PDA

View Full Version : What's a githyanki?



aart lover
2011-01-13, 08:37 PM
ok so i heard from a friend that there's an actual playable race called a githyanki. i have no idea what that is or if it's even real. am i being duped?

lokoone
2011-01-13, 08:38 PM
err monster manual?

Tengu_temp
2011-01-13, 08:40 PM
What is a githyanki? A miserable pile of psionics!

Which edition is this about?

Siosilvar
2011-01-13, 09:00 PM
3.5, it's Product Identity, so you can only find it in the Monster Manual, not the SRD.

Essentially a race of Astral Plane pirates.

FoE
2011-01-13, 09:09 PM
If we go by 4E ...

Githyanki are a race of humanoids that occupy a city built upon the body of a dead god in the Astral Sea. Once, they were slaves to the illithids, but were able to overthrow their overlords thanks to the leadership of the warrior Gith. However, centuries of enslavement have made them extremely xenophobic and warlike; they believe that their race can only survive through military expansion and the enslavement of any race that could possibly threaten their own.

You're better being a githzerai, who are the more Good-aligned equivalent of the githyanki. Like the githyanki, they were enslaved by the mind flayers, but they chose to follow a more peaceful path advocated by their spiritual leader, Zerthimon. They dedicate their lives to martial training and developing their psionic abilities.

Claudius Maximus
2011-01-13, 09:14 PM
Huh. They kept things basically the same in 4e as 3e then.

But yeah that's their deal. Pretty sure they're also ruled by a ruthless lich queen who kills any githyanki that reach a certain level (I think 16?).

Lateral
2011-01-13, 09:15 PM
No, it's real. In 3.5, they've got a high LA, so don't play it. In any edition, they're evil-aligned.

Dr.Epic
2011-01-13, 09:18 PM
It's in MM. It's a race. I forget if they make good fighter or good monks. There's another race that's listed right before or after it and they might be the monk or fighter.

FoE
2011-01-13, 09:20 PM
Pretty sure they're also ruled by a ruthless lich queen who kills any githyanki that reach a certain level (I think 16?).

That's also the case in 4E.

They're also allied with red dragons.

Irving
2011-01-13, 09:21 PM
Githyanki=psionic pirates.
Githzerai=psionic ninjas.

Take your pick.

Siosilvar
2011-01-13, 09:22 PM
Githyanki=Chaotic Evil psionic pirate/wizards.
Githzerai=Lawful Neutral psionic ninja/monks.

Take your pick.

This is what it boils down to.

Githyanki are also the originators of the term "gish", for what it's worth.

FoE
2011-01-13, 09:23 PM
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MotP/Githyanki_Githzerai.jpg

Dat's them, though they tend to have more yellowish skin in the new edition.

Greenish
2011-01-13, 09:25 PM
No, it's real. In 3.5, they've got a high LA, so don't play it. In any edition, they're evil-aligned.It's not terribad at +2 LA (if you have buyout), though Githzerai are probably a better option.

Dornath
2011-01-13, 09:28 PM
They're in the Monster Manual, or the Expanded Psionics Handbook in 3.5. The entries in the XPH differ from the MM entry though, difference is psionics through magic or power points.

No clue about 4E.

Lateral
2011-01-13, 09:32 PM
They're in the 4e Monster Manual, at the back. Githzerai are also in the PHBIII, but Githyanki aren't.

Yuki Akuma
2011-01-13, 09:32 PM
I am alarmed and ashamed that you have not played Planescape: Torment.

(One of the party NPCs is a Githzerai. If you do his optional mage training sidequest, you learn a lot of the Gith peoples' history.)

FoE
2011-01-13, 09:36 PM
I am alarmed and ashamed that you have not played Planescape: Torment.

I haven't played it.

Lurkmoar
2011-01-13, 09:44 PM
I haven't played it.

For shame.

Thurbane
2011-01-13, 09:56 PM
Githyanki have been around since the 1E Fiend Folio (1979)...in fact, they're on the cover(s)!

