This hunt, A Tale of Two Tails, is intended for 3 to 7 characters and is optimised for a party of 4 with an average party level (APL) of 6, 13, or 18. Characters who complete this hunt should earn enough experience to progress one-third of the way to 7th, three-fifths of the way to 14th level, or three-quarters of the way to 19th level. The adventurers must locate the lair of mob boss Tony Two Tails, and rid the desert of his infernal influence.
After tracking down Tony's location in the Lotof's End Desert, the party must contend with his magic-subverting traits and horde of bestial swarms, devils, and undead. Offensive spellcasters will be at a disadvantage in the final fight; a means of dealing radiant damage, abilities that target fiends and undead, and characters experienced in tracking will be of use in this hunt.
Variable Statistics
To ensure the challenge is maintained across differing levels of play, you'll see references to VDC (variable DC), Vmod (variable modifier), and Vdam (variable damage). These variable values change depending on the APL of your party:
Variable Statistics
APL
VDC
Vmod
Vdam
1-2
11
+3
2 (1d4)
3-4
12
+4
3 (1d6)
5-6
13
+5
5 (2d4)
7-8
14
+6
7 (2d6)
9-11
15
+7
10 (3d6)
12-14
16
+8
14 (4d6)
15-17
17
+9
21 (6d6)
18-20
18
+10
28 (8d6)
Background
Tony Two Tails: mob boss, desert outlaw, and the most fluffiest little kitty cat in the whole wide world. While Tony might have the outward appearance of a clumsy cloudcat, he is a fiendishly devious, cunning, and cut-throat native of the Hells: a pygmy rakshasa. Having wended his way to the Material Plane, Tony has exerted his devilish influence over all manner of desert pests, from the oasis-town rats to the sun-lounging snakes and swarms of subterranean spiders. He is now the erstwhile boss of a small but menacing mob of creatures known as the Meowling Marauders.
From the tomb of an ancient, devil-worshipping queen, Dah Roude, this rapacious group of raiders has been plundering trade caravans, pillaging fishing boats on the Olong River, and looting temples in a wide area throughout the Lotof's End Desert. Not only that, they've been legitimately purchasing all the fish from the markets, sending prices sky-rocketing. Of course, this is all part of Tony's dastardly plan to capture souls; hungry people will do almost anything to feed their families.
Summary
Here's the main info to absorb:
Which Monster?
Tony Two Tails, the pygmy rakshasa, and his mob of swarming pests. Tony is carried by his handler, a nameless human who has forfeited his soul for infernal power.
Monster's Motivation
Tony's intent is to make the inhabitants of the Lotof's End desperate so that he can trade his devilish favours for their souls.
Monster's Previous Actions
For the past weeks, Tony has been raiding trade caravans, fishing boats, and temples, as well as raising the price of fish (a staple along the Olong River).
Where's the Monster?
Tony's lair is in the tomb of the ancient, devil-worshipping queen, Dah Roude, an extremely hard-to-find edifice that shifts between different locations.
Adventure Hooks
Swarms, devils, and undead—this hunt can be as creepy as you make it. Use as many of the following hooks as necessary to get your party motivated:
Curiosity: The Wandering Tomb
The tomb of Dah Roude can't be found using any map. It has no fixed location, appearing in different places within the Lotof's End Desert of its own accord.
Morality: The Deserted Desert
While richer merchants and nobles might be able to pack up and leave with what wealth remains, the poor folk of the desert, wandering nomads and fishermen, are stuck. Tales already abound of pacts with devils and souls sold to the infernal fires of the Hells.
Compensation: Fishers' Union
With the price of fish soaring to the point where those that work the boats can't afford the fish they catch, the newly-formed fishers' union of the Olong River has clubbed together to root out the source of this insider-trading evil. They'll reward anyone that can permanently return the economy to normal.
Talouc
Talouc is a couatl, a celestial that has shapechanged to appear like a handsome ebony-skinned fisher, and possesses a calm, self-assured demeanour. Through union meetings, the dream spell, and creating magical food, they have brought about a unified response among the fisher folk. Talouc acts as their temporary secretary and the party's point of contact for the quest. They keep their celestial nature a secret.
Under the guise of having a passing interest in the area's history, Talouc recounts how thousands of years ago, Dah Roude made pacts with fiends to help build her empire. Nothing remains now except for her tomb, which was enchanted to periodically change location in an attempt to stop graverobbers (which has so far proved successful). Talouc doesn't know of the rakshasa's existence, per se, but has deduced the likely cause to be fiendish in origin.
