Check this out: here's a Rak I built for combat. The one presented here is the leader of a group -- thus all the tracking and transportation spells. His tactics are simple: charge from absurd range, strike his foe with an embedded vampiric touch or other icky-fun spell from inside his Scimitar, and ride out to absurd range again. Then, recharge his weapon, and repeat.
Tricks used here:
- You can add 1 Outsider HD to a Rak without raising his CR. This is a very nice HD -- it grants +1 to BAB and all saves, plus the usual skill points and HP. That's a nice boost for ANY Rak.
- Outsiders gain proficency with all martial weapons. So, he's qualified for Eldrich Knight automatically, and Knight Phantom with a few skill points and a spell. Since he casts as a Sorcerer, the spell is actually quite a high cost, but the benefits are quite sweet.
- Since he's attacking from such a long range -- 240 ft. move! -- he has time to prep spells like true strike and do a full Power Attack. This would get really gross if I gave him a lance instead of a scimitar, but the scimitar is just too thematic. With a +2 spell-storing Lance, full power attack, his attack bonus would be merely +8 (+28 with true strike), but his damage would be just plain silly: 3d8 + 90, plus 6d6 for vampiric touch, or 9d8 + 270 on a crit (plus 6d6 for v.t.). Nasty, nasty, nasty. Feel free to use this variation if you want your PCs to be real dead, real quick.
I took some liberties with his skill selection. To make up for not really having Elite ability points, I allowed him to add Ride and Concentration to his Outsider skill list, and Bluff and Disguise to his Knight Phantom list. Don't really see this being out-of-theme or overpowered.
A straight-up one-on-one combat guy would probably ditch locate creature and take heroism or haste instead, and would drop plane shift for something more combat-oriented, like greater heroism, true sight or mislead.
Anyway, behold his Ravennous majesty:
Rider of Ravanna -- Medium Outsider (Lawful, Evil) -- CR 16
LE Rakshasa 8 / Knight Phantom 6
Move: 40 ft.
Phantom Steed: 240 ft. (fly, average)
HP: 14d8 + 42 (105 hp)
DR 15/good and piercing
AC: 34 (10 +9 natural +2 dex +7 armor +3 shield +3 ring)
Touch: 18
Flat: 32
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +13, Will +13
SR 33
BAB/Grapple: +14 / +18
Attacks:
Scimitar +20/+15/+10 1d6+6, 18/x2
Bite +13 1d6+2
- or -
Mounted charge +22 2d6+12, 18/x2
- or -
Claws +18/+18 1d4+2
Bite +13 1d6+6
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 20
Spells (DC 15 + spell level, CL 12):
1 (x8) Ray of Enfeeblement, Protection from Good/Chaos, True Strike, Feather Fall, Comprehend Languages
2 (x7) See Invisibility, Glitterdust, Shatter, Touch of Idiocy, Mirror Image
3 (x7) Phantom Steed, Dispel Magic, Ray of Exhaustion, Vampiric Touch
4 (x7) Dimension Door, Enervation, Locate Creature
5 (x6) Wall of Force, Teleport
6 (x3) Plane Shift
Feats: Still Spell, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Power Attack
Skills:
- Bluff (17) +30/+34 (includes detect thoughts +4)
- Concentration (17) +20
- Disguise (17) +30/+44 (includes change shape +10 and detect thoughts +4)
- Listen (11) +13
- Move Silently (11) +13
- Perform (oratory, 11) +16
- Perform (flute, 11) +16
- Ride (17) +19
- Sense Motive (11) +13
- Spot (11) +13
Immune to Detect Thoughts, Discern Lies, any alignment detection.
Detect Thoughts (Su): DC 22
Somatic Prowess: cast in Light armor.
Phantom Steed (Sp): as a standard action, 6/day
Aspect of the Phantom (Su): 6 rounds/day
Loot: Mithral Breastplate +2, Mithral Buckler +2, Spell-Storing Scimitar +2,
Ring of Ravanna (mind shielding, +4 Str, +3 resistance saves, +3 deflection AC)