Rakshasa Horror Picture Show
T
his is a custom encounter written for the story If your adventurers investigate the noise, you can have them
created on Episode 4 of Filling in the Gaps feel encounter several members of the circus looting different
free to use it to add some life (or death) to your stores and homes around town. They could also be carrying
game night, and make sure to check on the unconscious or bound victims as well. All of the monsters are
channel on iTunes, Google Play,Youtube, and dressed in circus apparel. Wererats and Kenku's wear trapeze
Soundcloud! garb and masks. The Wereboar is dressed as a strong man,
and the Werebear is in a tutu. Gnolls have dyed fur and
painted on smiles, and the Hill Giant sports a giant smiling
What you need to know. face on his belly, as well as different bells and chimes hanging
This encounter leans heavily on the Rakshasa found on page all over his arms, and shoulders. Depending on your parties
257 of the D&D 5e Monster Manual. We highly recommend level, and experience, you can use the following encounters:
you read up on what the Rakshasa is capable of before you
attempt to run this encounter Town Encounters
The Rakshasa can be a deadly encounter for parties Level Enemies
below level 9. 1-3 Leader 1-2 Wererats in human form. Minions 2
Because of this, we will provide several options for both Kenkus and 1-3 Gnolls.
lower and higher level parties. 4-6 Leader 1 Werboar. Minions 2 Wererats in human
form, and 3 Gnolls
Welcome to the Circus 7-10 Leader 1 Werebear. Minions 2 Wererats in human
form, 1 Kenku, a Hill Giant, and 2 Gnolls.
Rakshasas are fiends who have escaped the Nine Hells and
now feed their appetites for humanoid flesh and evil 11+ as listed above, but with a Gorgon serving as a pack
schemes. These intelligent and charismatic fiend employ mule.
powerful magics and their natural cunning to pull their
victims close, while keeping their own identities a secret.
In our encounter, a charismatic Rakshasa has built a
travelling circus around himself. This circus feeds his vain
need for cheering crowds, surrounds him (or her) with a
protective barrier of powerful humanoids and creatures, and
allows him to easily charm his victims to separate them from
the crowd, allowing the Rakshasa to kidnap and devour them.
It is impossible for the average humanoid to escape the
charming allure of the Rakshasa's performance. As members
of the town enter the circus tent they find themselves unable
to leave. They remain cheering in their seats until the
Rakshasa releases them from its spell. During this time, the
Rakshasa's minions will loot the town, and find several
victims to be sacrifices as meals to the Rakshasa. This
process could take anywhere from a few days, to a week if the
town is large enough.
Encounter Hooks
Hook 1: Homecoming
Your adventurers return home after a long adventure. As they
see the town in the distance, they can see the raised red and
white circus tents on the outskirts of their home.
If they enter the town
"The usually busy streets of (Town Name) are strangely empty.
The cry of shopkeepers peddling their wares, and the smiles of
familiar faces are gone..."
Filling In The Gaps | Rakshasa Horror Picture
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The Leaders, and intelligent minions, of the groups will
attempt to flee if the combat begins to look deadly, using Welcome to the show.
rooftops and their circus training to escape back to the However the players encounter the charmed townspeople,
circus. You can have your party rescue some survivors, or they will notice that a band of Circus Gnolls begin making
have some townsfolk come out of hiding later to reveal the their way through the crowd, and no one reacts as they move
following news. through. Some of the Gnolls begin picking up members of
the crowd who they deem to be "good choices" for their
I'm so glad you're here! master. One gnoll walks up to an older cheering man and
Most of the town is trapped at that circus! I don't know grabs him as well. If the party does not interferes, they walk
exactly what's going on, but anyone who has gone hasn't back down to the center of the circus with their cheering
come back! I was too scared to go myself, but that's when captives, heading into a back room attached to some of the
these circus freaks started showing up. They've been breaking bleacher seating. Once inside that room they will lock the
"good choices" in the cage, and then begin to eat the old man.
into homes and taking the goods right out of the shops! You
If the party interferes, the gnolls will fight unless they think
have to put and end to this! they are outmatched. They will attempt to escape with their
victims into the backstage room, howling and barking for
Hook 2: Festival / Celebration help. Or they may attempt to climb up the tall poles in the
center ring to escape from the players.