True nature being discovered and having to reinvent a new identity.
Let us rid the desert of evil, seize the means of production, and feast on fish!
Hunt Rewards per Player Character
Hunt Level
Gold
XP*
6th
1,050 gp
2,700
13th
5,000 gp
12,000
18th
9,875 gp
31,000
Lotof's End Desert
The desert landscape of Lotof's End is an extraordinarily dense amalgamation of geography. From dunes to oases, ravines to salt flats, and pillars of looming red rock, it is prized for its beauty. The Olong River provides a lifeline of food and water for the conurbations that have sprung up along its flanks. Herds of wild camels are a common sighting when crossing the desert, as are the nomadic trade caravans that connect the various settlements.
Tracking
Finding Dah Roude's tomb is difficult. Using the tracking rules in Chapter 3, it is suggested that each Tracking check takes a full day and that three checks and three successes are required. This number is perfect for introducing the party to the three clues about their quarry on pages 392 - 394.
Environment: Water
The desert is hot and water is scarce. A creature requires twice as much water to survive each day as normal. If an adventurer wishes to search for water, have them make a separate DC 20 Tracking check; on a success, water is found, while on a failure, the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion from the extra effort.
Unique Flora & Fauna
Though Lotof's End is a desert, it is composed of more than just lots of sand. Beyond the miles of rolling dunes, there are deep ravines, ancient river beds, bluffs, plateaus, mesas, and vast expanses of salt flats. You can use the following examples to populate this barren expanse with a unique and delightful ecosystem:
Sandshrew
These yellow-scaled, armadillo-like beasts are sturdy, expert burrowers. If approached without tact and astute animal husbandry, the sandshrew will rapidly dig a tunnel, spraying a would-be aggressor with blinding sand and dirt.
Cactus Peach
Every seven years, the cactus peach plant of the Lotof's End Desert flowers, producing succulent fruit with hues of blushing gold and sunset orange. This coincides with the septennial migration of the great flawed thrush. The fruit is prized for the depth and flavour of the peach brandy crafted from it, a liquor preserved for special events within the Lotof community. Comically, the fruit is especially prone to fermentation which, if the thrush migrates too late, can result in some drunken antics as the birds feed on the alcohol-rich fruit.
Great Flawed Thrush
This beautiful bird has feathers of gold and rust, with the males of its species sporting a plume of iridescent indigo. Its flaw is that it is stupid. Really stupid. Tales abound of the thrushes performing mating rituals in front of mirrors (presumably not realising what a reflection is), migrating the wrong way during winter, and even sleeping on top of warm ovens, as if bakers needed an excuse to use their rich, juicy meat in a pie. How it has survived this long is a mystery to zoologists the world over.
Know Thy Enemy
As the party explores the desert looking for the lair, interactions and events can lead them to discover the following pieces of pertinent information:
The enemies include fiends and swarms.
Spells are unreliable, often going off course.
A means of dealing radiant damage will be beneficial.
Clue 1: Fiends and Swarms
The rakshasa is a fiend; it has a peculiar pupil in the shape of a symbol for the Hells. Preparing certain spells, such as protection from evil and good, can help in a fight against fiends.
Exploration
Suala, a small fishing village on one of the few tributaries to the Olong River, has very little food, but a surprising amount of gold. The fishers of Suala describe how they were tricked into selling all their fish to a large man with red eyes who carried an adorable fluffy cat. The village priest, Rifika (protective LG male human priest), explains the following:
While Rifika was elsewhere attending a sick fisherman, a large, powerfully-built man holding a cat came to the village. He asked to see each fishing boat owner and wheat farmer, one by one.
Each sold all their food to the stranger, for a handsome price. They can't eat gold, and trading caravans haven't come through in a while.
On divining the cause of this behaviour, Rifika's deity informed him of fiendish influences—this was all devils' work.
All the food was carried away on the backs of thousands of insects, snakes, and rodents.
The villagers describe how the animals' eyes had a peculiar pupil, and they draw the shape. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) check reveals this to be the symbol for the Hells; the enemy is a fiend!
Clue 2: Spellcasters Beware
Pygmy rakshasas can cause magic to veer off course, hitting unintended targets. They can also entangle the Weave, with wild and unpredictable magical consequences.
