Rakshasa

Ak’chazar rakshasas wander the planes seeking new lands to subjugate and new undead minions to enslave. These rakshasas are masters of necromantic magic, although they are powerful in the other schools of magic as well. Ak’chazar rakshasas typically work behind the scenes, manipulating events to suit their dark whims and relying on their web of spies, assassins, and intelligent undead to carry out their nefarious plots.

An ak’chazar rakshasa looks like a humanoid with the head of a white tiger. A light coating of ghostly white fur coats the creature’s body from the shoulders down, and its hands display razor-sharp nails, like a cat’s claws. The palms of its hands are where the backs of the hands would be on a human. An ak’chazar rakshasa stands around 6 feet tall and weighs about 175 pounds.

Ak’chazar rakshasas do associate with other rakshasas, often as leaders or manipulators. Other types of rakshasas value an ak’chazar’s intelligence even as they fear its abilities. It is not uncommon for weaker rakshasas to follow the complex plans of an ak’chazar even as they go about their own missions. All rakshasas tend toward solitary existences, but communication and coordination between the various kinds is not unheard of.

An ak’chazar rakshasa typically establishes a power base at the site of a great battle, a large cemetery, or some other place where a large number of corpses might be interred. It uses its power over undead to create several intelligent undead minions. Thereafter, it might make contact with a local underworld organization (almost always through intermediaries) or even a corrupt or power-hungry political official. It will play with these leaders, offering them advice, power, or riches as it learns their habits and defining characteristics. Then the ak’chazar uses its magic jar spell-like ability to replace one of these leaders for a time, using the borrowed body to solidify its hold on the region.

Ak’chazar rakshasas speak Common, Infernal, and Undercommon.

In battle, an ak’chazar rakshasa avoids a close-quarters combat situation whenever it can. Pragmatic and cautious, it feels no need to personally deliver a death blow, relying on minions or their spells to carry out such tasks. These rakshasas take care to learn their enemies’ strengths and weaknesses, and they use their magic accordingly.

Change Shape (Su): An ak’chazar rakshasa can assume any humanoid form, or revert to its own form, as a standard action. In humanoid form, an ak’chazar rakshasa loses its claw and bite attacks (although it often equips itself with weapons and armor instead). An ak’chazar rakshasa typically remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but an ak’chazar rakshasa reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell reveals its natural form.

Pain Wave (Su): Three times per day for 1 round per Hit Dice, an ak’chazar rakshasa can emit an aura of negative energy as a free action. Every creature within 20 feet of an ak’chazar rakshasa when it activates the ability is subject to an inflict moderate wounds spell (caster level 20th) and becomes shaken for 1d6+1 rounds. Creatures within the area can make a DC 24 Will save for half damage (and to ignore the shaken effect). The save DC is Charisma-based.

Rebuke Undead (Su): An ak’chazar rakshasa can rebuke and command undead as a 20th-level cleric. An ak’chazar rakshasa can make up to nine rebuke attempts per day.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day⁠—​animate dead; 2/day⁠—​control undead (DC 23), create undead; 1/day⁠—​create greater undead, magic jar (DC 21), trap the soul (DC 24). Caster level 20th.

Spells: An ak’chazar rakshasa casts spells as a 12th-level sorcerer. It favors spells of the necromancy and enchantment schools.

Typical Sorcerer Spells Known (6/8/8/7/7/6/4): 0⁠—​daze (DC 17), detect magic, disrupt undead (+22 ranged touch), mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost (+22 ranged touch), read magic, touch of fatigue (+19 melee touch, DC 17); 1st⁠—​charm person (DC 18), chill touch (+19 melee touch, DC 18), mage armor, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement (+22 ranged touch); 2nd⁠—​blindness/deafness (DC 19), daze monster (DC 19), false life, mirror image, touch of idiocy (+19 melee touch); 3rd⁠—​halt undead (DC 20), lightning bolt (DC 19), ray of exhaustion (+22 ranged touch, DC 20), suggestion (DC 20); 4th⁠—​charm monster (DC 21), confusion (DC 21), enervation (+22 ranged touch); 5th⁠—​dominate person (DC 22), teleport; 6th⁠—​disintegrate (+22 ranged touch, DC 22).

Skills: Ak’chazar rakshasas have a +4 racial bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks.

An ak’chazar rakshasa rarely travels alone. It is usually accompanied by various undead created by animate dead, create undead, and create greater undead (see Sample Ak’chazar Entourages). An ak’chazar rakshasa is a wise deceiver, so it should know a great deal about its opponents before a battle begins. The creature uses its rebuke undead ability to keep its nonintelligent servants under control, and often strikes bargains with the intelligent undead it creates to serve the rakshasa in return for power or other, less savory considerations.

Once combat is joined, an ak’chazar rakshasa lets its undead minions do the dirty work of melee fighting while it focuses on dealing with any ranged attackers. It often attacks from hiding, and when its hiding place is discovered, it usually takes the time to find a new hiding spot before resuming its attack. In battle, its spells are an ak’chazar rakshasa’s best weapons, and the creature is well aware of its limitations in melee.

An ak’chazar rakshasa is always careful to keep a teleport spell (technically, the 5th-level spell slot needed to cast the spell) in reserve in case a quick getaway is necessary.

Prior to combat: Mage armor; mirror image.

Round 1: Trap the soul on an opponent that it believes to have a low Will save.

Round 2: Disintegrate spellcasting foe, or dominate person on another low Will save target, directing that individual to attack any of its companions.

