![[Githyanki pic.png|250]] GITHYANKI ## 1e FREQUENCY: Very rare P NO. APPEARING: 1-4 I ARMOUR CLASS: Variable MOVE: Variable MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional or Genius HIT DICE: Variable (upper limit of 11) % IN LAIR: 40% TREASURE TYPE: Individuals [[N]]; lair [[A]], [[Z]](x2) NO. OF ATTACKS: Variable (as human) DAMAG e/ATTACK: By weapon type SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil SPECIAL DEFENCES: Nil ALIGNMENT: Variable but always evil SIZE: M PSlONlC ABILITY: 750-2'50 Attack/Defence Modes: All/all but J LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: I V and up hariable Millenia ago the mind flayers (see ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS MONSTER MANUAL - Mind flayer) conquered a race of evil humans and bound them to service, usually employing them as slaves but from time to time selecting particularly choice victims for food. The humans harboured deep resentment for centuries but could not summon up sufficient strength to free themselves from the mind flayer yoke. Gradually, in secret, they developed their powers and strength. Then under the leadership of the supreme leader Gith, they rebelled against their captors and, after a long and vicious struggle, succeeded in gaining their autonomy. From that moment, the race became known as the githyanki and they quickly gained a repuration as powerful psionicists and deadly fighters with an instinct for violence. The githyanki now dwell in the Astral Plane but from time to time project themselves to the Prime Material Plane (an innate ability now common to all members of the race) and set up temporary refuges underground, using these as bases from which they mount raids on humans and mind flayers alike. (If githyanki encounter humans and mind flayers simultaneously they will destroy the mind flayers first and may appear to be co-operating with the humans, but as soon as the mind flayers are killed, the githyanki will turn on the humans and attempt to destroy them TOO.) The githyanki worship a lich-queen said to have powers at the 24th level of magic-use or even higher. Githyanki progress as fighters, magic-users or fighterlmagic-users; they have no ranger, monk, druid or assassin class though illusionists are infrequently (5%) mdt and there is a form of anti-paladin class - the knight. They have never been known to progress beyond the 1 1 th level of experience and rarely above the 9th - it is assumed that the lich-queen destroys any githyanki who becomes powerful enough to risk challenging her supremacy. The githyanki dwell in huge castles on the Astral Plane, each castle being ruled by a supreme leader - a fighter/magic-user of 10th/8th or 11 thl9th level. The supreme leaders have power of life and death over all under their rule. Each castle will also contain 40 knights (antipaladins of 9th level) - the supreme leader's elite supporting force and personal guard - and up to 1,000 githyanki of lower status. They use armour and weapons as men do, though the ornateness of their design is often a distinguishing feature. When on war expeditions they wear +4 splint mail (ACO) but do not carry shields. Fighters and fighterlmagic-users of 5th level and above will usually (50% chance) carry two-handed swords of +I bonus, otherwise using normal twohanded swords. A githyanki fighter of 7th level and above will usually (60%) carry a +2 or +3 longsword, while a knight of 7th level and above will have (100%) a silver sword - a +3 two-handed sword which, if used astrally, has a 20% chance per melee round of cutting the silver cord (this does not affect mind barred victims). A supreme leader will wield a special silver sword which is +5, fully vorpal and affects mind barred victims. The silver swords are non-aligned, though they have intelligence of 8 or more and appropriate powers. Githyanki will go to almost any lengths to prevent any of these silverswords from falling into human hands and the loss of a special silver sword will promote the immediate formation of a very powerful raiding party of githyanki whose task is to recover the sword - failure to do so means instant death. Outside their Prime Material Plane lairs, githyanki will rarely be encountered in parties larger than 4, a typical party consisting of two trainees of any of the three classes (level 1-3), one fighter of level 4-6 and a leader fighterlmagic-user of 7th/6th level. Rarely (10%) the githyanki parties encountered will have a special mission in which case there will only be one trainee and the party will be led by a