Quote from TwistedCarnage >>

So there's an interesting interaction I've been thinking about and I'd wanna hear what you guys think if a Rakshasa is killed by an upcasted disintegrate and is turned to ash does his body get destroyed the same way it was already going to due to him being a fiend or does he not come back? The way I've seen it described is that as soon as the rakshasa drops to 0hp he is then transported back to hell to reform so that may take precedence over disintegrate because he doesn't technically die from the spell, he just gets sent back. Essentially, I wanna know if a devil can reform themselves from being disintegrated or if a third party would have to intervene to save them.

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

 That's an awesome question.  Don't know if you got an answer yet (hope so).  From the passage above describing them: "For a rakshasa, death on the Material Plane means an agonizing and torturous return to the Nine Hells, where its essence remains trapped until its body reforms — a process that can take months or years."

I would interpret that as their essence, since they are an evil spirit, returns to the Nine Hells, where it's body will be reformed.  Of course you could also interpret that as whatever's left of their body also returns to the Nine Hells.  In that case a disintegrated body would just take that much longer to reform, I'd say.

Of course anyone can create a scenario in which you can kill a rakshasa easily.  a party of 4 monks?  Easy peasy right?

But how many parties of solely monks are there?  I'd venture to guess... very few.  I've been playing quite a while, and have never in my life DM'd a party of only monks.

Add to the fact that Wizards, sorcerers, Warlocks, (outside of hexblade really), clerics and bards don't even have a way to damage the rakshasa outside of 1 melee attack with a weapon *IF* it is magical until level 13......  So, at least 1 member of your party probably 2 or 3 will just be completely useless in the fight.  And if magic items are not falling out of the sky for your melee players.. you're just completely boned.   

Plus, you're quite unlikely to know you're even dealing with a rakshasa until it is too late.   

Quote from TwistedCarnage >>

So there's an interesting interaction I've been thinking about and I'd wanna hear what you guys think if a Rakshasa is killed by an upcasted disintegrate and is turned to ash does his body get destroyed the same way it was already going to due to him being a fiend or does he not come back? The way I've seen it described is that as soon as the rakshasa drops to 0hp he is then transported back to hell to reform so that may take precedence over disintegrate because he doesn't technically die from the spell, he just gets sent back. Essentially, I wanna know if a devil can reform themselves from being disintegrated or if a third party would have to intervene to save them.

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

Per the usual interpretation of fiends in D&D, their physical bodies are the raw material of the Lower Planes given form by the malevolent spirit of the fiend. So any form of bodily destruction outside their home plane is just an inconvenience as the spirit is shunted back to its home plane and then has to pull together a new body. Disintegrating one could be a good way to make sure it's not foxing you, but as far as the entity itself is concerned there's no difference between dying on the Material Plane from a stab wound, decapitation, or disintegration. Usually the body will disintegrate on its own upon death anyways.

I mean, it can fly, so the monks can't actually hurt it, same with most spellcasters, and on top of that it is more an stealth enemy than an direct combat one

^^ *backwards jazz hands*

Quote from BruceE >>

User101,

Looking up True Seeing, it's 6th level and does not have a note about casting it at a higher level. So, if you were high enough to have a level 7 spell slot, you'd still just be casting a level 6 spell, though you'd be using a higher level spell slot that could be used to deal some damage...like Finger of Death or Fire Storm.

That's what I'd tell my players, at least.

That's not how casting spells at higher levels works according to the PHB. Of course, you're free to rule it however you want (preferably as long as you're consistent), but that ruling could stifle a lot of cool stuff...

If you cast it using a 7th level slot, it becomes a 7th level spell. That's how it works for Counterspell and Dispel Magic, which is basically what this monster has. Minimum 7th level Truesight would be required to detect it. That may be the single nerdiest sentence I've ever said.

Any adventurer that can't cast a 6th level spell, isn't good aligned, and doesn't have a piercing weapon that does magical damage simply can't damage the creature. It's also extremely important to note that the Rakshasa is a stealth and political attacker who almost never directly attacks its victims, and uses its smarts and near godly charisma to outwit and out-maneuver its victims before someone it's coerced into doing so can move in for the kill. In fact, in older editions all it took was a standard crossbow bolt to kill it, and even still, most creatures in most campaigns are good aligned, which brings the creature very great fear when dealing with pretty much anyone, leading it to hide behind political and social barriers (I'm pretty sure that it used to be where any good aligned creature ignored its resistances, which was changed in this edition, but don't quote me on that). The creature is much, much more likely to be the secret underground ruler of an entire kingdom or massive illicit guild than your standard, run of the mill fiend; this is why it has such a high charisma score. They're pretty well known to use their honeyed words and vast promises, along with very heavy manipulation, to get absolutely whatever they want without ever getting within a mile of where it took place. It's not said in most editions, but their most kept secret is that they prize human flesh above all else, and usually eat humans in ceremonious feasts in private. I recommend watching this video to get a better grasp on the beast as a whole (read the comments on the video as well).

The challenge rating was likely to guarantee that the players had enough experience to know how to handle the situation, and to also assure that they could damage it. It's also important to note that if anything gets scratched by the creature there's a good chance they'll die of exhaustion from their claw's curse (read the melee attack), which doesn't go away when the creature dies.

This video covers literally everything you could ever want to know about the Rakshasa, and pretty much anything else you can think of that's related to DnD. If anyone else stumbles across this reply, I'd recommend watching the video as well, because it covers literally everything you could possibly need to know, and everything they didn't put into the Monster Manual as well (which, as it turns out, is a surprising amount to say the least).

How do spells like Magic Missile function rp wise? The spell creates darts that are the same all throughout the levels, but you get to create an additional dart that can go to a different target or the same one

Does the curse that means that affected characters who "don't gain benefit from a short or long rest" mean that they don't rest enough to avoid exhaustion? I feel like the answer should be yes, but it doesn't feel clear enough.

Easy. CR is broken in 5e and has been since its inception.

it cant be hit by spells under level 6 so it makes spell casters useless

1. it can choose to be affected by spells of 6th level and below

2. casting a spell with a higher slot is casting the spell at the level of that slot, even if nothing special happens when you upcast it

What are some other monsters with the "can't be affected by spells of X level" trait? I want to have some fun with Silvery Barbs players. 

I think you are cherry picking more than you realize. Regardless, with most intelligence-based higher CR creatures, the DM has to put a little work into flushing out the monster’s try potential. Sure, any monster could set traps or hide behind a meat shield, but only something like a Rakshasa could lead a spy ring, conduct espionage, and whittle down an adventuring party without ever engaging them in combat.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s difficult to do. But damn is it worth it in the end!

Maybe a Backwards Idea but I thought about throwing my hat into the ring.

I don't think that Rakshasa are meant to fight against the Party but are instead intended to be Magic Shop Keepers that the Party can't murder Hobo.

Love these!

Ooh, I'm so putting this into my next campaign. A rich, charismatic, Rasputin-type character who has the party work for him for a while until he is discovered.

I named my cat, Rakashka, 17 years ago. I apparently couldn't read back then xD