Harvest Festivals, fairs held in honor of the Moon Goddesses, Here are several encounters for you to use as your players
feasts thrown after a massively successful military campaign. make their way through the rest of the circus, weather going
There are countless celebrations kings, queens, and robber outside and exploring other tents, making their way into the
barons can throw in your worlds. What better to liven up a backstage area, climbing up into the rafters, or entering into
celebration than a circus! an area of your own creation.
The show is about to start! AcroRats
As you make your way through the packed streets of the town,
A team of three Were-Rats that are quite nimble and highly
you hear all manner of hoots, shouts, and sounds approaching
organized. Their goal is to slow down and capture the party,
from down the road. Glancing over you see street performers not to kill them.
blowing fire with dancers spinning and flipping behind them.
A man in a red coat, wearing a tall black hat stands on the
shoulders of an elephant and calls to the crowd. "Ladies and Rope experts
gentlemen. It is my pleasure to invite you all to the greatest An AcroRat may make a free grapple check, after a
successful attack. They may add +2 to their grapple
show on this side of the material plane!" His voice continues
check for every Acrorat that is adjacent to the
booming over the crowd as people begin smiling at one attacked target. On a success, the target has a pair
another and joining the parade leading out of town to the of manacles wrapped around their hands, or feet.
bright, red and white circus tents.
Targets whose feet have been manacled may move
10 feet during a move action, or may make a DC
The tent opens wide as the townsfolk make there way inside. 16 Dex Save, moving their full movement on a
Children run ahead of parents, couples laugh and point, and success and falling prone and losing the rest of
the show does not disappoint. Everything seems to be going their move action on a failure.
normal until the man in the red coat and top hat walks back
out. He steps into the center of the ring, raises his hands over Targets whose hands have been manacled have a
his head and shouts "Is everyone having a good time!" -2 to one handed weapons, cannot wield two
Have your players make a DC 13 Chr save. On a handed weapons, and can not cast spells that
success, they are aware that a powerful charm spell has require a somatic component.
washed over the room., but are themselves uneffected. On
a failure they rise to their feet with the rest of the crowd To escape from the manacles, you must use the
and beggin clapping and cheering. key found on the lead AcroRat, make a sleight of
Party members who resisted the charm spell may wake up hand check of 15, or a athletics check of 18.
their fellow party members but the towns people are stuck in
an endless loop of cheering and clapping. Their eyes are
beginning to gloss over, and if enough time passes they will
begin to pass out and collapse from exhaustion, only to wake
up a few hours later to begin cheering again. As the players
look back to the circus ring, the man in the red coat and top
hat has disappeared.
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Siamese Twins Knife Throwing
The Siamese Twins are a terrifying combination of brains One party member is magically flung across the room and
and brawn. The twins have taken on the personas of Big strapped to a large wooden disk that begins spinning
Brother and Little Brother. Big brother is tremendously tall, uncontrollably. The player stuck to the disk takes 1d4+ 2
he sports the strength, size, and durability of 10 men, but is psychic damage every round, and the only way to release
as dumb as a bag of bricks. Little brother is nothing more them is to successfully hit targets located around the trapped
than a thin flap of bones and skin joined to Big Brother's neck players head, arms, legs, and groin. The DC for these targets
and face. However, he has a deadly intellect, and boasts is a DC 10, 15, 20, and 25, and must be made with the
impressive spell casting abilities because of it. The two daggers magically provided on a table as soon as the first
protect and keep each other in check. You could say they are player is trapped.
a deadly duo!
The amazing Siamese Twins! Siamese Twins
A large form stands before you, its face a disgusting mixture of Large humanoid, chaotic neutral
mouths, ears, noses, and extra skin. One large eye sits close to
the center of its face and is fixed on you, two smaller eyes on Armor Class 16
the left side of its head, where an ear would normally be, dart
Hit Points 85
Speed 30ft.
around the room. One mouth, pulled off center, breathes
heavily through large, square teeth. Another smaller mouth,
this one wrapping around its neck, smiles, revealing small, STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
sharp teeth. 20 (+5) 12 (+2) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0)
“This is Big Brother, and I am Little Brother. It's a pleasure to
meet you… Shall we have a little play time Big Brother?!” Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing UNLESS FLANKED (see Weak Spot listed
below)
Clown Car Senses passive Perception 16
Imps, allied with the Rakshasa, take the form of small, oddly Languages Common, dwarvish, abyssal
shaped clowns. 4-8 imps pour out of a small clown car, Challenge 6 (2300 XP)
retaining their stats and other abilities found on page 76 of
the D&D 5E Monster Manual. Two Heads. The Siamese Twins have advantage on
The imps sting/ bite attack can be reflavored as a pie that wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws
explodes revealing sharp pieces of metal or poisonous bugs against being blinded, charmed, deafened,
frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious.
under the pie filling, a spray of water that burn the skins Wakeful. When one of The Siamese Twins are
when it hits, or other attacks involving bowling pins, juggling asleep, its other head is awake. Weak Spot. When
balls, clown noses, exploding flowers, and more. the Siamese Twins are flanked, resistances are
The clown car is a small, contained portal to the Nine removed.