[Large image]
http://i52.tinypic.com/2ikb4tc.jpg

GoatBoy
2011-01-13, 09:57 PM
Githzerai are lawful neutral, not good. They are so lawful neutral that they moved to Limbo, which is like a cleric of a god of sobriety living with dwarves. Their favoured class is monk, but there are many rogues as well.

Githzerai monasteries will provide food and shelter to visitors provided said visitors share in the housework. Presumably, this involves cleaning the toilets, but the rules do not specify.

Githyanki make swords out of silver, and these are the only manufactured weapons which can kill someone using astral projection without killing their body as well. If you have one of these swords and you're not a Githyanki, they will be mad. Githyanki tend to kill things when they get mad.

The lich-queen of the Githyanki "devours the essence" of any of her people who reach 16th level. Remember when I told you that your friend Bob went off to live on the "special farm"? I think you're old enough to know the real story now.

"Gish" is a Githyanki term that refers to warrior-mages. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

Githyanki and Githzerai hate each other, but will form temporary alliances in wake of the threat of mind flayers. And probably Justin Bieber as well, as both have roughly the same effect on the brain. I think Bieber likes eating brains, too. I'll have to check my sources.

aart lover
2011-01-13, 10:02 PM
thanks so much, guys. so i guess what it boils down to is yellow-skinned psionics with silver swords?

Psyren
2011-01-13, 10:06 PM
thanks so much, guys. so i guess what it boils down to is yellow-skinned psionics with silver swords?

That really, really hate Illithids and Githzerai. (And everything else too, but definitely those guys as well.)



Githyanki and Githzerai hate each other, but will form temporary alliances in wake of the threat of mind flayers. And probably Justin Bieber as well, as both have roughly the same effect on the brain. I think Bieber likes eating brains, too. I'll have to check my sources.

Your ideas intrigue me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter

faceroll
2011-01-13, 10:16 PM
No, it's real. In 3.5, they've got a high LA, so don't play it. In any edition, they're evil-aligned.

Planar bubble + githyanki race = quicken your spells for free, if you so desire.

Katana_Geldar
2011-01-13, 10:30 PM
Githyanki are playable through the 4E monster manual, like the Drow were at first.

Xefas
2011-01-13, 10:45 PM
What's a githyanki?

In addition to what has already been divulged, "Githyanki" is also an array of pizza toppings and an erotic position.

1) White pizza (i.e. no tomato sauce, but a mix of mozzarella and ricotta seasoned with fresh basil and garlic) with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and black olives.

2) And a lot like 34 position.
http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad91/bluejanus/34position.png

FoE
2011-01-13, 10:46 PM
Githzerai are lawful neutral, not good. They are so lawful neutral that they moved to Limbo, which is like a cleric of a god of sobriety living with dwarves. Their favoured class is monk, but there are many rogues as well.

In 4E they reside within the Elemental Chaos. While githzerai can be any alignment, they're most often on the side of Good.

AslanCross
2011-01-14, 12:47 AM
thanks so much, guys. so i guess what it boils down to is yellow-skinned psionics with silver swords?

Extraplanar yellow-skinned psionics with silver swords.

BobVosh
2011-01-14, 01:02 AM
Extraplanar yellow-skinned psionics with silver swords.

in SPAAAAAAAACE! (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LargeHam)

Mando Knight
2011-01-14, 01:02 AM
I am alarmed and ashamed that you have not played Planescape: Torment.

(One of the party NPCs is a Githzerai. If you do his optional mage training sidequest, you learn a lot of the Gith peoples' history.)

Know that as bad as NWN2 may be at times, you get a Githzerai Cleric who also explains things about the Gith. The Githyanki are also a fairly important plot point in the game...

Know also that her verbal patterns reinforce the importance of knowing.

Edge
2011-01-14, 01:12 AM
Know also that her verbal patterns reinforce the importance of knowing.

And if I remember correctly, some deleted (or maybe not, I forget) lines of hers refer very specifically to an individual you might recognise as having journeyed with the Nameless One.

