HD: D8
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will |Special
1st|+1|+0|+2|+0| Displacer Beast Body, Displacement, +1 Dex
2nd|+2|+0|+3|+0| Umbral Feint, Dissonance Shroud, +1 Str, +1 Con
3rd|+3|+1|+3|+1| Lash and Rasp, Evasion, +1 Cha
4th|+4|+1|+4|+1| Growth, Facade, +1 Str, +1 Con
[/table]
Skill Points 4+Int per level
Class Skill Skills: Bluff, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot
Proficiencies: The Displacer Beast is proficient only with its own natural attacks.
Displacer Beast Body: The Displacer Beast loses all other racial bonuses, and acquires Magical Beast traits, giving it Darkvision 60' and low light vision. Displacer Beasts are initially six-legged, medium sized creatures with 40' land movement, a 1d6+½ Str damage bite attack as a secondary natural weapon, and two tentacle attacks that deal 1d4+Str damage each, as their primary natural weapons. Tentacles are reach weapons, and Displacer Beasts can use them to attack opponents 10' away, but suffer a -4 penalty to attack opponents within 5' of them. Displacer Beasts have Natural Armor equal to their Con.
Displacer Beasts do not have the necessary digits to wield weapons, aim wands or manage inventory (such as searching a bag for potions, strapping themselves into armor). Their tentacles do afford them some general manual dexterity, however, and a Displacer Beast can manage such simple tasks as using a doorknob, opening a chest or holding (but not wielding or aiming) an object. Displacer Beasts can speak Common, with other languages possible via. intelligence bonus, as normal.
Attribute Bonus: The Displacer Beast gains +1 to Dexterity at first level, +1 Cha at third level and +1 Str and Con at second and third levels, for a total bonus of +2 Str, +2 Con, +1 Dex and +1 Cha at fourth level.
Displacement: The Displacer Beast has the ability to bend light around itself, causing phantom images of itself or parts of itself to fill the area in its immediate vicinity, while simultaneously using flickers of invisibility and transparency to cast doubt on its real location. Opponents who battle the Beast will see movements in the corner of their eye that the Beast isn't really making, and quickly lose track of the foe.
In game terms, Displacement ensures that any melee or ranged attacks (including ranged touch attacks) directed at the Displacer Beast have a 15% miss chance. This chance increases as the Displacer Beast takes levels in the class, with second level offering an added 10%, third level offering 15%, and fourth level offering 10%, for a total of 50% miss chance.
This miss chance continues to increase as the Displacer Beast gains HD. Every two levels gained outside of the Displacer Beast class offer a bonus % to the miss chance, equal to the number of levels the Displacer Beast has in this class. Should the Displacer Beast take another level in this class thereafter, the benefit applies retroactively.
ie. A 3rd level Displacer Beast with 6 levels in rogue would have 15+10+15=40% miss chance from the three Displacer Beast levels and a 3x3= 9% miss chance bonus from the levels in other classes. If it then took the final level of Displacer Beast, it would have a total of 50% from the Displacer Beast levels and 3x4=12% from the rogue levels.
True Seeing allows someone to identify the Displacer Beast's true location, but See Invisibility does not. When the Displacer Beast reaches 10HD, it retains half the benefit of Displacement and related abilities even when opponents have True Seeing. Abilities either offer half the benefit (Dissonance Shroud, Facade, Displacement) or just have only a 50% chance to work as normal (Umbral Feint).
Umbral Feint: A second level Displacer Beast can, once per minute, focus the phantom images of its Displacement ability in a particular direction as a swift action. To the unwary eye, this appears much as though the Displacer Beast were suddenly lunging in a particular direction. This ability extends in a line reaching 5' for every 2HD of the Displacer Beast. If this effect passes through any squares threatened by an enemy that is willing and able to make an attack of opportunity against the Displacer Beast, the enemy will do so. Further, any enemies that are using defensive moves/stances that are triggered by approaching enemies (such as preparing a spear to intercept a charge) or who have readied actions against the Displacer Beast will perform the actions against the phantom images, unless they pass a spot check (DC is 10+½ Displacer Beast's HD + Displacer Beast's Cha bonus). Magical effects and traps are generally not triggered by the Umbral Feint, but may be if they are driven or activated by a sentient intelligence (such as a magical effect being manually controlled by a Djinn, or a kobold ready to set off a rockslide trap against the first creature that comes through a tunnel).