knight of 8th level. If a lair is found it will house 21-30 githyanki with typical distribution as follows:- 1 supreme leader: 2 captains: 1 knight: 8th level anti-paladin 2 warlocks: 3 sergeants: 2 'gish': fighterlmagic-users of 10-19 lower levels: 1 l t h level fighter or 7thl8th level 8th level fighter and 7th/6th level f ighterlmagic-user fighterlmagic-user magic-users of 4th-7th level fighters of 4th-7th level 4th/4th level evenly distributed between the three possible classes and with experience levels Ist5rd. Very infrequently, githyanki parties larger than four in number will be encountered (5% chance). These will be on particularly purposeful missions (though not in search of a lost silver sword - that activity promotes an even larger and stronger party) and will be stronger than normal; 5-1 0 individuals can be expected, led by the supreme leader of the lair, supported by one of the captains, the knight and 2-7 'lower ranks', evenly distributed. Both in the lair and in a large party, there is a 5% chance that there will be an illusionist of 6th level instead of one of the lower level types. Githyanki have normal human chances for magic item distribution other than swords. A Prime Material Plane lair will contain 5-10 magical items, selected as being particularly appropriate to the mission. In a small githyanki party there will usually (75%) be one magical item and a larger party will have 1-10. Githyanki have a pact with a group of red dragons (see ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS MONSTER MANUAL - Dragon, Red) which, in return for shelter, food and treasure, assist the githyanki when on the Prime Material Plane by acting as steeds. The dragons transport 4-6 and 1-5 githyanki each according to sizelage (above sub-adult); thus a small young adult dragon could transport 5 githyanki (4 for size, 1 for age), an average-sized old dragon could transport 8 (5 for size, 3 for age) and a huge ancient dragon could transport 11 (6 for size, 5 for age). These red dragons will obey only githyanki when the latter are on the Prime Material Plane. Githvanki move at 96" movement rate on the Astral Plane. ## 2e | | | |---|---| |Climate/Terrain:|Astral or prime| |Frequency:|Very rare| |Organization:|Dictatorship/monarchy| |Activity Cycle:|Any| |Diet:|Omnivore| |Intelligence:|Exceptional to genius (15-18)| |Treasure:|Individuals R; Lair H| |Alignment:|Any evil| |No. Appearing:|2-8 (away from lair)| |Armor Class:|Per armor| |Movement:|12, 96 on Astral plane| |Hit Dice:|Per class and level| |THAC0:|Per class and level| |No. of Attacks:|Per class and level| |Damage/Attack:|Per weapon type| |Special Attacks:|Possible spell use, possible magical weapon| |Special Defenses:|Nil| |Magic Resistance:|Nil| |Size:|M (6' tall)| |Morale:|Average to elite (8-14)| |XP Value:|Per class and level| **Psionics Summary** |Level|Dis/Sci/Dev|Attack/Defense|Score|PSPs| |---|---|---|---|---| |=HD|per level|All/All|=Int|1d100+150| Githyanki are an ancient race descended from humans. They dwell upon the Astral plane but will often leave that plane to make war on other races. They are engaged in a lengthy war with the [githzerai](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/githzera). Githyanki are strongly humanoid in appearance. They are approximately of human height but tend to be much more gaunt and long of limb. They have rough, yellow skin and gleaming black eyes that instantly betray their inhumanness. Like many demihuman races, their ears have sharp points and are serrated at the back. Dress for the githyanki is always an elaborate affair. Their baroque armor and weapons of war are decorated with feathers, beads, and precious metals and gems. Githyanki speak their own tongue, and no others. **Combat:** The githyanki have had long years to perfect the art of war. Their very existence attests to their battle prowess. Each individual githyanki has a character class and level from which are derived such things as THAC0, armor class, spell use, etc. |Roll|Class|Roll|Level| |---|---|---|---| |01-40|Fighter|01-20|3rd| |41-55|Mage|21-30|4th| |56-80|Fighter/Mage|31-40|5th| |81-85|Illusionist|41-60|6th| |86-00|Knight|61-80|7th| |||81-90|8th| |||91-95|9th| |||96-98|10th| |||99-00|11th| The armor for each githyanki varies according to class. Mages and illusionists have AC 10. Fighters and fighter mages have differing armor - AC 5 to AC 0 (6-1d6). Knights have AC 0. Githyanki have Hit Dice according to their class and level, and their hit points are rolled normally. Their THAC0 is determined per class and