Rakshasa

Version 0.14: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

rakshasa R
HP	45-84
HD	11
XP	993
Speed	10
AC	10
EV	14
Will	146
Attack1	20 (hit: plain)
Resistances	rPois+, rN+++, rTorm, rRot
Vulnerabilities	Holy, Holy wrath
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	High
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Demonic
Size	Medium
Type	rakshasa, rakshasa
Flags	See invisible Silence immune

A demon in the form of a tiger who comes to the material world in search of power and knowledge. Rakshasas are experts in the art of illusion, and are simultaneously intelligent and cruel. “Vaisampayana said, 'Not far from the place where the Pandavas were asleep, a Rakshasa by name Hidimva dwelt on the Sala tree. Possessed of great energy and prowess, he was a cruel cannibal of visage that was grim in consequence of his sharp and long teeth. He was now hungry and longing for human flesh. Of long shanks and a large belly, his locks and beard were both red in hue. His shoulders were broad like the neck of a tree; his ears were like unto arrows, and his features were frightful.” -_Mahābhārata_, Adi Parva, Hidimva-vadha Parva, section CLIV. ca. 500 B.C. trans. Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883.

Useful Info

Rakshasas are demonic illusionists that spawn multiple weak decoys while keeping themselves invisible. Even if you can see them, they do not display how injured they are, making it difficult to tell which rakshasa you were fighting only a moment before. They are fortunately rare, appearing only in the deepest parts of the Dungeon, the Abyss, and Pandemonium.

Spells

Spell set
Slot1	Iskenderun's Mystic Blast (3d16)
Slot2	Iskenderun's Mystic Blast (3d16)
Slot3	Phantom Mirror
Slot4	Phantom Mirror
Slot5	Blink
Slot6	none

Tips & Tricks

• See Invisible makes rakshasas much less frustrating to deal with.
• If you can force the actual rakshasa into melee with you, you can usually get in some hits before it blinks away and starts summoning more allies.
• Their clones can be extremely irritating, particularly for melee characters with inaccurate heavy weapons:

Clone Stats
HP: 1
HD: 1
AC: 1
EV: 30
Attack: 0 (hit: plain)

They can be killed in one hit, but hitting them is the hard part. Magic Dart, Fireball, or any other highly accurate spell works well, as does Abjuration.

History

In 0.14, their spell list was updated, most notably adding Iskenderun's Mystic Blast and replacing Rakshasa Summon with Phantom Mirror.