03-10-2001, 12:56 PM | #1 |
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This is just some interesting info about githyanki and githzerai I'm posting, for those who don't know what they are. WARNING: It's a long post.
Githyanki 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 Level Dis/Sci/Dev Attack/Defense Power 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. 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. Class Level 01-40 Fighter 1-20 3rd 41-55 Mage 21-30 4th 56-80 Fighter/Mage 1-40 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-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 treated their human slaves cruelly and the people harbored a deep resentment toward the illithids. 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. 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 1th-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. 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 (q.v.) 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. Githzerai CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Limbo FREQUENCY: Very rare ORGANIZATION: Monarchy/dictatorship ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any DIET: Omnivore INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional to genius (15-18) TREASURE: Individual P; Lair H>02 ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral NO. APPEARING: 2-8 (away from lair) ARMOR CLASS: Variable MOVEMENT: 12, 96 in Limbo 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: Nil SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: 50% SIZE: M (6'tall) MORALE: Average to steady (8-12) XP VALUE: Per class and level Level Dis/Sci/Dev Attack/Defense Power Score PSPs = HD per level All/All = Int 1d100+150 Githzerai are the monastic, chaotic neutral counterparts to the githyanki (q.v.). The two races share a stretch of time in history; the githzerai are the lesser and more repressed offshoot of the original people that the warrior Gith helped to escape the slavery of the mind flayers millennia ago. Githzerai are very similar in appearance to their githyanki cousins, although they tend to look much more human. Their features are for the most part unremarkable, with vaguely noble countenance. Their skin tone is that of human caucasian flesh. Githzerai dress simply, wearing functional clothing and favoring conservative tones. Combat: The githzerai are unadorned and ruthlessly straightforward with their combat and magic. Their strong resistance to magic seems to make up for their generally inferior fighting ability. Class Level (add 3 if thief) 01-55 Fighter 01-10 1st 56-75 Fighter/Mage 11-20 2nd 76-95 Mage 21-30 3rd 96-00 Thief 31-45 4th 46-60 5th 61-75 6th 76-90 7th 91-96 8th 97-00 9th The armor for each githzerai varies according to class. Mages have AC 10. Fighters and fighter mages have differing armor -- AC 5 to AC 0 (6-1d6). Thieves have AC 7. Githzerai 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 and fighter/mages may receive more than one attack per round -- other githzerai have one attack per round. On rare occasions, a githzerai will progress as a thief. These thieves seem to have some significance to the strange githzerai religion. Although they are never known to become leaders in any capacity, these thieves are an exception to the maximum level of 9th, often progressing up to 12th level of experience. Just what role these thieves play is unknown. Githzerai fighters of at least 5th level have use of silver swords. These magical weapons are two-handed swords +3 that, if used in the Astral plane, have a 5% chance of cutting an opponent's silver cord upon scoring a hit (see The Astral Plane, DMG, page 132), though mind barred individuals are immune. These weapons are of powerful religious value to the githzerai and they will never willingly allow them to fall into the hands of outsiders. If this happens, the githzerai will go to great ends to recover the weapon. All githzerai have the innate power to plane shift to any plane. This is rarely done except to travel back and forth to the Prime Material plane where the githzerai have several fortresses. Habitat/Society: The githzerai were originally offspring of a race of humans that were freed from slavery under mind flayers by a great female warrior named Gith. These men and women did not, however, choose to follow Gith's ways after they revolted against their slavers. Instead, they fell sway to the teachings of a powerful wizard who proclaimed himself king -- and later, god -- of the people. The githzerai then separated themselves from the githyanki, beginning a great racial war that has endured the long millennia without diminishing. Githzerai can progress as fighters, mages, or fighter/mages, and thieves. They will rarely attain levels above 7th and, in any case, will never progress beyond 9th. The githzerai, who worship a powerful and ancient wizard as though he were a god (he is not), are destroyed before they have enough power to become a threat to