EDIT: Found here (http://lparchive.org/Neverwinter-Nights-2/Update%2076/). Spoilers for NWN2, obviously.

Eldan
2011-01-14, 04:38 AM
Extraplanar yellow-skinned psionics with silver swords.

Also, reptilian. As in, they were once human, but the Illithid messed with their biology so much, they are egg-laying and scaled, now.

Prime32
2011-01-14, 05:29 AM
Also their silver swords have indistinct edges and can destroy souls. And they're pirates.

Comet
2011-01-14, 05:41 AM
Ever since I played Planescape: Torment, the Githzerai and Githyanki have been pretty much one of my favourite things about D&D.

I still want to run an overly dramatic game about the Forerunners' rebellion against the Illithid and the following Pronouncement of Two Skies between Gith and Zerthimon. The players would probably be some sort of trusted warriors in the rebellion and would get to decide which leader they want to go with in the end.

Fighting against impossible odds and then seeing your former comrades fight amongst themselves once victory is at hand. Throw in at least two timeskips to show how long these things actually take and let the players take part in building the newly formed Githzerai/Githyanki people's identity (negotiating with the Red Dragons or wandering into Limbo to find a site for the first hidden monastery etc.) as the epilogue.
Fighting, psionic powers and high drama. What's not to love about that, really?

Eldan
2011-01-14, 05:45 AM
Interestingly, Torment changed some of the Githzerai fluff. In the Monstrous Compendium for Planescape, and the Planes of Chaos books, the Githzerai were described as chaotic neutral mainly, ruled by a wizard king. The Zerth cult was described as being an underground phenomenon.

I'm still not sure which fluff I like better, but it's hard to argue against Torment.

SITB
2011-01-14, 06:00 AM
Interestingly, Torment changed some of the Githzerai fluff. In the Monstrous Compendium for Planescape, and the Planes of Chaos books, the Githzerai were described as chaotic neutral mainly, ruled by a wizard king. The Zerth cult was described as being an underground phenomenon.

I'm still not sure which fluff I like better, but it's hard to argue against Torment.

I am pretty sure Torment hasn't changed that. dak'kon was described as the last Zerth, and look what he did.

Eldan
2011-01-14, 06:04 AM
But he was a public authority figure in the city of Shrak't'lor, from what I remember. I doubt the King would have allowed that for long.

Though then there was the discussion over on Planewalker where in the time line Torment was actually set. That got confusing. And the weird fan theory that TNO is actually Zerthimon, which never made much sense.

true_shinken
2011-01-14, 08:04 AM
No, it's real. In 3.5, they've got a high LA, so don't play it. In any edition, they're evil-aligned.
+2 is high? :smallconfused:
Githyanki is a good race with buyoff.

Essence_of_War
2011-01-14, 08:16 AM
Really? I think if you're gonna get the +2 LA I'd rather buy it off with a Githzerai by a wide margin. They get the same power resistance, the githyanki get more/better psi like abilities, but the Githzerai stat adjustments are off the chart if you're playing a swordsage or monk.

Yuki Akuma
2011-01-14, 08:23 AM
Also, reptilian. As in, they were once human, but the Illithid messed with their biology so much, they are egg-laying and scaled, now.

They're also from the future.

Eldan
2011-01-14, 08:30 AM
Not the Gith, as far as I know. Only the Illithid.

Yuki Akuma
2011-01-14, 08:33 AM
I was under the impression the Gith were the slaves they brought back with them.

Mmh. I guess not.

true_shinken
2011-01-14, 09:45 AM
Really? I think if you're gonna get the +2 LA I'd rather buy it off with a Githzerai by a wide margin. They get the same power resistance, the githyanki get more/better psi like abilities, but the Githzerai stat adjustments are off the chart if you're playing a swordsage or monk.

It's pretty obvious then that Githyanki are better for anything other than a swordsage/monk. :smallamused:
Also, githyankis get racial feats in MM4. I don't think githzerai have anything similar.

shadow_archmagi
2011-01-14, 09:54 AM
Man, Illithids are starting to sound like a Cracked article.

