D&D 5E Who Are the Thri-Kreen?

[RoughCoronet0]

I’m so excited that these little buggers are finally being officially added to the game! The Thri-Kreen are one of my favorite races and the race of one of my favorite PCs I ever got to play. They are also one of my favorite psionic inclined races too, plus insect creatures are just so cool!

 

[Kobold Avenger]

In Dark Sun I think there's like 6 subraces of the Kreen, which included Tohr-Kreen nobles, 2 varieties of the common Thri-Kreen and the Xixchil.

 

[Demetrios1453]

There are a lot of people here who don't remember/realize that the thri-kreen were major players in 2e Spelljammer, something entirely seperate from their role as major players in 2e Dark Sun.

 

[Corinnguard]

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080128222729/starfrontiers/images/e/e7/Vrusk.jpg The original Star Frontiers Vrusk.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080128222729/starfrontiers/images/e/e7/Vrusk.jpg The original Star Frontiers Vrusk.

... and the original Spelljammer Vrusk analog, the Rastipede.

 

[Kurotowa]

... and the original Spelljammer Vrusk analog, the Rastipede.

And not only did Rastipedes get PC stats in The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, but the same book introduced the Xixchil, another insectile race. Only the Xixchil were modeled on the praying mantis and had a fixation on biotech augmentation.

You can begin to see why both were pushed aside in favor of the better known and more play friendly thri-kreen. The design space was cluttered and thri-kreen look more like a He-Man action figure than something that's going to trigger someone's entomophobia.

 

[Weiley31]

Man, I hope a new Sneak Peek happens soon.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

It's suggested in one version of their origins, that the Kreen came from Athas, discovered spelljamming and spread through out the Prime.

I think it's easy enough to group Rastipedes and Xixchil into the Kreen. And for PCs who's origin is that were altered by the Xixchil, use the Simic Hybrids stats from Ravnica.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I saw the map but didnt know that there were Dark Sun monsters in the Spelljammer bestiary. Guess we'll find out soon enough. Im not opposed to a portion of the adventure being set on Athas but it seems a little strange to me as that worlds material plane/crystal sphere was always extremely isolated from the other campaign settings. But its been so long I forgot the particulars on how to get to and from Athas, but I remember it not being easy.

Opposite. Getting to Athas was not particularly complicated, leaving was the hard part.

 

[bedir than]

I noticed Crawford was careful to to use the word people instead of race. An indication that terminology is being retired in the Anniversary Edition?

I'm old enough to remember when everyone thought that a single book with lineages meant that every race was a lineage.