Complete Guide to Rakshasas

[John Cooper]

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas
By Matt Sprengeler
Goodman Games product number GMG 3005
48 pages, $12.99

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas is the first book I've read in the Goodman Games "Complete Guide" series, so I have nothing to compare it to other than the Mongoose Publishing "Slayer's Guide" line (to which it compares favorably). I noticed right away that the standard "Complete Guide" books are larger than the standard "Slayer's Guide" books (48 pages vs. 32, with a slightly higher cost as a result), but that they are otherwise somewhat similar: full artwork on the cover, black and white illustrations on the inside, details of the creature in question including new feats, prestige classes, adventure hooks and scenarios, new related monsters, etc. However, I was very impressed with all of the goodies that were packed inside The Complete Guide to Rakshasas.

I'll start, as I like to do, with the cover art. This one features a painting by Thomas Denmark (a name I admit to being unfamiliar with), showing a rakshasa being attacked by a female elf. Several things caught my eye at once: the elf was using some unusual weapons (most female elves aren't depicted wielding a trident and a discus) and wearing armor that can best be described as a chainmail miniskirt. Almost all of the painting but the two main figures are done in shades of purple (and even then, the rakshasa's robe is purple), I suppose to give it a "regal" look (purple being a color associated with royalty), which is appropriate not only due to the rakshasa's typical regal bearing but also because the one in the picture is being attacked in his throne room. There are some nice touches in the painting (the overturned throne, the fallen crown on the floor), and the detail work on the rakshasa's tiger head was well done, but much of the painting has a "sketchy" feel to it: the lines in the throne and the walls look like they were drawn on with an ink pen rather than painted. I was also distracted a bit by the unnatural position of the elf woman's armor; it looks like it's purposefully trying to prevent its wearer from getting caught in a "crotch shot" by maneuvering in an unlikely manner. All in all, it's not a bad painting, and I was going to leave it at that until I read through the book and learned that the trident and discus are traditional weapons used by a prestige class of rakshasa hunters detailed within, so Thomas gets bonus points for including such details in his cover art. (I always like it when you can tell that the artists have read through the material in the books they're illustrating.)

The interior artwork is a little sparse - again, I'm comparing it to the "Slayer's Guide" books I've seen, which seem to have more artwork in their books (which have a lower page count). Artist Brad McDevitt provides 12 black-and-white pieces in The Complete Guide to Rakshasas, plus the bottom border artwork that runs along each page. Still, ignoring the border art, there's a 15-page span where there's no artwork at all! Again, there's nothing wrong with this - in fact, it just means you're getting more words (and thus gaming material) for your money - but I found it surprising nonetheless. As far as the quality of the artwork, I'll say that Brad McDevitt used to do a lot of work for Dragon magazine a few years back, and he never managed to impress me much. This work, I'm pleased to say, is much better than I remember Brad having done in Dragon; it seems he's improved significantly in the past few years. And while I was a bit disappointed in the artwork on the inside front cover, which is very sketchy (I suppose I've just been spoiled by all of the excellent Chris Quilliams anatomical diagrams from the early "Slayer's Guides"), the other pieces are pretty well done, especially when it comes to the human forms. (I seem to recall Brad having trouble with the proportions of his faces.) Some of his tiger-headed rakshasas seem a bit "skinny" in the head (tigers are usually seen with a bit more "bushiness" in their side-whiskers/fur), and he gets confused a few times with the rakshasa's hands-with-the-palms-on-the-other-side feature (the rakshasas on pages 21 and 44 both have two right hands!), but overall I rather liked the artwork he provided in the book. I should point out that there are four new rakshasa subraces at the end of the book, and while only three of them got their own illustrations, at least the one that got left out was the one that looks like an oversized, "normal" rakshasa with wings. Okay, I guess we can all pretty much just visualize that one on our own, anyway.