their ruler. If encountered outside of their lair, githzerai will usually be in the following numbers: One supreme leader 9th-level fighter or 4th/7th-level fighter/mage One captain 6th-level fighter or 4th/4th-level fighter/mage Two warlocks mages of 3rd-5th level Three sergeants fighters of 3rd-5th level Three 'zerths' fighter/mages of 3rd/3rd level 20-50 lesser githzerai evenly distributed between the three possible classes and of 1st-3rd level A thief, if present (10% chance), will replace one of the lower level githzerai and will be of 6th-10th level. The githzerai dwell primarily on the plane of Limbo. They have mighty fortresses in that plane of chaos and their position there is very strong. Typically, one of these fortresses contains approximately 3,000 githzerai led by a single supreme leader. This leader has absolute control over the githzerai, including the powers of life and death. The githzerai hold only a few fortresses on the Prime Material plane, but these are particularly strong holdings, with walls of adamantite rising as huge squat towers from dusty plains. Each houses approximately 500 githzerai, including a supreme leader. On Limbo, however, the githzerai presence is very strong. Living in cities typically of 100,000 or more, the githzerai enjoy total power over themselves on an otherwise chaotic and unpredictable plane. One notable example of this is the city Shra'kt'lor. This large githzerai capital is composed of some 2,000,000 githzerai living in great power. Shra'kt'lor serves as both a capital and as a headquarters for all githzerai military matters. The greatest generals and nobles of the race meet here to plan githzerai strategy for battling both the githyanki and the mind flayers. There is likely no force on Limbo that could readily threaten the power of Shra'kt'lor or its many inhabitants. One of the prime motivations among the githzerai is their war with the githyanki. These offshoots of Gith's original race are obsessed with this war of extermination. They often employ mercenaries on the Prime Material plane to aid them in battling the githyanki. The evil, destructive nature of the githyanki makes the hiring of mercenaries to fight them a relatively simple task. Legend of the Zerthimon: In githzerai lore there is a central figure that is revered above all others -- Zerthimon. The githyanki believe him to be a great god that was once a man. According to githzerai lore, when the original race broke free of the mind flayers, it was Zerthimon that opposed Gith, claiming that she was hateful and unfit to lead the people. There ensued a great battle and the people were polarized by the two powers. Those that chose to support Gith became the githyanki. Those that supported Zerthimon became the githzerai. Zerthimon died in the battle, but in his sacrifice he freed the githzerai from Gith. The githzerai believe that someday Zerthimon, in his new godly form, will return and take the them to a place on another plane. Zerths are special among the githzerai, acting as focal points for the attention of Zerthimon. The githzerai believe that when Zerthimon returns for them, he will first gather all of the zerths and lead them to their new paradise. It might be said that the zerths are the center of githzerai religion. Unfortunately, they are not free from religious persecution. The wizard-king (whose name is not known) that rules over the highly superstitious githzerai would like very much to stamp out the legend of Zerthimon. The wizard-king believes that this legend challenges his authority, and very likely it does. However, he has never been able to rid the githzerai of this legend and he is now forced to tolerate it. Rrakkma bands: Although the githzerai are not a bitter or overly violent race, they still tend to hold a strong enmity and hatred for the race of illithids that originally enslaved the gith race so many thousands of years ago. By human terms, that may be a very long time to hold a grudge, but the githzerai see the mind flayers as the cause of the split of the Gith race and much of the hardships the githzerai are forced to endure. Thus large rrakkma (in the githzerai tongue) bands are often formed to hunt mind flayers. These bands typically consist of 30-60 githzerai warriors led by the githzerai equivalent of a sergeant. For roughly three months, these bands will roam the outer and inner planes, searching for groups of illithids and destroying them utterly. The rrakkma bands are very popular in githzerai society and it is considered to be an honor to serve in one. The githzerai fortresses on the Prime Material plane tend to be very large affairs with great, impenetrable walls. Wherever these fortresses stand, they destroy the landscape for miles. No plants or animals live within many miles of the fortresses and the land is reduced to wasteland around them. It is not known if the effect is just the land's reaction to the "other-planar" stuff of which the castles are constructed, or if githzerai mages