Eberron needs the Thri-kreen

[TavernTails]

We batted this around a bit on last night's TavernTails twitch stream. To round out the Xen'drik flavor in Stormreach and the Menechtarun Desert, it would be great to add Thri-Kreen to DDO. The Thri-Kreen are mantis-like humanoids known for their psionic abilities and combat skills with four arms. They once lived where Stormreach now stands, and evidence of their civilization is in the underground sections of giant ruins. They are hunters who revere nature, led by druid spiritual leaders, and form close bonds within their group, avoiding trust outside it.

This race always comes up whenever I read about Stormreach outside of DDO. I realize psionics has been one of those areas where development has been reluctant to go for player characters, but as a NPC race could be a great way to at least acknowledge it further. In 5e, their psionic skills are blur, invisibility, magic weapon... all abilities already in the game. Plus, they would look cool (and dangerous) using multiple attacks from their four arms.

And as druid guides, they'd be a great gateway into further jungle adventures. So, let's get these guys into Stormreach!

**EDITED FOR CLARIFICATION: I was referring to Thri-Kreen as a monster or NPC and NOT as a playable race. Lots more options there, IMO.**

 

[Dandonk]

Go Team Bugs!

 

[woq]

Gotta love bugs, and there is a glaring lack of sapient bugs in DDO. Thri-Kreen would be very welcome and fitting.

Speaking of bugs while Thri-Kreen are more at home in Eberron, I also have a soft spot for Formians. They'd give room for cool challenge fights and would be a lovely addition to diversify the lineup of DDO monsters.

 

[Ying]

"Bugs are great for killing, and stew". --Team Kobold

 

[glass_jaws]

First thri-kreen, next....

 

[rabidfox]

First thri-kreen, next....

"I'm doing my part" <squish>

 

[DBZ]

GENAASI

 

[Aelonwy]

Again this is a race I have no desire to play but I hope other players get to enjoy it.

 

[glass_jaws]

"I'm doing my part" <squish>

Would you like to know more?

 

[Urklore]

I would love to see this as the Thri-Kreen are also at home in Eberron besides Athas. A small number of thri-kreen live under Stormreach. More are said to live in the Menechtarun desert of western Xen'drik.

 

[woq]

Again this is a race I have no desire to play but I hope other players get to enjoy it.

I thought they meant as opponents? I wouldn't be opposed to this as a playable race but I'd be far more inclined to accept them as opponents or neutral npc's in quests.

 

[Zvdegor]

Thri-kreens are already in DDO... as trophy

 

[Lagin]

IMO Thri-Kreens are not a good choice if Psionics is your target. Kalashtar is the best race (for DDO) and psionics. AND they're also part of Eberron canon.

 

[Vox]

Darksun expansion please

 

[PurpleSerpent]

IMO Thri-Kreens are not a good choice if Psionics is your target. Kalashtar is the best race (for DDO) and psionics. AND they're also part of Eberron canon.

Realistically speaking, if Psionics ever end up in DDO it is probably only going to be as a Universal Enhancement Tree which loosely adapts the concept to fit with the existing spellcasting system. DDO was simply not built to include Psionics as written in the main game.

(If I'm honest, given how hilariously unbalanced the official rules for them have been over the years, I feel like mainline Dungeons and Dragons isn't really built to include Psionics either. Wizards of the Coast seems to agree with me, if the fact 5E's Psionic rules never left Unearthed Arcana is anything to go by.)

It would be cool to see both Thri-kreens and Kalashtar added into the game in future expansions, along with fellow missing Eberron race Changeling. I doubt that's going to happen very soon, however. None of those races seem like particularly good fits for Myth Drannor, and if SSG keeps up the content release model it's been running with since 2021, 2025's release is going to be a mini-expansion, which probably won't include a new race.

(That said, I'm not sure what would be a good fit for Myth Drannor that isn't already in the game, so maybe SSG will surprise us.)

Darksun expansion please

As to this, I'm afraid this is almost certainly never going to happen, since Wizards of the Coast have previously made announcements to the effect that they no longer intend to publish official content for the Dark Sun setting as they're uncomfortable with some of its major themes, and if they're not willing to sell sourcebooks on it I highly doubt they're prepared to sell the adaptation rights either.

 

[Pandjed]

I think Dromites would make more sense before Thri-Kreen in the context of DDO. Also a insect-based race, but more humanoid as a model, which would be easier to handle than adding four arms (we remember the problems with the Tiefling's tail), and they would greatly tie in a Dreaming Dark-based expansion with Dal Qat as a focus.

(If I'm honest, given how hilariously unbalanced the official rules for them have been over the years, I feel like mainline Dungeons and Dragons isn't really built to include Psionics either. Wizards of the Coast seems to agree with me, if the fact 5E's Psionic rules never left Unearthed Arcana is anything to go by.)

The rules are in the Monster Manual, called "Innate Spellcasting (Psionics)", it's just the Mystic class that never got released, because the class was too wide in its design approach, so most of the basic ideas were simplified and added as subclasses of other class and spells, which can all be found in Tasha's Cauldron for Everything. Also, adding a complex subsystem (aside spellcasting) in 5e would probably a bad idea, which also disqualified the mystic.
Building a psion class wouldn't be so hard though, would probably make it use of the Psionic Power dice mechanic of the psionic subclasses in addition to use normal casting rules and a appropriate spell list with some unique spells, but WotC have... other plans.

 

[TavernTails]

I thought they meant as opponents? I wouldn't be opposed to this as a playable race but I'd be far more inclined to accept them as opponents or neutral npc's in quests.

Absolutely NPCs. I think they would be super hard (if not almost impossible under current constraints) to introduce as a playable race.

 

[TavernTails]

Thri-kreens are already in DDO... as trophy

We were JUST pointing this out on stream!

 

[PurpleSerpent]

Also, adding a complex subsystem (aside spellcasting) in 5e would probably a bad idea, which also disqualified the mystic.

This is more what I'm talking about. Past versions of Psionics used an entirely seperate spell system to typical spellcasting, which created all sorts of interaction nightmares considering how poorly those rules generally intersected with the rest of the game. 5E's interpretation of Psionics largely splits it down the middle between modelling it using the standard spellcasting system with a couple of tweaks, and using inherent abilities (in a monster's statblock or a class or race's bonuses.)

In this sense some Psionic abilities are already in DDO - mostly stuff related to Mind Flayers and Kopru - but we're not going to see a faithful adaptation of the original system.

(Also, I've got to say it:

Thri-kreens are already in DDO... as trophy

We were JUST pointing this out on stream!

This is the head of an Umber Hulk. Sorry.)

 

[Ying]

"I'm doing my part" <squish>

Spreading managed democracy.