(TFT) ...and a monster suggestion.

[Mark Tapley <mtapley@swri.edu>]

Hello All,
	Back in the days I was playing, the best reaction I had to a
monster from the players I GM'd for was when I lifted an idea from AD&D and
sent them a couple of Displacer Beasts to fight.
	ST, DX, MA, and IQ same as a tiger or panther from ITL - adjust to
how tough your party is. The creature has two Whip attacks, and the claw of
a normal large cat. See Whip in Advanced Melee for properties of these
attacks. I'd say the beast should use *either* both whips *or* the claw
attack each turn.
	The beast always has Invisibility - see Wizard for properties of
that, but also note the rules under Acute Hearing in ITL and note that an
Invisible figure adjacent to a normal figure may still be noticed.
	The beast automatically and always projects an Image (see Wizard)
of itself 0, 1, or 2 hexes away (0 hexes means the Image is atop itself).
The Image will flinch if it is hit or takes damage - but will *not*
disappear (it is instantaneously replaced), and the real creature does not
take damage from hits on the Image. The Image will also flinch if the real
beast does take damage. The whips always seem to emanate from the Image,
but their maximum range is determined from the beasts' real location, not
the Image.
	The beast will try to trip or damage prey (depending on whether the
prey has armor) from some distance away, using its whips. It will toy with
the prey for a while, since it is a cat. It will use its claws, either from
behind or while the prey is down, to finish off the prey. It will not
intentionally enter HTH combat. It will displace in such a way as to
prevent missile attacks on the Image from passing through its actual hex if
possible. If it fails this, the GM must roll for the accidental attacks, at
appropriate DX penalty for Invisibility. It will not generally attack two
different figures at once with its whips, as this gives away too much
information as to its real whereabouts. The creature is never found in
narrow places - it prefers open forests, or plains. It will sometimes run
away when wounded.
	I haven't figured out whether dead Displacer Beasts supply
necessary ingredients for some interesting magic item. If there's a smart
Wizard among your players, maybe s/he can. Or maybe I can, if the Great
Librarian can send me Advanced Wizard ;-)

	These are fun to play as a GM - there are some interesting
opportunities for tactics of deception (such as bringing the Image together
with the real beast - sometimes the *last* place the party will look). This
is particularly true in forests or broken ground. They are also fun for a
"monster player" GM assistant. Players seem to have a pretty good time once
they get it - which can be almost instantly if they know AD&D well.

	Let me know how they work for you.
							- Mark
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