Ideias for Kalashtar Madness - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Ideias for Kalashtar Madness

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
wulfgars
Mar 21, 2011 9:42:39 Hi.
I think I read somewhere that Kalashtar´s due to their nature , had a tendency to sometimes "get a kind of madness disease" either while awake and/or during their sleep, is this right!?
If so , anyone has ideias on how to pass this unto a new campaign i´m starting from level 1 , and in wich I have a PC Kalashtar?!
Thanx in advance.
#2
wulfgars
Apr 27, 2011 4:31:19 Any thoughts anyone?!
#3
bofdm
Apr 27, 2011 10:42:23 New to the boards, but a longtime fan of Eberron.
"The definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different result."
If your Kalashtar PC is okay with displaying such tendencies, then there are a number of resources at your disposal. Looking up mental illnesses is one, but there are many examples in popular culture and movies to draw on as well.
Kalashtar are often conflicted between their two spirits, human and Quori. They don't experience a normal childhood, most Kalashtar are born with the maturity of full grown adults. They understand what they are, and that they are being hunted by the Dreaming Dark.
An example of a "madness disease" could be sculpting. (Taken from Close Encounters of the Third Kind) During a meal the Kalashtar starts shaping his mashed potatoes into something he can remember just barely, from his quori spirit. By the time the dinner conversation stops and the eyes of the patrons are on the Kalashtar who has built an ancient device that the Quori are construcing deep within the realm of dreams. They could draw symbols in Quor on random objects as they fade in and out of consciousness.
The Kalashtar him/herself may not even realize its significance.

A sleeping kalashtar might do some sort of repeated action over the course of a night, like rearrange his belongings, play some sort of game (cards, marbles, something that can be portable), trace the lines of a wooden floor all night. If this behavior is disturbed it could effectively interrupt their rest.

Phobias are a nice touch to indicate madness. Suddenly flipping out at a specific type of trigger could be a manifestation of this "madness".

Hope this helps a bit.
#4
wulfgars
Apr 27, 2011 12:03:56 Thanx for the tips.
#5
jhanzur
Apr 27, 2011 16:17:03 I would caution that those things have the potential to frustrate the player if they aren't there for a reason. Kalashtar Madness should be used as a plot hook. Maybe the Quori spirit inhabiting the PC is also inhabiting somone else key to the plot, and from time to time, he drops into conversation with an unseen person, giving the group clues that could prove valuable to what they're currently doing.

The things Bofdm suggests are good to suggest to the player, but as the DM I don't think you should be dictating a player's actions and mannerisms that much.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 wulfgars Mar 21, 2011 9:42:39	Hi. I think I read somewhere that Kalashtar´s due to their nature , had a tendency to sometimes "get a kind of madness disease" either while awake and/or during their sleep, is this right!? If so , anyone has ideias on how to pass this unto a new campaign i´m starting from level 1 , and in wich I have a PC Kalashtar?! Thanx in advance.
#2 wulfgars Apr 27, 2011 4:31:19	Any thoughts anyone?!
#3 bofdm Apr 27, 2011 10:42:23	New to the boards, but a longtime fan of Eberron. "The definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different result." If your Kalashtar PC is okay with displaying such tendencies, then there are a number of resources at your disposal. Looking up mental illnesses is one, but there are many examples in popular culture and movies to draw on as well. Kalashtar are often conflicted between their two spirits, human and Quori. They don't experience a normal childhood, most Kalashtar are born with the maturity of full grown adults. They understand what they are, and that they are being hunted by the Dreaming Dark. An example of a "madness disease" could be sculpting. (Taken from Close Encounters of the Third Kind) During a meal the Kalashtar starts shaping his mashed potatoes into something he can remember just barely, from his quori spirit. By the time the dinner conversation stops and the eyes of the patrons are on the Kalashtar who has built an ancient device that the Quori are construcing deep within the realm of dreams. They could draw symbols in Quor on random objects as they fade in and out of consciousness. The Kalashtar him/herself may not even realize its significance. A sleeping kalashtar might do some sort of repeated action over the course of a night, like rearrange his belongings, play some sort of game (cards, marbles, something that can be portable), trace the lines of a wooden floor all night. If this behavior is disturbed it could effectively interrupt their rest. Phobias are a nice touch to indicate madness. Suddenly flipping out at a specific type of trigger could be a manifestation of this "madness". Hope this helps a bit.
#4 wulfgars Apr 27, 2011 12:03:56	Thanx for the tips.
#5 jhanzur Apr 27, 2011 16:17:03	I would caution that those things have the potential to frustrate the player if they aren't there for a reason. Kalashtar Madness should be used as a plot hook. Maybe the Quori spirit inhabiting the PC is also inhabiting somone else key to the plot, and from time to time, he drops into conversation with an unseen person, giving the group clues that could prove valuable to what they're currently doing. The things Bofdm suggests are good to suggest to the player, but as the DM I don't think you should be dictating a player's actions and mannerisms that much.