D&D General 2025 Rakshasa has a great stat block

[MerricB]

I pity the poor fools who face the new Rakshasa!

Over double the 2014 hit points. A multiattack that means they're potentially hitting three times with a curse that has one of the most fearful lines of text in any D&D rulebook: "the target gains no benefit from finishing a Short or Long Rest."

The CR hasn't changed. The monster? Yeah, it has been redone.

Greater Magic Resistance. The rakshasa automatically succeeds on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and the attack rolls of spells automatically miss it. Without the rakshasa’s permission, no spell can observe the rakshasa remotely or detect its thoughts, creature type, or alignment.

Woo... now that's a magic resistance.

There are a lot of other cool stat blocks there, but it's worth checking out how much this monster changed when you get a chance.

I've been very critical of some elements of the 2025 books, so I wanted to highlight one of many things that I really like!

Cheers!

 

[Yaarel]

Magic Resistance should have been the "Fey Ancestry" trait. But it is so powerful, it couldnt really be added to a level 1 character.

No other Fey have anything to do with Charm Resistance. But Magic Resistance is a thing among Fey.


As a compromise for level 1, "Detect Magic" at-will (Warlock style) should be the Fey trait.


Alternatively, like Gnome, the Magic Resistance can come in installments. One feat grants it for mental saves. An other for Con-Str saves. An other for Dex saves.

 

[TravDoc42]

The rakshasa is a big favourite of mine, it makes me very happy to see how well done this stat block is!

 

[GreatestHonor]

I love this new trait. Definitely going into some of my own Homebrew

More forgiving for low levels fighting it, but also keeps all levels of mages on their toes.

 

[Divine2021]

A really good bad guy that can be used in a lot of creative ways. Love getting them on my table.

 

[Lidgar]

The hands! Just look at its hands man!

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Wow, a monster that legitimately completely shuts down offensive magic targeted at it? I guess magic missile would still work since it doesn't require an attack roll, but damn, that is some serious anti-magic power. Color me impressed that they'd ever include a monster like that, given the otherwise pretty major bias against non-spellcasters (that is, many many many monsters require magic weapons to fight, or at least they did in 5.0).

 

[Sulicius]

Wow, a monster that legitimately completely shuts down offensive magic targeted at it? I guess magic missile would still work since it doesn't require an attack roll, but damn, that is some serious anti-magic power. Color me impressed that they'd ever include a monster like that, given the otherwise pretty major bias against non-spellcasters (that is, many many many monsters require magic weapons to fight, or at least they did in 5.0).

There is no resistance to nonmagical damage anymore!

 

[MerricB]

There is no resistance to nonmagical damage anymore!

One of my players was really worried that monks couldn't damage helmed horrors. Because monks no longer have magical fists, they have force fists! (2014 helmed horrors are immune to force damage).

2024 helmed horrors? No more immunity to force! (Or even resistance - they still have necrotic and poison immunity).

Cheers!

 

[kigmatzomat]

Wow, a monster that legitimately completely shuts down offensive magic targeted at it?

I like the 2025 Raksasha because it is less powerful than 2014. The 2014 one was game breaking. Let's review:

The 2014 Raksasha "can't be affected or detected by spells of 6th level or lower unless it wishes to be. It has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects."

As a CR13, a 13th level single-class caster has ONE spell/day that can touch a 2014 raksasha. A 20th level full-caster has at most 4 spell slots/day. Half casters have zero spells that can affect a 2014 Raksasha.

Look at the staple spells of Spirit Guardians and Fireball. V2025 takes half damage from both (auto-save) and has movement reduced while v2014 ignores them like they didn't happen unless upcast to 7th+. Magic missile hits v2025 but not v2014 (unless upcast to 7th). Both ignore combat cantrips (autosave/automiss vs unaffected). V2025 can be affected by illusions that don't have saves (Minor/Silent/Major Image), v2014 is "unaffected"...so maybe some arguments there.

V2025 can also be seen with See Invisible, v2014 can't be detected at all.