| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 14 Jun 2020 : 10:45:47
So, I've noted here that lately I had been playing a kercpa (Rakiki), and I'll be damned if he wasn't one of my funnest characters. I've also been doing 3d models for fun (also, as I'm sure most here are aware). What I had not figured on was the interest that some of the models that I made would generate. Honestly, some of the stuff I've written here about my United Tharchs was just me spamming ideas, and other than Seethyr and a few others, most people weren't showing interest. However, I've gotten several requests (less than a dozen mind you) to modify my parrot/toucan/cockatoo/peacock aarakocras, my Shatjan (moose head minotaurs), and my kercpa. It honestly tickles me to do more kercpa only because I fell in love with my own character (who has... without my DM even knowing mind you as background... used some of the stuff that Seethyr and I have thrown about). Also, of all the "likes" I get, the majority are my various centaur forms, etc..
Anyway, this got me wondering, are these odd animal humanoid races something that a lot of people are playing instead of the standard races in the PHB, etc...? I wouldn't be surprised mind you, but I am curious. One guy just asked me to remodel one of my models, and months ago, I would have told him I didn't know how, but I'm feeling a little more trained now, and thinking I may go back and see what I can do with my own models. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Diffan |
Posted - 18 Jun 2020 : 04:50:53
1. The only "lore" that is lengthy for Aasimar is possibly Planescape and that's not really Realms related. Aasimar in 3e/3.5 got a tiny bit of info from Races of Destiny and they were called Deva in 4E.
2. This Aasimar/Deva blurb about them in the Realms isn't contradictory to what's been published in any of the 5E Canon for the Realms. So I really don't see the big issue here.
3. I'm glad there's some variation of Aasimar/Deva for players to choose from. Options are FAR easier to ignore or tweak than writing everything from scratch, which usually falls into broken land (bei either too weak or too powerful).
|
| BrennonGoldeye |
Posted - 17 Jun 2020 : 20:37:09
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
Yes, three sub-tyles of Aasimar exist. They're detailed in Volo's Guide to Monsters I believe. The usual sub-type is Protector, followed by Scourge and lastly Fallen.
EDIT: as for the bonding ritual,I haven't read that anywhere in either Volo's Guide or Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. This is what it says about Scourge Aasimar: "Scourge aasimar are imbued with a divine energy that blazes intensely within them. It feeds a powerful desire to destroy evil-a desire that is, at its best, unflinching and, at its worst, all-consuming. Many scourge aasimar wear masks to block out the world and focus on containipng this power, unmasking themselves only in battle."
I think I'm going to  .... we have to get these people out of power at WotC. Star Wars has now nerfed itself into irrelevance, I can't take another loss like that! Save the Aasimar! |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 17 Jun 2020 : 13:09:45
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
EDIT: I will say, the weird bonding ritual /is/ how the Eberron setting's kalashtar came to be originally, though that was hundreds of years ago and now they're essentially just a unique near-human ancestry.
Never used it, but I will say that that society was always intriguing to me from Eberron. I never had anyone who wanted to play an Eberron game, but a lot of the base concepts are pretty intriguing if you cut through some of the clutter.
Fun note: in canon, the first kalashtar was a trans woman!
Did they give more details about that? Given that the Kalashtar are given to insanity in canon, that can either be taken from one end of the spectrum to the other (please understand I mean that from a neutral perspective). Some might see it that the Qori took advantage over a person already having issues. Others might see it that it was the strength of truly understanding herself that enabled her to take on another personality and not go insane. The story could be interesting.
In some ways, the idea of the Kalashtar and the concept of the Tome of Magic Binder can be fairly similar (though the Qori may have a lot more control). For that matter, the idea of the spirit shaman as well could fit within this mixed concept. I've never played any of these in a game, but I think they'd be really fun roleplaying schticks. I was trying to make up a character that was a dwarf version of wizard and binder/warlock for 5e at one point, and I adapted some rules I made up for vremyonni in which they can summon an ancestor spirit (telthor) to animate a weapon or suit of armor as their familiar. The idea would be that he would be walking around talking to his dead dad while adventuring, and when his dad "dies" he resummons him as a familiar again. I think I got to play him all of twice before the campaign changed, but I had written up all kinds of story for him in hopes it would go somewhere.
I’m not sure I’ve seen any reference to kalashtar insanity in canon, and your implication that a trans person might be insane to some degree has my hackles up. It’s just not necessary.
The kalashtar race entirely descend from a willing order of Goodly human monks accepting the Quori spirits into their bodies to offer them refuge. These spirits were then diffused; it’s less possession and more of a spiritual bloodline instinct towards certain beliefs.