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas is laid out as follows:

• Introduction: a one-page overview of how this book is laid out
• Characters: playing rakshasas as PCs, a new half-rakshasa template (the "yaksha," with two sample NPCs), a new, 20-level character class (the "yogi," somewhat similar to a monk but with less combat-oriented stuff, more "piercing through illusions" stuff, and a limited amount of spellcasting: 6 levels of divine spells over 20 levels), a prestige class ("Hunter of the Firstborn," who specializes in hunting down and slaying rakshasas), 25 new feats, a new weapon (the discus), 11 new magic items dealing with rakshasas, and 2 organizations (the Order of the Asthra, as shown in the person of the female elf on the cover, and the Shattered Gate, an organization that seeks to slay or banish all outer planes creatures from the prime material plane and destroy all permanent gates and magic items allowing outer planes creatures to enter the world).
• The Body of the Rakshasa: a look at native outsiders, the rakshasa's ability to assume alternate forms, their backward palms, reproduction, and rakshasa subspecies
• Conflict: sections on rakshasa tactics in combat, fighting alongside allies, rakshasa armies, defeating a rakshasa, conversing with a rakshasa, how rakshasas carry out their schemes, and outwitting a rakshasa
• Rakshasa Society: what rakshasas believe, Ravana and other rakshasa gods, what rakshasas want, typical schemes, solitude, the conclave (when hundreds or even thousands of rakshasas get together), the desire to become a god, relations between rakshasas and other races, rakshasa subtypes, and 7 adventure seeds
• Rakshasa and their Kin: a 6-page, Monster Manual-style section with details on all 5 rakshasa subtypes: the "standard" rakshasa, the pisacha (a Small, weaker rakshasa who devours corpses in graveyards), the pani (an air spirit that assumes gaseous form rather than altering its shape like other rakshasas), the graha (a combat-oriented rakshasa with blood-red skin), and the asura (the super-powerful - CR 19 - rakshasa overlord with wings)

One thing I noticed right away was that the proofreading and editing jobs were superb in The Complete Guide to Rakshasas. I can credit Joseph Goodman himself for the excellent editing job, but no proofreader is listed (perhaps at Goodman Games, that falls under the editing umbrella, I don't know). In the 48-page book, there were only a small handful of things that got by the diligent eye of the proofreader, namely two instances of improper pluralization and one missing word ("a," as it turns out). Of course, this excellent job does not carry over to the back cover, where we not only get two instances of a question mark being used in place of an apostrophe ("Ravana?s" instead of "Ravana's" in each case), but also two times when the book is called by the wrong name (The Complete Guide to Rakshasa instead of The Complete Guide to Rakshasas)! Oops...might want to give the back cover a little more of a scrub before publication next time. There were also a few problems with some of the monster stats, but we'll get to those later.

I'm unfamiliar with author Matt Sprengeler, but he does a great job here, not only in coming up with some interesting things to say about the rakshasa race, but tying quite a bit of material together. (I knew that rakshasas come from Hindu mythology, and Matt spends some time detailing the rakshasas' interactions with other monsters from the same mythology, such as nagas and lillends.) He also comes up with a decent reason why rakshasas - a city-dwelling race if I ever heard of one - might wish to spend time in warm marshes, as their Monster Manual write-up states. Plus -and here's the real crown in Matt's accomplishments with The Complete Guide to Rakshasas in my mind - he throws in a whole ton of stuff that I honestly was not expecting, and that goes above and beyond the call of what you'd expect to see in a 48-page book about shapechanging tiger humanoids with spell resistance and a penchant for illusions. Okay, I kind of expected a prestige class, but a 20-level core character class? And one that not only seems well-balanced, offers a slightly different "niche" when compared to the standard classes, and yet still feels appropriate to rakshasas? Unbelievable! I expected the new feats, wasn't surprised at seeing the new magic items, but was completely flat-footed (lost my Dexterity bonus and everything) by the inclusion of two different organizations that might be used against rakshasas. (I particularly liked the Shattered Gate, especially since they're against much more than just rakshasas.) Even the Yaksha template was a bit of a surprise, all the more so because it had two sample NPCs, a 5th-level yaksha/human fighter and a 10th/6th-level yaksha/elf rogue/bard. Matt even surprised me by throwing in a feat allowing you to do cool things with the new weapon he provided, the discus: the "Rebound" feat allows you to skip it off of other surfaces like Captain America throwing his shield.

