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sofawall
2010-02-02, 10:34 PM
Basically, where do I find information on the above? Books, page numbers, whatever.

InkEyes
2010-02-02, 10:55 PM
Eberron Campaign Setting is the easiest (and probably largest) source. Other than that, there's bits of information scattered around in pretty much every Eberron Sourcebook. Pull one off your shelf and look up The Lords of Dust/Rakshasa Rajas/The Demon Wastes and take some notes.

arguskos
2010-02-02, 10:57 PM
Also, the Ak'Chazzar and Nathrezune Rakshasa's, both Eberron themed, and referenced in Eberron materials, are from the MM3. :smallwink:

sofawall
2010-02-02, 11:00 PM
Eberron Campaign Setting is the easiest (and probably largest) source. Other than that, there's bits of information scattered around in pretty much every Eberron Sourcebook. Pull one off your shelf and look up The Lords of Dust/Rakshasa Rajas/The Demon Wastes and take some notes.

Exactly what I was hoping not to hear. :smallfrown:

Well, off to hunt through my indexes.

AslanCross
2010-02-03, 08:48 AM
The Eberron Campaign Setting has their overall role, but not much else apart from the fighter-type Zakya Rakshasa.
MM3 has the stats for the Ak'Chazars and Naztharunes.
Dragon 337 has a whole article on the Lords of Dust and has a bunch of sample Lords of Dust in addition to actual Rakshasa Rajah stats. Pretty interesting stuff.
Finally, Dragons of Eberron has a bunch of stuff on the role of the Lords of Dust in Argonnessen, especially the Tiamat-aligned ones. (Tiamat is one of the Demon Overlords in Eberron.)

Kaiyanwang
2010-02-03, 08:51 AM
Furthermore, if you later will simply "need moar Rakshasas", remember that there is a cool shapechanging Rakshasa in Tome of Battle.

Beelzebub1111
2010-02-03, 08:51 AM
I was thinking about this subject, and how would one stat out the Rakshasa Maharaja?

AslanCross
2010-02-03, 08:56 AM
I was thinking about this subject, and how would one stat out the Rakshasa Maharaja?

It's a unique race. They have 20 Outsider HD and 30-50 class levels, according to Dragon 337.

Kol Korran
2010-02-03, 09:22 AM
EDIT: now that i've written this whole damn thing i see i was partially ninja'd. oh well, i hope you can still find use in it

actually, taken from all the books there is not a lot that can be said about the Eberronian Rakshasa, i'll try to save you time and summarise things up if i can... (i may be prone to a mistake or two, long time since i played in Eberron, despite my nickname) in any case i suggest you seek a playgrounder called Aslan Cross (hope i didn't misspell) he is really knowable about Rakshasa.

Major differences from other settings: the main difference is not in the mechanics, but in their role in the world. where in other places the Rakshasa are but odd spell casting shapeshifting exotic kind of fiend, in Eberron they are the major and most common type of demon (note: in Eberron the D&D distinction of demon and devil means very little, and both basically mean fiend. this is how i will use the terms throughout this post). the other fiends are the uncommon ones, while the Rakshasa are the main stock of the evil litter.

secondly, Rakshasa in this world are the exemplifiers of Evil, with the capital E. they are the definition of evil by dragon lore, and act accordingly.

thirdly, while in other worlds Rakshasa work mainly solo or by pairs or small groups, here the Rakshasa are all part of a great culture and organizations (most notably the Lords of Dust). the Rakshasa have great resources on their hands.

lastly, before i get on with things, is their enemies- the dragon nation of Argonessen. some say that a person could be weighed by the strength of their enemies, if so, the Rakshasa weigh a whole lot. the struggle between fiend and dragon, mainly through the draconic prophecy can drive whole adventures or campaign/s!

History: the Rakshasa are the most prominent creations of Khyber, as the dragons were of Syberis. as such they are inherently opposed to each other. at the age of demons the two races fought, and since the dragons were weaker then, and the rakshasa were led by powerfull fiends known only as Rakshasa Rajas (equivalent to demon princes in other settings i believe), the dragons fate seemed dire. then the couatls joined forces with the dragons, and with the help of this mystic beings the fight was continued.

finally, in an event called the Silver Cataclysm, the couatl sacrificed almost all of their number to channel some sort of holy silver energy (some believe that the silver flame and this energy are one and the same), to bind the powerfull Rakshasa Rajas all over Eberron, and to drive the last forces of the fiends into what now is known as the city of demons- Ashtakala. (in the demon wastes) thus the dragons were victorious.