Hells, and for an extra challenge you could have imps
continue to pour out of the car each round until the car is Actions
destroyed.
Multiattack. The Siamese twins make two attacks,
either two smash attacks or one smash attack and
Magical Mayhem one spell. Smash. Unarmed Strike Attack: +6 to hit,
A room full of a magicians props, and illusions springs to life reach 5 ft., one target. Hit 11 (2d6+5)
and attacks the party. Mimics, found on page 220 of the D&D
5E Monster Manual, take the form of hats, escape jackets, Spellcasting The Siamese Twins are a 3rd level
spellcaster. Their spellcasting ability is Intelligence
and other props, and will attack the party when the enter the (spell DC 16, +6 to hit will spell attacks). The
room. As the battle is underway, a large wooden box will Siamese Twins have the following sorcerer spells
swing open and release long tendrils to pull a victim inside. prepared. 1st Level (4 slots) Thunderwave, Color
This larger mimic will use the stats of a Roper, found on page Spray, Expeditious Retreat, Shield 2nd Level (3
261, and will flavorfully stab itself with a sword every round slots) Blur, Hold Person, Spider Climb 3rd Level (3
to stab at the target inside. slots) Gaseous Form, Stinking Cloud
(This encounter can be used as a combat experience,
or you can have the Roper/Mimic simply grab onto a
victim and trap it inside, leaving the rest of the party with
a chance to work out how to save their friend trapped
inside.)
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Exotic Wild Beast The Grand Finale
A large beast is released from a cage and must be slain or After enough of his side shows have been defeated, the man
calmed down by the players. in the road coat and black hat reappears in the center ring,
Dancing Were-bears on giant balls his orange eyes burning with anger. It is at this point that the
ring leader will reveal himself as a Rakshasa.
Were-bears, found on page 208 of the D&D 5E Monster Using his mastery of illusion magic, the Rakshasa will
Manual, roll in and begin attacking the players. for an added transform the center ring into a different landscape: A
challenge you can give them an extra 10 ft of movement and a burning forest, a watery shoal during a vicious storm, a large
free disengage action while they remain on their giant ball. open scene in space. Each of these illusions will be made
They can be knocked off their giant ball with a grapple check more real by stage hands moving props, and stages around
of 17 or after taking a total of 15 damage in a single round. the center ring. They will burn oil to create fire for the forest
stage, they will move large vats of water during the sea stage,
Trapeze and they will swing large balls hung from the trapeze to play
the part of asteroids in space. These stage hands are hidden
Kenkus, kobolds, were-rat’s, or another enemy of your choice, by the illusion magic, but will able to be hit by area of effect
pepper the party with arrows and rocks as they swing from spells.
the trapeze. The players can attempt to climb up to the During the illusion battles, a spotlight will remain on your
trapeze ropes while being attacked, or you could add in a party and the Rakshasa, and the crowd will cheer and clap as
canon the players can use shoot up to their attackers. big blows are struck by both sides.
(Reddit user: Moleynator) As the Rakshasa is dealt damage it loses its ability to
maintain concentration on charming the crowd. When all of
Giant Contortionist the crowd is freed from its grasp you can have it continue to
The players enter an area filled with large, hanging, attack the party, or attempt to flee if you wish it to return
beautifully embroidered strips of fabric. Descending from during a later session.
above, a stone giant moves around from one strip to another For lower level parties, we recommend having the whole
and attacks the party. The stone giant may make grapple crowd wake up after the Rakshasa takes a certain amount of
checks at a target that is standing within 10ft of the fabric, damage, ranging from 35-70 depending on your parties level.
and on a success can pull them into the air with it. If a stone At this point the Rakshasa will snarl, and curse the party,
giant is to high a CR for your party, you may use a group of swearing that it will return to destroy them later, and using
humanoid contortionists to accomplish the same encounter planeshift, or fly to escape.
at a lower CR.
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