KALASHTAR

The kalashtar are a compound race: incorporeal entities from the alien demiplane of Dal Quor (located in the Dimension of Dreams), merged with half-elven bodies and spirits to form a distinct species. They were once a minority among the quori, the native race of Dal Quor, hunted and persecuted for their religious beliefs. Long after their connection to the Material Plane was severed, the quori rebels who would become the kalashtar discovered a means to reach it once more. Fleeing persecution, they transformed into psychic projections that allowed them to enter the Material Plane and permanently merge in a willing partnership with half-elven monks from Adar. Generations later, the the original sixty-seven quori spirits now live in the communal subconscious of their physical descendents.

It took generations for the other quori to discover a similar means to psychically project their spirits out of Dal Quor to possess human bodies—forming The Inspired—while leaving their own bodies behind. For centuries now, The Inspired in their vast kingdom of Riedra have continued to persecute and oppress the kalashtar.

Personality: As a true merge of humanoid hosts and quori spirits, the kalashtar possess keen intellects, but are not ruled by logic. They seek the perfection of their minds and spirits, often to the exclusion of any physical pursuits. They are generally warm and compassionate, but their manners and ways of thinking are often alien to the Material Plane races.

The kalashtar are outcasts from their home plane and can never return there—not even in dream. The combination of life in exile and a dreamless existence makes the kalashtar slightly inclined toward madness, and some have speculated that the kalashtar devote themselves to psychic and physical discipline in order to keep themselves safely sane.

Physical Description: The kalashtar appear superficially similar to Vudrani or Varisian humans, but have an elven grace and elegance that makes them appear almost too beautiful. They are slightly taller than the average human, and their faces have a slight angularity that sets them apart from the human norm, but their deviation from average only makes them seem more attractive.

Alignment: The kalashtar are generally lawful good. They combine a sense of self-discipline that borders on the ascetic with a genuine concern for the welfare of all living things, or at least their souls.

Religion: The kalashtar do not typically follow gods, but have their own religion called the Path of Light. The center of this belief system is a universal force of positive energy the kalashtar call il-Yannah, or “the Great Light.” Through meditation and communion with this force, the kalashtar seek to strengthen their bodies and minds for the struggle against the forces of darkness that threaten all life. Though il-Yannah is not a deity, a few clerics draw power from the Path of Light. A greater number of devout followers of the Path are psions and psychic warriors.

Language: The kalashtar speak Quor, the language of the quori, and the common tongue of their homeland (usually Common). Quor is a hissing, guttural tongue more suited to the alien forms of the quori than their humanoid hosts. It has its own written form, a flowing, elegant script with many circular letters.

Names: Kalashtar names have much in common with the name of their people: they are three to five syllables long, with a combination of hard and hissing consonants. Male names end with one of the masculine name suffixes -harath, -khad, -melk, or -tash. Female names use the feminine suffixes -kashtai, -shana, -tari, or -vakri.

Male Names: Halkhad, Kanatash, Lanamelk, Minharath, Nevitash, Parmelk, Thakakhad, Thinharath.

Female Names: Ganitari, Khashana, Lakashtari, Mevakri, Novakri, Panitari, Thakashtai, Thatari.

Racial Abilities

Dual Spirit: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting spells and effects, and possession: The kalashtar’s dual spirits help them resist spells that target their minds.

+2 racial bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks: The kalashtar are masters of social interaction, influencing others through their commanding presence and subtle psychic powers.

+2 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to impersonate a human: Kalashtar have a close physical resemblance to humans.

Dreamless: Immunity to the dream and nightmare spells, as well as any other effect that relies on the character dreaming: The kalashtar do not dream.

Naturally Psionic: Kalashtar gain 1 extra power point per character level, regardless of whether they choose a psionic class.

Psi-like Abilities: Mindlink (1/day). This ability is like the power manifested by a wilder of 1/2 the kalashtar’s Hit Dice (minimum 1st level).

Automatic Languages: Common and Quor. Bonus Languages: Draconic and Riedran.