Exploration
Coming over a rise, the party can spot the charred remains of camels and people, a single figure in a pointy hat kneeling in their midst. The lone survivor is a wizard, Nameena (LN female half-elf mage), one of the retinue tasked with protecting a caravan in these trying times. She explains the following:
Rats, snakes, and beetles began swarming all over them, but they managed to form a defensive line.
She's usually so careful with her fireballs, she can even sculpt out pockets of safety.
She tried to ignite the area just beyond her comrades.
Something caused her spell to go off course. These charred husks are all that remain.
The Weave became tangled, she struggled to cast even the most basic spell and they often came out with unintended consequences (see the weave entanglement spell). It took all her skill just to cast the expeditious retreat spell and escape, before returning to mourn her fallen comrades.
Clue 3: Radiant Deliverance
The handler has a trait (Fiendish Vigour) that grants him temporary hit points at the start of each of his turns. When he takes radiant damage, this trait doesn't function and he doesn't gain any temporary hit points.
Exploration
The party encounters an extremely wounded Rifika, suffering many small claw marks and several puncture wounds. After the events in his village, he went to check on the next village down the river. There, he found the man and his cat up to the same tricks. He attacked the fiend with his family heirloom, a magical +1 khopesh. However, though each attack managed to damage the man, tumorous growths soon reformed where the wounds were dealt. It wasn't until he summoned his spiritual weapon, a special sunsword peculiar to his particular deity, that the wounds remained, cauterised by the radiance. Unfortunately he was no match for the pair and only survived thanks to a word of recall spell, the destination for which is a small cave near the party's current location. Here's the key info to impart:
Magic weapons deal damage, but don't prevent the temporary hit point generation.
Rifika has a unique spiritual weapon that deals radiant damage instead of force.
Radiant damage makes the wounds remain on the handler.
The Battle Ahead
After the party finds the tomb, they can gain entry without impediment or danger. Tony is expecting the adventurers, as the magic of his lair gives him advance notice of intruders. He can be found in the arms of his handler, at the back of the main hall, protected behind his retinue of pests.
The first wave takes place in the main hall of the tomb. It begins if the adventurers make it clear they won't join Tony in his efforts, or if they do anything remotely threatening. Tony gives warning for them not to come any closer and is unforgiving if this warning is not heeded. The second wave takes place in the rear room, where Tony and his handler make a final stand. The third wave sees Tony inhabit his mythic form, and the undead in the sarcophagi come to his aid, fulfilling an aeons-old pledge.
Dah Rhoude's Tomb
Tony's lair is the tomb of Dah Rhoude. The stones of the tomb's walls are magically protected against decay or deformation. Nothing short of a wish spell can damage, change, or otherwise affect the tomb.
Environmental Hazard: Fountains of Fish
The two pools at the southern end of the main hall are filled with dead and rotting fish. A creature within 15 feet of either of these pools has disadvantage on any saving throw made to maintain its concentration on a spell.
Regional Effects
The area within 6 miles of the pygmy rakshasa's lair has the following unique properties:
Hairweeds
Tumbleweeds made of cat hair abound wherever the wind takes them.
Land on Your Feet
Creatures always have a tendency to land on their feet, gaining advantage on any ability checks or saving throws they make to prevent falling prone.
Sunbeams
Sunbeams create particularly comfortable areas in which to stretch out and relax. When a creature starts a short rest in such an area, it must succeed on a {@b VDC|DC 13/DC 16/DC 18|VDC Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep for the rest's duration. Regardless of the result, such a creature gains 1 additional hit point for each Hit Die it spends to recover hit points at the end of the rest.
Swarming Critters
When a creature takes a short or long rest, a swarm of insects appears and consumes a day's rations. A creature watching for danger that succeeds on a {@b VDC|DC 13/DC 16/DC 18|VDC Wisdom (Perception) check observes the insects and can fight them off (they retreat if reduced to one-half of their hit points or fewer).
Unsafe Ledges
All shelves are unsafe; occasional wafts of magic cause any objects near the edge of a shelf, ledge, or overhang to be knocked off.
Helping Hand
At any time during the battle or tracking encounters, Talouc, in their couatl form, can lend the party aid. They fly so fast they're barely visible, lingering just long enough to cast cure wounds, lesser restoration, or protection from poison.
Lair Actions
While Tony Two Tails lives, he can invoke the ambient magic of Dah Roude's lair to take lair actions. The saving throw DCs and damage of the lair actions depend on the level at which you run the hunt.