It seems your hackles rise very easily, but I find you come up with good ideas. I just hope you can be open to things because I like hearing your ideas, but it seems you go defensive anytime someone says something that doesn't exactly match up to your message.
The insanity reference come from here. The Kalashtar are known to fight off insanity, and maybe only someone who has "delved the depths of themselves" are able to take on yet another soul without it leading to insanity.
https://eberron.fandom.com/wiki/Kalashtar
Kalashtar fleeing and hiding from the Dreaming Dark are cautious of others, though they remain invaribaly polite, kind, and even compassionate. Kalashtar are unable to merge their human half's sensitivity with the strange and wild visions and memories of their quori souls. Beneath their serene makeup, kalashtar are at conflict within themselves, struggling to fend off insanity. At times they begin to lose that struggle, displaying confusing and sometimes dangerous behavior.
I'm pretty certain that there's more in the official products, but honestly its been more than ten years since I read that stuff. I know that they came out with a new version for 5e, and I have it, but I haven't read through it yet. The idea that I got for that continent was it was supposed to be a place that SEEMS good and healthy, but there's an "eerie calm" that belies a danger. I also got the idea that perhaps some of the Qori may have been less than noble (that I can't back up easily... its a gut feel based on readings I did maybe 15 years ago). Still, I was always intrigued by the ideas of that section of Eberron.
BTW: On the subject of … I guess the word is sexual identity?... I actually was thinking of you when I reread my stuff about Lorey Hisstory (the sai that's intelligent with a personality). One of the things I noted there is that he's not a single "entity" that has been awakened inside an item, but rather somehow a "new" personality composited from the memories of multiple beings. Despite all of this, he "feels" male, and even knows love, even if he knows he can never truly attain it in an organic nature like what he "remembers". Now, I wrote all that maybe 8 years back, so it was before I knew the majority of the people here. Still, I think it stands to the test o time.... and oddly, though he's an NPC, he fits this thread (even though he's an item, not a "race"... he is something that I roleplay). |
| keftiu |
Posted - 17 Jun 2020 : 08:25:41
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
EDIT: I will say, the weird bonding ritual /is/ how the Eberron setting's kalashtar came to be originally, though that was hundreds of years ago and now they're essentially just a unique near-human ancestry.
Never used it, but I will say that that society was always intriguing to me from Eberron. I never had anyone who wanted to play an Eberron game, but a lot of the base concepts are pretty intriguing if you cut through some of the clutter.
Fun note: in canon, the first kalashtar was a trans woman!
Did they give more details about that? Given that the Kalashtar are given to insanity in canon, that can either be taken from one end of the spectrum to the other (please understand I mean that from a neutral perspective). Some might see it that the Qori took advantage over a person already having issues. Others might see it that it was the strength of truly understanding herself that enabled her to take on another personality and not go insane. The story could be interesting.
In some ways, the idea of the Kalashtar and the concept of the Tome of Magic Binder can be fairly similar (though the Qori may have a lot more control). For that matter, the idea of the spirit shaman as well could fit within this mixed concept. I've never played any of these in a game, but I think they'd be really fun roleplaying schticks. I was trying to make up a character that was a dwarf version of wizard and binder/warlock for 5e at one point, and I adapted some rules I made up for vremyonni in which they can summon an ancestor spirit (telthor) to animate a weapon or suit of armor as their familiar. The idea would be that he would be walking around talking to his dead dad while adventuring, and when his dad "dies" he resummons him as a familiar again. I think I got to play him all of twice before the campaign changed, but I had written up all kinds of story for him in hopes it would go somewhere.
I’m not sure I’ve seen any reference to kalashtar insanity in canon, and your implication that a trans person might be insane to some degree has my hackles up. It’s just not necessary.
The kalashtar race entirely descend from a willing order of Goodly human monks accepting the Quori spirits into their bodies to offer them refuge. These spirits were then diffused; it’s less possession and more of a spiritual bloodline instinct towards certain beliefs. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 17 Jun 2020 : 08:02:34
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
EDIT: I will say, the weird bonding ritual /is/ how the Eberron setting's kalashtar came to be originally, though that was hundreds of years ago and now they're essentially just a unique near-human ancestry.
Never used it, but I will say that that society was always intriguing to me from Eberron. I never had anyone who wanted to play an Eberron game, but a lot of the base concepts are pretty intriguing if you cut through some of the clutter.
Fun note: in canon, the first kalashtar was a trans woman!
Did they give more details about that? Given that the Kalashtar are given to insanity in canon, that can either be taken from one end of the spectrum to the other (please understand I mean that from a neutral perspective). Some might see it that the Qori took advantage over a person already having issues. Others might see it that it was the strength of truly understanding herself that enabled her to take on another personality and not go insane. The story could be interesting.
