There is no shortage of manipulative and powerful enemies within the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Some of them are iconic like Liches, but some are harder to come by and are not as prominent like the Rakshasa. These creature are born in the Nine Hells of the lower planes. They are fiends that seek freedom from the Hells, to satiate their hunger for humanoid flesh and act out evil schemes in the Material Plane. What sets them apart is rather than lie and wait for adventurers to seek them out a Rakshasa will actively seek civilization and place themselves within it. They are very good at hiding their true appearance and typically take the form of a nobleman, priest, or someone with great power and wealth. They almost never reveal their true self until it is to late.
Rakshasas use a combination of melee fighting and spellcasting when facing an enemy. They manipulate and deceive and then when the enemy is distracted they move in close to do serious damage. They conjure illusions to trick and distract while they move in from behind with a well placed attack. While Rakshasas magic is powerful it is limited to flight over fight. If they are backed into a corner they have a variety of means to escape and evade. When one is defeated that is not necessarily their end. They typically return to the Nine Hells to regenerate and heal, and once they heal Ralshasas have a singular drive to kill whomever slew it. An enemy not so easily dispatched.
Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what your favorite monster is! Till next time.
The Dungeoneer's Journal 