Rakshasa, Maharaja
Description
All rakshasas aspire to power, but there are those for whom this hunger is more than an obsession: It's a birthright. Legends among the rakshasas tell of the maharajas—those rakshasas whose depredations and acts of cruelty have elevated them above others of their kind and allowed them to reincarnate as embodiments of every myth, fable, and cautionary tale involving the beast-headed fiends. Accorded the respect and deference of their lessers, maharajas inspire one emotion within the rakshasa race that few can: fear.
A maharaja rakshasa emerges only after a rakshasa of great power and influence has spent several lives as a member of the samrata, the height of the rakshasa's social-spiritual caste system. When a rakshasa ascends to maharaja status, others of its kind take notice, with rakshasas coming from far and wide to serve even a young maharaja—eager to curry its favor at an early age. The birth of a maharaja denotes that great change is imminent: The maharaja will fulfill some terrible destiny, found a lasting nation of rakshasas, undergo some manner of divine ascension, or defeat some greater foe and commandeer its domain, often splitting the region into large enough chunks for its lieutenants and servants to claim and still have room to expand. It is rare in the extreme for more than a handful of maharajas to emerge in the same century.
So great is a maharaja's power and influence and so long is its life that one can spend most of its time enjoying the luxury of its years of toil. When not manipulating armies or the machinations of lesser rakshasas, it can often be found surrounded by the most beautiful of its servitors—often charmed or dominated humanoids, or, if the maharaja is powerful enough, good-aligned outsiders—lounging in opulence.
The lair of a maharaja is typically a glorious, decadent mansion. After decades or centuries of work, gold filigree decorates the columns, and great friezes embossed with rakshasa myths and folklore decorate the walls. Rather than couches or divans, luxurious pillows stuffed with exotic feathers and crafted from the hides of even rarer creatures serve for furniture, and all about hang the trophies of a centuries-long life of tyranny: the crowns of defeated rulers, the wealth of ruined countries, and the heads of failed lieutenants.
A maharaja's great experience and power, however, does not make it immune to or ignorant of threats. Disloyal servants, powerful kings, ambitious rivals, and meddling adventurers all might step forth to challenge a maharaja's rule. To that end, a maharaja employs devious methods to ensure its own safety, with assassination, false rumors, and illusory doubles serving as useful tools to ferret out threats. Wary of attack and often with wide territories to control, most rakshasa maharajas have several secluded palaces and lavish redoubts, and travel among them endlessly.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- +3 falchion +31/+26/+21/+16 (2d4+15/15-20), 4 bites +23 (1d6+4)
- DR
- 20/good and piercing
- SR
- 35
- Racial Modifiers
- +4 Bluff, +8 Disguise, +4 Perception
Ability Scores
Proficiencies
Weapons: Martial, Simple
Special Attacks
detect thoughts (DC 29)
Extra Initiative — When an encounter starts, a maharaja rolls twice for initiative. The maharaja acts normally on the higher of the two initiative counts each round. On the lower initiative count, the maharaja can take a single standard action.
Special Qualities
change shape (any humanoid; alter self)
Feats
Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Hover, Improved Critical (falchion), Improved Initiative, Mobility, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell, Still Spell
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Special Abilities
Feats, Traits & Items
You get a +4 bonus on concentration checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability when casting on the defensive or while grappled.
You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to your Dexterity bonus. With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.
You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. A condition that makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC also makes you lose the benefits of this feat.
A creature with this feat can halt its movement while flying, allowing it to hover without needing to make a Fly skill check.
If a creature of size Large or larger with this feat hovers within 20 feet of the ground in an area with lots of loose debris, the draft from its wings creates a hemispherical cloud with a radius of 60 feet. The winds generated can snuff torches, small campfires, exposed lanterns, and other small, open flames of non-magical origin. Clear vision within the cloud is limited to 10 feet. Creatures have concealment at 15 to 20 feet (20% miss chance). At 25 feet or more, creatures have total concealment (50% miss chance, and opponents cannot use sight to locate the creature).
When using the weapon you selected, your threat range is doubled.
You get a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when you move out of or within a threatened area. A condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
Dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most types of bonuses.
Casting a quickened spell is a swift action. You can perform another action, even casting another spell, in the same round as you cast a quickened spell. A spell whose casting time is more than 1 round or 1 full-round action cannot be quickened.
A quickened spell uses up a spell slot four levels higher than the spell's actual level. Casting a quickened spell doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity.
A silent spell can be cast with no verbal components. Spells without verbal components are not affected. A silent spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level.
A stilled spell can be cast with no somatic components. Spells without somatic components are not affected. A stilled spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level.
Skills
Acrobatics +27 (+31 when jumping), Appraise +25, Bluff +35, Diplomacy +30, Disguise +30, Fly +31, Intimidate +30, Knowledge (arcana, history, nobility, religion) +25, Perception +31, Sense Motive +27, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +30
Spells
- Type
- Outsider
- Alignment
- LE
- Size
- Medium
- Environment
- any
- Organization
- solitary
- Treasure
- double (+3 falchion, other treasure)
- Senses
- all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +31
- Languages
- Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Undercommon; comprehend languages, tongues
- Source
- Bestiary 3