Displacer Cub

Small beast, neutral

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 7 (2d6)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+1)	14 (+2)	11 (+0)	6 (-2)	12 (+1)	8 (-1)

Senses darkvision 60 feet
Challenge ¼ (50 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Avoidance. If the displacer cub 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.

ACTIONS

• Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage plus 2 (1d4) piercing damage.
• Minor Displacement. The displacer cub creates a static illusory copy of a Medium or smaller object it can see within 60 feet The illusion persists until the start of the cub’s next turn. Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion.

REACTIONS

• Displace. If a creature the displacer cub can see within 60 feet is being attacked, the cub can use its reaction to create a magical illusory duplicate of the creature next to it which causes all attacks against that creature to be made with disadvantage. This illusion lasts until the start of the cub’s next turn or the target is hit by an attack.

ABOUT

These sleek blue-black kittens look much like housecats or panther cubs, distinguishable only by their second set of forelegs and a pair of long raking tentacles waving from their shoulder blades. While displacer cubs are generally not as vicious and violent as their elders, they still revel in the thrill of a good hunt. Born with the innate instincts of a predator, they intrinsically know how to stalk and strike at potential prey. The kittens take playful pleasure in pouncing on anything small that catches their eye, batting at it clumsily with their rakers and playing with their food. Displacer cubs generally stalk tiny creatures, swatting at birds and chasing small game. Adult displacer beasts are known throughout the realms as fearsome predators, called hellcats by many. They earned this reputation due to their hunting skill, a prodigious hunger, and a willingness to eat anything they come across – an appetite the kittens share. Though solitary and independent by nature, displacer cubs can show a different side to those who earn their trust from a young age, especially if they are kept well fed.

Behaviors like purring and protectiveness, unimaginable from a feral hellcat, are not uncommon once the kitten has formed a bond.

Illusory Stalker. Displacer beasts are ambush predators that use their fur to bend light and create the illusion that they are somewhere they are not.

The hunting prowess of displacer cubs is only further realized as they grow and develop their illusory power into a weapon of distraction and misdirection.The coat of a displacer cub shimmers and shifts hues, and their developing displacement ability makes them appear to waver and shift, especially while playing or stalking prey. While full-grown displacer beasts use this magic to create illusory copies of themselves to hunt and fight, young cubs are still mastering the skill, and tend to displace themselves in clumsy or unconvincing ways, appearing to hang in midair or even upside down.

Since their displacement skills are critical to their survival, displacer cubs have a natural aversion to water, which soaks their fur and prevents them from bending light.

Hunted Hides. Displacer cubs are a rare find in the wild, usually protected by their mother until fully grown. Most fear the hellcat for its fierce and savage reputation, and lack the skill or courage to raise one as a companion. Hunters lucky enough to catch a cub usually sell it at a remarkably steep price to a handler, who will cage it until it is grown and then sell its pelt for a small fortune. A displacer beast’s hide retains its light-bending potential even after death, making fully-grown displacer beasts valuable quarry for leather workers that are skilled enough to fashion the hide into a Cloak of Displacement without ruining it. While displacer cubs may, with luck, be able to survive alone in the wild, such hunters pose a serious threat to isolated cubs.