level, as well. Fighters, fighter/mages, and knights may receive more than one attack per round - other githyanki have one attack per round. Githyanki knights are evil champions who take up the causes of the githyankis' mysterious [lich](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/lich)-queen. Githyanki knights are very powerful and highly revered in their society. Githyanki knights have all of the powers and abilities of a human paladin except these are turned toward evil (e.g. _detect good_ instead of _detect evil_, _command undead_ instead of turning undead, etc.). Githyanki mages, fighter/mages, and illusionists will receive all the spells available at their level of experience. Spells should be determined randomly, keeping in mind that they are by nature creatures of destruction - offensive spells should be favored. The githyanki soldiers use arms and armor similar to humans, however these are normally highly decorated and have become almost religious artifacts. A githyanki would likely show greater care for his weapons and armor than he would toward his mate. Half of the githyanki fighters, fighter/mages, or knights that progress to 5th level receive a magical _two-handed sword +1_, the remainder using normal two-handed swords. Githyanki fighters of 7th level and above are 60% likely to carry a _long sword +2_. Knights of 7th level and above will always carry a _silver sword_ - a _two-handed sword +3_ that, if used astrally, has a 5% chance per hit of cutting an opponent's silver cord (see The Astral Plane , DMG, page 132), but _mind barred_ individuals are immune. A supreme leader of a lair will carry a special _silver sword_ that is +5 with all the abilities of a _vorpal weapon_ that also affects _mind barred_ individuals. Githyanki will never willingly allow a _silver sword_ to fall into the hands of a nongithyanki. If a special _silver sword_ should fall into someone's hands, very powerful raiding parties will be formed to recover the sword. Failure to recover one of these highly prized weapons surely means instant death to all the githyanki involved at the hands of their merciless lich-queen. All githyanki have the natural ability to _plane shift_ at will. They will rarely travel anywhere besides back and forth from the Astral plane to the Prime Material plane. **Habitat/Society:** History provides some information on the githyanki - their race is both ancient and reclusive. Sages believe they once were humans that were captured by mind flayers to serve as slaves and cattle. The [mind flayers](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/mindflay) treated their human slaves cruelly and the people harbored a deep resentment toward the [illithids](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/mindflay). For centuries these humans increased their hatred but could not summon the strength necessary to break free. So they waited for many years, developing their power in secret, waiting for an opportunity to strike out against their masters. Finally, a woman of power came forth among them, a deliverer by the name of [Gith](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/gith). She convinced the people to rise up against their cruel masters. The struggle was long and vicious, but eventually the people freed themselves. They had earned their freedom and become the githyanki, (which, in their tongue, means sons of Gith). These astral beings progress through levels exactly as a human would. However, there has never been a githyanki that has progressed beyond the 11th level of experience and very few progress beyond 9th. When a githyanki advances to 9th level, he is tested by the lich-queen. This grueling test involves survival in one of lower planes for a number of weeks. Failure quite obviously results in death. Githyanki that reach 12th level of experience are immediately drawn out of the Astral plane and into the presence of the lich-queen where their life force is drawn to feed the ravenous hunger of the cruel demi-goddess. Githyanki dwell in huge castles on the Astral plane. These ornately decorated castles are avoided by all other dwellers on the Astral plane for the githyanki are infamous for being inhospitable to strangers. A githyanki stronghold will be ruled by a supreme leader. This leader will be a fighter/mage of 10th/8th level or 11th/9th level. The supreme leader is the undisputed overlord of the castle with the power of life and death over all who dwell there. A typical leader will be equipped with 2-8 random magical items in addition to the weapons