Devloping a psion in eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

Devloping a psion in eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
upsilon
11-01-04, 04:11 PM Hello all,

I working on fleshing out my characters background and personality. I'm playing a 1st level Kalashtar psion in an eberron campaign. I've figured out some facets of the character, but i'm looking for more ideas. So far I have the following:

1) Character is neutral good, and wants to help the kalashtar race as a whole by working against the inspired

2) Character is an atheist. His abilities come from himself, and he sees religion as a something that is a crutch for many people. However, he is not militantly opposed to religion as a whole, and he does not attempt to "convert" others to atheism

3) I'm thinking that alot of his motivation will come from his parents - seeing them living as refugees from the inspired has given him the desire to improve the conditions of his people

What i'm trying to do is tie this all together and expand the background and such. Any ideas are welcome. Also, a question I have is this: The eberron book mentions something along the lines that Kalashtar don't follow traditional logic, and they have a way of thinking that is foreign to most humans. I'm not quite sure how I can roleplay that. Any ideas?

Thanks
nihility
11-01-04, 04:31 PM How do you intend to maintain atheism in a world populated by clerics? I mean, it's one thing when the priests can't work miracles on command. If they can, though, then atheism seems to be a bad case of denial or ignorance at best, and insanity at worst.

Perhaps this is tied in with the idea of following an alien logic or way of thinking?
upsilon
11-01-04, 05:13 PM Well, on the whole atheism issue, part of it is racial (the Kalashtar description even states that they tend to follow "the path of light", which if I understand correctly is like a religion without a deity figure). Also, yes, part of it does tie in with having a different way of thinking. I think my character would say that the clerics do not receive power from deities, but rather from themselves through their intense dedication, i.e., the strength of their faith gives them powers. It also seems to me that, unlike most other settings, eberron lends itself well to playing an atheistic/agnostic type character.
Anyway, that's my take on it. Do you think that is reasonable?
nihility
11-01-04, 05:43 PM This seems interesting, and it certainly involves a very different way of looking at the world. I'd run with it. Maybe the character could relate an Eberron version of "Dumbo" to those who insist that clerical magic is proof of divinity; in other words, liken belief in gods to a totem that serves to focus the magic-user's will or power, but is not a source of power in and of itself.
Rathis Darkwielder
11-02-04, 06:56 AM Actually it's pretty reasonable to be an Atheist in Eberron. There's no proof the gods have ever existed (like in Fearun), so you can see religion in Eberron more like the religions we have in the real world. Most people belief in gods, but if an evil cleric of a good diety still recieves his spells, isn't that a bit weird?

For the 'strange logic' part, you could have your character think in a purely scientific way, analysing everything purely on facts. He would always rely on facts for motivations, never allowing emotions to influence his decisions.

Just an idea...
scrollreader
11-02-04, 09:03 AM The 'strange' part of the kalashtar way of thinking is that they are much more 'scientific' than most of Eberron's inhabitants. Not in terms of technology, but in terms of though processes. Kinetics, mass, energy ... these are terms you can use, as suggested by the book. Look for reasons /why/ things work, other than just 'magic' or 'because it always works this way'. For instances. Your char and, say a Human Artificer are both examing a new sword. It's +1, Impact.

Kalashtar "The enhancement increases mass at the end of the swing, without affecting the velocity of the swing, resulting in greater momentum"

Artificer "The Magic makes it hit harder."

Both of you are correct, of course. But the difference, though flavor only, is IMO, one of the keys to understanding the Kalashtar's 'different' mindset. They're not vulcans, and not un-emotional. But they have a slightly different lens on the world, colored by their upbringing, and by the Quori they're linked to. Remember, in some ways (though nothing you can specifically remember details of) a part of your character is millenia old.
nihility
11-02-04, 11:45 AM As a physics grad student, the prospect of trying to create a self-consistent set of physical laws in a world where magic exists seems to me both compelling and awful. On the one hand, what a challenge! On the other hand...

Kinetics, mass, energy: speaking of these is all well and good, but how do you work with them when they are neither conserved individually nor in some combination? Maybe there are hidden conserved quantities... in any case, since magic items don't degrade over time and keep putting out heat/light/whatever, it seems like you would have to greatly rethink thermodynamics; that, or find some creative way for magic items to act as a pump of some sort, with some sort of source being drawn upon. Hmm... ether?

The possibilities are staggering!
upsilon
11-02-04, 11:40 PM wow, thanks for the feedback everyone.
I think my concept is starting to come together a little better.
The character bases his ideas on science and logic. So, it makes sense in eberron that, since there is no logical proof of the existence of the gods, the character doesn't even believe they exist.
Another thought I had on religion - As a psion and particularly as a telepath, the character could be acutely aware of the power of the mind - yet another reason to believe that the power that clerics and such have comes from themselves rather than a divine source.

nihility - I'm a grad student myself in computer science, so i've taken a few physics courses. I'm really liking the ether idea, I think I coud use that to give my character a really logical feel to his personality. It may be a bit tricky to find the right balance of real world physics and game mechanics, but i think it can be done.

