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Hotis was a rakshasa initially found pretending to be a dwarf named Hosin, the manager of the Velvet Cabaret in Vasselheim. Half of Vox Machina, as well as Thorbir Falbek and Kashaw Vesh, were contracted to hunt him in "Trial of the Take: Part 3" (1x20). He was slain, with Vax'ildan's killing blow accompanied by a taunt. Hotis eventually revived[8] and later tracked down Vax in Whitestone. As an NPC, Hotis was played by Matthew Mercer.

Description[]

Appearance[]

Hotis, as Hosin, the owner of The Velvet Cabaret in Vasselheim, had finely groomed brown hair that fell to his back in two braided ponytails. His beard was very long and capped with a gold ring that caused the end to poof out. He wore heavy makeup; his cheeks were rosy and his eyes were adorned with eyeliner.[9]

In his true form as a Rakshasa, he was a humanoid gray tiger with backward-facing hands, clad in a reddish cloak.[10]

Personality[]

According to Thorbir's Insight check on Hotis, the rakshasa's life is built around deceiving and manipulating humanoids to his own ends. Even when threatened with death, he would rather lie and trick others to their deaths than negotiate for his own safety. Whether he's setting up a cabaret or coping with his own death, his first instinct is to put on a disguise, take a fake name, and then find someone to murder. All this is in line with his choice of decor for his personal quarters, which houses a massive statue of the arch-devil of liars, Dispater.

Biography[]

Background[]

Hotis established a place of hospitality and lewd entertainment called the Velvet Cabaret in Vasselheim. He did so under the guise of a dwarf named Hosin, who posed as a simple shift manager while a human called Vince publicly pretend to own the Cabaret. Hotis used his establishment to learn about the wealthiest people in the city and slaughter them in the streets. This went on for years, culminating in Hotis striking down a lord right in front of a street beggar. This was enough to tip the Arcana Pansophical to the appearance of a Rakshasa in Vasselheim and they contracted the Slayer's Take to find and kill it for them.[11]

"Trial of the Take: Part 3" (1x20)[]

Hotis greeted the very members of the Slayer's Take who came to kill him when they came to the Velvet Cabaret. He sent them to talk to Vince and eavesdroppped up until Vince admitted he was simply a figurehead for the real owner of the establishment. He tried to run, but two of his hunters, Keyleth and Tiberius, slipped out of the room as animals to follow him. They tried to stop him with spells, but neither were powerful enough to touch a Rakshasa, so he simply turned invisible and walked away. He delved into his bedroom, dove into his secret trapdoor, and began his trek to his sanctuary through the tunnels of an abandoned wing of the Amaranthine Oubliette.

"Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21)[]

By the time his hunters found his hideaway, he had turned invisible. As they entered his domain, they noticed nothing but a soft, silky voice—Hotis.

Hotis's disembodied voice, true to the rakshasa's devilish origins, began tempting the trialists away from their mission. On an uncharacteristic natural 20 Insight (Wisdom) check, Thorbir realized they were being tricked and gave the command to attack. With a higher initiative, Hotis started by charming Tiberius, but failed utterly when his magic was countered. Vax flung three daggers at him, the first two missing but the third hitting him in the shoulder for moderate damage.

A shield guardian appeared, and Kashaw cast Sacred Flame at it, but the guardian remained unaffected. The guardian then shot a Fireball that engulfed Kash and Thorbir (who rolled a natural 1) for heavy damage, also dealing splash damage to Tiberius and Keyleth. Vax, however, dodged the spell. Keyleth cast Faerie Fire, which failed against Hotis, so she transformed into her saber-toothed tiger form, Minxie. Tiberius used magic to slow the guardian, but Hotis was once again unaffected. Thorbir attacked the guardian with a series of attacks, damaging it with three successful strikes. Hotis turned to Vax and cast a spell, telepathically controlling the rogue, who then eviscerated Kash before regaining control of himself.

The shield guardian struck back against Thorbir, dealing low damage to him. Meanwhile, Keyleth (as Minxie) mauled the rakshasha for minor damage, and Thorbir slammed the shield guardian several more times. Keyleth repeated her first attack, but Hotis seemed to make the shield guardian take damage instead of himself, and then he began flying. Vax snuck up on the rakshasa and pierced him with a dagger. Although the hit was significant, it was lessened by the shield guardian once again taking damage. Kash manifested a mace out of magical energy and struck Hotis, while Vax was punched by the shield guardian. Keyleth attacked the shield guardian, hitting on two of her attacks and knocking it prone. Tiberius erected an obelisk of stone, crushing the shield guardian, but the agile rakshasa once again dodged out of the way. Hotis taunted them all, promising to hurt their loved ones while beginning to manifest a portal for his escape. Tiberius instantly used Counterspell to prevent the rakshasa's escape. Vax finished off Hotis with a well-aimed dagger.