Variable Lair Action Statistics
Hunt Level
VDC
Vdam
Weave Snap Damage
6th
13
5 (2d4)
2 (1d4)
13th
16
14 (4d6)
4 (1d8)
18th
18
28 (8d6)
7 (2d6)
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Tony takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects. He can't take the same action two rounds in a row. See the table above for the damage and save DCs.
Fish Guts
The internal viscera of thousands of fish pours down in a 10-foot-radius, 30-foot-high cylinder. Each creature in the area must succeed on a {@b VDC|DC 13/DC 16/DC 18|VDC Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until initiative count 20 on the next round. Until the fish are removed, the ground in the area is difficult terrain and a creature in this area has disadvantage on saving throws made to maintain its concentration on a spell.
Swarm
Tony targets one Large or smaller creature within his lair, causing a horde of Tiny beasts and fiends to swarm over it. The creature must make a {@b VDC|DC 13/DC 16/DC 18|VDC Strength saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 2d4;4d6;8d6|Vdam piercing damage and is restrained until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Weave Snap
Tony targets one creature within his lair that is attuned to a magic item or under the influence of a spell, and forces it to make a {@b VDC|DC 13/DC 16/DC 18|VDC Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the creature 1d4;1d8;2d6|takes force damage equal to the value in the Variable lair Action Statistics table for each magic item it is attuned to, as well as for each level of spell currently affecting it. On a success, it takes half as much damage.
Entering The Tomb
The door to the tomb is unlocked, and opens on silent hinges. When the players first enter, read the following:
Entering the sandstone structure, you see hundreds of eyes staring at you, from all manner of different beasts. Two pools filled with stinking, rotting fish lie to either side of you, braziers shed small pools of bright light, and, at the northern end of the hall, a giant black rock statue looms. A hulking, shadowy, bipedal figure at the back of the dimly-lit room addresses you as it strokes a bundle in its arms, "Ah, you made it. Is this a business trip, or for pleasure?"
Tony tries to win the adventurers over to his cause when they first encounter him, promising them gold from the mummy's tomb in the next room.
Misdirection
The idea here is to employ a little misdirection and make the party think that the bad guy is the hulking bipedal figure. This is, in fact, the rakshasa's handler, who has sold his soul to Tony, the bundle he carries and strokes. A successful DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check identifies that it is in fact the cat talking, not the man holding the cat.
Wave 1: Pests
Tony's no fool; wave 1 begins as soon as the adventurers do anything that he might consider threatening, such as beginning to cast a spell, drawing a weapon, or starting to close the distance between them. When wave 1 begins, he and his handler immediately retreat to the northern room, locking the door behind them as a devilish figure materialises out of the air. As Tony leaves, any creature with a passive Perception of 16 or higher notices that two jet-black gems appear in the 12-foot-tall statue's eye sockets (these gems were in the doors' locks; they teleport to the eye when the doors are closed).
Enemies
The enemies in wave 1 are the swarms of pests, commanded by the devil that appears when the wave begins. Although specific stat blocks are detailed, you can narrate the swarms as being all manner of different pests: scarabs, rats, wasps, snakes, and even cats.
The devil (barbed devil, erinyes, or pit fiend) starts positioned near the north end of the hall, and uses its movement, ranged attacks, and spells to damage threatening, low-hit-point characters. It is tactically aware and uses the environment to its advantage, telepathically commanding the swarms of creatures to intercept any melee attackers. The devil knows it can't permanently die on this plane and fights without fear.
Swarms
The swarms position themselves according to the devil's intent, but aren't intelligent enough to discern which creatures might have a low Constitution saving throw modifier. The swarms are mindless and also fight without fear of death.
Wave 2: Tony & Co
Doors
The doors to the north of the tomb are locked without any discernible keyhole; just two fist-sized hexagonal facets. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check spots that the eyes in the 12-foot-tall statue to the north are made of two fist-sized jet gems, hexagonal in profile. These gems can be pried free as an action by a creature within reach of them. If both placed in the hollows of each door, the doors open.
It's a Trap!
Removing the gems from the statue triggers a delayed trap; on initiative count 20 of the following round, poisonous gas floods from the statue's mouth and the base of each column, covering the floor. The gas lasts for 1 hour, but doesn't leave the main room. The effect of the gas depends on the hunt's level: At 6th-level, it produces the effect of the stench spell; at 13th-level, cloudkill; and at 18th-level, cloudkill as an 8th-level spell. The save DC equals the {@b VDC|DC 13/DC 16/DC 18|VDC. You can narrate the increasing volume of gas becoming more lethal by starting at 1d6 damage on round 1, half the spell's damage on round 2, and the full damage on round 3. When the spell ends, the gems teleport back to the statue's eyes and the doors re-lock. The doors can be opened from the inside without the gems.