Today: but the victorious grow lax in their watch. the rakshasa that remain today are powerfull beings, but are but a pale comparison to the demons of old. still, some were able to sneak through the confines of Ashtakala (in some sources it seems that the demons could easely traverse it, but choose not to. the reason isn't mentioned- maybe they don't want to alert the dragons?). those few now occupy influential positions all across the world, and shcme the schems of demons. manipulation, plotting and using unaware tools is their trade, not direct conflict.

The Rakshasa out in the world all adhere to an organization called the Lords of Dust. (i say all, but of course you may have rogue Rakshasa. each one is filled with desire for greater power). the organization seeks to raise the power of demons again, and bring the destruction of dragons. though various Rakshasa explore various routes of power (you can bring in any other Eberronian power into this), the most common route is to influence the Draconic prophecy (for which the demons have another name naturally). like the dragons, mainly those of the chamber, the Rakshasa try to decipher the various signs, and force routes of destiny at divergence points.

another common goal is to free the Rakshasa Rajas imprisoned around the world. most times the dragons still post powerfull guardians over these places (like the one in Q'barra, forgot it's name), but the fiends keep on trying, maybe through unwitting tools such as adventurers. it's worthy of note that some rakshasa do not seek to free the Rajahs, but rather gain their powers for themselves.

the last goal is obtaining artifacts from the age of demons. ine one of the books three such artifacts are mentioned by name only, but i suggest you make your own. this is a macguffin basically, with dragons and fiends on the search for. in this venues both sides tend to take a far more active role it seems.

something that i'm not sure if it's mentioned in books, but it think is worth mentioning (maybe it's just the way i play it?) is that Rakshasa are basically immortal, and therefore plan accordingly. dragons are not immortal, and this is one path where the fiends have the upper hand.

Other enemies: as mentioned before the prime nemies of the Rakshasa are the dragons. but there are more. there are the remaining Couatls. these are scarce and few, and have tried to oppose the evil in the world by mystical ways and tutoring of the new races.

no better example can be made other than in the creation of the silver flame. the flame that rises in flame keep is rumored to come from the struggle beteen a bound (and trying to break free) Rakshasa Rajah one one side, and an elderly Couatl, allied with the martyr of the silver flame- the paladin Tira Myron (i may have gotten the name worng, forgive me). the silver flame is supposed to be the embodiment of good, as the fiends are the embodiments of evil. powerfull enough believers of the silver flame try to hunt down demons in disguise, and some have even boldly ventured into the city of Ashtakala itself! (a great adventure might be to enter the forbidden city and retrieve an artifact used by a champion of the flame)

a similar spirit of fighting and righteousness could be found in the barbarians of the labirinth, fighting against the demons and their underlings on a daily basis. as mentioned in the ECS, they are but an outgroup of the silver flame, though both groups barel recognize each other.

Mechanics and role: mechanically there is nothing that differ from the MM (maybe except that they are native outsiders. not sure if the MM rakshasa are.) there are a fair number of Rakshasa subspecies, from the Zakya in the ECS (the rakshasa's foot soldier), to the MM3, manual of the planes i think and more. these represent different abilities and roles in their society (and AslanCross for more, he likes Rakshasa)

two things i think are worht mentioning- first, don't play these guys as a battle encounter, but rather as the force behind the scenes as much as possible, just like agents of the chamber. if you get the players guessing who is the good guy and who is the bad, then bonus points for you.

secondly, the ECS details a special ability for fiends and their ilk, that is just tailor suited for the scheming Rkshasa- Possesion. read about it, i think it fits in nicely.

so, long post, i tend to do those once in a while. hope it helps. tell me if it does, and if you have any other questions, please ask. i think i covered things up fairly ok though. there might be more about Ashtakala itself in the Explorer's guide, but i don't remember much (except that it was very... disapointing and uninspiring)

Kol.