# Displacer beast
The displacer beast, f, is a feline monster that first appears in SLASH'EM, and also appear in dNetHack, SlashTHEM and xNetHack. They have natural displacement.
Across variants, each time you attempt to attack a displacer beast in melee, you have around a 50% chance of merely displacing it like a pet. Using F to force an attack will not move you or the displacer beast, and results in attacking "thin air" if you would have displaced it.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

Displacer beasts have been introduced to vanilla in the upcoming NetHack 3.7, with the same traits as detailed in the xNetHack tab below.
Description

 SLASH'EMdNetHackSlashTHEMxNetHack

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

14

Attacks

Claw 4d4, Claw 4d4, Bite 2d10

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

14

Attacks

Claw 4d4, Claw 4d4, Bite 2d10

Base level

12

Base experience

301

Speed

12

Base AC

-10

Base MR

0

Alignment

-3 (chaotic)

Frequency (by normal means)

1 (Very rare)

Genocidable

Yes

Weight

750

Nutritional value

400

Size

Large

Resistances

None

Resistances conveyed

None

A displacer beast:

 has no hands.

 is an animal.

 is carnivorous.

 is normally generated hostile.

 can be seen through infravision.

 may turn against you when tame.

Reference

SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2/monst.c#line662

Displacer beasts can pose a real problem in combat - in addition to their intrinsic displacement rendering around half your melee attacks harmless, they also have a very low AC and high HP, and can do quite a bit of damage. Luckily, they are not fast, and a player with speed should be able to outrun them. This is particularly advisable if there are other hostile monsters around, since missed attacks leave you open to retaliation from them and the displacer beast itself.

Amusingly, you can displace a displacer beast into water or lava, killing it instantly.

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

16

Attacks

Tentacle 2d4 physical, Tentacle 2d4 physical, Bite 1d8 physical, Claw 1d3 physical, Claw 1d3 physical

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

16

Attacks

Tentacle 2d4 physical, Tentacle 2d4 physical, Bite 1d8 physical, Claw 1d3 physical, Claw 1d3 physical

Base level

12

Base experience

307

Speed

12

Base AC

-10

Base MR

0

Alignment

-3 (chaotic)

Frequency (by normal means)

1 (Very rare)

Genocidable

Yes

Weight

1500

Nutritional value

400

Size

large

Resistances

poison

Resistances conveyed

poison

A displacer beast:

 has no hands.

 is an animal.

 is carnivorous.

 is normally generated hostile.

 is strong.

 can be seen through infravision.

 may turn against you when tame.
 cannot be tamed.

Reference

dNetHack src/monst.c, line 705

In dNetHack, displacer beasts have flight, and thus cannot be killed by displacement into water or lava. They additionally cannot be tamed.

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

14

Attacks

Claw 4d4, Claw 4d4, Bite 2d10

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

14

Attacks

Claw 4d4, Claw 4d4, Bite 2d10

Base level

12

Base experience

301

Speed

12

Base AC

-10

Base MR

0

Alignment

-3 (chaotic)

Frequency (by normal means)

1 (Very rare)

Genocidable

Yes

Weight

750

Nutritional value

400

Size

Large

Resistances

None

Resistances conveyed

None

A displacer beast:

 has no hands.

 is an animal.

 is carnivorous.

 is normally generated hostile.

 can be seen through infravision.

 may turn against you when tame.

Reference

SlashTHEM src/monst.c, line 781

No changes have been made to displacer beasts from SLASH'EM to SlashTHEM.

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

14

Attacks

Claw 4d4, Claw 4d4, Bite 2d10

f displacer beast 

Difficulty

14

Attacks

Claw 4d4, Claw 4d4, Bite 2d10

Base level

12

Base experience

301

Speed

12

Base AC

-10

Base MR

0

Alignment

-3 (chaotic)

Frequency (by normal means)

1 (Very rare)

Genocidable

Yes

Weight

750

Nutritional value

400

Size

Large

Resistances

None

Resistances conveyed

displacement 6d6

A displacer beast:

 has no hands.

 is an animal.

 is carnivorous.

 is normally generated hostile.

 is nasty.

 can be seen through infravision.

Reference

xNetHack include/monsters.h, line 389

In xNetHack, displacer beasts are eligible to be summoned with the summon nasties monster spell. Eating displacer beast meat confers intrinsic displacement for 6d6 turns.

Origin
The displacer beast is a Dungeons &amp; Dragons, monster that projects a displaced image a few feet from where it actually stands. It is the source mythology for the displacement provided by the cloak of displacement.