D&D 5E Displacer Beast Kitten As A Sidekick?

[O-Castitatis-Lilium]

Hello!

So, I am actually going to be participating in a game, where I was allowed to make the Displacer Beast Kitten from Wild Beyond The Witchlight as a sidekick for my rogue. Now, I haven't played a game before, merely DMed for everyone...and honestly I'm not sure if this is possible. In the sidekick section of Tasha's it says that the monster needs to be a CR of 1/2 or lower, the kitten is 1/8. Is there a way to alter this to fit the CR 1/2 and not have it be too much? Or will the CR 1/8 be good? My main concern is, I got told that at level 10, I could have a full fledged one (as the DM said this was already going to be a rather heavy-handed campaign which I don't mind lol), so I kind of want to at least meet the general stats of the actual Displacer Beast by the time I'm level 10. I'm so sorry that this seems to be such a complicated question, I'm not use to being a player and...well it seems weird to be playing with these things. I know how I would rule it, but I don't know how to play wit hit...you know? Maybe I'm over-complicating the whole thing, and if I am, I'm sorry lol. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Stormonu]

1/8 (1 of 8 pieces of pie) is less than 1/2 (half the pie), so you're fine.

 

[ezo]

My main concern is, I got told that at level 10, I could have a full fledged one (as the DM said this was already going to be a rather heavy-handed campaign which I don't mind lol), so I kind of want to at least meet the general stats of the actual Displacer Beast by the time I'm level 10.

Unfortunately, this isn't going to be possible RAW, but you can can get close especially if the DM allows you to multiclass sidekick classes. Below are the statblocks for both creatures.

Sidekicks use HD by size. How much the sidekick "grows up" during your game is up to the DM. So, going from d6s to d10s will depend on DM fiat.

Number of HD is not as much a problem. You start with 2 (from the 2d6+2) and gain 9 by 10th-level, so you'd have 11 HD then, close enough.

Speed from 30 to 40 could also be a "size" issue. Alternatively, a feat like Mobility could allow the increase in speed.

Proficiency bonus will go from +2 to +4 at 10th-level, so better than a full-grown displacer beast.

Ability Scores are a BIG problem. The gains are a lot, and across the board. STR up 6, DEX up 2, CON up 4, INT up 2, WIS up 2, and CHA up 2. ASIs alone obviously can't handle all this. Even if you go with the Expert Sidekick class, you only get 3 ASIs--not nearly enough.

Your DM sounds pretty understanding, so perhaps you can agree on a size "increase" at 4th and 8th levels as it grows up. If you get a free +1 to all ability scores at those levels, that would take care of DEX, INT, WIS, and CHA, with increases in STR and CON you would only need to bump STR twice (the extra +4) and CON once (the extra +2).

At these size increase levels (4th and 8th), you could also bump the HD to d8 and increase size to medium, and then to d10 and large at 8th level. A +5 to speed at 4th and 8th levels also provides the +10 to speed.

Getting the Avoidance feature is basically evasion, something you could get from the Expert sidekick class, and multiattack would be Extra Attack from warrior sidekick.

With some tweaking you could get close, but I would avoid the sidekick classes and instead just do some of the things mentioned above.

I'll respond more after work with how I would do it. But I hope this breakdown helps.

 

[aco175]

If you are using the sidekick rules, then your kitten could bed a 10th level caster by the time you reach 10th level. Or, maybe make a warrior sidekick and have some more HP and a 2nd attack at level 6. I would likely chop up the abilities from kitten to adult and spread them on a chart to gain some abilities along the way. This may make it weak as you start to get past level 5 and die easily as you advance since they are about a CR3.

But by then you can make a handy cloak of displacement.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

In fact, it is a middlekick. It just looks like a sidekick, because of its displacement ability.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

If you are using the sidekick rules, then your kitten could bed a 10th level caster by the time you reach 10th level. Or, maybe make a warrior sidekick and have some more HP and a 2nd attack at level 6. I would likely chop up the abilities from kitten to adult and spread them on a chart to gain some abilities along the way. This may make it weak as you start to get past level 5 and die easily as you advance since they are about a CR3.