Round 3: Use offensive spell; focus on keeping at least some bodies intact for later experiments or the creation of new undead.

Round 4: Repeat offensive spells, or use magic jar on target with low Will save. When using magic jar in combat in this way, an ak’chazar rakshasa often issues a standing order for one of its undead lieutenants to destroy the gem holding the opponent’s soul as soon as the spell is successful.

Round 5: Continue with offensive spells, either using enervation to eliminate opponents’ high-level spells, or readying magic missile attacks to disrupt enemy spellcasting.

Most ak’chazar rakshasas travel with an entourage of undead. You can create your own array of undead (up to 20 HD), or you can roll or select from those given on the table below. The EL for any of these entourage encounters is 15 (the same as encountering an ak’chazar alone).

Many of the Lords of Dust are actually ak’chazar rakshasas. They sequester themselves in foreboding strongholds beneath the Demon Wastes, although some have made lairs closer to the heart of civilization on Khorvaire. At least one ak’chazar rakshasa operates from within the Great Crag in central Droaam, lending his services and undead minions to the Daughters of Sora Kell in exchange for special favors too terrible to ponder.

Ak’chazar rakshasas often make their lairs in places where wars, famines, and plagues grant access to plenty of corpses for their necromantic experiments. Most keep a low profile; however, a pair of ak’chazar rakshasas is believed to operate in the city of Unthalass, currently occupied by the Mulhorandi army. They also have operatives stirring up unrest in the Chessentan cities of Cimbar, Luthcheq, and Soorenar.

While some theorize that rakshasas are the very embodiment of evil, those rare few who have survived an encounter with the deadly naztharune know it as fact. Like other rakshasas, the palms of a naztharune rakshasa’s hands are where the backs of the hands would be on a human. While this physical feature doesn’t detract from the creature’s manual dexterity, it makes a rakshasa look very disturbing to those unfamiliar with the creature.

Naztharune rakshasas, like most rakshasas, tend to be solitary creatures but will work with other rakshasas when necessary and even team up with other naztharunes on a continuing basis. They sometimes work as infiltrators and spies for ak’chazar rakshasas, and they sometimes hire themselves out to other creatures as mercenaries or assassins. Naztharune rakshasas have a hearty contempt for all creatures except other rakshasas, but they can suppress this feeling when it profits them to do so. Unlike most of their rakshasa brethren, naztharune rakshasas feel less of a need to be “the boss” in every operation. They are much more mercenary in their desires and needs.

A naztharune rakshasa is about the same height and weight as an elf (5 feet tall, 100 pounds).

Naztharune rakshasas speak Common, Infernal, and Undercommon.

Unlike their spellcasting cousins, a naztharune rakshasa enjoys sneaking up on a target and killing it in close combat. Whenever possible, it uses allies to distract opponents and maneuver into flanking situations.

Detect Thoughts (Su): A naztharune rakshasa can continuously use detect thoughts as the spell (caster level 18th; Will DC 17 negates). It can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Change Shape (Su): A naztharune rakshasa can assume any humanoid form, or revert to its own form, as a standard action. In humanoid form, a naztharune loses its claw attacks (although it usually uses weapons and armor). A naztharune rakshasa typically remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but a naztharune reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell reveals its natural form.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su): A naztharune rakshasa can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as it is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a naztharune rakshasa can hide itself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. It cannot, however, hide in its own shadow.

Shadow Jump (Su): A naztharune rakshasa has the ability to travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with at least some shadow. A naztharune can jump up to 20 feet each day in this way; this can be a single jump of 20 feet or two jumps of 10 feet each.

Skills: A naztharune rakshasa has a +4 racial bonus on Bluff checks and Disguise checks.

When using change shape, a naztharune rakshasa gains an additional +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks. If it is reading an opponent’s mind, its circumstance bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks increases by a further +4.

A naztharune rakshasa generally attacks from ambush. Naztharunes sometimes work in pairs to maximize their flanking and sneak attack opportunities. They avoid fighting constructs, undead, and other creatures against whom they cannot use their sneak attack.

Prior to Combat: Hide and detect thoughts to monitor approach of victims.

Round 1: Spring from the shadows, attack a living creature with a short sword, and deal sneak attack damage.

Round 2: Move and hide again. If unable to hide (due to a daylight spell or other reason), full attack.

Round 3: Move and hide again. If unable to hide (due to a daylight spell or other reason), full attack. If moderately injured, shadow jump to safety and flee. Repeat round 3 tactics until combat ends.

Naztharune rakshasa characters possess the following racial traits.

Naztharune rakshasas are loyal servants of the great rakshasa rajahs imprisoned in Khyber below the Demon Wastes. They work their master’s evil abroad, eliminating threats to the Lords of Dust and spying on their enemies from the shadows. Naztharune rakshasas often work in pairs and have toadies and minions scattered throughout Khorvaire, most of them mid- to high-ranking members of thieves guilds.

Most naztharune rakshasas serve the ak’chazar rakshasas as spies and assassins. A pair of ak’chazar rakshasas operating in Unther has sent naztharune agents to stir up unrest in neighboring Chessenta, most notably in the cities of Cimbar, Luthcheq, and Soorenar. These naztharune rakshasas have already compromised several local guilds and eliminated key politicians and merchants in an attempt to turn the Chessentan cities’ hatred of one another into open war. Naztharune rakshasas have also been encountered in cities as far west as Waterdeep and Calimport, in some cases pursuing their own agendas.