Tony & Co.
Tony and his handler have taken cover in the sanctum of Dah Roude, the northernmost room. The handler readies an action to fire his tommybow at the first adventurer to enter, while Tony readies the enrage spell when the door begins to open, targeting the second player to appear. Wave 2 begins in earnest when these readied actions are realised, but you can stick to initiative and keep using lair actions to make the player characters get a move on.
Enemies
In wave 2, the enemies are Tony Two Tails (a pygmy rakshasa), and his handler. Note, pygmy rakshasas have a higher CR when fought with their handler due to the synergy of the legendary actions. These are the CRs listed below.
Tony and his handler work in tandem; the handler always uses its Guardian reaction if the rakshasa is close enough to benefit from it, while Tony's Devil's Hiss legendary action gives the handler a bonus attack (a product of the infernal fire in the handler's veins).
Tony
Tony's tactics differ depending on whether the handler is alive or not. Tony is not very worried about spellcasters, knowing that his Weavebender reaction allows him to redirect their attempts, or even cause an adventurer's fireball to hit their allies. Tony is tactically astute; when choosing a target for a spell that requires a saving throw, take into account the saving throw modifiers of his potential targets.
Handler Alive
If the handler lives, Tony uses his legendary actions to have his handler deal damage. He always tries to have one of his powerful spells active. His first priority is to cast dominate person on the most susceptible amongst the party. If this fails, or if he is ever in direct danger, he casts greater invisibility or mislead. As a secondary priority, Tony uses his claw attacks against a creature that is benefiting from an ongoing spell, in the hopes of cursing the target and halting the spell's benefits.
Handler Dead
If the handler is dead, Tony switches his legendary actions to Purr in the hopes of charming a creature and creating chaos. Tony can then use Devil's Hiss to cause the charmed creature to make an attack against a creature of Tony's choice.
Handler
At the start of the fight, the handler aims to spray as many of the bunched-together adventurers as possible with his tommybow (which can hit two adjacent creatures, making an attack roll for each creature). Once he has emptied his magazine, he throws it to one side and draws his morningstar (he always has his shield equipped). He uses his movement to stay between the rakshasa and the adventurers, but close enough to use his Guardian reaction.
Wave 3: Mummies
When Tony's normal form is reduced to 0 hit points, triggering his Ninth Life trait, wave 2 ends and wave 3 begins. The tomb's mummies animate; they are soulbound and sworn to aid the will of any devil, such as Tony's archdevil overlords. The mummies roll for initiative on initiative count 0 of the round on which Tony is reduced to 0 hit points, removing the lids to their sarcophagi and standing up. They join the combat the following round.
As the rakshasa finally succumbs to your onslaught, a sound catches your ears. The scrape of sandstone on sandstone is quickly followed by the staccato boom of three lids falling to the ground, the sound echoing around the chamber. At once, the air is filled with musty humidity so ripe you can almost taste it. With a groan, three linen-wrapped figures rise from their stone coffins, and the devil-cat lets out a mirthless chuckle. He is magically raised to his feet and his eyes and wounds glow with a malicious infernal flame.
Enemies
In wave 3, the enemies are the mythic form of Tony Two Tails, as well as three undead creatures. The handler may still be present during this wave.
Tony, recognising that he is trapped and his only hope of survival is to attack, becomes hyper-aggressive. If he can, he casts greater invisibility or mislead as an initial defensive measure, before getting into a good position to affect as many enemies as possible with his Caterwaul mythic action. He has no compunction about harming the mummies if necessary, and will use his Wind Strike mythic action to both attack low AC characters and keep his distance from any hard-hitting melee adventurers.
Undead
The undead fight with no sense of self-preservation, attacking the nearest creatures.
Optional Ending: Curse of Dah Roude
If you're running a one-shot, there might not be much point in continuing the game after the epic boss battle. Instead, you can use this optional ending to give an epic, climactic conclusion to the hunt. When Tony is slain in his mythic form, an almighty sandstorm begins to brew. You can read the following:
A sound like beads of glass tinkling against a hard floor grows louder and louder. The ceiling and walls are falling apart grain by grain, the trickle rapidly becoming a flood, with glimpses of light visible through the disintegrating ceiling.
