Homebrew Abeiran Rakshasa Species Details

A puzzling curiosity of spiritual and arcane lore: the archdevil-turned lesser deity Gargauth had no divine domain where his followers spent their eternity, and was considered a Prime Material power like many of the nature gods and demigods of Faerun. Early inquisition by planar and religious sages found shortly after death, the souls of his followers could be located in Baator. Being a former archdevil this might not seem unusual except that, per multiple sources, Gargauth was and is exiled on pain of death from Baator, unable to exert significant power there except by bargaining with individual archdevils, which would make the souls of his followers extremely vulnerable. While it is possible he could simply abandon his followers in death, this too seemed unusual and unlikely, as there is no upside to sell in promising an afterlife of torment in exchange for devout loyalty, when the same result could be achieved in an infernal contract with a lesser devil.

The terrible truth was revealed in the aftermath of the Mark of Asmodeus - a magical ritual which transformed all living tieflings to overtly resemble those born of the Blood of Asmodeus - which revealed thousands of hitherto unknown cambions and tieflings in secret service to Gargauth. Within months, agents of several powers had extracted information through scrying, mind-reading and torture validating a most unsettling discovery: followers of Gargauth are marked as such upon reaching Baator and fast-tracked to be transformed into Rakshasa, then sent back to Toril. Over three hundred years as a deity, Gargauth had concealed a vast network (or small army) of Rakshasa spread primarily across the continent of Faerun, living life anew and continuing their eternal secret servitude to Gargauth as spies and agents in a variety of roles.

This information came too late for any organization to sufficiently exploit - aware his secret was being uncovered and desperate to rush a plan he'd intended to take several more decades, Gargauth discovered an artifact essential to Asmodeus' newfound divinity had been hidden on Abeir. The primordial twin of Toril, sundered by Ao to end the battle between gods and ancient beings of massive power, Abeir was hidden from the sight of Gods and planar beings - an objective Gargauth had been seeking to exert over Toril since the Time of Troubles three decades prior. Issuing a divine command to his faithful, Gargauth summoned his followers to an assembly point and marched them through a gateway to Abeir with his avatar.

Leading his unholy crusade with tens of thousands of faithful mortals and tieflings, and roughly half that number of Rakshasa, Gargauth secured several sites of power across Abeir and slew a handful of slumbering or recently awakened Primordials. But after failing to find the artifact he sought, Gargauth scattered his Rakshasa legions to infiltrate the villages and cities and continue the search covertly.

While Gargauth's avatar held considerable magical power, as did his Rakshasa with their innate magical abilities, his power to grant spells to his followers was greatly diminished, which led to instances of in-fighting as previously established hierarchies and power structures were disturbed. Worse, Gargauth discovered his intended return to Toril was stymied as the portal he'd used was destroyed and his divine power restricted drastically by the nature of Abeir. Cut off from most planar and divine magic, and with even his arcane powers lessened, Gargauth felt vulnerable for the first time in centuries and hid himself away in a fortress-turned-temple to plot and scheme a return to power.

Over the course of the next century, until the Second Sundering, Gargauth's Rakshasa and faithful dwelt in secret covens, tribes and clans across the continents of Abeir, siring offspring with humans, dragonborn and other species as the years passed. These subsequent generations of Rakshasa-sired tieflings did not carry the Blood of Asmodeus, and instead inherited powers more similar to their Rakshasa parentage, particularly when in-bred as the insular Rakshasa were wont to do. The new breed of Abeir-born Rakshasa held no special loyalty to Gargauth, in truth many drifted from the traditions or law and evil their sires and grandsires espoused, and a rare few even turned further to expose or combat their families in the name of 'goodness.'

Ao appeared to Gargauth  before the Second Sundering, and offered him a return to Toril, as the collisions of Abeir and Toril had been set right and Ao intended to close them off from one-another once more. Gargauth refused. Many have speculated as to his reasons: obsessed with conquering Abeir and overthrowing Asmodeus, bitter at his great loss of power, paranoid of treachery by Ao or the other gods of Toril. He shut himself away and ordered his followers to scatter, fend for themselves and bring him news from afar. 

Multiple clans uprooted entirely to cross over to Toril, others sundered and divided, split on the decision to return or stay and parted ways either amicably or with great hostility. Nevertheless when Ao decreed the gates and portals to be closed, the decisions were final. Ao stripped the last of Gargauth's divinity from Toril. Gargauth's divinity was trapped, restricted to his avatar in Abeir, brooding in his lair with a few hundred devout faithful tending to his needs. It is said he wailed and bellowed for days upon the severing of his link to one of his most precious artifacts and a safety net preserving his infernal soul from destruction in the event of his death.

The Abeiran Rakshasa are a distinct breed of tieflings, varying greatly in appearance, even when not magically disguised. Some appear as dragonborn, or humans, tabaxi, dwarves, orcs and still other humanoids. Many have retractable claws, but many more have backward hands with the palms facing outward. Nearly all have some form of feline tail, vertical slit pupils or other telling feature of Rakshasa parentage. They inherited some, but not all of the Rakshasa innate magic and magic resistance, and are decidedly mortal, as opposed to their sires who return to Baator and plot revenge.

Abeiran Rakshasa Traits

Abeiran Rakshasa appear as humanoids of their parent race - most often human or dragonborn, standing roughly six feet in height and weighing just under two hundred pounds. All Abeiran Rakshasa display some outward feature of their infernal parentage - cat eyes, retractable claws, striped patterns, a furry tail or backward hands.

Creature Type:

You are a Humanoid. 

Size.

You are Medium.

Speed.

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Magic Resistance.

You have advantage on saving throws versus spells.

Rakshasa Magic

You learn the Minor Illusion cantrip. Beginning at 1st level you can cast Disguise Self without any spell components or using a spell slot. At 3rd level you an cast Detect Thoughts without any spell components or using a spell slot. You must take a short or long rest before using these abilities again. You may cast either spell using spell slots if you have them. You may use your primary spellcasting ability for both spells, or Charisma if you have no spellcasting ability. 

Darkvision.

You have inherited, from one or both parents, the ability to see in the dark. You can see up to 60 feet in darkness as though it were dim light, and see in dim light as though it were fully lit. You cannot see in color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Language.

Most Aberian Rakshasa speak, read and write the Common tongue as well as infernal. Some learn Draconic or the language of another race who they dwell among. 

Ability Score Increase

Aberian Rakshasa tend to be Charismatic and Intelligent like many other tieflings. You add +2 to an ability score of your choice, and +1 to any other ability score of your choice.