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1

Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................2

Chapter One: Characters .................................................................3

Yakshas........................................................................................5

Yogi ..............................................................................................6

Hunter of the Firstborn............................................................10

New Feats ..................................................................................12

New Items..................................................................................16

Special Organizations...............................................................18

Chapter Two: The Body of the Rakshasa ....................................23

Chapter Three: Conflict..................................................................26

In Combat ..................................................................................26

Out of Combat...........................................................................28

Chapter Four: Rakshasa Society...................................................32

Chapter Five: Rakshasa and their Kin.........................................43

Writer: Matt SprengelerCover Artist: Thomas DenmarkInterior Artist: Brad McDevittCover Designer:Andy HoppEditor and Graphic Designer: Joseph GoodmanSpecial Thanks:Several people helped with this project byplaytesting, consulting, or just listening to the author ramble onabout corpse-eating goblinoids while they were trying to finishdinner. These brave souls include: Keith Baker, Matt Falduto,Kate Gilbreath, Mateo Salazar, Deidre Shea, Kevin Shea, BobSprengeler, Cathy Sprengeler, and Dieter Zimmerman. Thanksto all of them.

Questions or comments? Send them to us at info@good-man-games.com, or visit our web site at www.goodman-games.com

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Rakshasas are malicious outsiders native to the material plane. They are shapechangers, natural sorcerers, and mind readers. Intheir natural form, they resemble humanoid tigers with backward-facing palms. The rakshasa temperament is lordly and solitary, witha taste for decadence, and they are never happier than when they are bedeviling the mortal races.

Within your game, the rakshasa makes a wily and dangerous adversary. Many of these creatures are independent troublemak-ers, spreading fear and confusion with their schemes. Others are masterminds ruling a web of mortal servants and dupes, seeking togain power and wealth. At their most dangerous, rakshasas are powerful beings who threaten to become gods after centuries or more

of reincarnation. An encounter with a rakshasa will always be a mystery story,as nothing about them is what it seems.

This book is divided into five main chapters. The first chapter,Characters, presents information that players and GMs alike can use.

This includes two new classes, two dozen new feats, a template forrakshasa-mortal halfbreeds, and advice on using rak-

shasas as player characters. The second chapter,The Rakshasa’s Body, outlines the creature’s

unusual physiology. The third chapter, Con-flict, explains how rakshasas operate both inand out of battle. It presents tactics, underly-ing strategy, and an explanation of the rak-shasa’s general style as both a PC and anNPC. The fourth chapter, Society, examineshow rakshasas live and what they believe. Italso contains several adventure ideas. Thefifth chapter, Rakshasas And Their Kin, pro-vides game statistics for standard rakshasasand their four main subtypes, ranging fromthe lowly pisacha to the terrifying asura.

Throughout this work we will use the term“standard rakshasa” to refer to the rakshasafound in the 3.5 MM, including the spells andfeats used. Other terms refer to the differentvarieties presented in this work. A recap ofthe standard rakshasa stat block can be foundon page 43.

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Introduction

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Rakshasas can be used as player characters, and make aninteresting addition to a party. The native abilities of a standardrakshasa allow them to perform some of the same functions assorcerers and rogues, while their invulnerabilities give them anedge in physical combat. These abilities also mean that rakshasasare only appropriate for high-level play, as they are the equiva-lent of a 14th-level character.

Other rakshasa-themed options exist as well. The yogi classis centered on austerities and knowledge that came from rak-shasa mystics long ago. The yaksha, a half-rakshasa half-mortal,is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature. A vari-ety of feats and equipment are available to help rakshasas andtheir enemies survive.

Finally, two special groups that take an interest in rakshasasare described here. The Order of the Asthra is a mortal sect thathunts rakshasas. Worshiper of Kalki, they use stealth and martialskill to find and slay their ancient enemies. The Order has aunique prestige class, Hunter of the Firstborn, which has uniquepowers to help in the fight. The Shattered Gate is a loose-knitleague of spellcasters and others who seek to banish all out-siders, native or otherwise, and close portals that connect thematerial plane to others.