CR 3 and level 3 are different kind of beasts. A CR3 creature has HP that easily matches level 10 characters (85 in this case)

AC is low. To hit is rather low (PCs have +8 at this point on average) and Damage is also rather low.
On the other hand, displacement and evasion and generally ok stats bring physical defenses up to respectable levels.

But by then you can make a handy cloak of displacement.

 

[Weiley31]

You could always use the Lightbender companion from Flee, Mortals as it's pretty much the "stand-in" for a Displacer Beast.

That probably doesn't help with it as a kitten, but probably works for when it grows up/size changes

 

[aco175]

You really only need it to fight defensively and displacement while standing next to your backstab target.

 

[ezo]

Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

So, here's the breakdown I would offer (as DM) to a player. Others can double-check my numbers, but I think I got it all.

Level 1 Expert:
Size Small
AC 12
HP 9
Hit Dice 2d6 + 2
Speed 30
Proficiency +2
STR 12, DEX 13, CON 12, INT 4, WIS 10, CHA 6
Skills Athletics +3, Insight +2, Perception +2, Stealth +3, Survival +2
Saves DEX +3
Light Armor Proficiency
Features Displacement, Helpful
Attack +3
Damage 2 bludgeoning + 1 piercing

Level 2 Expert:
HP 14
Hit Dice 3d6 + 3
Features Cunning Action

Level 3 Expert:
HP 19
Hit Dice 4d6 + 4
Features Expertise (choose two skills for expertise, not included in skill bonuses below...)

Level 4 Expert:
Size Medium
AC 13 (same as Displacer Beast)
HP 30
Hit Dice 4d6, 1d8 + 10
Speed 35
STR 14, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 5, WIS 11, CHA 7 (add +1 to all ability scores, then apply ASI below)
Skills Athletics +4, Insight +2, Perception +2, Stealth +4, Survival +2
Saves DEX +4
Features ASI (STR +1, CON +1)
Attack +4
Damage 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning + 2 (1d4) piercing

Level 5 Expert:
HP 37
Hit Dice 4d6, 2d8 + 12
Proficiency +3
Skills Athletics +5, Insight +3, Perception +3, Stealth +5, Survival +3
Saves DEX +5
Attack +5

Level 6 Expert:
HP 44
Hit Dice 4d6, 3d8 + 14
Features Coordinated Strike (or Multiattack, player's choice)

Level 7 Expert:
HP 51
Hit Dice 4d6, 4d8 + 16
Features Evasion (replaces Avoidance, or the DM could just let you get Avoidance)

Level 8 Expert:
Size Large (same as Displacer Beast)
HP 68
Hit Dice 4d6, 4d8, 1d10 + 27
Speed 40 (same as Displacer Beast)
STR 16, DEX 15, CON 16, INT 6, WIS 12, CHA 8 (add +1 to all ability scores, then apply ASI below)
Skills Athletics +6, Insight +4, Perception +4, Stealth +5, Survival +4
Features ASI (STR +1, CON +1)
Attack +6
Damage 6 (1d4+3) bludgeoning + 3 (1d6) piercing

Level 9 Expert:
HP 77
Hit Dice 4d6, 4d8, 2d10 + 30
Proficiency +4
Skills Athletics +5, Insight +3, Perception +3, Stealth +5, Survival +3
Saves DEX +6
Attack +7

Level 10 Expert:
HP 86 (+1 higher than Displacer Beast); can change to 85 (to match Displacer Beast)
Hit Dice 4d6, 4d8, 3d10 + 33; can change to 10d10+30 (to match Displacer Beast)
STR 18, DEX 15, CON 16, INT 6, WIS 12, CHA 8 (same as Displacer Beast)
Skills Athletics +6, Insight +3, Perception +3, Stealth +5, Survival +3 (Displacer Beast has no skills)
Features ASI (STR +2)
Attack +8 (+2 higher than Displacer Beast)
Damage 7 (1d4+4) bludgeoning + 3 (1d6) piercing (same as Displacer Beast)

This, for the most part, makes your sidekick a full Displacer Beast with some extras.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Just pick a sidekick class, give it a displacer kitten skin, and it'll work out fine. The sidekick rules are really robust, so long as you're not trying to have the Monster Manual version of a critter, but a unique sidekick instead.