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Raphael
| Overview | Combat |
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“ | The mouse smiled brightly: it outfoxed the cat! Then down came the claw and that, love, was that. |
„ |
| — Raphael reciting a lullaby |
Raphael is a cambion who first appears disguised as an enigmatic human, but quickly reveals his true form and intentions.
Overview
Raphael is a cambion fiend who delights in enticing mortals with offers, especially to those whose circumstances leave them with few options.
Back home in the hells, Raphael resides in the House of Hope, a lavish and seemingly welcoming place where he brings potential clients.
Description
Appearance
Raphael has dark hair and faintly red skin, which deepens into a brighter red when he sheds his human disguise. In his true form, he has the tell-tale characteristics of a cambion; significantly with thick and decorative curved horns, and a set of pointed wings with visible membranes, similar to that of a bat.
While fiendishly ascended, Raphael's form forgoes its remaining humanoid qualities. Wreathed in flame and two sloping horns, his head is an amalgamation of three animalistic faces with skin stretched tight over bone. His faces total three glowing, yellow eyes, each with tusked gums and open nasal cavities, exposing bloody muscle. His body visibly glows with hellfire, laced with dark, bone-like structures that lead down his arms, torso and digitigrade legs.
Personality
Raphael is cunning, manipulative, and incredibly confident, though easily angers when he is undermined. Although his station grants him power and rank higher than many other devils, he hungers for more, and is resolute in his goals.
Raphael enjoys poetry and his own theatricality, as well as tormenting and playing with people in creatively cruel ways. He is also narcissistic to the point that his father sent an incubus, who could appear as a more youthful version of Raphael, to distract him.[1]
History
Raphael is heir to the archdevil Mephistopheles, a status granting him power and rank above that of other devils. He is proprietor to the House of Hope, a falsely welcoming home used to lure in those he wishes to bind into his service with infernal contracts.
The nature of Raphael's contracts are such that the contractee will inevitably owe him a debt. Those individuals would eventually become Eternal Debtors.
One such contractee was the architect of Moonrise Towers. They bargained to end Ketheric Thorm's Dark Justiciar army in exchange for their soul. [2] Raphael contracted Yurgir and his legion of Merregons, who destroyed all but one of the Justiciars, who himself made a deal with Raphael to guarantee his survival in the form of many rats. As Yurgir did not technically complete his end of the bargain, he remained trapped in the Gauntlet of Shar and under contract of Raphael.
The Crown of Karsus
Raphael bore witness to the fall of Netheril through Karsus' Folly; a magocracy destroyed by Karsus' inability to control the 
Crown of Karsus. However, Raphael saw also Karsus' ambition for creating a "better world" and ever since, coveted the crown for use in uniting the Nine Hells under his rule as Archdevil Supreme. [3]
Before he could retrieve the crown, however, his father Mephistopheles archived it to one of his vaults. He continued to monitor the crown, observing later how the Dead Three managed to steal it from its vault, and then use it to control an Elder Brain and subsequently its tadpoled servants.
At some point, likely after the fall of Netheril, Raphael's father sent him an incubus, Haarlep, to distract him from an unknown task (possibly his designs on the crown, though this is task is not expanded upon anywhere). This was met mostly with success, thanks to Raphael's arrogance and narcissism.[4]
Raphael finally saw his chance to obtain the crown when a group of adventurers who had been implanted with tadpoles under the Dead Three's plan, managed to retain their autonomy. He met with them soon after their escape from a Nautiloid ship, and began to set in motion an exchange for the crown through an infernal contract.
Involvement
Act One
Raphael will introduce himself to the party during Act One, not long after the fall of the Nautiloid. He appears disguised as a Human with an enigmatic personality, and the party can act diplomatically or hostile about his presence.
He will teleport the party to the House of Hope where he will reveal himself as a Cambion. The devil will then offer them to lavishly partake on the supper he prepared, speaking in riddles as if he is aware of the party's condition.
Raphael will offer a deal: to remove the Tadpole in exchange for the player character's soul. He warns them that when their luck and time runs out, he'll appear one last time.
While in the Wilderness, one of Raphael's agents, Korrilla, will be keeping an eye on the party. If the player character is captured by Gut, Korrilla will kill her instantly. She will then free the player character and reveal Raphael sent her. Korrilla will tell the player character to watch their back, as Raphael is not always going to be around to save them.
