Homebrewing a balanced githyanki for my next 5e game

[Dankus Memakus]

I want to play a githyanki bad. I just have no idea what racial bonuses to give. Definitely giving a boost to intelligence and probably some weak psionics and a greatsword proficiency for their silver greatsword. Please help.

[Naanomi]

Design goals: all Gith need something to represent racial resistance to mind control... bonuses to save, or perhaps just +WIS racially

Githyanki need to make good eldritch knights and wizard/fighter multiclass types. They need to be encouraged to use Greatswords over other weapons (historically favor heavy armor as well). 2e didn't have darkvision or any other fancy racial abilities... 3e gave them some Spell-like abilities and darkvision.

Githzerai need to be good monks, and passable rogues. All editions have given them some special 'maneuverability in limbo' abilities (racial acrobatics proficiency?), and magic resistance. 2e didn't have darkvision, 3e did and also had some racial Spell-like abilities
-------
So perhaps...

Gith: +2 Wisdom, advantage on saves VS charm and other mind control effects. Racial cantrip: mage-Hand. (maybe Darkvision? I wouldn't... but I prefer 2e over 3e)

Githyanki: +1 Strength, +1 Intelligence. Racial proficiency in Greatswords and Arcana. Racial cantrips: friends

Githzerai: +1 Dexterity, Racial proficiency in Acrobatics. Minor magic resistance: re-roll one save VS a magical effect (with advantage?) per short rest

[Dankus Memakus]

Design goals: all Gith need something to represent racial resistance to mind control... bonuses to save, or perhaps just +WIS racially

Githyanki need to make good eldritch knights and wizard/fighter multiclass types. They need to be encouraged to use Greatswords over other weapons (historically favor heavy armor as well). 2e didn't have darkvision or any other fancy racial abilities... 3e gave them some Spell-like abilities and darkvision.

Githzerai need to be good monks, and passable rogues. All editions have given them some special 'maneuverability in limbo' abilities (racial acrobatics proficiency?), and magic resistance. 2e didn't have darkvision, 3e did and also had some racial Spell-like abilities
-------
So perhaps...

Gith: +2 Wisdom, advantage on saves VS charm and other mind control effects. Racial cantrip: mage-Hand. (maybe Darkvision? I wouldn't... but I prefer 2e over 3e)

Githyanki: +1 Strength, +1 Intelligence. Racial proficiency in Greatswords and Arcana. Racial cantrips: friends

Githzerai: +1 Dexterity, Racial proficiency in Acrobatics. Minor magic resistance: re-roll one save VS a magical effect (with advantage?) per short rest

I believe the mage hand is invisibleninvisible according to the MM

[Naanomi]

I believe the mage hand is invisibleninvisible according to the MM
Heh I used 2e/3e sources to write that up... I didn't check the 5e MM actually

[Dankus Memakus]

Heh I used 2e/3e sources to write that up... I didn't check the 5e MM actually

I dont own any 2e or 3e sources. Just 4 and 5

[Naanomi]

I dont own any 2e or 3e sources. Just 4 and 5
How did 4e handle Gith? Never much touched that edition

[Dankus Memakus]

How did 4e handle Gith? Never much touched that edition

Well there were no githyanki, but githzerai get 2 WIS and either 2 DEX or 2 INT

[jaappleton]

Well there were no githyanki, but githzerai get 2 WIS and either 2 DEX or 2 INT

There were Githyanki, but they were a Monstrous race with virtually no support. I think you needed a DDI subscription? Or they were in Dragon magazine?

Regardless, I'd suggest giving them access to a Transmutation cantrip of their choice.

[Shadow_in_the_Mist]

Allow me to present my own thread on this very topic, in which you can find both my current draft attempts at Gith and their actual historical statblocks from AD&D to 4th:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?534027-Homebrewing-Gith-PC-Races-how-faithful-should-I-be

[Dankus Memakus]

Allow me to present my own thread on this very topic, in which you can find both my current draft attempts at Gith and their actual historical statblocks from AD&D to 4th:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?534027-Homebrewing-Gith-PC-Races-how-faithful-should-I-be

Woah woah woah......woah. what the hell is a duthka'gith and why do I love it

[Naanomi]

Looking over the 5e statblocks...

-no darkvision
-both subraces get jump 3x/daily as a racial Spell; maybe some others as they level up as well
-no evidence of racial skill proficiencies
-for the first time as far as I know; githzerai have no references to magic resistance
-my proposed stat bonuses 'fit' (githyanki as +1 STR, +1 INT, +2 WIS; githzerai as +1(2?) DEX, + 2 WIS

[Dankus Memakus]

Looking over the 5e statblocks...