I think i'm really going to enjoy this character :)
nihility
11-03-04, 12:47 AM ...For instances. Your char and, say a Human Artificer are both examing a new sword. It's +1, Impact....
You can't put Impact on a slashing weapon, but the example is otherwise good :)
scrollreader
11-03-04, 04:00 AM Doh! 'Swhat I get for looting Magic of Faerun for goodies for my artificer while writing this. It should, of course, be collision.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
upsilon 11-01-04, 04:11 PM	Hello all, I working on fleshing out my characters background and personality. I'm playing a 1st level Kalashtar psion in an eberron campaign. I've figured out some facets of the character, but i'm looking for more ideas. So far I have the following: 1) Character is neutral good, and wants to help the kalashtar race as a whole by working against the inspired 2) Character is an atheist. His abilities come from himself, and he sees religion as a something that is a crutch for many people. However, he is not militantly opposed to religion as a whole, and he does not attempt to "convert" others to atheism 3) I'm thinking that alot of his motivation will come from his parents - seeing them living as refugees from the inspired has given him the desire to improve the conditions of his people What i'm trying to do is tie this all together and expand the background and such. Any ideas are welcome. Also, a question I have is this: The eberron book mentions something along the lines that Kalashtar don't follow traditional logic, and they have a way of thinking that is foreign to most humans. I'm not quite sure how I can roleplay that. Any ideas? Thanks
nihility 11-01-04, 04:31 PM	How do you intend to maintain atheism in a world populated by clerics? I mean, it's one thing when the priests can't work miracles on command. If they can, though, then atheism seems to be a bad case of denial or ignorance at best, and insanity at worst. Perhaps this is tied in with the idea of following an alien logic or way of thinking?
upsilon 11-01-04, 05:13 PM	Well, on the whole atheism issue, part of it is racial (the Kalashtar description even states that they tend to follow "the path of light", which if I understand correctly is like a religion without a deity figure). Also, yes, part of it does tie in with having a different way of thinking. I think my character would say that the clerics do not receive power from deities, but rather from themselves through their intense dedication, i.e., the strength of their faith gives them powers. It also seems to me that, unlike most other settings, eberron lends itself well to playing an atheistic/agnostic type character. Anyway, that's my take on it. Do you think that is reasonable?
nihility 11-01-04, 05:43 PM	This seems interesting, and it certainly involves a very different way of looking at the world. I'd run with it. Maybe the character could relate an Eberron version of "Dumbo" to those who insist that clerical magic is proof of divinity; in other words, liken belief in gods to a totem that serves to focus the magic-user's will or power, but is not a source of power in and of itself.
Rathis Darkwielder 11-02-04, 06:56 AM	Actually it's pretty reasonable to be an Atheist in Eberron. There's no proof the gods have ever existed (like in Fearun), so you can see religion in Eberron more like the religions we have in the real world. Most people belief in gods, but if an evil cleric of a good diety still recieves his spells, isn't that a bit weird? For the 'strange logic' part, you could have your character think in a purely scientific way, analysing everything purely on facts. He would always rely on facts for motivations, never allowing emotions to influence his decisions. Just an idea...
scrollreader 11-02-04, 09:03 AM	The 'strange' part of the kalashtar way of thinking is that they are much more 'scientific' than most of Eberron's inhabitants. Not in terms of technology, but in terms of though processes. Kinetics, mass, energy ... these are terms you can use, as suggested by the book. Look for reasons /why/ things work, other than just 'magic' or 'because it always works this way'. For instances. Your char and, say a Human Artificer are both examing a new sword. It's +1, Impact. Kalashtar "The enhancement increases mass at the end of the swing, without affecting the velocity of the swing, resulting in greater momentum" Artificer "The Magic makes it hit harder." Both of you are correct, of course. But the difference, though flavor only, is IMO, one of the keys to understanding the Kalashtar's 'different' mindset. They're not vulcans, and not un-emotional. But they have a slightly different lens on the world, colored by their upbringing, and by the Quori they're linked to. Remember, in some ways (though nothing you can specifically remember details of) a part of your character is millenia old.
nihility 11-02-04, 11:45 AM	As a physics grad student, the prospect of trying to create a self-consistent set of physical laws in a world where magic exists seems to me both compelling and awful. On the one hand, what a challenge! On the other hand... Kinetics, mass, energy: speaking of these is all well and good, but how do you work with them when they are neither conserved individually nor in some combination? Maybe there are hidden conserved quantities... in any case, since magic items don't degrade over time and keep putting out heat/light/whatever, it seems like you would have to greatly rethink thermodynamics; that, or find some creative way for magic items to act as a pump of some sort, with some sort of source being drawn upon. Hmm... ether? The possibilities are staggering!
upsilon 11-02-04, 11:40 PM	wow, thanks for the feedback everyone. I think my concept is starting to come together a little better. The character bases his ideas on science and logic. So, it makes sense in eberron that, since there is no logical proof of the existence of the gods, the character doesn't even believe they exist. Another thought I had on religion - As a psion and particularly as a telepath, the character could be acutely aware of the power of the mind - yet another reason to believe that the power that clerics and such have comes from themselves rather than a divine source. nihility - I'm a grad student myself in computer science, so i've taken a few physics courses. I'm really liking the ether idea, I think I coud use that to give my character a really logical feel to his personality. It may be a bit tricky to find the right balance of real world physics and game mechanics, but i think it can be done. I think i'm really going to enjoy this character :)
nihility 11-03-04, 12:47 AM	...For instances. Your char and, say a Human Artificer are both examing a new sword. It's +1, Impact.... You can't put Impact on a slashing weapon, but the example is otherwise good :)
scrollreader 11-03-04, 04:00 AM	Doh! 'Swhat I get for looting Magic of Faerun for goodies for my artificer while writing this. It should, of course, be collision.