Regardless of having interacted with Korrilla before, she can briefly be found at the Campsite, during the 'Celebrate at Camp' stage of the quest 
. Shortly after the party starts, Korrilla appears to teleport into the northern part of the camp and can briefly be found sneaking around, towards where Gale is camped, before disappearing.
If getting too close, she will disappear, with the player's character making a remark about a "bizarre" smell of sulphur. If getting close enough without being detected, it is possible to pickpocket her for some common items and a small amount of gold, or trigger two lines of dialogue before she disappears.
Although Raphael can be attacked during the first encounter, he will teleport away as soon as an attack against him is made, whether or not he is hit. A successful attack will allow the aggressive player to see a splotch of blood where he was hit before he left. An attack on Raphael before he has a chance to speak will create an opportunity to acquire his coveted 
Helldusk Armour during Act One, without having to fight him for it, and allowing the use of this powerful item far, far earlier in the game than otherwise possible.
The first encounter with Raphael may (though not always) be triggered when arriving at any of the following locations:
- Across the bridge from the Druid Grove toward the Blighted Village.
- The plateau southwest of the druid's grove X: 155 Y: 365
- The path leading to the Secluded Cove
- Under the archway to East of the Druid's circle and Idol of Silvanus X: 270 Y: 524
- In the Shattered Sanctum, in the upper rafters X: 313 Y: -26 after collapsing the corridor wall from the Goblin Camp side X: -105 Y: 478
- At the Selunite Outpost in the Underdark (near the statue with the orb)
- At the broken bridge between the Blighted Village and Waukeen's Rest X: -7 Y: 476
- At the Risen Road near where Karlach is recruited [Needs Verification]
In order to attack Raphael, the would-be protagonist must first be separated from the party prior to the start of the conversation cut-scene with him, and far enough away to not be locked into the conversation sequence once it begins. While in the cut-scene, use the dialogue option to swap-out of conversation to the attacker and give him your best shot. Regardless of success, Raphael's preview of the House of Hope will be delayed until the party first progresses beyond the Mountain Pass to the Rosymorn Monastery Trail region (more on this below).
Act Two
During Act Two, Raphael can first be found at the Last Light Inn, playing lanceboard with Mol, if she survived. If Astarion is in the party, Raphael will offer him a deal for information about his scar. Mol can be spoken to after Raphael disappears, and will tell the party that she is considering making a deal with him.
Korrilla too can be briefly spotted and spoken to outside the Rethwin Masons' Guild in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, still keeping an eye on the party.
Raphael will later appear outside the Grand Mausoleum, practising his monologue. After approaching him, he will immediately strike up a conversation with the party. He will warn them of a creature within the Mausoleum, and ask for it to be killed. Killing the creature also acts as payment for Astarion's deal.
Finding the creature inside the Mausoleum, the party will discover that Rapahel's enemy is Yurgir, an orthon who is trapped in a contract with Raphael. If his contract is successfully broken, Raphael will appear to take Yurgir back to the House of Hope to discuss a new contract.
If he is killed, Yurgir will return back to the House of Hope. If Astarion made a deal, Raphael will appear at camp to fulfil his side of the bargain.
Act Three
After reaching Wyrm's Crossing in Act Three, Korrilla will appear at Sharess' Caress' bar, and will try and convince the party to take Raphael's deal. Upstairs in the Devil's Den, Raphael will be speaking to Voss, who wishes to make a deal with him in exchange for the Orphic Hammer. He is uninterested in anything Voss has to offer, but will instead offer it to the party in exchange for the Crown of Karsus. Raphael wants to unite the hells using the crown, and rule over them. The party can take this deal, or attempt to steal the Hammer from Raphael's House of Hope.
The party can also just visit (or loot everything but the hammer from) Raphael's house. Here they will discover he is keeping Korrilla's sister, Hope, captive, and that he prefers to have sex with an incubus who looks like a younger version of himself, Haarlep.
If the party takes the deal, Raphael will have a short cutscene at the end of the story, where he reveals his ambitions to take his rule further than just the hells.
If the party instead steals the hammer from his house, Raphael will confront them as they are trying to leave, and must be killed.
After Raphael is defeated, the party can interact with a Crystal Ball in the Devil's Fee to see that he is dangling, bloody and beaten, above the giant mouth of Mephistopheles and about to be devoured.
Companion approval
When meeting Raphael for the first time
- "I'll do anything to get rid of the tadpole."
-5 
-1 
-1
- "I need to think this over."
+1
+1
+1
- "You're mad if you think I'll make a deal with a devil."
- +1 +5 +5
- "Then fix it. Or die by my hand!"