-no darkvision
-both subraces get jump 3x/daily as a racial Spell; maybe some others as they level up as well
-no evidence of racial skill proficiencies
-for the first time as far as I know; githzerai have no references to magic resistance
-my proposed stat bonuses 'fit' (githyanki as +1 STR, +1 INT, +2 WIS; githzerai as +1(2?) DEX, + 2 WIS

Some of the stats that they suggested were taken from earlier editions such as magic resist

Edit which im okay with because hobgoblins bugbears and goblins have some abilities that their Npc counterparts dont have in the MM but I always have seen that as due to the fact that PCs aren't the norm, they are the heros

[Shadow_in_the_Mist]

Woah woah woah......woah. what the hell is a duthka'gith and why do I love it

Duthka'giths are an addition to the Githyanki family tree added in Dungeon #100/Polyhedron #159. Created by Vlaakith CLVII as superior leaders for her githyanki forces, they are githyanki infused with the essence of Ephelomon, the fiendish red dragon consort of Tiamat who helped to broker the original pact between githyanki and red dragons ages ago. In a nutshell, duthka'gith are Fiendish Half-Red Dragon Githyanki. You can see their original 3.5 statblock in the first post of my thread.

[Dankus Memakus]

Duthka'giths are an addition to the Githyanki family tree added in Dungeon #100/Polyhedron #159. Created by Vlaakith CLVII as superior leaders for her githyanki forces, they are githyanki infused with the essence of Ephelomon, the fiendish red dragon consort of Tiamat who helped to broker the original pact between githyanki and red dragons ages ago. In a nutshell, duthka'gith are Fiendish Half-Red Dragon Githyanki. You can see their original 3.5 statblock in the first post of my thread.

Do they look like gith or half dragons?

[Naanomi]

Technically, there is also a third (fourth?) subrace of 'Gith Pirates' from Spelljammer; but they've always shared a statblock with githyanki as far as I can tell

[miburo]

In the other post (link listed by Shadow in the Mist) I gave my take on 5e Gith The thought was that overall Gith are a race strong in both mind and body, githyanki are more fighter-mage oriented, and githzerai are more monk oriented.


Gith Race
+1 Con
Darkvision 60 feet
Iron Mind: You have resistance to psychic damage and advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
Psionic Touch: Mage Hand as cantrip, the hand is invisible and cast with no components.

Subrace Githyanki
+1 Str, +1 Int
Psi-like Abilities: 1st level Jump, 3rd level Misty Step, 5th level Nondetection, all once per long rest with no components.

Subrace Githzerai
+1 Dex, +1 Wis
Psychic Defense: 1st level Shield once per short rest with no components.

A more traditional 5e stat allocation would be to give Gith +2 Con, 'yanki +1 Int, 'zerai +1 Wis.

[Nifft]

Some mechanics ideas:
- Immunity to the Charmed condition (also protects against Suggestion spells).
- Advantage on all Wisdom saving throws.
- Resistance to Psychic damage.

Githzerai:
- Should be able to spend Ki points to trigger Shield.
- Some kind of anti-Limbo effect?

Githyanki:
- Advantage on all saving throws against fire spells and fire breath weapons, maybe?

[Shadow_in_the_Mist]

Do they look like gith or half dragons?

Um... both? The first artwork for them in 3.5 was basically a bigger red-skinned githyanki with spikes coming out of its face. The 4e version's artwork depicted a githyanki with draconic horns (rather tiefling-like, in fact) and bestially taloned hands. You can see both on the 1d4chan page for Duthka'gith.


Technically, there is also a third (fourth?) subrace of 'Gith Pirates' from Spelljammer; but they've always shared a statblock with githyanki as far as I can tell

If you really want to get technical, there are Githyanki, Duthka'gith (Fiendish Half-Red Dragon Githyanki), Githzerai, Gith Pirates (Githyanki with some differences due to living in Wild Space rather than the Astral), and Athasian/Degenerate Gith (degenerated weaker githyanki devolved due to being stranded on Athas).

[Naanomi]

Gith Race
+1 Con
Gith have never been 'hp bag' monsters (5e has them with fairly low CON in their stats), so I'd be reluctant to give them a Con boost as a race-defining feature

But resistance to Psychic damage is brilliant, I'd use that for sure

[Dankus Memakus]

Gith have never been 'hp bag' monsters (5e has them with fairly low CON in their stats), so I'd be reluctant to give them a Con boost as a race-defining feature

But resistance to Psychic damage is brilliant, I'd use that for sure

I've seen alot of homebrew give con and I also disagree with it, they just don't seem to fit where other races with constitution bits fit