Homebrew Half-rakshasa Species Details

"Gilmore gifted a fine silk robe to Vax and requested his presence to discuss time that has passed. Upon changing into the robe, you guys made your way down the hallway, up the stairs to one of the high balconies of the west tower of Whitestone. Upon which Gilmore turned, seemingly in some serious displeasure, and stabbed you with a dagger you had not seen was there. As the pain set in, you realized perhaps this is not the Gilmore you recall, but a shapeshifting, tiger-like devil entity that you may have pissed off some time in the past."

— Matthew Mercer, A Cycle of Vengeance

Infamous for their greed and avarice, rakshasas often seek their victories by altering their forms and seducing powerful leaders or popular heroes. During the course of the seduction, a rakshasa often attempts to bend or break such a figure's ethical foundations with insidious pillow talk and hidden manipulations. If it suits the rakshasa's plans, a scandalous pregnancy might result. The rakshasa rarely has interest in any offspring resulting from such a tryst, and the child is left in the hands of the now disgraced humanoid.

Infernal Bloodline

Half-fiends are not only derived from human bloodlines. Able to disguise themselves at will, rakshasa may insinuate themselves among any humanoid society. For obvious reasons, half-rakshasa tabaxi are the most common. half-rakshasa offspring are almost always reviled, both for the scandal associated with their births and for their inherent tendency toward evil and trickery. Most often appearing as tabaxi with a tiger-striped pattern and other fiendish characteristics such as horns or unusually long canines, half-rakshasas inherit the rakshasa love of an opulent lifestyle and surround themselves as best they can with fineries. They prefer to clothe themselves in the sheerest of silks and don the brightest gems.

Legacy of Evil

A half-rakshasa tends toward evil, but since its non-rakshasa parent often raises it, virtues and morals can be instilled while the child is still young and its mind is malleable. Should the rakshasa parent see a future use for its half-blood offspring, rest assured it will try to corrupt the child. Half-rakshasa subsist in small minorities found in both tabaxi clans and human cities or towns, often in the roughest quarters of those places, where they grow up to be swindlers, thieves, or crime lords. Sometimes they live among other minority populations in enclaves where they are treated with more respect.

Half-rakshasa Names

Half-rakshasa born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Those born among the tabaxi tend to follow the tabaxi naming conventions for example.

MUTUAL MISTRUST

People tend to be both curious and suspicious of half-rakshasa, assuming them to be either tabaxi or tieflings. Perhaps that is for the best, for if some knew their true nature, they would most likely be hunted down as fiends. The reality, though, is that a half-rakshasa's bloodline doesn’t affect his or her personality to any great degree. The greatest danger to a half-rakshasa's soul is the manipulations of its fiendish parent who may attempt to use their offspring to further its own evil machinations on the prime material plane.

Half-rakshasa Traits

Half-rakshasa share certain racial traits as a result of their infernal descent.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

Half-rakshasa are blessed with long life. Barring unforeseen misfortune, a typical half-rakshasa's life expectancy is twice that of its nonfiendish line, so that a half-rakshasa tabaxi might live more than a century and a half.

Alignment

Half-rakshasas might not have an innate tendency toward evil, but many of them end up there. Evil or not, an independent nature inclines many toward a chaotic alignment. Those who fall under the sway of their fiendish parent tend toward lawful evil.

Size

Half-rakshasa are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your infernal heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fiend

Your creature type is fiend, rather than humanoid.

Magic Resistance

You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Claws

You can use your claws to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. In addition, because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 20 feet.

Legacy of the Deceiver

When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the disguise self spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the detect thoughts spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Infernal.