Originally posted by Hellcow:
After reading the Lords of Dust article on Dragon Magazine 337, I knew I had made a mistake since those portraits depict normal rakshasas albeit far more powerful, yet I still think that having some warped Overlords throws in some fun and makes the players feel the raw power of Khyber's blood.
The Overlords aren't rakshasas. I don't have the article in front of me, but the quote from my ORIGINAL draft of it states "
The top tier belongs to the Overlords. These spirits are also known as rakshasa rajahs, as they ruled these lesser spirits in the dawn of time, but each Overlord is a unique and powerful spirit, not simply an advanced rakshasa." Likewise, in the 4E ECG, note that Bel Shalor doesn't have the rakshasa keyword. The essential idea behind the Overlords' advanced Change Form is that they are what they want to be. Their true forms are unique; Tiamat, for example, would be a five-headed dragon.
You say that "the portraits depict normal rakshasas". That's because the portraits are all of normal rakshasas. The Overlords are bound, so the images are of the rakshasas and other creatures that serve them: Durastoran Wyrmbreaker; Hektula the Bloody Scribe; Kashtarhak the Voice of Chaos; and so on. But these are prakhutu, not Overlords. The only Overlord pictured is Sul Khatesh, who doesn't look like a rakshasa - and even then, that's simply a form she likes. She could be whatever she wants, and each Overlord should be different.
Originally posted by Hellcow:
I'll update the table by removing the source and notes entries on Draal Khatuur. I'd appreciate a lot if you could give me her stats and domains so I can update the list.
I'm not comfortable posting her full stats until I check with Paizo, but I see nothing wrong with posting her stat block. Her name is actually Dral Khatuur (not Draal), the Heart of Winter. She's a Druid 25/Sorcerer 15/Frost Mage 10, with the domains of Death, Cold, and Winter (something called out in the article as being an unusual level of power).
I've replaced the Madness and Shadow domains with Darkness and Truth: I felt that the Madness domain was more fitting to the followers of the Daelkyr, and the Shadow was Bel Shalor's area of influence, but Darkness is a close fit.
I wouldn't swap Madness for Truth, personally. The reason she's called the Truth in the Darkness is because the shadows hold truths that will drive you mad. If you read her write-up, she's all about madness;
"Fearsome truths are hidden in the shadows. Secrets of magic. The hidden thoughts of those you consider your friends. The terrible deeds of ancestors. The moment you will die. Tul Oreshka embodies these horrible secrets. Her actions are never predictable, and she can be as much of a threat to her allies as to her enemies. Anyone who passes by her prison may suffer nightmares or hear terrible things in ghostly whispers, and children born or conceived near her tomb are always insane. Her release would be heralded by a wave of madness: she is not a subtle force." If I was to change anything, it would be to drop Shadow/Darkness for Truth; the darkness element is far less important than the madness - the fact that YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
Does this overlap with the Daelkyr? Sure. But she was part of Eberron for hundreds of thousands of years before the Daelkyr showed up. She reflects the fear and threat of madness that lurks in every living thing. The Daelkyr are also of a lower power level than the Overlords - notably, they don't have domains. She is an embodiment of madness; they are lords of the Realm of Madness. Two different things.
Beyond this, I'm not personally concerned with the idea of Overlords overlapping in individual categories, as long as the combination is unique. Rak Tulkhesh is the Rage of War, and his domains are War and Hatred. Per his description, "
Rak Tulkhesh embodies the hatred and bloodlust that drives mortals to war" - which is a different thing that the destruction caused by war. The Unmaker might also be hatred, but it's hatred pushed in a different direction. If you look to the actual gods, Dol Arrah, Dol Dorn, and the Mockery are all aspects of War and share the domain; it's the combination of domains that defines them. I don't see any harm in trading Shadow for Darkness. But there is a difference between a spirit of War and Hatred and one of War and Destruction, in my opinion. Rak Tulkhesh thrives on agression itself. He drives people to war. The destruction it causes is an afterthought to him - not his fundamental nature.
But that's just my opinion, of course.