"Okay, so, first off, they eat brains. But that's not what's impressive about them. Personality-wise, they're an entire race of Lex Luthor Cultists, except they actually have psychic powers by default, and like half of them go ahead and learn magic anyway, because you can't overstock on supernatural power. Their society is ruled by a giant brain that Big Brothers everyone and so if any Illithid *stops* being Lex Luthor, their head explodes.

They also ruled the galaxy in the future but their massive empire exploded so hard that some of them got knocked back into the past, with us. They also had human slaves that they abused and mutated so much they became an entire race of psychic lizard ninjas, which eventually rebelled and won their freedom. Having freed themselves, the race immediately divided into the "Sit on mountains, dispense wisdom" group of lizard ninjas, and the "Make sure we don't end up as slaves again by murdering everyone ever" group.

Don't worry too much about the lizard ninja army though, because they mostly live in the PLANE OF CHAOS. Yes, they built a city in an area where nothing makes sense by definition. Why am I going on about the lizard-ninjas? Well, for one, because lizard-ninjas are awesome. For another, because I wanted to emphasize that the only worthy foe to an Illithid is a superhuman who is also a ninja who is also psychic. "

Amiel
2011-01-14, 09:58 AM
The githyanki and githzerai arose from the civil war that tore the gith precursor race into two fractious ethnic groups. Each group views the other as the betrayer, and no amount of diplomacy or good-will will repair the rift that irreconcilable differences has driven between the once united race.

Zuljita
2011-01-14, 10:05 AM
shadow when you put it that way it really does. :P

Eldan
2011-01-14, 10:05 AM
Don't worry too much about the lizard ninja army though, because they mostly live in the PLANE OF CHAOS. Yes, they built a city in an area where nothing makes sense by definition.

Where did you ever hear that Limbo doesn't make sense? It's actually a near perfect plane for a mystic, being so mutable, and it probably provides the greatest freedom of any plane, as befits ultimate chaos. You can create whatever you want with a thought. Most people can do that, Anarchs can do it without concentrating. So building cities on Limbo is actually a logical step for anyone with good wisdom.

Starbuck_II
2011-01-14, 10:24 AM
Man, Illithids are starting to sound like a Cracked article.

"Okay, so, first off, they eat brains. But that's not what's impressive about them. Personality-wise, they're an entire race of Lex Luthor Cultists, except they actually have psychic powers by default, and like half of them go ahead and learn magic anyway, because you can't overstock on supernatural power. Their society is ruled by a giant brain that Big Brothers everyone and so if any Illithid *stops* being Lex Luthor, their head explodes.
"
True, but if they attempt to be Sorcerors they are killed the Brain. I forget why they hate Sorcerors.

Calmar
2011-01-14, 10:27 AM
Though then there was the discussion over on Planewalker where in the time line Torment was actually set. That got confusing. And the weird fan theory that TNO is actually Zerthimon, which never made much sense.

The game begins at the beginning of the 127th Year of Factol Hashkar's reign. Evidence is the diary of the necromancer Strahan Runeshadow whom you encounter in a sidequest in the Hive, near the Mortuary. Of course that's only true, if you don't spend weeks or months of in-game time hanging around in Sigil before you do the quest...


This leather-bound tome is cracked and worn with age. Some sort of crest has been burned into the cover. You can make out a series of interlocking triangles centered about the initials SR. The writing upon its pages has faded considerably, but the last few entries seem to have been penned recently.

Day 2 of the 127th Year of Factol Hashkar's reign:

At last, I have found it! The missing page of the Ap'Tarj Grimoire is now in my possession. As I had guessed, the page detailed the necessary components for the casting of the final transformation spell. I have all but one of the components. A drop of an immortal's blood is all that stands between me and the eternal power of lichdom. But where can I find such a rarity? Perhaps I should seek the answer through divination.

Day 14 of the 127th Year of Factol Hashkar's reign:

After days of taxing divination spells, I finally have my answers. The divination revealed the location of an immortal to be somewhere within an ancient Mausoleum located in the Hive section of Sigil. I must make haste. I must find this creature and draw its blood before it moves on.

