The ABC's of DND: D is for...

Note to author: Don’t write dragon. Don’t write dragon. Don’t write dragon. This week we are going to talk about dragons… Psych bitches! (Hmmm I wonder if Lee will let me post this article with a swear right at the beginning? Only one way to find out.)

Of course I kid, but I feel like with this week being the letter D, there is an added level of pressure. Anyone who has seen glimpses of my living room on the internet will know I have this particular monster looming above me. It’s one of my all time favourites, but I was torn about presenting it as this week's option because honestly, in the grand bestiary that is the Monster Manual, this guy only comes in at a challenge rating of 3. Hardly a replacement for a Dragon. However sometimes an opponent isn’t dangerous because it’s the biggest, or the most difficult to kill. Sometimes you just like a monster because they are sleek and sneaky and they make for a cool story in the early levels of the campaign. Sometimes it’s not a fiery blaze of glory, but a deathly quiet in the middle of the night… It has been chasing you and your friends for days now. It seems to hunt with a single minded focus. You had of course seen the signs. The scratches on the rocks where the creature had sharpened its claws. The tufts of fur in the undergrowth. The enormous paw prints, so similar to a tiger but… more. Just when you thought you had managed to outrun it, you found the remains of one of your friends at the edge of your camp. Throat torn out, body half consumed. What was left almost seems to have been left as some cruel offering to you, a warning, a gesture of what is to come. Maybe even a sign of affection, twisted though that may be. Poor Atticus Greenlow, he was tall for a halfling. He had been fast of finger and even quicker with a blade. And yet, whatever had taken him had done so in utter silence, the fight over before he could ever alert the rest of the party to what was occuring. Atticus had offered to watch the camp for you all, hoping you would all get the long rest you so sorely needed. That had been his first and last selfless deed. At least he would not have to suffer under the weight of that terrible name anymore, a name given to him by a mother who expected great things from him. A tall name for a world which so often overlooked the smaller adventurers. But that was last night, and tonight it is your turn to sit alone in the dark and guard your friends. It is your turn to stare into the night, to strain to hear what is lurking. To try and fail to see the glowing green eyes just before six powerful paws grab you. The claws tearing through your steel armour as if it were paper. The last thing you see is a cub, gazing on in malicious curiosity as it learns what it means to hunt from its mother. What fools you were to wander through the territory of a Displacer Beasts. Originally thought to be from the Feywilds, trained by the Unseelie court as beasts of the hunt, Displacer Beasts come in all shapes and many sizes, although most commonly they resemble large predatory cats such as panthers, with glowing green eyes. They have six legs, and a pair of tentacles which rise over there shoulders and end in large pads with thorny spikes on the tip. These spikes were strong enough to punch through pure steel, so they could make short work of any armoured opponents. Unlike some of the other monsters that we have encountered so far, Displacer Beasts were thought to live around a hundred years. Displacer Beasts were able to use limited illusory magic, which aided them in sneaking up un-noticed on their prey, or confusing those they fought. They could project images of themself up to a meter away from their actual position. This ability to ‘displace’ their true image is where they got their name. While not overly intelligent, there are some rare instances of Displacer Beasts even being able to speak simple phrases in common. They used this intelligence and funnelled it into a joy and proclivity for hunting and killing their prey. As well as hunting for food, Displacer Beasts were known to hunt for sport or personal vendetta, and could play with their meals by stalking them for days, keeping their mark alive until they were ready to eat. Despite their violent nature, Displacer Beasts never fought amongst themselves, and as such were able to live in small groups called prides. They would also sometimes hunt together, and would work to lure their prey into ambushes. Their lairs and territory was often marked by scratches or abrasions on stone from where they sharpen their claws and tentacle barbs. Upon their death a displacer beasts eyes continued to glow, and were considered strange and morbid good luck charms by many thieves, who thought they came with a blessing which would prevent them being detected. As such if your party manages to defeat a displacer beast, finding a way to preserve the eyes and pelt could fetch them a good price from the right buyer.