magically produce the effect in order to keep material beings away from these fortresses. The most likely purpose of these fortresses on the Prime Material plane is to keep tabs on the githyanki. The githzerai, not being a particularly war-mongering or violent race, have no desire to conquer the Prime Material plane like the githyanki do. However, the githzerai realize that if their enemies have a strong hold on the Prime Material plane, they will become more powerful and thus will hold power over them. The githzerai carefully monitor the progress on the githyanki and lead coordinated, focused strikes against strongpoints of the githyanki, thus hampering their ability to expand and grow in the Prime Material plane. During these attacks, the githzerai will not intentionally attack the natural denizens of the Prime Material plane (humans, demihumans, humanoids, etc.), but they will never sacrifice a well-planned attack on the githyanki just to preserve life. With the githzerai, the ends will always justify the means. Like the githyanki, the githzerai really have no part in the Blood War (q.v.) of the fiends. They seldom venture to the lower planes, and only then for matters of absolute importance. The githzerai find the bloodthirsty, destructive nature of the fiends to be distasteful, so they will typically not deal with those creatures for any reason. They coexist with the slaadi, and githzerai are rumored to have mental powers beyond those described here. Ecology: For as long as men have known of the ability to travel the planes, they have wondered at the natural power of the githzerai to wander from plane to plane at will. Although man and githzerai are not natural enemies, battles are frequently fought between the two races, due in part to some humans' desire to capture a live githzerai for study. To date, no such creature has been secured. ------------------ Memnoch - Custodian of the Order of the Holy Flame |
03-10-2001, 01:57 PM | #2 |
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Hey mem, funny, I also just read that in my monster manual (2nd Ed). When I read it, it totally hit me like "WOW, even down to the Silver Sword"
Cool stuff! (Hope you OCR'ed that) and not typed it all Ziroc |
03-10-2001, 02:55 PM | #3 |
The Magister
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Thanks for the trip down memmory lane! Was in 8th or 7th grade when I got my Monster Manual 2 (the one with the picture of the Githyanki on the cover. I wish I could find them, they are somewhere in my house up in the attic or over in the loft of the barn (that one, and the one about the Demi Gods were some great reading).
You could probably make a complete add on about stumbeling in on the war of those 2 and let it go from there (decieding to help one or the other or neither and maybe developing with the mind-flayers). ------------------ Drink and be merry Jimbo |
03-10-2001, 04:14 PM | #4 |
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I really hope you didn't type that all by hand Memnoch
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03-10-2001, 04:36 PM | #5 |
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I think it was Fiend Folio that had the Giths. I've still got my 1st & 2nd E books
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03-11-2001, 05:55 AM | #6 | |
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Quote:
------------------ Memnoch - Custodian of the Order of the Holy Flame |
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03-11-2001, 03:04 PM | #7 |
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Well, this just shows another example of why Memnoch is one of the most respected and helpful members of this forum. You know, reading all his references to P&P AD&D made me want to start playing it, and now, I have been for several months and enjoying it with my friends tremendously. Cheers.
------------------ I hear a voice you cannot hear Which says I must not stay I see a hand you cannot see Which beckons me away |
03-11-2001, 03:58 PM | #8 |
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another fine piece by Memnoch makes a good read anyway
------------------ Master Assassin of the Holy Flame. My website http://hesperex.8k.com |
03-11-2001, 05:05 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
------------------ Memnoch - Custodian of the Order of the Holy Flame |
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03-12-2001, 04:17 AM | #10 |
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Can someone tell me what exactly is a Vorpal weapon? I dont play the PnP game (bought the box set but never had the time) so Im rather ignorant to such things outside the games..Cheers to Memnoch for these posts (the lich one was pretty interesting), they've helped me understand parts of PST, IWD and BG2 better (like the part in IWD where you have to deal with a lich & why the Githzerai hate the Githyanki etc).
------------------ Why? |
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