Day 15 of the 127th Year of Factol Hashkar's reign:

I have arrived at the Mausoleum. Immediately, I was set upon by a shade that guards the remains of those interred within this place. I managed to elude the spirit and found my way into what appears to have been some sort of inner sanctum. Protected by some minor wards to prevent any further unterruptions by that supernatural twit, I have set about raising some of the locals to conduct a search for the immortal. If the divination was accurate and the immortal is here, then likely it is interred within one of the many crypts that line these halls. It is only a matter of time now.

Day 17 of the 127th Year of Factol Hashkar's reign:

I am not alone. Someone has entered the Mausoleum and is interfering with my servants. Could this be the one I seek? The divination revealed only that I would find the immortal here. Could it be that MY presence in this place has prompted that which I seek to seek ME out? What a delightful twist, I shall have to

The ink of this last entry is still wet.

The item can be seen here (http://torment.sorcerers.net/armory/armory/items.shtml).

Eldan
2011-01-14, 10:30 AM
Ah, true. Strange how there was any debate about that, then. So it's the standard year.

NichG
2011-01-14, 12:57 PM
The reason there's speculation that the Nameless One is Zerthimon is not due to the time the game takes place, but the backstory between TNO and Daakon. Basically, at some point TNO remembers that he found Daakon dying after the fall of Shraktlor, and made the Circles of Zerthimon to give him back his will (he wanted to use that will as a weapon eventually). The implication is that the stories in the circles were something he authored as an attempt at manipulation, but it is not clear whether that is true of the stories altogether or just the version in Daakon's set of the circles.

In any event, that still wouldn't make TNO Zerthimon, just the originator of the Githzerai near-religious belief in Zerthimon (in the most extreme reading of the events).

Person_Man
2011-01-14, 04:44 PM
"Gish" is a Githyanki term that refers to warrior-mages. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

More specifically, in early editions of D&D, multi-classing didn't exist. So classes were pigeon holed into very specific niches. Githyanki (published in the first Fiend Folio) were the first Fighter/Wizards. People thought this was a cool (and at the time a relatively unique) concept, and the nickname for the race became synonymous with the concept.

Calmar
2011-01-14, 05:38 PM
More specifically, in early editions of D&D, multi-classing didn't exist. So classes were pigeon holed into very specific niches. Githyanki (published in the first Fiend Folio) were the first Fighter/Wizards. People thought this was a cool (and at the time a relatively unique) concept, and the nickname for the race became synonymous with the concept.

Elves had a similar thing going on with their "sword-singers", didn't they?


Anyone interested in githzerai, githyanki, or the illithid should definitely know the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon (http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/Torment/zerthimon.php).
For me this wonderful text changed the githzerai from "some githyanki copies in limbo who hate the githyanki" to one of the most interesting profound peoples in D&D.

Thurbane
2011-01-14, 06:31 PM
On a tangent, anyone else think she's kinda hot?

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/planar_gallery/82519.jpg

Xefas
2011-01-14, 06:40 PM
On a tangent, anyone else think she's kinda hot?

Sure, if you like blondes. :smalltongue:

Thurbane
2011-01-14, 06:44 PM
Sure, if you like blondes. :smalltongue:
She could do with a pedicure, too...

Greenish
2011-01-14, 06:47 PM
She could do with a pedicure, too...And regular meals.

stainboy
2011-01-14, 06:51 PM
In any event, that still wouldn't make TNO Zerthimon, just the originator of the Githzerai near-religious belief in Zerthimon (in the most extreme reading of the events).

Wasn't the Practical Incarnation's life pretty recent? You meet living humans in Sigil who knew him, and anyway he was alive during Dakkon's lifetime and githzerai aren't super long lived. If the Unbroken Seal were the origin of the Zerth cult, that would make the cult only a few decades old.

Also, wasn't Dakkon effectively an exile when he met the Practical Incarnation? He would have had to have gotten his Zerth weapon and armor before meeting TNO.