described above. All castles have a retinue of 20-80 knights of 9th level that serve as the supreme leader's elite shock troops. They are fanatically loyal. There will also be up to 1,000 githyanki of lesser status. Githyanki, having the ability to _plane shift_ at will, often travel to the Prime Material plane. These treks across the planes often lead to the formation of underground lairs used to mount surface raids, though their hatred is more often directed against mind flayers. Outside the war with the githzerai, these raids are conducted largely for the perverse pleasure of the kill. A typical githyanki lair on the Prime Material plane will contain the following: - One supreme leader - 11th-level fighter or 7th/8th-level fighter/mage - Two captains - 8th-level fighter and 7th/6th-level fighter/mage - One knight - 8th level - Two warlocks - mages of 4th/7th level - Three sergeants - fighters of 4th/7th level - Two 'gish' - fighter/mages of 4th/4th level - 20-50 lower levels determined randomly using the table above, of 1st-3rd level On the Prime Material plane, githyanki have a pact with a group of [red dragons](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/dragcred). These proud creatures will act as mounts and companions to the githyanki. When encountered on the Prime Material plane and outside their lair, a githyanki group will typically consist of the following: - One captain - 8th-level fighter - One warlock - 4th to 7th-level mage - Five lower githyankis - fighters of 1st-3rd level Such a group will have two red dragons as steeds, transporting between four and six githyanki per dragon. The dragons will fight for the safety and well-being of the githyanki but will not directly risk their lives, fleeing when the battle is turned against them. Just what the githyanki offer the red dragons in return for these services is unknown. An interesting aspect of githyanki society is the apparent bond between military leaders and their subordinates. This bond allows a leader to give his men short, almost senseless commands (to human standards) and actually relay complex and exacting messages. Although this has no actual affect during the melee round, it often leads to more effective ambushes and attacks and allows complex military decisions to be relayed quickly. **Ecology:** Githyankis have similar ecology to that of humans. However, the Astral plane does not offer the same type of environments as the Prime Material plane, so their cultural groups are much different. In a society where farmers and tradesmen are unnecessary, more unique, specialized groups have evolved. **G''lathk:** The g''lathk, (admittedly nearly unpronounceable in human tongues) are the equivalent of farmers. Due to the barrenness of the Astral plane, the githyanki are forced to grow food in vast, artificial chambers. They rely upon a variety of fungi and other plants that require no sunlight to grow. The g''lathk are also experts in aquatic plantlife, sometimes tending gigantic water-gardens. **Mlar:** Not all magic-using githyanki ever attain the power and self-discipline necessary to become wizards. Some use their magical talents in the field of architecture and construction. The mlar are such individuals, focusing their creative energies toward designing and constructing the buildings and structures used in day-to-day life in githyanki society. The mlar have developed their jobs into an art form. Hr'a'cknir: The Astral plane has many strange energies moving through it. Some of these energies are obvious to the senses, such as heat and light. Others are not so easily observed. There are many psychic and strange astral energies that humans generally are not aware of. Being a psychically aware race, however, the githyanki cannot only sense these energies, but harness them too. The hr'a'cknir are the collectors of those energies. They are similar to the mlar, in that they use innate magical powers to perform their crafts. More than humans, githyanki are hunters and predators. They will typically engage in raiding and plundering seemingly for the joy they derive from it. It is likely that the long centuries of enslavement of their race has caused the githyanki to bully those weaker than themselves. Unlike humans, though, the githyanki never war amongst themselves. The split of the githyanki and the githzerai is the closest thing the gith races have known to civil war. Githyanki never battles githyanki. It is the unwritten rule of gith society and is never broken. This, too, may be an effect of the race's enslavement.