Buy me a coffeeRakshasa, Marai, Deceptive Arcanists
“Meet the Marai: A Shape-shifting Rakshasa Spellcaster with Six Serpent Arms, Unleashing Chaos and Confusion!”
Appearance: The Marai stands 6 feet tall, an enigmatic figure draped in fine robes. Its humanoid facade conceals a nightmarish truth — six colorful vipers instead of arms writhe with eerie vitality. Its fanged mouth, home to a forked tongue, hints at its rakshasa lineage. In its true form, the scales shimmer in aquatic hues, an unsettling sight that captivates and terrifies.
Behavior: A deviant spellcaster and fiendish corruptor, the Marai revels in perverse magical studies, unburdened by morality. Cunning and deceitful, it often infiltrates mortal societies, masquerading as a neophyte magician. It takes sadistic pleasure in exploiting unsuspecting mortals, using its magical prowess to bring heroes to their knees while maintaining an air of mystery.
Habitat: The Marai thrives in any environment, its adaptability matching its devious nature. Solitary or part of a rakshasa’s cabal, it can be found lurking in hidden lairs, secret chambers, or even mingling among mortals in plain sight, the serpentine arms concealed in its humanoid guise.
Modus Operandi: Armed with a spellcasting repertoire, the Marai’s modus operandi revolves around deception and manipulation. Its bite induces confusion, while the six snake arms unleash energy bolts with various effects, from cold and fire to acid and electricity. It crafts illusions to mask its true form, infiltrating societies to exploit their vulnerabilities.
Motivation: The Marai hungers for magical knowledge, unfettered by ethical constraints. Its pursuit of arcane secrets propels it to serve in rakshasa cabals, infiltrate spellcasters’ abodes, or torment unsuspecting mortals. Motivated by a desire for power and the thrill of discovering new magical realms, the Marai’s insatiable curiosity fuels its dark endeavors.
Marai 5e
Marai Pathfinder
Marai, Deceptive Arcanist
Medium fiend (rakshasa), neutral evil
Armor Class 21 (natural armor)
Hit Points 94 (9d10+45)
Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 21 (+5) | 20 (+5) | 11 (+0) | 13 (+1) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +9
Damage Resistances Piercing, Good
Condition Immunities Charmed
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Infernal, Undercommon
Challenge 8 (4,800 XP)
Confusion Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4+2 piercing damage plus target must succeed on a DC 19 Will save or become confused for 1 round.
Energy Bolts. Once every 1d4 rounds, the Marai’s six snake arms can spit bolts of energy. Ranged Spell Attack: +14 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 damage plus special effect (see below). Target must succeed on a DC 19 Fortitude save or suffer additional effects.
- Amethyst Viper: Cold damage plus sickened for 1d4 rounds.
- Crimson Viper: Fire damage plus burn (1d4, DC 19).
- Emerald Viper: Acid damage plus nauseated for 1 round.
- Magenta Viper: Electricity damage plus staggered for 1 round.
- Turquoise Viper: Sonic damage plus stunned for 1 round.
- Violet Viper: Force damage plus knocked prone.
Spellcasting. The Marai is a 5th-level sorcerer. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks).
Cantrips (at will): Bleed (DC 14), Detect Magic, Ghost Sound (DC 14), Mage Hand, Open/Close, Read Magic
1st Level (7/day): Charm Person (DC 15), Jump, Mage Armor, Magic Missile
2nd Level (5/day): Invisibility, Scorching Ray
Shapechanger. It can use its action to polymorph into a humanoid it has seen, or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form, except for the snake arms.
Evasion. If the Marai is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage on a success and half damage on a failure.
Magic Resistance. It has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. It makes seven attacks: one confusion bite and six energy bolts.
Reactions
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that the Marai can see hits it with an attack, it can use its reaction to halve the attack’s damage against it.
Legendary Actions
The Marai can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Marai regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Energy Bolt. The Marai uses its Energy Bolt.
