Rhakshasa
Rakshasas (pronounced: /rɑːkˈʃɑːsɑːz/ rak-SHA-saz) are a dignified race of duplicitous Outsiders that mostly dwelt on the Material Plane. They are reviled as devious sorcerers, political puppeteers and thought to be an embodiment of evil.
Description
The true form of a rakshasa was almost never seen due to their ability to assume almost any humanoid figure, but their lavish taste ensured they were almost always wearing the finest garments and most precious jewelry. Their true forms were most commonly humanoids with the heads of Bengal tigers and luxurious fur to match their attire, although it was not unusual for them to possess the heads and features of carnivorous apes, crocodiles or mantises, with high ranking rakshasas being rumored to have multiple heads. The eyes of a rakshasa can range from gold and black slits for felines to protruding, multifaceted spheres for insects but always contained a fiendish glimmer of disturbing, infernal intellect. However, their most unnerving and unique feature was their reversed hands. The palms of a rakshasa faced out from the body when the arms were at rest and the finger joints bent backwards to grasp and manipulate objects. Rakshasas stand 6‒7 ft (1.8‒2.1 m) tall, with those of lower rank being shorter. Their build was typical for a human of their size and they weighed between 250‒350 lb (110‒160 kg).
Personality
Unsettling others with their eerily structured hands demonstrated a mere fraction of a rakshasas true maliciousness, as their wickedness rivaled that of devils and their avarice surpassed them. Their animalistic appearance disguised a sophisticated personality with an unstoppable lust for influence and material wealth. They combined the habits of a predatory aristocrat with those of an indolent cat, savoring the finest art, music, literature, clothing, weapons and armor while spending large amounts of time lazily resting in their comforts and prowling unseen. Powerful magic, lost spells, arcane tomes and secret lore, particularly those of the evil variety, were of special interest to the born sorcerers. Slaves were collected the same as any other form of art, and were expected to indulge every whim of their cruel master. This served to bolster the already overinflated ego of the rakshasa, a haughtiness they displayed to all who knew their true identity. Rakshasas used their transformative abilities to appear as nobles, cardinals, merchant princes, crime lords and other beings rich in power. They used their natural charisma to form vast arrays of minions, lackeys, servitors and henchmen, and despite their pride were masters of deceit. Rakshasas disguised themselves not only their forms but their very involvement in events, pulling political strings, creating vast intrigues and instigating government corruption to secure their safety. Their innate cleverness was enhanced by their supernatural abilities and yet countered by their strange sense of honor, as like devils they would hold to the letter of an agreement while ignoring the spirit to double-cross their supposed allies.
Mental Magic
Dread Presence: The Rhakshasa exudes a deeply unsettling aura that reaches out to all those within their presence.
Face of the Beast: With a glance, one of the victim’s fears is magnified to the point of pure terror. The victim gains the Frightened Condition.
The Grand Delusion: The victim’s mind is twisted and perverted in ways invisible to the naked eye, instilling beliefs into them as false as they are frightening. The victim gains the Delusional Condition.
Waking Nightmare: The Rhakshasa inflicts upon their victim or victims a miserable hallucination, a touch of the kind all vampires suffer in torpor.
Mortal Terror: The Rhakshasa imbues their Nightmares with the sort of terror that haunts all beings through their sleep and torpor.