Dissonance Shroud: A Displacer Beast proves hard to target with spells. A second level Displacer Beast expands on the protections afforded by Displacement, which already protects against touch spells, to shroud it against single target, non-touch spells. A Displacer Beast gains a bonus to saves against such spells equal to its Cha, so long as the spellcaster cannot pierce the Displacer Beast's Displacement (ie. with True Seeing).
Lash and Rasp: A third level Displacer Beast is more adept with its tentacles, and can strategically impair their opponents by raking vulnerable areas with the myriad barbed hooks that cover the ends of each tentacle. The Displacer Beast now has an extended critical threat range (19-20) with its tentacle attacks. Further, when a Displacer Beast threatens a critical on an opponent they strike with their tentacle, they may rasp the opponent with their barbed hooks to deal one point of ability damage. This point of ability damage, affecting any attribute excepting Int or Wis, is delivered without a save if the Displacer Beast confirms the critical. If the Displacer Beast does not confirm, however, opponents get a Fortitude Save to fend off the ability damage, with a DC of 10 + ½ Displacer Beast's HD + Displacer Beast's Dex bonus.
If the Displacer Beast takes levels in Rogue, and delivers a sneak attack with its tentacles, it may elect to rasp the opponent rather than emphasizing damage. It can trade away 1d6 sneak attack damage for one instance of ability damage. If it can deliver 3d6 or more sneak attack damage, it may trade away up to one third of the 1d6 die for multiple instances of the rasp effect. Displacer Beast levels now stack with levels in Rogue for the purposes of sneak attack progression, but not other class features. Should the Displacer Beast take levels in another scoundrel class (such as Scout, Ninja, and other classes that get situational damage bonuses as a core class feature), it may elect to take advantage of this class feature in the same manner as the Rogue.
At 8HD, the damage increases to 1d3 ability damage to the statistic of choice (again, Int or Wis excepted). At 13HD, this increases to 1d4. At 18HD, this advances to 1d6.
Evasion: A Displacer Beast of third level or higher has Evasion as a class feature. If it makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, it instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the Displacer Beast is wearing no armor, or if is wearing light armor and is proficient in said armor. Helpless Displacer Beasts do not gain the benefit of Evasion. Should the Displacer Beast gain Evasion from another source, it improves to Improved Evasion.
Growth: A fourth level Displacer Beast grows to large size. Its reach, grapple modifiers, natural attack damage and skills change accordingly, but it doesn't gain any ability score bonuses or penalties. It may now reach up to 15' with its tentacles.
The rare Displacer Beast grows to become a Pack Lord. When a Displacer Beast reaches 12HD, it advances to Huge size, gaining a 20' reach with its tentacles and a 10' reach with its bite. Again, its grapple modifiers, natural attack damage and skills change accordingly, but it doesn't gain any ability score bonuses or penalties.
Facade: At Displacer Beast of fourth level or above that finds itself in dire straits will instinctively overcharge its own Displacement ability to hide itself in a morass of shadowy images. As a free action, the Displacer Beast may employ the Facade ability, representing the Displacer Beast's need to protect itself from danger. The Displacement effect is enhanced by 25%. This benefit is cumulative (rounding up), not additive, so a base displacement of 50% would become 63%. Further, the Displacer Beast effectively casts a mirror image effect on itself, with its HD counting as caster levels for the purpose of the spell. Should the Displacer Beast take a move, standard or full-round action, the effect (including the mirror images) immediately end.
This is largely a defensive ability, however, and a Displacer Beast that employs it will find that it has overtaxed its ability and loses the benefit of Displacement, Umbral Feint and Dissonance Shroud for 2d4 rounds after the effect ends. That said, the fact that this is an instinctive ability means that it can be activated even if the Displacer Beast is helpless, crippled by a condition, confused or caught in a spell effect. Only charm spells that bias the Displacer Beast's perceptions, petrifaction and death will prevent it from being able to activate this ability.
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