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Braininthejar2
2016-08-05, 05:57 PM
People tend to know how to deal with demons or devils. There are books written on how an illithid culture looks like, or how beholders think.

But what about rakshasas? Where can one find some more info on how to roleplay them, besides what is written in the monster manual?

(also, does their SR increase if they get class levels?)

hamishspence
2016-08-05, 06:04 PM
Dragon magazine 326 maybe, for Ecology of the Rakshasa.

The Glyphstone
2016-08-05, 08:33 PM
If you can find a copy of Goodman Games' Complete Guide To Rakshasa, you might get some good material. GG is a 3PP, but they write good stuff.

HidesHisEyes
2016-08-06, 06:51 AM
I like to go entirely by what's in the Monster Manual, using it as a starting point for my imagination. I mean generally, not just for rakshasas.

Beleriphon
2016-08-06, 08:28 AM
If you can find a copy of the Ramayana in you're local language (its long BTW, really long) it deals with Rama's efforts to defeat the rakshasa Ravana. Mind you this is the Hindu version of the rakshasa which is more akin to a generic western demonic figure than the D&D version, but I think it sets up a good baseline for what to expect in general. Finding a copy of Mahabharata might also be a good idea, as they in part form the most basic functions of rakshasa and the beasts appear pretty frequently in both.

Incidentally both are pretty good examples of what characters from Exalted should be able to do.

Edit for Links!
Mahabharata: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/maha/index.htm
Ramayana: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/index.htm
Abridged and Combined: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/dutt/index.htm

LibraryOgre
2016-08-06, 09:24 AM
It also somewhat depends on edition... 1e Raksashas are pretty much demigods, with multiple at-will spell powers, immunity to most magic, etc., with their only vulnerability being a blessed crossbow bolt. d20 raksashas are just another demonic type... tough, but not on par with the ones from the old Monster Manual.

As for how to play them? Remember that they are better than everyone around them. Always. They know what you are thinking, they know what you last ate, they know if you've been bad or good, so be sure to bless that stake.

And it's gonna sound weird, but watch the old Disney Cartoon Tale Spin for anything involving Shere Khan. LE tiger-type. Physically powerful, but works far more through underlings and vast personal power. A Raksasha will know things about every body. Might enjoy having people, especially important people, over for tea, to simply rifle through their mind. Since they can look like anyone, they might choose a non-threatening form to be less visible... or an imposing form to avoid having to deal with the riff-raff.

Tanuki Tales
2016-08-07, 08:14 AM
Pathfinder expanded the Rakshasa into a full blown fiendish race, with members running the gamut from CR 2 to CR 20, with even more powerful demigodal entities existing who are supposedly on par with any Archfiend.

Eldan
2016-08-07, 09:39 AM
That's a process 3.5 started, too. There's some four or five alternative Rakshasa floating around in various books. Necromancer rakshasa, assassin rakhsasha and warrior rakshasa.

Tanuki Tales
2016-08-07, 09:50 AM
That's a process 3.5 started, too. There's some four or five alternative Rakshasa floating around in various books. Necromancer rakshasa, assassin rakhsasha and warrior rakshasa.

Those are specialized common Rakshasa though, if memory serves.

In Pathfinder, only "Common Rakshasa" are the animal headed, backwards hand people.

Braininthejar2
2016-08-07, 02:08 PM
Whoa. I was looking for a way to portray their specific brand of evil in a memorable way.

You guys gave me enough feedback to start giving me ideas for a new campaign storyline.

This forum rules!

Cealocanth
2016-08-07, 03:49 PM
People tend to know how to deal with demons or devils. There are books written on how an illithid culture looks like, or how beholders think.

But what about rakshasas? Where can one find some more info on how to roleplay them, besides what is written in the monster manual?

(also, does their SR increase if they get class levels?)

I recommend the original source material, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Long reads, and you will have to find a translation from Hindi. Wikipedia has some specific passages that are helpful for you, but I can give you a Westerner's look at the primary source.

Basically, Rakshasa are demon-like creatures that come from Hindu mythology. They are opposite the Deva, which are similar to our angels. They are commonly depicted as humanoid beast-creatures with vicious visages and almost always two long fangs. While most RPGs have them as tiger-people, they can actually be of any species of animal, and, in fact, are shapeshifters. They practice illusion magic that allows them to change size and form into almost anything, and prey upon humans and other animals in a similar fashion to Western vampires. They do actively drink blood.

They were created to live in the spirit world with the rest of the gods but the Rakshasa were banished to earth when they attempted to eat Brahma himself. In Hindu mythology they are an entire race of horrible monster-creatures that prey upon humans. They are not actually inherently evil, unlike Western demons. Rakshasa act more like Orcs are depicted in typical fantasy. They are generally more vicious and cannibalistic, but you will see Rakshasa fighting alongside both the armies of good and the armies of evil in the real world. In battles they act like ghouls and descend upon the battlefield when the slaughter is at its height, consuming the fresh corpses as the soldiers fall. They are of human intelligence and can be as lowly as the common untouchable or as high as a warlord. Again, they're a race of 'people', not evil manifest.

