Telthor (Displacer Beast)

Keen Smell. The Telthor has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Pounce. If the Telthor moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with both sets of claw attacks on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC (STR+PB) Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the Telthor can make one bite attack and one additional claws attack against it as a bonus action.

Avoidance. If the Telthor 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.

Displacement. The Telthor projects a magical illusion that makes it appear to be standing near its actual location, causing attack rolls against it to have disadvantage. If it is hit by an attack, this trait is disrupted until the end of its next turn. This trait is also disrupted while the displacer beast is incapacitated or has a speed of 0.

Incorporeal Movement. The Telthor can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Spirit Bond. You can add your proficiency bonus to any ability check or saving throw that the Telthor makes.

Unusual Nature. The Telthor doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Bound to the Land. A Telthor that moves more than 1 mile from the place or person it guards takes 1 point of damage every minute. This damage ends immediately if it enters its home area again.

Telthor Telepathy. Telthors can communicate with one another telepathically, regardless of language, at a range of 100 feet.

Native Animal Empathy. Telthors can communicate and empathize with animals of their kind. This gives them a +4 bonus on checks to influence the animal’s attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and, (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as “friend,” “enemy,” “flee,” and “attack.”

Multiattack. The Telthor makes two attacks with its tentacles or makes two attacks with its claws.

Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +(STR+PB) to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: (1d6) + (STR+PB) bludgeoning damage plus (1d6) piercing damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +(STR+PB) to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d8) + (STR+PB) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +(STR+PB) to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (2d6) + (STR+PB) slashing damage.

Telthors are spirit animals or people native to Rashemen, particularly those who died defending the land. Incorporeal and ghostly, they are still formidable opponents. Many places in Rashemen have guardian spirits, and some trees, rocks, and rivers have them as well. These spirits are the Telthors, and they take a form appropriate to what they are guarding. For example, a mountain may have a Telthor dire bear guardian, a forest might have a Telthor dire wolf guardian, and a spring might have a Telthor hawk guardian. Large places or very important sites might have multiple Telthors, each responsible for a part of the site but working together against a foe that threatens them all. Each berserker lodge of the Rashemi barbarians has a spirit totem, and usually the lodge itself is watched over by a Telthor of that kind. Rashemen is rich in untapped spirit magic, and sometimes in places where people have died defending the land, an echo in the sleeping spiritual energy grants a person a semblance of life as a Telthor. Normally these people are warriors, fighters, or barbarians, but sometimes a spellcaster can become a Telthor. These spirits watch over the battlegrounds where they died, alert for other invaders or those who would despoil their resting places and those of their slain allies. If a creature who became a Telthor is brought back from the dead, the Telthor vanishes and the newly raised person has no memories of that spirit existence.

This monstrous predator takes its name from its ability to displace light so that it appears to be several feet away from its actual location. A displacer beast resembles a sleek great cat covered in blue-black fur. However, its otherworldly origins are clear in its six legs and the two tentacles sprouting from its shoulders, both ending in pads tipped with spiky protrusions. A displacer beast’s eyes glow with an awful malevolence that persists even in death.

Unseelie Origins. Displacer beasts roamed the twilight lands of the Feywild for ages, until they were captured and trained by the Unseelie Court. The warriors of the court selectively bred the beasts to reinforce their ferocious and predatory nature, using them to hunt unicorns, pegasi, and other wondrous prey. However, it didn’t take long for the displacer beasts to use their malevolent intelligence to escape their masters.

Running and breeding freely in the Feywild, the displacer beasts soon came to the attention of the Seelie Court. With blink dog companions at their side, fey hunters drove these predators to the fringes of the Feywild, where many crossed over to the Material Plane. To this day, displacer beasts and blink dogs attack each other on sight.

Love of the Kill. Displacer beasts kill not just for food but also for sport. They target prey even when not hungry, often toying with their victims to entertain themselves until they are ready to eat. After killing its prey using its tentacles, a displacer beast drags the corpse to a quiet place where it can feed without distraction.

Displacer beasts hunt alone or in small prides that demonstrate skill at setting ambushes. A single beast will strike and withdraw, luring prey into a densely wooded area where its packmates wait. Packs of displacer beasts hunting near trade roads recall the frequency and schedule of regular caravans, laying down ambushes to pick off those caravans.

Prized Guards and Pets. Intelligent evil creatures favor displacer beasts as pets, but a displacer beast enters such an alliance only if it appears beneficial. A displacer beast might guard a vault or act as a bodyguard for a prominent individual.