In some ways, the idea of the Kalashtar and the concept of the Tome of Magic Binder can be fairly similar (though the Qori may have a lot more control). For that matter, the idea of the spirit shaman as well could fit within this mixed concept. I've never played any of these in a game, but I think they'd be really fun roleplaying schticks. I was trying to make up a character that was a dwarf version of wizard and binder/warlock for 5e at one point, and I adapted some rules I made up for vremyonni in which they can summon an ancestor spirit (telthor) to animate a weapon or suit of armor as their familiar. The idea would be that he would be walking around talking to his dead dad while adventuring, and when his dad "dies" he resummons him as a familiar again. I think I got to play him all of twice before the campaign changed, but I had written up all kinds of story for him in hopes it would go somewhere. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 17 Jun 2020 : 07:42:32
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
Ah, so they did the same thing with aasimar that 4E did with tieflings?
Needless to say, that does not work for me. I prefer my planetouched to be the 2E/3E versions.
Upon reflection, I've decided I do like the idea of the planar ancestor being some sort of mentor spirit -- but only on an individual basis, and not for all planetouched. Maybe this aasimar has no idea who his ancestor was and has never heard from him/her/whatever, but that tiefling does occasionally get visions from great-great-great-great-great-great-great-Gramps -- not that he wants them, but he gets them. Maybe even some genasi, too, depending on their heritage.
Could be a lot of fun, particularly if the ancestor has a very different alignment. My tiefling example above, for instance, could be a very devout servant of a good deity -- and really, really dislikes the constant attention from his fiendish ancestor.
That's a good point. Roleplaying potential is very much there for someone to develop. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 16 Jun 2020 : 22:26:08
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
Ah, so they did the same thing with aasimar that 4E did with tieflings?
Needless to say, that does not work for me. I prefer my planetouched to be the 2E/3E versions.
Upon reflection, I've decided I do like the idea of the planar ancestor being some sort of mentor spirit -- but only on an individual basis, and not for all planetouched. Maybe this aasimar has no idea who his ancestor was and has never heard from him/her/whatever, but that tiefling does occasionally get visions from great-great-great-great-great-great-great-Gramps -- not that he wants them, but he gets them. Maybe even some genasi, too, depending on their heritage.
Could be a lot of fun, particularly if the ancestor has a very different alignment. My tiefling example above, for instance, could be a very devout servant of a good deity -- and really, really dislikes the constant attention from his fiendish ancestor. |
| keftiu |
Posted - 16 Jun 2020 : 21:49:38
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
EDIT: I will say, the weird bonding ritual /is/ how the Eberron setting's kalashtar came to be originally, though that was hundreds of years ago and now they're essentially just a unique near-human ancestry.
Never used it, but I will say that that society was always intriguing to me from Eberron. I never had anyone who wanted to play an Eberron game, but a lot of the base concepts are pretty intriguing if you cut through some of the clutter.
Fun note: in canon, the first kalashtar was a trans woman! |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 16 Jun 2020 : 14:10:50
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
EDIT: I will say, the weird bonding ritual /is/ how the Eberron setting's kalashtar came to be originally, though that was hundreds of years ago and now they're essentially just a unique near-human ancestry.
Never used it, but I will say that that society was always intriguing to me from Eberron. I never had anyone who wanted to play an Eberron game, but a lot of the base concepts are pretty intriguing if you cut through some of the clutter. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 16 Jun 2020 : 12:20:11
quote:
Originally posted by keftiu
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
Ah, so they did the same thing with aasimar that 4E did with tieflings?
Needless to say, that does not work for me. I prefer my planetouched to be the 2E/3E versions. |
| keftiu |
Posted - 16 Jun 2020 : 08:37:48
Aasimar got a very strange new lore twist with 5e, in that now all of them are tied to a specific, individual celestial, who acts as a sort of mentor/guiding spirit figure to them, appearing in dreams and visions. Not sure they needed it, personally.
EDIT: I will say, the weird bonding ritual /is/ how the Eberron setting's kalashtar came to be originally, though that was hundreds of years ago and now they're essentially just a unique near-human ancestry. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 22:09:50
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
Yes, three sub-tyles of Aasimar exist. They're detailed in Volo's Guide to Monsters I believe. The usual sub-type is Protector, followed by Scourge and lastly Fallen.
EDIT: as for the bonding ritual,I haven't read that anywhere in either Volo's Guide or Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. This is what it says about Scourge Aasimar: "Scourge aasimar are imbued with a divine energy that blazes intensely within them. It feeds a powerful desire to destroy evil-a desire that is, at its best, unflinching and, at its worst, all-consuming. Many scourge aasimar wear masks to block out the world and focus on containipng this power, unmasking themselves only in battle."
