D&D: Dreams Of Hope Incarnate – The Kalashtar Of Eberron
The Kalashtar are a race of spirits who fled the Nightmarish spirits that dominate the realm of Dreams. Taking up residence in human hosts, they work together to change the nature of one of the farthest flung planes out there.
The Kalashtar of Eberron are incredibly cool. Each Kalashtar comprises two different beings–the Quori, a race of renegade/refugee spirits fleeing the plane of Dreams, and good ol’ bonus feat having humanity. From these two disparate entities comes the compound race known as the Kalashtar. Sometimes otherworldly and wise, these are creatures hunted by Nightmares, sometimes shunned as outsiders by the fearful, the Kalashtar have a difficult time finding a place in the world.
But. There’s a whole lot you can pull from when playing one of these races. You might be a Kalashtari who’s the descendant of a long line of humans who bonded with one of the eternal spirits thousands of years ago, inheriting memories and power from the long roll of history–or you could be a relatively new Kalashtar, who has bonded with a dreaming spirit desperate for a place to hide while under pursuit by the Dal Quor.
When you play one of these creatures, not only do you get some minor psychic abilities, you also get some backstory/hooks built right into your race. Are you mostly human and know who you are–or does the Quori reign dominant over your personality? How symbiotic are you? Is there a conversation between human and spirit? Or is it all mostly mythical/metaphorical? How do you feel about the nightmares that are chasing you?
Because every Kalashtar is hunted by a force known as the Dreaming Dark. This is a manifestation of the Dal Quor and their dark powers. The nightmares from the plane of dreams want to reshape Eberron in their own nightmarish image. That’s where the alien sort of biotech abominations come from–including the living weapons and armors that have been a gruesome feature of previous incarnations of Eberron. Does your character fight these monsters? Do you even know anything about them?
Now it’s not all just backstory, being a Kalashtar. You get all manner of abilities. To start with, Kalashtar get a boost to Wisdom and Charisma as well as a score of their choice, and have some defensive characteristics that arise from having a dual mind/Kalashtar spirit inhabiting your body. These include Dual Mind and Mental Discipline which give you advantage on Wisdom saves as a reaction and passive resistance to psychic damage.
More active features like Mind Link let you manifest your psychic talents. You can speak telepathically to a creature, or with it, if you choose the ability for it to speak back–then Severed Dreams protects you from dreams and nightmares, while Psychic Glamour makes you one of the best faces–you can have advantage on Insight, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion, depending on what you pick. At any rate, that’s the Kalashtar of Eberron, which brings us to the end of the races you’ll find inside the Wayfinder’s Guide to Eberron. Be sure and check back soon to get a look at the new Races of Ravnica.
Happy Adventuring!