"Duskmeadow" (1x57)[]

Episode-58-Scanlan-Saving-Vax-from-Hotis-by-Hugo-Cardenas

Fan art of Scanlan saving Vax'ildan from Hotis in "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58), by Hugo Cardenas.[art 2]

By impersonating Shaun Gilmore, Hotis gifted Vax with a cursed Robe of Flaying in order to trick him into removing his protective gear and weapons, and invited him to take a walk to an isolated balcony of Castle Whitestone, where Hotis stabbed a surprised Vax.[12]

"A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58)[]

After a battle in which Vax fell unconscious but was healed by Scanlan, Vox Machina managed to kill Hotis again, with Pike dealing the killing blow with a powerful Flame Strike. Hotis's body violently and painfully exploded into pieces as he swore to return.[13]

Discussing Hotis with Allura Vysoren and Gilmore, the party decided that Hotis's return for vengeance on Vax and Pike is a looming threat that must be proactively addressed. Allura revealed that slaying rakshasas on their home plane will permanently destroy them, so Pike remained in Whitestone to locate Hotis's essence and plan his demise while the rest of Vox Machina pursued more of the Vestiges of the Divergence.[14]

"Vox Machina Go to Hell" (1x91) - "Bats Out of Hell" (1x93)[]

Hotis reforming in the Bastion of Flesh - BlackSalander

Fan art of Hotis reforming in the Bastion of Flesh, by BlackSalander.[art 3]

To cease his endless cycle of revenge once and for all, Vox Machina Plane Shifted to the Nine Hells, in the City of Dis. There Keyleth Scried upon Hotis to try and determine his location. She saw Hotis in a prison below the city, in a small, fleshy egg-like form, still in the torturous process of reforming. He was still vulnerable.

Learning the name of the prison (Mentiri) and completing the contract for Ipkesh, Vox Machina relatively safely arrived there and found the room where Hotis was still reforming. He was writhing in a fleshy, egg-like shape, suspended by muscly tendrils, when Grog walked forward, raised his hammer, and effortlessly pulverized him.


Character information[]

Former items[]

Abilities[]

  • Immunities: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons.
  • Vulnerabilities:[15] Piercing damage from magic weapons wielded by good creatures.
  • Limited Magic Immunity:[16] The rakshasa is immune to spells of 6th level or lower. It has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.
  • Innate Spellcasting: can cast a few spells which require no material components.
    • At will: Detect Thoughts,[17] Disguise Self, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion
    • Three times per day each: Charm Person,[18] Detect Magic, Invisibility,[19] Major Image, Suggestion
    • Once per day each: Dominate Person,[20] Fly,[21] Plane Shift, True Seeing[22]
  • Attacks:
    • Multiattack: The rakshasa can make two claw attacks.
    • Claw: The rakshasa can make a claw attack.

Appearances and mentions[]

Quotations[]

Trivia[]

HotisCostume

Sam dressed as Hotis for Halloween 2016.

  • Sam Riegel was dressed as Hotis during "The Coming Storm" (1x73), which aired the week before Halloween 2016.
  • In the Legend of Vox Machina episode "Fate's Journey" (LVM1x05), Hotis appears in a story of Vax's strangest kill. In the animated version of events, Hotis is instead killed with a thrown dagger to the head and falls through a window.

References[]

  1. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) from 3:46:05 through 3:47:45.
  2. See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) at 3:42:42.
  3. See "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58) from 1:34:22 through 1:36:18.
  4. See "Bats Out of Hell" (1x93) from 4:07:04 through 4:08:33.
  5. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 3:46:11.
  6. See "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58) from 1:34:22 through 1:36:18.
  7. See "Bats Out of Hell" (1x93) from 4:07:04 through 4:08:33.
  8. According to official D&D materials, the demonic essence of rakshasas slain on the Material Plane return to the Nine Hells where their bodies form anew. See D&D Monster Manual, 5th ed., p. 257. Matthew Mercer confirmed that rakshasa deaths function this way in his homebrewed universe.  See "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58) at 1:58:40.
  9. See "Trial of the Take: Part 3" (1x20) at 1:49:34.
  10. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 2:53:00.
  11. See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) at 0:25:47.
  12. See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) from 3:38:55 through 3:43:08.
  13. See "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58) from 1:34:22 through 1:36:18.
  14. See "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58) at 2:56:25.
  15. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 3:22:16.
  16. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 3:03:29.
  17. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) from 3:40:44 through 3:41:21.
  18. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 2:54:23.
  19. See "Trial of the Take: Part 3" (1x20) at 2:27:48.
  20. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 3:12:40.
  21. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 3:28:25.
  22. See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 2:54:35.

Art:

  1. Fan art of Hotis, by David Rodrigues (source). Used with permission.
  2. Fan art of Scanlan saving Vax'ildan from Hotis in "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58), by Hugo Cardenas (source). Used with permission.
  3. Fan art of Hotis reforming in the Bastion of Flesh, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.
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