Unlike demons and vampires in Western fantasy, Rakshasa do not have any particular aversion to an earthly substance. Cold iron does nothing unusual to them, wooden stakes and garlic do not repel them, salt circles do nothing, etc. Nothing that wouldn't repel a human would repel a Rakshasa, with one exception. It is not directly stated, but Rakshasa are commonly seen being slain with divinely blessed weapons. You kill them the same way that you kill anyone, though.

Edit: I didn't see any mention of backwards hands, but I might have missed something.

gkathellar
2016-08-07, 07:42 PM
So, there are two ways to address this question: the D&D way, and the way Hinduism generally approaches it.

Rakshasas in D&D

So, rakshasas originated in Acheron, but now they're native to the prime material. Characterization has varied, but has generally veered towards slick, civil, intelligent LE villains. The tiger face combined with a soft-spoken dastardly merchant sort of thing gives them an air of refinement with savagery boiling just below the surface, and a real calmly-waiting-to-kill-you vibe.

It's worth noting that rakshasas are not devils. They're devious, sure, but they have an easier time of blending with the polite society of humanoids, and they don't typically traffic in souls or planar politics. They work better as flesh peddlers, salesmen of illicit substances, crime bosses, and so on. Rakshasa should be as devious as any devil, but to more personal ends, using their supernatural powers and penchant for LE trickery to achieve temporal power and pleasure.

The D&D rakshasa often carries a hint of exoticism in its art design and manner, but this isn't essential, and serves as kind of a cheat with which to make them subtly other. I would advise you to treat rakshasas as humans through a mirror darkly: they have very human wants and desires, but always with a cruel and evil twist. They should be well-mannered, smooth, confident, and cordial enough to arouse admiration and jealousy, but underneath their civilized veneer is a beast that wants to hurt and dominate.

Rakshasas in Hinduism

In general, rakshasas are Hinduism's lesser monsters and demons. They have an inconsistent list of powers, eat people, change shape, play tricks, taint village water supplies, cause trouble for holy men, and generally make nuisances of themselves. The scope of their villainy tends to be pretty small, as cosmic villainy in Hinduism is generally reserved for the asuras. They're often visualized as savage monster-men, with animal characteristics, sharp teeth, wild hair, etc. Occasionally they have kings and lords and society and whatever, but it really depends on the scope of the story.

Folklore aside, rakshasas don't really have a single, consistent characterization in Hindu lore. Many are jerks and man-eaters, dominated by base emotions like hunger and lust. They often have powers of illusion, and sometimes other mystical abilities besides (but bear in mind that virtually everyone in Hindu myth has supernatural powers of some variety). There are heroic rakshasas here and there in the epics, but they're mostly stock monsters or a generic, mostly-evil fantasy race.

Now, there's a whole line of argument that says rakshasas are often just stand-ins for and demonizations of the Dravidian peoples of South Asia. In particular, the Ramayana, in which Prince Rama goes up against the rakshasa king Ravana, can be seen as a story about a feud between an Indo-Aryan prince and the Dravidian king of Sri Lanka. So that may explain some of their oddity and genericness in the mythology, where they tend to be cannibal savages who can are occasionally virtuous while in the sworn service of non-rakshasa upper-caste folks.


They are opposite the Deva, which are similar to our angels.

The devas are the Hindu gods, and are generally placed opposite the asuras, who are either a rival clan of gods, a ravening horde of cosmic demons, or both. Rakshasas are occasionally identified as the same beings as asuras, but in most cases they're a lesser, unrelated class of demon.

ClintACK
2016-08-08, 04:12 AM
One of the coolest features to use is that Rakshasas always come back -- so the party can kill a Rakshasa and it's just the *start* of their relationship. And it's smart. It learns from its mistakes. The first time they faced the party it was because the party found it -- it wasn't ready for them. The next time, it's all about its revenge. And the time after that it's back with minions and an ambush. And the time after that it will just be attacking their "home base" when they are away.

Eventually, the party will have to travel to somewhere Infernal to kill the Rakshasa on its own plane.

gkathellar
2016-08-08, 10:06 AM
Eventually, the party will have to travel to somewhere Infernal to kill the Rakshasa on its own plane.

Nope. They're native outsiders. The Prime is their home plane these days.

Tanuki Tales
2016-08-08, 10:24 AM
Nope. They're native outsiders. The Prime is their home plane these days.

Or in Pathfinder, they always have been, as they're reincarnated sinful mortals.

Braininthejar2
2016-08-08, 03:54 PM
They do have some presence in lawful evil planes from what I remember, especially in Acheron