Each character has one round to act before, on initiative count 20 of the following round, a whirlwind of sand materialises in a 15-foot-radius, 30-foot-high cylinder of lightly obscured difficult terrain that spreads around corners and is centred on the central sarcophagus. A creature that starts its turn in this area takes 2d4;4d6;8d6|Vdam slashing damage and must make a {@b VDC|DC 13/DC 16/DC 18|VDC Strength saving throw or be pulled 15 feet towards the whirlwind's centre. On initiative count 20 of each of the following rounds, the whirlwind's radius and height increases by 30 feet. On initiative 20 of the fifth round since its formation, the whirlwind implodes, dealing bludgeoning damage equal to twice the 2d4;4d6;8d6|Vdam to any creature still within its area. The tomb is a ruin, its treasures buried beneath tonnes of sand.
Aftermath
Here are some possible outcomes of the hunt:
If the tomb's main inhabitant (the mummy in the 6th-level hunt and a mummified immortal in the 13th- and 18th-level hunts) is destroyed and its remains burnt, the magic maintaining the tomb is lifted, and it stops shifting location.
If the mummy from the central sarcophagus is slain but not burnt, the tomb continues to shift locations, and mummies begin plaguing the Lotof's End Desert (a possible future plot hook).
With the primary purchaser of fish gone, prices plummet, and feasts can be found in every town and village over the next week, with the adventurers the guests of honour at any opportunity.
The party is compensated by the fishers' union. In addition, any fisher gladly helps them travel up or down the Olong River for free.
The party makes an ongoing enemy of Tony Two Tails, who eventually reforms in the Hells. He reappears on the Material Plane (in disguise) with a dastardly scheme to acquire the adventurers' souls. He plans to grant them great power in order to combat a fiendish menace. But there's a catch: the menace must be defeated within a strict time limit. Unbeknownst to the party, it is Tony who has brought the devils to the Material Plane and actively acts against the party to keep the devils hidden. If the adventurers don't complete the task within a certain time, he wins their souls.
Cacophonics
Cacophonics, the Loot Tavern's resident bard, pesters the party for details upon their heroic return. He later plays the following song:
Searching for the tomb,
The swarms will come and try to block the path from being used.
The pygmy has his ways,
The fiend has found a way to keep the magic all at bay.
But our adventurers have found their way through the dunes and now,
The handler waits to meet his fate only they know how.
Radiant deliverance his fiendish vigour confounds,
And as Tony falls his collar may be swept from the ground.
In the various sarcophagi are a wealth of gold coins and gems (see Treasure table, below). In addition, the handler's magical splinterspray tommybow can be gathered from wherever he threw it. Feel free to keep the type of crossbow ambiguous so you can make it useful to your players (e.g., if they use a hand crossbow, give them a hand crossbow).
Treasure in Dah Roude's Tomb
Hunt Level
Treasure Objects
Splinterspray tommybow rarity
6th
4d6 x 50 gp
Uncommon
13th
6d6 x 100 gp
Rare
18th
8d6 x 200 gp
Very rare
Harvesting
The pygmy rakshasa has the following unique components, in addition to the normal components for a fiend. Unlike other fiends, which turn to ash on death, each pygmy rakshasa wears a magical collar that preserves their body (in the hopes that their handler can revive them). This allows the body to be harvested as normal. The party can take this collar of the cat, a common magical item that can be socketed into any weapon, spellcasting focus, or piece of clothing. The food component for the unique recipe is a fiend (pygmy) brain.
Handler
In addition, a fiend soul, the thing that made the handler so powerful, can be harvested (DC 25) from the handler and used to craft the felinobelix. You can attract attention to his corpse by narrating it as convulsing, with magic users detecting something trying to escape.
Pygmy Rakshasa Harvest Table
DC
Components
5
Eye (2)
10
Pouch of claws (2), Tail (1)
15
Sinew (2)
20
BrainE (1)
25
Soulv (1)
Crafting
The following unique items can be crafted from the pygmy rakshasa's (and handler's) components.
Like all middle-management, pygmy rakshasas are masters of bureaucracy and legalese. They might look like an adorable kitty-cat, but: Do. Not. Trust them! If one ever makes a request of you, do the exact opposite of what it wants. Unless it's trying to bluff you; then do exactly what it asks for. Is that clear?
