Whence the displacer beast?

[mmadsen]

The displacer beast always struck me as an odd monster. I suppose I should have realized it had a sci-fi origin:

The displacer beast was inspired by the coeurl, a feline-like creature from the 1939 science fiction story "Black Destroyer" by A. E. van Vogt[1], later incorporated into the novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle (1950).​

More on the coeurl:

Coeurl is a fictional alien race of predators created by the late science fiction novelist A. E. van Vogt (1912-2000) and featured in his first published short story "Black Destroyer" (1939), later incorporated in the novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle (1950). Its resemblance is comparable to a large cat, except that its forelegs are twice as long as its hind legs, and it possesses tentacles (most likely two) attached to its shoulders. These tentacles terminate in suction cups. Its skin coloration is not mentioned, but it may be inferred from the title of the story that it is black. It sustains itself by feeding upon a substance it calls the Id of other beings, which is not related to the Freudian concept but is actually organic phosphorus, most probably as the phosphate groups bound in ATP.​

Now where do blink dogs come from?

 

[Dragonhelm]

I think it was Best of Dragon by Paizo that had a page on the origins of the displacer. You might find it kind of cool. They kept the cat association in 1e and 2e. Loved both of those pics of the displacer.

Maztica even had a jaguar version. One of the few really good parts of that boxed set.

Then they starved the displacer in 3e. I don't even recognize it in 4e. Looks more dog-like.

As a side note - displacer beasts make good displacer jerkey.

 

[Henry]

As a side note - displacer beasts make good displacer jerkey.

Really? I keep missing mine when I try to take a bite...

 

[Aberzanzorax]

@ Henry:

You can only eat displacer jerky with your eyes closed.

 

[pawsplay]

Short and sweet, but with pictures:

http://rpgtalk.wikia.com/wiki/Displacer_beast

 

[frankthedm]

The Coeurl has shown up in a few places I know of

The Dirty Pair’s ‘pet’ Mughi is a Coeurl in the manga. In the first anime, it is a big, fat & lazy cat/bear crossbreed kind of thing.

[imagel]http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5530/coeurl.gif[/imagel]The Final Fantasy game series has had the Coeurl for a long time. The tentacles usually come off the face rather than shoulders, since Amano’s illustration had the tentacle be a whisker. Eventually the tentacle became like a colourful feathery rust monster antenna in the FFX & FFX-2 games, though in Final Fantasy Twelve, the thing has a squid head, making it look like a Cathulhu. They usually have a powerful attack [Blaster/Bluster] that makes encountering them a PITA.

 

[Voadam]

later incorporated in the novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle (1950).

Neat! I saw that book on the shelf in the library yesterday. I'll have to check it out.

 

[Thanael]

Displacer Beast

Vaguely inspired by a PJ Farmer critter in his "Created Universes" series, but not drawn from any specific thing therein.
Gary Gygax (1938–2008), March 10, 2003, EN World Q&A II

Van Vogt's Voyage of the Space Beagle [inspired the displacer beast.]
Gary Gygax (1938–2008), February 12, 2005, EN World Q&A IX

It looks nothing else than a big cat, if you forget those tentacles sticking out from its shoulders, and make allowances for those monster forelegs.
A. E. Van Vogt (1912–2000), The Black Destroyer (1939; part I of the Voyage of the Space Beagle)

from D&D Monster Origins D-F. Unfortunately there's no info on the blink dog on that excellent site.

 

[Thanael]

I like blink dogs. They're one of those just-for-D&D monsters created for the game which has no literary, or mythological ancestors. Like the owlbear, the gelatinous cube, the rust monster, and the Bulette. These monsters are purely D&D and they have that slightly off-kilter flavor that so characterizes the early game. At least, I think so.

from Old Guard Gaming Accoutrements: Let the Blink Dog Eat!

 

[mmadsen]

Neat! I saw that book on the shelf in the library yesterday. I'll have to check it out.

I've been meaning to read it myself -- if only because "Black Destroyer" was (arguably) the inspiration for Alien.