Still, there were a few problems I noted. Yogis need "an hour of meditation and exercise" to regain their spells, but is this an hour of meditation and an hour of exercise, or a half hour of each, or any combination of the two that adds up to an hour? Also, as written, the "meditation" feat would allow a yogi - who normally regains spell slots by meditating and exercise, remember - to only spend half the normal time to do so. So, by meditating, he can only have to meditate half the normal amount of time? I think this is an oversight, and the feat should only apply to classes who regain their spells through rest and study, not meditation. (And, while we're on the subject of yogis, I noticed that all of their "Yogic Focus" abilities require "yogi level + 3" levels of Concentration, except for "see ethereal." Should that be a 19th-level Yogi with 22 levels of Concentration (it only calls for 21 levels), or is there some reason that this power is different?) Also, as written, the "flat of the blade" feat would allow you to inflict piercing or slashing damage with blunt instruments like a club or a sap. I tend to believe that the feat should only apply to bladed weapons. Shouldn't detect magic and zone of truth be additional prerequisites for the magic item Parasu, Axe of Heroes, given that it grants usage of those spells? Finally, is the graha's at-will true strike ability only usable on others (as a touch spell), or can a graha use it on himself? Given that it's an at-will power, I'd hope not, as that could be quite unbalancing! Still, as the graha is found in groups of up to 6 members, there's nothing preventing two grahas from fighting side by side and each granting true strike on each other every round. I think it might be wise to limit this ability to non-rakshasa, or at least non-graha.

Finally, there were the problems with a few of the monster stats, which I only mention in detail because it's my firm belief that monster stats, above all else, should be completely accurate and ready to use as-is. With that in mind, I recommend making the following changes:

• p. 5, Yaksha, Elf Rog10/Brd6: Initiative should be +6, not +5. Flaming longbow attacks should be at +19 ranged, not +17. (+11 BAB, +2 magic weapon bonus, +6 Dexterity) Rapier attacks should be at +18 melee, not +17, and its full attack should be at +18/+13 melee, not +17/+12. (+11 BAB, +1 magic weapon bonus, +6 Dexterity due to Weapon Finesse, plus -5 penalty for a secondary attack)
• p. 44, Pisacha: Light pick attacks (including Full Attack) should be at +4 melee, not +2. (+2 BAB, +1 size, +1 Dexterity due to Weapon Finesse with a light weapon)
• p. 46, Graha: Its Full Attack with a halberd should be at +10/+5 melee, not +10/+4. (This one is probably just a typo.) Likewise, its Full Attack with a masterwork composite shortbow should be at +8/+3 ranged, not +8/+2. Finally, and this is admittedly nitpicking, its feats aren't alphabetized.
• p. 48, Asura: Claw attacks should be at +20 melee, not +21. (+15 BAB, -1 size, +6 Strength) Likewise, its bite attack should be at +15 melee, not +16. (+15 BAB, -1 size, +6 Strength, -5 for a secondary attack)

Still and all, despite these small oversights, I can honestly say that there is plenty of useful material in The Complete Guide to Rakshasas, much more than I expected and for the most part very well thought out and presented. I know rakshasas don't usually play a major part in many campaigns (I can only recall maybe two instances off the top of my head where they were featured in a Dungeon magazine adventure, and I can't think of any major standalone module featuring them), but with The Complete Guide to Rakshasas that might no longer be true. I enjoyed this book enough that I'll definitely be looking for others in the "Complete Guide" series. Which reminds me: Goodman Games uses their inside back covers for the Open Game License (required in a d20 product, and taking up half of the space) and advertising for upcoming products, which I think is a really clever way to go about it. Future titles in the "Complete Guide" line will include books on vampires, drow, and dragonkin, and there are already books out on treants, doppelgangers, beholders, wererats, liches, velociraptors, and tyrannosaurus rex! I'll have to give them a look.

I rate The Complete Guide to Rakshasas as a strong "4 (Good)," and look forward to further books by Matt Sprengeler in the future.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

At the dawn of creation, the rakshasa openly ruled all the world. Greatest among them was one called Ravana, acknowledged by even the most egotistical rakshasa as their rightful king. He had been born into the world many times, growing in power with each incarnation, until finally he brought all mortal races under the power of rakshasa.