Playing a Rakshasa

The standard rakshasa is a colorful and difficult addition toa group of characters. It excels at manipulating other thinkingbeings, a useful knack when dealing with urban or heavily polit-ical settings, but this can easily be used against other charactersas well. Its invulnerabilities are impressive, but its innate spell-casting is substantially less powerful than those of its high-levelpeers who have concentrated on one class. Rakshasas are notnecessarily a good fit for every game. However, they thrive inthe right setting.

Anyone playing a rakshasa should keep several factors inmind. First, they are lawful evil creatures. A handful of excep-tions do exist, but this alignment is bred in them all the way backto the story of Brahman creating the universe. A rakshasa whoveers from evil will become a marked being, hunted by its ownrace for what they see as its bizarre and traitorous behavior. If therakshasa PC remains lawful evil, all the usual problems of evilcharacters will come up. Fortunately, as lawful creatures they arebetter able to cooperate with others, allowing some differencesto be glossed over. Rakshasa are long-lived creatures, and onecan adapt itself to almost any set of PC ethics for quite a while ifit feels that doing so will further its own goals.

Another potential problem is that anyone who recognizes arakshasa will likely view it as an evil mind-reading shapechang-er with a taste for humanoid flesh. This can become awkward.Therefore many rakshasa characters don’t reveal their identities

to strangers, and quite possibly not to other PCs. The only timea rakshasa automatically reverts to its natural form is when itdies, so it can keep up a deception for decades at a time. Theother characters might never realize that the half-elven sorcer-er/monk who has traveled with them for five years is actually arakshasa – although the other players are probably aware. Thesame abilities that make a rakshasa such a skilled manipulatorallow it to travel undetected among mortals if it wishes.

Finally, a rakshasa character will be most satisfying tosomeone who enjoys playing a role. Rakshasas are fascinatingpersonalities, given their background and their abilities. Playingone is more fun when it gets to use its powers to the hilt, and thatwon’t happen in a hack-and-slash setting. Anyone who sees thecreature’s damage reduction and spell resistance as its main sell-ing points will probably be disappointed.

Obviously, anyone can play a character any way they see fit.But for a rakshasa character to feel like what it is, certain person-ality traits are worth keeping in mind. A rakshasa always tries tobe master of its situation, and that includes when it is with a partyof player-run characters. This doesn’t mean the rakshasa will tryto boss everyone else around, but it will make its wishes knownand it will be annoyed if those wishes are not followed. Givenhow subtle rakshasas can be, and the fact that they can detectthoughts, they often get their way without upsetting anyone else.

A rakshasa, even one as friendly as a lamb and gentle as akitten, has been raised in a culture filled with contempt for otherbeings. This can take the form of blatant insults, but that’s boundto annoy other players. With a rakshasa PC, disdain will likelymake itself felt in other ways. Perhaps the creature is politelypatronizing to NPCs, always surprised when they answer diffi-cult questions or reveal impressive abilities. It could also be thatthe rakshasa puts on a dour, pessimistic face when it must rely onothers to get a job done. If these unfriendly traits are played fortheir amusement value rather than used as a way to irritate oth-ers, they can add a great deal of character.

Which is not to say that a rakshasa PC can’t be manipulat-ing the rest of the party and plotting its downfall, of course.

Given these points, the rakshasa best fits into a standardparty in the same way a bard does. They have some spellcasting,some stealth, and substantial charisma. With their love of art andperformance, many rakshasas are drawn to bardic careers any-way, and the class has a spell list that covers some of the gaps ina rakshasa’s abilities. This doesn’t mean that rakshasas shouldbecome bards automatically, just that they have the same gener-al utility.

In fact, the most common character class picked up by rak-shasas is sorcerer. Levels in this class stack with the creature’sinnate spellcasting ability, allowing them to rapidly increasetheir power. Sorcerers also usually stay in the rear ranks of afight, which is where rakshasas prefer to be anyway. Rakshasa

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Chapter One

Characters

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