Tell those people on Planewalker that some guy from another forum said they were wrong. :smalltongue:


And regular meals.

But she'd have to leave the astral plane to eat them!

a_humble_lich
2011-01-14, 06:52 PM
More specifically, in early editions of D&D, multi-classing didn't exist. So classes were pigeon holed into very specific niches. Githyanki (published in the first Fiend Folio) were the first Fighter/Wizards. People thought this was a cool (and at the time a relatively unique) concept, and the nickname for the race became synonymous with the concept.

No, multi-classing wasn't possible for humans. Demi-humans were able to multi-class from the beginning of 1st ed, and even earlier the "Elf" class was basically a fighter-wizard.

Edit: Yeah, she's hot.

Xefas
2011-01-14, 06:53 PM
And regular meals.

Judging by the belts around her waist and the condition of her nails, I'd say she subscribed to the "Cathie Jung" school of beauty.

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad91/bluejanus/cathielifemagcols1.jpg
And no, that's not a photoshop. She really does have like a 14-15 inch midsection. She's in the Guinness book of world records and everything!

Ranielle
2011-01-14, 07:06 PM
And regular meals.


Mind over matter.

AslanCross
2011-01-14, 07:21 PM
Also, reptilian. As in, they were once human, but the Illithid messed with their biology so much, they are egg-laying and scaled, now.

Woah, I never knew they were egg-laying. :smalleek: I'm mildly squicked (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Squick).


On a tangent, anyone else think she's kinda hot?

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/planar_gallery/82519.jpg

She could also do with an actual nose. It's the noselessness that kept me from finding Giths attractive.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/Monster_gallery/98.jpg
The female Githyanki here looks a lot better, though.

Also, pirate Githyanki
http://images.community.wizards.com/community.wizards.com/user/awesomologist/large/348382284e504e138d88e0a5f9351f4e.jpg

Eldan
2011-01-14, 07:23 PM
They've always been pirates, though. Or at least already back in 2E.

Calmar
2011-01-14, 07:37 PM
They've always been pirates, though. Or at least already back in 2E.

Which is pretty nice. Like in raiding astral travellers, or maybe planeshift their astral ships to forays on the material plane.

Then some genius invented pirates of gith (http://www.spelljammer.org/monsters/conversions/PirateOfGith.gif) as a githyanki subrace for Spelljammer. :smallsigh:

AslanCross
2011-01-14, 07:40 PM
They've always been pirates, though. Or at least already back in 2E.

Indeed, but this particular artwork did the job quite well.

aart lover
2011-01-15, 12:46 AM
well after careful consideration, i have deduced that Gith's are one of the most B.A. creatures in the game:smallbiggrin:

Studoku
2011-01-15, 03:09 AM
Where did you ever hear that Limbo doesn't make sense? It's actually a near perfect plane for a mystic, being so mutable, and it probably provides the greatest freedom of any plane, as befits ultimate chaos. You can create whatever you want with a thought.

It's like wikipedia in plane form.

ScionoftheVoid
2011-01-15, 01:52 PM
well after careful consideration, i have deduced that Gith's are one of the most B.A. creatures in the game:smallbiggrin:

You have deduced correctly.

To actually add something, have the Githyanki and Githzerai had the pirate-ninja hate since before pirate-ninja hate was cool?

grimbold
2011-01-16, 03:32 AM
3.5, it's Product Identity, so you can only find it in the Monster Manual, not the SRD.

Essentially a race of Astral Plane pirates.

exactly
it is one of the races popular to have a gish with

Coidzor
2011-01-16, 10:18 AM
well after careful consideration, i have deduced that Gith's are one of the most B.A. creatures in the game:smallbiggrin:

Bachelors of Arts creatures? :smallconfused:


To actually add something, have the Githyanki and Githzerai had the pirate-ninja hate since before pirate-ninja hate was cool?

:smalleek: 12 gods.... You might be on to something.

aart lover
2011-01-16, 11:14 AM
nah, i meant bad ***