However, Ravana's rule was destined to end. He overlooked one particular mortal hero, who was reincarnated time and again, thwarting Ravana's schemes whenever he appeared. Finally, as Ravana was closing his grasp around the last few creatures who resisted his rule, this hero was born into the world one more time.

Under the name Ramachandra, this hero battled Ravana's allies and armies, overcoming them every time with his lethal archery and iron courage. What followed were battles that lasted years and filled the oceans with blood, but finally Ramachandra's bowmanship overcame Ravana's might, and the rakshasa lord was slain.

Rakshasas hold that when they die, they are judged by their great king Ravana. Those who possessed great power and cunning are reborn as even mightier individuals, and the greatest rakshasa will someday return as Ravana. In fact, before his last battle Ravana foretold that he would be reborn one more time into the world, prepared to enslave it forever with his wickedness. But he also warned that his ancient nemesis would return, wielding a flaming sword and mounted on a white horse as noble as himself.

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas takes you into this world of ancient myth and unbridled ambition in a journey where each adventure is merely one episode in an eons-spanning quest. Become a rakshasa undertaking grand schemes in the hopes of returning as Ravana. Hunt Ramachandra in whatever form he may take. Or simply take the reins of power and rule for a century or two...

Features:

True revelations of the history, lore, and goals of the malevolent rakshasa.
Rules for playing rakshasa and yaksha (half-rakshasa) as player characters.
Rules and background for those who would defeat the rakshasa: the new yogi base class, the Hunter of the Firstborn prestige class, and organizations such as the Order of the Asthra and The Shattered Gate.
Extensive DM guidelines on how to play a rakhasa to maximum effect. How do reincarnation, immortality, infinite patience, and absolute deceit manifest in game terms?
New equipment, feats, magic items, and monsters to round out the rakshasa pantheon.
And much more, all of it compatible with the 3.5 revision!

Writer: Matt Sprengeler
Cover Artist: Thomas Denmark
Interior Artist: Brad McDevitt


GMG3005. 48 pages. $12.99.

 

[Psion]

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas is part of Goodman Games' Complete Guide series of books adding details to various creatures, in this case, the Rakshasa. The book is written by Matt Sprengler, who contributed to the well received Complete Guide to Beholders as well as Atlas' En Route II and Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary.

A First Look

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas is a 48 page saddle-stitched softcover book priced at $12.99 US.

The cover is decorated with a golden border, and the front cover (illustrated by Thomas Denmark) depicts a trident-wielding warrior attacking a spellcasting rakshasa.

The interior is black and white. Interior art is by Brad McDevitt. The illustrations are generally well done, though I don't think that the mock "scholarly treatise" on the inside of the front cover is especially well done.

A Deeper Look

The Complete Guide to Rakshasa is an examination and expansion (both in terms of exposition/background and rules) of the creature known as the Rakshasa. Drawn from Hindu lore, the Rakshasa is a evil spirit (in D&D terms, an outsider) that is legendary in D&D for its deception and resistance to many forms of attack.

The book is organized into chapters on characters, physiology, conflict, society, and statistics and variants.

The characters chapter has a mix of new characters options and discussions of using these and previously existing options (namely, the MM character statistics for Rakshasas) to play characters.

The chapter launches discussing the idea of of actually playing a MM Rakshasa (presumably as a PC, though some of the notes could be applied to NPCs). Though many possibilities are discussed, I think playing such a creature is a tough sell unless the DM is both willing to accommodate a creature of fiendish reputation and character and to allow the player many opportunities to leverage its deception abilities. However, playing a creature with only 7 HD and the casting abilities of a 7th level sorcerer in a 14th level game would be challenging with the wrong sort of DM or player.

Another option introduced is the possibility of playing a Yashka, or half-Rakshasa (a template), introduced here. The yashka is not burdened with the HD and LA of the Ralshasa, weighing in with an LA of only +3, making them much more playable. The yashka has weaker versions of the Rakshasa's abilities, including shape change and detect thoughts abilities, but are free to pick up a normal class. Two sample Yashkas are presented, one using a human fighter and one using an elven rogue/bard as base creatures.

