“Thank you brave adventurers for returning our city’s sacred relic.” The wizened old mayor paid the traveling band of adventurers and slowly made his limping way back home with the relic in tow.
As soon as he was behind closed doors, the old man stood straight up. He no longer limped and his skin shifted and sloughed off. Out from beneath the facade of the old man stepped a tiger-faced humanoid.
The creature opened a chest and threw the trinket in, atop the skeleton of the true mayor.
“Almost time.” The creature whispers.
Table of Contents
What is a Rakshasa 5e?
Rakshasa are incredibly manipulative creatures. They are humanoid demons that are extremely charismatic and extremely deadly. They’re often found working behind the scenes and pulling strings from the shadows.
They look like anthropomorphic tigers but have very distinct hands. They have five fingers that end in claws, but their hands are backward. It’s as if someone rotated them 180 degrees. Their palms would be on the back of a normal hand and vice versa.
Rakshasa 5e Stats
- Size: Medium
- HP: 110 (13d8+52)
- AC: 16 (Natural Armor)
- Speed: 40
| Ability | Score | Modifier |
| Strength | 14 | +2 |
| Dexterity | 17 | +3 |
| Constitution | 18 | +4 |
| Intelligence | 13 | +1 |
| Wisdom | 16 | +3 |
| Charisma | 20 | +5 |
- Skills: Deception +10, Insight +8
- Damage Vulnerabilities: piercing from magic weapons wielded by good creatures
- Damage Immunities: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical weapons
- Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
- Languages: Common, Infernal
- Challenge Rating: 13 (10,000 XP)
Rakshasa 5e Lore
Rakshasa are demonic creatures that infiltrate and amass power wherever they go. When they escape the lower planes or infernal realms they quickly set themselves up as crime lords, local leaders, or some other respectable or powerful position.
From there it’s just a matter of gaining power and their own personal evil goals.
Rakshasa 5e Spells
Innate Spellcasting
Rakshasas are natural spell casters. They have the ability to cast a wide variety of spells without any components. They are broken down into 3 different categories; At Will, 3x Per Day, and 1x Per Day.
Their spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks).
| At-Will Spells | 1x per Day Spells | 3x per Day Spells |
| Detect Thoughts | Dominate Person | Charm Person |
| Disguise Self | Fly | Detect Magic |
| Mage Hand | Plane Shift | Invisibility |
| Minor Illusion | True Seeing | Major Image |
| Suggestion |
Rakshasa 5e Action
Limited Magic Immunity
The Rakshasa is immune to spells of 6th level or lower unless it wishes to be affected. This is incredibly powerful and negates most spells against it.
Multiattack
The Rakshasa makes two claw attacks.
Claw
Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage.
If the Claw attack hits, the Rakshasa curses the target(s). Whenever the target creature sleeps. its dreams are haunted by horrible images.
Their sleep is so disturbed that they don’t gain any of the effects of short or long rests. The curse can be lifted with a remove curse spell or any spell that removes a standard curse.
What Level Should I be to Fight Rakshasa 5e?
With a Challenge Rating of 13, Rakshasa is likely going to be a boss for a similar-level party. At least 4 player characters at level 13 are needed to take on a Rakshasa alone. That doesn’t include all of the henchmen that it will inevitably have with them.
In addition, the Rakshasas have quite a lot of immunities so heavy preparation will be required if the players are only at level 13. It’s advised to be around level 15 to account for the henchman and the traps that the Rakshasa will have set.
How Do You Beat a Rakshasa 5e?
Any morally good character with a rapier is going to be better prepared to fight a Rakshasa than most spellcasters. Their Limited Magical Immunity makes them incredibly difficult to fight as spellcasters.
Warlocks will be the most hindered since their main damage source is typically going to be Eldritch Blast which is a cantrip. The Rakshasa can simply ignore the spell entirely as if it was never cast.
Spells of a lower level that are empowered and use higher spells slots will still count toward the Rakshasa’s magic immunity. If a character uses a cantrip but empowers it with a 7th-level spell slot, it will count as a 7th-level spell and bypass their immunity. The only way to hit the Rakshasa with spells is to cast 7th or higher level spells at the Rakshasa.
Cornering the Rakshasa physically and stabbing it repeatedly with a rapier is going to be the quickest way to take down a Rakshasa. Keep in mind that the damage vulnerability only works when the character attacking is of a morally good alignment.
Rakshasa 5e FAQ
Is a Rakshasa a devil in 5e?
Rakshasas are considered fiends according to the Monster Manual. They are the creations of devils. They are the product of devils that shed their skins and project their essence into bones. Originally, this gave birth to a Rakshasa so that the devils’ influence could easily be spread into the mortal plane.
Are Rakshasas always tigers?
Rakshasas are commonly portrayed with tiger heads, but there have been Rakshasa known to manifest with different animal heads like lions, crocodiles, apes, and insects.
Can you counterspell a Rakshasa?
As the rules are written, Counterspell targets a creature and this would trigger the Rakshasa’s magical immunity. Since Counterspell is a level 3 spell, it would not work. If cast at a level 7 spell slot, then it would work. The ultimate decision however is up to your DM.
Do cantrips work on Rakshasa?
Cantrips do not work against Rakshasa. This includes Eldritch Blast. Cantrips will not affect the Rakshasa unless a level 7 spell slot or higher is used to empower the cantrip.
Are Rakshasa immune to Fireball?
Fireball is a level 4 spell, so the Rakshasa can ignore all the effects of the spell unless it is cast using a level 7 spell slot. If the Fireball lights a building on fire and spreads, the fire is no longer considered magical and could potentially hurt the Rakshasa.
Are Rakshasas immortal?
Rakshasas are semi-immortal. When killed in the mortal plane, the Rakshasa’s soul is returned to the infernal realm. Their bodies regenerate and then they are free to return to the mortal plane, usually seeking revenge. If they are killed in the infernal realm, they are killed forever.
Before starting GameCows with his wife Kendra, he used to teach English Language Arts in the US. He combined his love of gaming with education to create fun game-based learning lessons until he eventually decided to run GameCows with Kendra full-time. He’s known for pouring over rulebooks in his spare time, being the rule master during game night, and as the perma DM in his DnD group. Bryan loves board games, writing, traveling, and above all his wife and partner in crime, Kendra.