D&D 4E Will Kalashtar be the 4E Aasimar?

[Green Knight]

I'm not too fond of the word Celestial (it's a egregrious word used to denote the Chinese)

According to Wikipedia, it hasn't seen use in that way since the 19th century (This is certainly the first I've heard of it. In all honesty, how many people hear the word Celestial and think of the Chinese? God knows that when I hear the word 'Celestial', THIS is what I think of). Nor does it sound like an insult, as it was a reference to "their status as subjects of the Son of Heaven (the Chinese Emperor)". Point is, it was applied to them because of its prior, and current, meaning. Namely 1: of, relating to, or suggesting heaven or divinity <celestial beings> and 2: of or relating to the sky or visible heavens <the sun, moon, and stars are celestial bodies>. It didn't originate with them. And given the definition, "relating to, or suggestion heaven or divinity", that sounds like a fitting new name for the Aasimar. Especially since the term 'Celestial' has already existed in D&D, before, and it referenced the beings who were the ancestors of the Aasimar.

 

[Imban]

I don't know, I think that making cool new aasimars (also with different name) could be more worthy, and would leave the kalashtar what they are: a wonderful, unique and original race...

I'm into a very cool thread in Wizards forums about Aasimars and the ideas developed there are different, I suggest it to everyone. "Aasimar. Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love them angels." by Dragoncat

Well, yes, they could answer "how can we make a race supernaturally touched by good cool" by choosing "by making them not supernaturally touched by good". That might be satisfying to some people - heck, it might make me happy if they create a cool enough race in the bargain - but that won't be a replacement for the aasimar in any meaningful way.

 

[DreamChaser]

After all, aren't Kalashtar essentially aasimar? They're a race descended from humans who were infused with the power of good outsiders.

I cannot help but be nitpicky on this....IIRC kalashtar are descended from a group of evil outsiders who happen to be good aligned. This may not matter in 4e but in 3e it is relevant. Quori have the evil descriptor which is something that doesn't go away just because the individual develops a higher morality. All quori (from the current age of Dal Quor) come into existence evil. Taratai and her followers were exceptions that (so far as we can know) developed over time rather than due to nature.

Which begs the question, if there were a spell fine tuned enough to actually detect the quori spirit attached to the kalashtar, wouldn't they detect as evil aligned?

DC

 

[Zamkaizer]

Not to mention Quori hardly look like anything traditionally associated with angels, either fantasy or biblical:

 

[Stone Dog]

Which begs the question, if there were a spell fine tuned enough to actually detect the quori spirit attached to the kalashtar, wouldn't they detect as evil aligned?.

Probably not. Maybe you could have done something like this back in the early days of the race, but these days quori spirits are too diffuse to be a real force. They used to be able to directly speak to the kalashtar in their lineage, but these days there is just a general tendency towards law and goodness.

I'd say that if you could develop a spell that finely tuned you'd also know the exact nature of the evil. Something back in the ancient history of the family, but not important anymore.

 

[Kishin]

I'm not too fond of the word Celestial (it's a egregrious word used to denote the Chinese)

Actually, its a form derived from a Latin word meaning 'sky' or 'heaven'. I'm curious as to where you got this notion.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

I'm using Aasimar as the imperial line in the Shinto-based area of my campaign world, so I'd want a race with overtly heavenly ties left in the core game, but I'd be happy to see Kalashtar breaking out of Eberron and used in other settings. They're my favorite part of Eberron, by far.

 

[Wolfwood2]

I cannot help but be nitpicky on this....IIRC kalashtar are descended from a group of evil outsiders who happen to be good aligned. This may not matter in 4e but in 3e it is relevant. Quori have the evil descriptor which is something that doesn't go away just because the individual develops a higher morality. All quori (from the current age of Dal Quor) come into existence evil. Taratai and her followers were exceptions that (so far as we can know) developed over time rather than due to nature.

Which begs the question, if there were a spell fine tuned enough to actually detect the quori spirit attached to the kalashtar, wouldn't they detect as evil aligned?

DC

You're right... you're being nitpicky. Who cares about "descriptors"? The point is that the connection the kalashtar have with outsiders pushes them towards being good. If being connected to 'evil' outsiders turned good pushed them to be evil then you might have a point, but that's not how it works.

Also, folks shouldn't take the thread title overly literally. I doubt that kalashtar unaltered will be appeared unaltered in a player's handbook as a core race. I do think the design principles behind what makes kalashtar cool could be stolen and used as the building blocks of a new race.

 

[DreamChaser]

Also, folks shouldn't take the thread title overly literally. *snip* I do think the design principles behind what makes kalashtar cool could be stolen and used as the building blocks of a new race.

this I agree with..


the other half...*shrug* the connection to the quori makes the kalashtar hate the Inspired but otherwise love peace. that is a form of good I guess.

DC

 

[Klaus]

I think the origin of 4E's "aasimars" can be quite obvious:

When the dark angel Asmodeus and his Host rose up in rebellion and slew the deity they served, a small percentage of that deity's angels stayed true and fought the rebels. Although defeated, these noble celestials managed to escape before that celestial realm was cast down into the form of the Nine Hells. They took refuge within the mortal forms of devout followers of the deceased deity. From this mingling of mortal flesh and celestial spirit arose the armaitin ("devoted"). Devils have a particular hatred of the armaitin, seeing them as scions of their ancestral foes. It is whispered in some circles that whatever pacts gave birth to the tieflings was intended as a mockery of the armaitin.