- +5 +1 +5 +1 +1
Combat
Early Acquisition of Raphael's Helldusk Armour
Normally, Raphael can only be fought during Act Three. He is a level twelve (sixteen if playing in Honor mode) Fiend who uses Fire and Hellfire spells (which ignore Fire resistances and immunities), and is protected by his loyal Vengeful Cambions.
However, enterprising players who are impatient for his legendary Helldusk Armour can take heart: with planning, a path is available. To get this extraordinary armor much sooner, the party must prevent Raphael from bringing the Party to the House of Hope during their first encounter with him. This meeting may occur in several possible locations, listed earlier above. To re-cap what was stated previously:
- The would-be protagonist must first be separated from the party prior to the start of the conversation cut-scene with Raphael, and far enough away to not be locked into the conversation sequence once it begins. While in the cut-scene, use the dialogue option to swap-out of conversation to the attacker and Give the Devil his Due (in this case, your best shot).
- Although Raphael can be attacked during the first encounter, he will teleport away immediately after an attack against him is made, whether or not he is hit. This is key: if Raphael is forced to flee during this first encounter, prior to taking the party to the House of Hope, he will appear later. Because Raphael is so integral to the plot of game, Larian apparently felt obligated to put another fail-safe here where he is presented again, in Camp, just before the party progresses to the Rosymorn Monastery Trail region of Act One.
It is this second appearance that presents an opportunity to not only give Raphael the good beating he deserves, but also gain his 1400xp and Helldusk Armor far, far earlier than otherwise possible.
Once Raphael appears at camp Shadowheart or another companion must cast a silence spell that encompasses him prior to attacking. This is necessary to prevent a conversation that may otherwise be force-started any time he is attacked.
While in camp, Raphael will not fight back, although (depending on the party level, game difficulty level, equipment and tactics used) it may take some time before he is defeated.
When Rapahel is on the verge of defeat, be sure to knock him out with the final blow, and not kill him. If killed, he will immediately revive himself, with no opportunity to get his armour, and you will have to start all over again.
Once the the final blow is delivered, be sure to not be in turn-based mode. Raphael will revive the following round and the attacker (or nearby opportunist) will need to immediately loot him for his goods.
Once victorious, the party can throw this legendary armour on literally any PC, companion, or hireling for outrageous boosts that, like Voss's Silver Sword of the Astral Plane, "are typically gated behind many, many more ability checks, boss battles, and many hours of raw gameplay."
Be aware that acquiring this armour so much earlier than intended by these methods is considered cheating by many, and will likely impact the game by making many battles so much easier. On the other hand, if you've read this far, why not give it a go? After all, as with Voss's Silver Sword, a challenge is a challenge. And, if you're playing solo (especially in Honour mode, where Larian feels free to throw everything they have at you - and more), there's no one around to judge you.
Notable Loot
Related Literature
A Fall of Netheril
A List of Essential Personnel
About Creation of Orphic Hammer
Contract: Mol- Devil Don't Rhyme - A Verse Epic
Inscribed Githyanki Slate (Astral Prism)
Letter to Voss
List of Debtors
One Becomes Many- Orders for Archivist
Raphael's Diary - Chapter 1- Raphael's Diary - Chapter 2
- Raphael's Diary - Chapter 3
- Raphael's Notes
Report for Raphael
Security Breach
Soul-Sworn Contract- Supplication Scrapbook
The Nautiloid Adventurers
The Power of the Crown
White Bishop - Orders- White Knight - Orders
- White Pawn - Orders
Related Quests
Gallery
Human model
Old model
Devil model
Ascended model
Thinking
Raphael's in-game painting above the fireplace by Jane Katsubo
Raphael's Combat Portait
Larian Studios Render of Raphael's face
Raphael's ascended fiend form
Raphael's old hair, before Patch 3
Raphael's cambion form in Early Access
Video
See also
Notes
- Grants 1400 experience when defeated (in Act One, at camp) or killed (in Act Three, in the House of Hope).
- Raphael's appearance has mostly remained the same throughout the lifespan of the game with the exception of his hair color. During the Early Access and the Release of the game, Raphael had dark, brown hair. In Patch 3, this was changed to black. Sometime in a later update, however, his hair was reverted back to its previous state.
References
- ↑ Haarlep's dialogue using
- ↑
Mason's Log by Morfred
- ↑ Raphael in the Devil's Den
- ↑ Haarlep's dialogue using
External links
Raphael on the Forgotten Realms Wiki