Rakshasa
Medium Fiend · · CR 13
- Fiend
- Medium
- Tier 3
CR 13 medium fiend, lawful evil — that's Rakshasa. Native to urban. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 13
- Type
- Fiend
- Size
- Medium
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Urban
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Rakshasas are fiends bound to mortal flesh, exiled from their original infernal home for crimes too obscure to explain. They infiltrate mortal courts, mercantile cabals, and noble bloodlines, lairing in palatial estates, hidden townhouses, and city-spanning property holdings purchased through proxies. They feed on humanoid flesh, especially well-aged nobility, served at private banquets attended only by other rakshasas. Their territories extend through cities by social and economic influence rather than geography.
Behaviour
Rakshasas are sophisticated, patient, and almost incapable of being satisfied. They view mortal rules as obstacles to outwit rather than respect, and treat each lifetime among mortals as a long performance. They reproduce rarely but groom mortal heirs for centuries, sometimes raising orphans into adulthood as protégés before revealing their true nature. They hold grudges against specific mortal bloodlines for thousands of years and pursue those bloodlines through generations of patient revenge.
Origin
Rakshasas were once celestials, devils, or other immortals exiled to the Material Plane in tigerish form as punishment for some primordial crime. Their reversed-joint hands are the mark of exile, and they cannot remove it through any magic. Slain rakshasas reform in their original infernal home and must spend years climbing back to the Material Plane through divine bargains. Each rakshasa carries their original name in a forgotten infernal tongue and resents the loss bitterly.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Rakshasa
- What is the challenge rating of Rakshasa?
- Rakshasa has a challenge rating of 13. It fits levels 11-16.
- What type of creature is Rakshasa?
- The bestiary type for Rakshasa is fiend, medium size.
- Where does Rakshasa live?
- Habitats for Rakshasa: Urban.