Homebrew Fallen Rakshasa Species Details

The Fallen Rakshasa are an extremely rare and tragic deviation from the powerful, fiendish race of rakshasas. Once-formidable fiends who manipulated mortal and planar politics from the shadows, they have been stripped of their demonic authority. No longer able to fully call upon the infernal magic that once made them feared, these rakshasas are trapped in a weakened state. This fall is typically the result of a curse placed upon them by vengeful celestials, powerful archmages, or even their own fiendish lords as punishment for betrayal, failure, or defiance.

The curse prevents the Fallen Rakshasa from returning to their original fiendish form and traps them in a mortal-like body, denying them the immortality and magic they once wielded. Despite this, they still retain a shadow of their former power, and their intellect and cunning remain formidable.

Physically, they bear the animalistic features typical of rakshasas—most commonly those of a tiger or panther—but their fur is faded, and their once majestic form carries marks of their curse, such as dark runes or signs of spiritual decay. The reversed hands, a trademark of their kind, remain, symbolizing the twisted nature of their existence. Their exile from the Nine Hells leaves them caught between worlds: shunned by mortals, despised by fiends, and forever marked by the curse that weakened them.

 

Fallen Rakshasa Traits

Creature Type: Fiend
Size: Medium (about 6–7 feet tall)
Speed: 35 feet 
Darkvision: 60 feet 

Roleplaying Suggestions

• Cursed Existence: Your character’s specific curse offers rich opportunities for roleplaying. Are they seeking to undo the curse, seeking redemption, or plotting revenge? How does their curse affect their worldview?

• Fear of Death and the Nine Hells: Knowing that death only sends them back to the Nine Hells, where they might be killed permanently, makes them cautious. Do they avoid fights out of fear, or do they embrace the risk, knowing they may one day return to their former infernal home?

• Isolation: As an outcast from both fiendish and mortal societies, your character is likely to live in the shadows. How do they deal with the isolation? Do they hide their true nature, or wear it proudly?

• Quest for Power: Despite their fall, does your character seek to regain their lost power? What lengths are they willing to go to in order to break their curse or rise once again in the hierarchy of fiends?

 

Fallen Rakshasa Traits

As a Fallen Rakshasa, you have these special traits.

Infernal Claws

As an action, you can use your claw to swipe a creature. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier 

When you hit a creature with your claws, the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is cursed for 1 minute, suffering from the following effect:

• Lingering Wounds: At the start of each of the target's turns while cursed, they take 1d4 necrotic damage. 

Veil of Deception

Your fiendish heritage grants you the ability to change your appearance to avoid detection. You can cast disguise self once . The spell's duration lasts until you finish a long rest, allowing you to maintain your altered form for an extended period.

Visible Fiendish Traits: Your disguise cannot fully obscure your fiendish nature. Subtle traits, like a faint smell of brimstone or unusual eye color, might give away your true identity to those familiar with fiendish beings or who can detect such traits.

Fiendish Deflection

Once per day, when you are targeted by a non-magical weapon attack or fail a saving throw against a spell or magical effect, you can use your reaction to either:

• Block Non-Magical Damage: Reduce the damage from the non-magical weapon attack to 0, as your infernal essence deflects the blow
• Reroll a Spell Saving Throw: Reroll a failed saving throw against any spell or magical effect, taking the new result

You regain the use of this ability after completing a long rest.

Rakshasa Lineage Spells

Despite their exile, they retain a vestige of their former power. You can cast minor illusion at will and at character levels 3 and 5, you learn a spell as shown on the table. You always have that spell prepared. You can cast it once without a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast it in that way when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast the spell using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Denizen of the Nine Hells

When a Fallen Rakshasa is killed on the Material Plane, they are banished to the Nine Hells, where they reform after an agonizing period of time that the DM sees fit.

However, they can be permanently destroyed if they are killed while in the Nine Hells. This remnant of their original fiendish immortality leaves them vulnerable to permanent death in Hell.

Affliction of Powerlessness

Each Fallen Rakshasa’s curse is unique and tied to their specific downfall. Choose or roll on the table below to determine the nature of the curse that stripped them of their power, and apply the corresponding modifier to their abilities.

Curse Option	Negative Effect	Manifestation
1. Infernal Punishment	You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks when dealing with fiends. Additionally, you have disadvantage on saving throws against being charmed by fiends.	Your character bears a visible mark from their fiendish master, such as a dark, infernal brand or scar. This mark might occasionally glow or emit a faint, unsettling aura.
2. Celestial Retribution	You are vulnerable to radiant damage from spells or attacks.	Your character has a celestial brand—an intricate pattern of glowing runes or sigils—etched into their skin, representing the divine punishment. This mark might shimmer with a faint light when they are exposed to radiant energy.
3. Arcane Wrath	You have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws when targeted by spells or abilities from powerful mages (CR 9 or higher).	Your character’s eyes exhibit a faint, unsettling glow or have an otherworldly sheen that reflects the arcane forces targeting them. This might cause a perceptible distortion in their vision when powerful magic is at play.
4. Oathbreaker's Consequence	You have disadvantage on saving throws against charm effects. Additionally, you are unable to successfully form pacts or contracts with fiendish or celestial entities.	Your character’s hands or limbs may be marked with symbolic chains or broken seals, indicating their inability to form pacts. These marks might occasionally twitch or react when exposed to charm effects or attempts to create binding agreements.
5. Failed Ritual	When you fail a spellcasting roll for a saving throw, you take 1d4 necrotic damage.	Your character has visible, darkened veins or necrotic patches on their skin, which flare up with a sickly light when they fail a spellcasting roll. These marks serve as a constant reminder of the failed ritual that contributed to their downfall.