- Confusion Bite (Costs 2 Actions). The Marai makes a Confusion Bite attack.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Marai takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- Illusory Ambiance. The Marai creates an illusion that makes the area appear different than it is.
- Whispers of Deception. The Marai whispers unsettling falsehoods, forcing creatures within 30 feet to succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
- Arcane Distortion. The Marai distorts the magic in the area, making all spells cast within 30 feet have a 20% chance to fail.
Regional Effects
- The region surrounding the Marai is warped by its magic, creating an eerie ambiance that makes creatures within 1 mile susceptible to illusions.
- Unsettling whispers and illusions permeate the dreams of creatures within 500 feet, giving them glimpses of false visions and unsettling scenarios.
- Creatures native to the area gain disadvantage on saving throws against the Marai’s confusion effect.
This finely robed and nimble fiend has six colorful vipers in place of arms, and a long, forked tongue in its fanged mouth.
| Marai CR 8 |
| XP 4,800 LE Medium outsider (native, rakshasa, shapechanger) Init +5; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+5 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +5 natural) hp 94 (9d10+45) Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +9 DR 10/good and piercing; SR 23 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 40 ft. Melee 7 bites +14 (1d4+2 plus confusion) Ranged 6 energy bolts +14 touch (1d8 plus special) Special Attacks detect thoughts (DC 18), energy bolts Spells Known (CL 5th; Concentration +9) 2nd (5/day) – invisibility, scorching ray 1st (7/day) – charm person (DC 15), jump, mage armor, magic missile 0 (at will) – bleed (DC 14), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 14), mage hand, open/close, read magic |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 14, Dexterity 21, Constitution 20, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 13, Charisma 18 Base Atk +9; CMB +11; CMD 27 Feats Dodge, Iron Will, Silent Spell, Still Spell, Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +14 (+18 when jumping), Bluff +20, Climb +7, Disguise +16, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Perception +10, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +8; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +8 Disguise Languages Common, Infernal, Undercommon SQ change shape (any humanoid; alter self ) |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Confusion (Su) A creature bitten by a marai’s bite (from either its actual mouth or the snakes it has for hands) must succeed at a DC 19 Will save or become confused for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based. Energy Bolts (Ex) Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity, a marai’s six snake arms can each spit a bolt of energy to a maximum range of 60 feet. Each bolt deals 1d8 points of damage and has an additional effect if the target fails to resist it with a DC 19 Fortitude save, as summarized below. The save DC is Constitution-based. Amethyst Viper: Cold damage plus sickened for 1d4 rounds. Crimson Viper: Fire damage plus burn (1d4, DC 19). Emerald Viper: Acid damage plus nauseated for 1 round. Magenta Viper: Electricity damage plus staggered for 1 round. Turquoise Viper: Sonic damage plus stunned for 1 round. Violet Viper: Force damage plus knocked prone. Spells A marai casts arcane spells as a 5th-level sorcerer. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any Organization solitary, pair, cult (3-12) Treasure standard |
Marai are deviant spellcasters first and fiendish corruptors second. If allowed to indulge in their desire for perverse mystical study, most marai are content to serve as part of another rakshasa’s cabal. A solitary marai might pose as a neophyte magician to infiltrate another spellcaster’s abode. If the marai is successful, the master soon becomes either the servant or a corpse.
The possibility of new magical discoveries drives a marai. Morality and compassion never constrain the fiend’s experiments. A marai prefers to torment and exploit mortals who have no idea of the rakshasa’s true nature, and it takes great pleasure in using magical might to bring would-be heroes, especially those who invade its lair, to their knees. Such a game offers a marai enjoyment, however, only if subjects are unaware of the danger or at least unable to oppose it.
A marai is 6 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds. Its serpentine arms render fine manipulation or wielding weapons unfeasible, and so it typically assumes humanoid form when working on experiments that require manual Dexterity. A marai unable to do so must rely upon cantrips like mage hand for such tasks – or perhaps the aid of a slave or charmed ally.
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.