creature's strangest abnormality is not its tentacles, but the strange way that it will phase one hex at the end of each round. This is an involuntary occurrence, over which the beast has no control; the displacement will never be ahead or behind the beast's former position, but always within a 120° arc to the left or the right, with a random die rolled for each. Because of this peculiar advantage, [[Missile Weapons|missile weapons]] that are hurled at the beast at night, when the beast's inky black outline is indistinct, will always miss if the creature is four or more hexes away (20 feet). The combatant must be able to see the creature clearly in order to compensate for the phase (which the spell [[Ultravision (spell)|ultravision]] can provide but which [[Infravision|infravision]] cannot, because the creature leaves behind a heat blur as it phases). The phase has no special effect upon the beast's [[Armour Class|armour class]].
 See [[Bestiary]]

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 }}
-'''Displacer beasts''' are large, [[Cougar|cougar]]-like monsters that prefer open, treeless country, covered by high grass or the cover that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Shield#Geology old, precambrian shield-land] provides. They live in temperate to arctic climates. They are very large for a cougar, about the equivalent weight of a lion. Some, like the one shown, have six legs; another species of the beast is known to possess four.
+'''Displacer beasts''' are formidable, [[Cougar|cougar]]-like monsters that prefer expansive, treeless country covered by dense grasses or the sheltered expanse of ancient Precambrian shield-lands.  They thrive in lands ranging from temperate to arctic climates, as their metabolism allows them to adapt to harsh environmental conditions.  Surpassing a cougar in size, they boast a weight equivalent to that of a lion.  Some variants boast six legs, like the one shown; others have only four legs.
-[[File:Displacer Beast.jpg|left|385px|thumb]]
+[[File:Displacer Beast.jpg|left|350px|thumb]]
 __TOC__
-The beast is more intelligent than a typical feline, making a small group of them very dangerous hunters. They will prefer to stalk a party in the wild for days, typically allowing their prey to move miles ahead in the daytime while tracking them steadily and catching up again at night. The displacer beast will use its black coloring and other abilities (see below) to move close enough to strike for one round with its tentacles before returning to the dark, where it may wait hours before moving in again, sensing when its prey has relaxed through a keen sense of smell. Several displacer beasts will attack one after another, each choosing to risk an attack when it feels most likely to cause damage and then escape safely.
+The tentacles are flexible and sinuous, sprouting from their shoulders and upper spine.
 == Advantages ==

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 | HD = 6
 | AP = 7
 | THAC0 = 17
 | hpdie = 2d4

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 | noapp = 2–5
 | behaviour = social (pride)
-| range = [[Alpine (range)|alpine]], [[Steppe (range)|steppe]],<br>[[Tundra (range)|tundra]], [[Veldt (range)|veldt]]
+| range = [[Alpine (range)|alpine]], [[Steppe (range)|steppe]], [[Tundra (range)|tundra]], [[Veldt (range)|veldt]]
 | size = 11 ft. long
 | weight = 440 lbs.

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:44, 3 September 2023
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	See [[Bestiary]]		See [[Bestiary]]
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−	~~[[Category: Lacks Image]][[Category: Cooperative Intelligence]]~~