That is considerably more reasonable. I still need to get that second sourcebook, myself. |
| Diffan |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 21:43:47
Yes, three sub-tyles of Aasimar exist. They're detailed in Volo's Guide to Monsters I believe. The usual sub-type is Protector, followed by Scourge and lastly Fallen.
EDIT: as for the bonding ritual,I haven't read that anywhere in either Volo's Guide or Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. This is what it says about Scourge Aasimar: "Scourge aasimar are imbued with a divine energy that blazes intensely within them. It feeds a powerful desire to destroy evil-a desire that is, at its best, unflinching and, at its worst, all-consuming. Many scourge aasimar wear masks to block out the world and focus on containipng this power, unmasking themselves only in battle." |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 21:39:53
quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
Yes clearly appears 5th.
a search site offers quote:
Scourge aasimar result from a ritualistic bond with celestial archons. The new dual-souled children are imbued with an unstable divine energy that blazes intensely within them. It feeds a powerful desire to destroy evil- a desire that is, at best, unflinching and, at its worst, all-consuming.
What the smurf? So these aasimar come from bonding a celestial and a child? In what version of the "good" alignment is the ritual creation of child soldiers not a bad thing? |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 19:56:12
Yes clearly appears 5th.
a search site offers quote:
Scourge aasimar result from a ritualistic bond with celestial archons. The new dual-souled children are imbued with an unstable divine energy that blazes intensely within them. It feeds a powerful desire to destroy evil- a desire that is, at best, unflinching and, at its worst, all-consuming.
|
| sleyvas |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 16:38:27
Scourge Aasimar?? Maybe there were sub races on the aasimar in 5e and I hadn't noticed? Just wondering. |
| maransreth |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 06:51:16
I will be DMing my three children when time permits and we will be playing 5e for simplicity. They have chosen the following races:
* Tabaxi (but with 9 tails, similar to a hengoyakai)
* Gold Dragonborn
* Scourge Aasimar
When they had looked at the races a year or so ago their choices were:
* Air Genasi
* Gold Dragonborn
* Tiefling
|
| Diffan |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 06:38:55
Well we're resuming our weekly 5th edition campaign where I'm playing an 8th level Air Genasi Fighter. The Archetype is Warlord but it's lacking a certain something that I miss with 4e. So I found this Warlord class that seems like a lot of fun and definitely more my flavor so I floated that concept to the DM for approval. *Fingers crossed*.
If, in the event the Air Genasi dies, I'm now split between playing a human Fighter (Renegade Archetype from the newly released Dark Tides of Bildgewater supplement) OR an Aasimar Paladin of Amaunator.
The first one is a style of class that I REALLY wanna do because I've never played a character with a firearm and the Renegade lets you have a Sniper Rifle of a sorts. PLUS it allows me to play a style similar to my favorite video game character currently (an awesome female soldier named Bangalore [aka Anita Williams] from Apex Legends). The Archetype let's you get a smoke grenade and you can barrage people with gunfire. It will likely be the first time I play a female character too, the daughter of the recently slain Sheriff of Bryn Shander - Markham Southwell.
The Aasimar Paladin of Amaunator is quite a crusading zealot and has no fear charging headlong into battle. Played in part as a homage to the angel Imperius of Diablo, he wields a glaive and burns his enemies with an Oath of Vengeance. |
| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 15 Jun 2020 : 00:28:57
I don't play, per se, but I did have a lot of fun coming up with a team up of two lycanthropes: a werefox (good aligned) and a werebison. She was raised by her mother in Cormanthyr but headed west upon maturity to get away from her mother and live a life that felt right to her. The werebison actually used to be a more neutrally-aligned Zhentarim soldier from the Darkhold. He finally got fed up with what he was participating in and left. He was finally hunted down in the prairie south of the Hill of Lost Souls and was able to kill all of the men sent to get him but he was critically wounded as well. The Great White Bison found him and turned him into a werebison to save his life (he became good at that point). The two ended up meeting and fell in love (he is immune to her charm). They use their abilities to fight the Zhents in the Far Hills. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 14 Jun 2020 : 17:15:48
Right now I'm just playing a standard dwarf... But the character I had the most fun with, in 2E, was my oft-mentioned minotaur.
If my Pathfinder group ever gets back together, I want to play a nkosi. It's a Southlands race from Midgard: cat-like humanoids who can turn into lions. Or, if we play Starfinder, one of the characters I want to play is a ysoki (ratfolk) mechanic. |
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