A single Gith race for time-travelling PCs.

[atemu1234]

My group of PCs use time travel and things that make it more like a bad sci-fi film than normal D&D, but that's ok. They now intend to go back in time and make it so that the Githyanki and Githzerai races never split, but I'm wondering what that race would be like instead. Any tips, or am I missing an actual race out there?

[Zweisteine]

I once stated up a half-and-half Gith (i.e. half of each gith race). If I can dig that up, I can post it, or I can re-stat it.

Edit to come.

[Crake]

My group of PCs use time travel and things that make it more like a bad sci-fi film than normal D&D, but that's ok. They now intend to go back in time and make it so that the Githyanki and Githzerai races never split, but I'm wondering what that race would be like instead. Any tips, or am I missing an actual race out there?

I'd imagine the githzerai are closer to the original race, since the yanki went off and became marauders and astral pirates, but the zerai maintained some level of community and tradition. That said, I'm sure afroakuma could answer your question in more depth and detail if you asked in the planar questions thread.

[JellyPooga]

If you're using the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimonn for the bulk of your Gith history, then the stats both Gith races display is inherently tied up in that history. Previous to the split, the Gith were more or less human (I believe). Changed somewhat by generations of servitude to their Illithid masters, but mostly human.

The 'zerai became very disciplined due to their enforced exile in Limbo. Their mental and physical strength is a direct result of the neccesity of such when living in that ever changing chaos.

The 'yanki, on the other hand, developed different abilities as a result of (as mentioned by Crake above), their becoming raiders, but were also influenced by the pact with Red Dragons and the whole Liche-Queen thing.

The Gith became two separate races because of the overthrow of their Illitid masters. Stop the rebellion, stop the divide. If that's the route you're thinking of taking, then the Gith are probably (or at least possibly) a slave race; weak-willed and servile, with just the possibility of an inner strength that is never realised by an entire people.

[BWR]

Gith Forerunners from "Dawn of the Overmind".


...resemble humans. These humanoids are long of limb and their skin possess a tawny, old-ivory tinge. Forerunner eyes are uniformly black, and theri ears are just slightly peaked. [...] All Forerunners retain varying degrees of residual magic resistance.

Before this they were basically human. However, that was before the illithids. If you want to stop the Pronouncement of Two Skies, I'd just make them humans without the bonus feat and skills but with some inante psionic potential and SR (and the different look).

[atemu1234]

Ok, so what I'm looking at is no ability score increases but look similar to the current gith, that are Naturally Psionic. Apart from that, no bonuses to feats, and none to ability scores, but maybe darkvision? The Illithids had still interfered at this point, but we're talking after the rebellion, before the schism.

[BWR]

To be brutally precise, the Forerunners listed above are contermporary ones, the descendants of the slave race left on Penumbra after Gith and Zerthimon took their followers and scarpered. Technically, these have had just as long to develop on their own, but the flavor text indicated they are closer to the base stock that spawned two other races. Flavor also mentions that the modern forerunners have lost some of their psionic potential, with only about 1% having anything worth mentioning.

[Zweisteine]

I'd imagine the githzerai are closer to the original race, since the yanki went off and became marauders and astral pirates, but the zerai maintained some level of community and tradition. That said, I'm sure afroakuma could answer your question in more depth and detail if you asked in the planar questions thread.

Afro, Afro, Afro!

[afroakuma]

Afro, Afro, Afro!

I am summoned.

Who needs what? Something about gith?

I'll be watching this thread to field whatever questions you need to ask.

[atemu1234]

I am summoned.

Trying to figure out what the Gith race would be if they'd never split. Got anything?

[Doc_Maynot]

I think by what was said they'd be like Arthasian humans (Dragon 319), but with more limited psionic powers, and SR instead of the +2 to two stats.

[Bronk]

I would think that without the split, they'd all just be Githyanki. After all, it was the ones who became the Githzerai who split off, went to Limbo, and then changed.

[Thealtruistorc]

Dark Sun campaign setting (a paizo book, but wizards has dubbed it canon) contains a gith race in the monsters section. It's a bit odd, but I think it'll work.

[afroakuma]

Trying to figure out what the Gith race would be if they'd never split. Got anything?

Well let's see here. The forerunners were an easily-adapted race by the end of things, since the flayers just kept tampering with their biology. They were definitely psionic, since the development of mind powers helped them overthrow their masters; it's likely that they possessed a higher power resistance than their successor races, and possibly an ability to deploy psi-like abilities in concert that they could not exhibit alone, to match the superior psionic ability of the illithids. You'd be looking at a gaunt, pale-skinned race with dark gray or yellow eyes, each standing over 6 feet tall and weighing about 160 lbs.

Let's see, what else can I say about them...

• +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom. Forerunners have been designed for strength and hardiness beyond their physique (a human of comparable build would be far weaker, so the fact that they are as strong as humans is actually noteworthy) as well as the agility necessary to operate in the alien environments of the illithids' vessels. They also have expanded awareness and focus through their time being bred to have sharper senses. The offshoot races both have penalties to their mental scores due to environmental adaptation.
• Darkvision 60 ft. is a trait both offshoot races share.
• Medium size.
• Mindlink at will as a psi-like ability.
• United Will: Up to ten forerunners working together, each contributing at least one power point to the effect, can bring forth a metaconcert once per day. Non-forerunners cannot contribute to this ability.
• Flayer Hate: Forerunners get a +2 bonus on checks to overcome an illithid's power resistance.
• +2 bonus on Constitution checks to resist poison, disease or environmental effects. Forerunners were bred to be sturdy.
• Base speed 30 ft.
• Combat Manifestation and Narrow Mind as bonus feats. Forerunners could never have developed their powers in such a hostile environment without being able to focus. Pre-psionic Forerunners instead have Mental Resistance and Closed Mind as bonus feats.
• 4 power points from being naturally psionic.
• Power Penetration as a bonus feat. Forerunners were capable of toppling illithids, who have significantly higher power resistance. Pre-psionic Forerunners instead have Iron Will as a bonus feat.
• Power resistance equal to 11 + class levels. Forerunners were exposed to much more psionic activity and hostility in their era.
• Forerunners qualify for psionic feats.
• Psi-like Abilities from a recommended list of:


• 1st-2nd: 3/day psionic daze; 1/day force screen
• 3rd-4th: 3/day empty mind, mind thrust
• 5th-6th: 3/day id insinuation, psionic levitate
• 7th-8th: 3/day mind trap, 1/day psionic dimensional anchor
• 9th-10th: 3/day intellect fortress, 1/day psychic crush
• 11th-12th: 3/day catapsi; 1/day schism
• 13th-14th: 3/day tower of iron will
• 15th-16th: 1/day psionic plane shift
• 17th-18th: 1/day personal mind blank
• 19th-20th: 1/day psionic etherealness

Manifester level equal to character level, save DCs 10 + power level + Charisma modifier.

• Favored Class: Psion
• Level adjustment: +3

Forerunners had racial unity on their side, a united mind and a sole driving purpose to fuel them in their breaking free of the illithids. When the race splintered, that benefit was lost, and their time apart in realms such as Limbo and the Astral Plane has altered them in subtle but powerful ways. It's likely that forerunners were also skilled in, and made use of, psionic seals such as mind flayers use in addition to psychic tattoos, an art that likely died out among the githzerai and githyanki amid accusations of flayer idolatry.