The character chapter introduces a new base class, the yogi, based on the classical ascetic philosopher. I had not really thought of this book as a cultural reference, but a creature book. The author explains the connection by citing the Rakshasa as the source of the lore of the class. This is another tough sell, since the Rakshasa's typical abilities looks nothing like that of the yogi, nor am I aware of any such link in the real world lore of yogi or Rakshasa.

When I saw the Yogi, I immediately conjured up an image of yet another sorcerer or cleric clone. However, the true shape of the class surprised me. In truth, the class more closely resembles the core bard, in that it has specialized spellcasting abilities up to sixth level and major class abilities based upon a skill. The major difference is that the yogi is a divine caster and it bases its class abilities on concentration instead of perform. One might note that concentration is a rather more inherently useful skill for casters than perform, but the yogi receives fewer skill points per level than a bard, so this is not likely to be a problem.

A yogi's spells are primarily divinatory or protective in nature, as are the concentration based class abilities. As these are topics that are not too exciting for players, its appeal as a PC class is somewhat limited.

In addition to the yogi, the book introduces the hunter of the firstborn prestige class, specialized in fighting rakshasas and dealing with their special abilities such as their shapechange ability.

Character options do not stop there, however. A number of new feats and magic items are introduced, appropriate to both Rakshasas and those who hunt them, as well as some that are generally for yogis. The general feats are primarily of the latter two categories, including align attack and sense mental intrustion (obviously useful against creatures like rakshasa) There are two new categories of feats. Austerity feats are primarily for yogis, granting befefits like energy resistance upon a successful concentration roll. Shapechanger feats, which grant additional utility to shapechange abilities (like that of rakshasas).

A good proportion of the book is devoted to exposition and background information, as well as notes on methodologies of both rakshasas and the Order of the Asthra, an order which trains hunters of the firstborn. This material is steeped in the Hindu folklore from which rakshasas are drawn, though there is some authorial license and adaptations to d20 system terminology. Despite this, the depth and specific nature of some of this background information seems as if it would fit more comfortably in a dedicated India-inspired game than a generic d20 system fantasy setting. Material that would be most directly useful for general GMs is the material on adventure ideas and tactics.

A final chapter, Rakshasa and their kin, repeats the basic rakshasa statistic block and provides statistics for some related creatures from Indian folklore, some of which are also considered rakshasa in the originating lore. Pisacha, pani, and graha are weaker versions of rakshasa, with differing physical forms and weaker and fewer special abilities.

An asura, on the other hand, is a physically impressive rakshasa that is quite a bit more powerful than the standard rakshasa.

Conclusions

The Complete Guide to Rakshasas adds a nice selection of options and insights to the Rakshasa, possibly as PCs, but more likely for GMs. The rules are generally solid, though there are a few minor problems with stat blocks and a few options the GM may want to consider carefully before allowing them to enter the campaign.

The biggest potential problem in the game is that many of the options, particularly the yogi, and much of the background material feels as if it belongs to a more Indian-flavored campaign, and it may take a bit of work to fit the flavor of these options to a campaign if it does not feature such a cultural tone.

I wouldn't put The Complete Guide to Rakshasas on the same level as Goodman's well regarded Treant, Wererat, and Beholder books, though it is does seem to hold together better that The Complete Guide to Drow.

Overall Grade: C+

-Alan D. Kohler

 

[Haakon]

[No message]

 

[Haakon]

I liked this product a lot. I don't find it useful in a crunchy, games rules sense, but I do find it quite interesting, fun, and useful as inspiration for thinking about a "different" monster. Rakshasa's have been in D&D since the 1st Edition Monster Manual, but I've never used one, because I didn't understand how to fit it into a campaign -- what's the mythology, what's their motivation, etc. If you tired of dopplegangers as the main tricky monster, rakshasa are much more interesting, and this book will tell you how to role play them. My campaign is not Indian at all, but the monster fits right in -- I'm substituting it into a WOTC module where the Boss Monster has abilities that aren't in its MM description -- the rakshasa does it better and more originally.