The Gith Are Now Aberrations in Dungeons & Dragons

The githyanki and githzerai are officially reclassified as aberrations in Dungeons & Dragons. In a video released today about the 2025 Monster Manual, D&D designers Jeremy Crawford and F. Wesley Schneider confirmed that the two classic D&D species are now being classified as aberrations. The reasoning given - the two gith species have been so transformed by living in the Astral Plane and Limbo, they've moved beyond being humanoids. Schneider also pointed out that the illithid's role in manipulating the gith also contributed to their new classification.

The video notes that this isn't technically a new change - the Planescape book released in 2023 had several githzerai statblocks that had aberration classifications.

The gith join a growing number of previously playable species that have new classifications. The goblin, kobolds, and kenku have also had their creature classifications changed in the 2025 Monster Manual. While players can currently use the 2014 rules for making characters of those species, it will be interesting to see how these reclassifications affect the character-building rules regarding these species when they are eventually updated for 2024 rules.

 

[MGibster]

Not to be uh.. rude or anything, but why?

It's just a preference of mine. Psionics is just another form of magic and I don't think we need more of it. I've never cared for how psionics has been handled in D&D over the years and don't care to see it included. I accept that psionics are here to stay and if other people like it that's perfectly okay. When I said D&D can't be all things to all people I include myself.

 

[dave2008]

I know people hate this, but that really is exactly how they would represent themselves in marketing materials.

Sure, but what form of explanation for their motivation would you take otherwise? I mean, how could they even convince you they are sincere? Can they even do that for you? I'm guessing not they can't.

I guess it doesn't matter, but I would have liked to part with WotC still feeling they made choices for the game I grew up on because they wanted to make the best game they could.

That could be true and you would still likely feel it was not.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sure, but what form of explanation for their motivation would you take otherwise? I mean, how could they even convince you they are sincere? Can they even do that for you? I'm guessing not they can't.

That could be true and you would still likely feel it was not.

You may be right.. i won't deny it. But there is a preponderance of (circumstancial) evidence that the creature type issues, in both directions, have a lot more to do with concerns about public complaints, and potential future complaints, than they do about evolving game design or improving play.

 

[dave2008]

You may be right.. i won't deny it. But there is a preponderance of (circumstancial) evidence that the creature type issues, in both directions, have a lot more to do with concerns about public complaints, and potential future complaints, than they do about evolving game design or improving play.

I disagree with that. That argument holds some water for Orcs and Drow, but Kobolds, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Saytrs, Centaurs, Yuan-ti, and all the other "monsters" that are also PC species. Not so much.

 

[Staffan]

I don't understand why that matters. Jean Grey doesn't exist in D&D. D&D is not the Marvel universe. Both can handle psionic powers in completely different ways.

Because that's the model of psionics I want. Jedi, "next step of evolution", enlightenment, purity of thought, mind over matter, crystals, that kind of stuff. Back when I was running Dark Sun, psionics was the "pure" magic type: not dependent on external power sources (drawing from either the land or from the elemental planes), but only on the strength of the wielder's mind. They're the kind of power that requires understanding more than any other, which is why the power names lean toward the scientific – the cleric can just cure wounds, while the psion manifests cell adjustment, actually getting cells to multiply and fix themselves.

The aberrant stuff is cool as a corruption of all that – they take something pure and spread their wrongness all over it. But that's not where it necessarily originates.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I disagree with that. That argument holds some water for Orcs and Drow, but Kobolds, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Saytrs, Centaurs, Yuan-ti, and all the other "monsters" that are also PC species. Not so much.

It's easy for me to see shifting all those away from humanoid is so they can maintain them as "monsters", even if they're no different than orcs and drow as far as why you might want them as NPCs instead. That's not a design or creative reason.

 

[dave2008]

It's easy for me to see shifting all those away from humanoid is so they can maintain them as "monsters", even if they're no different than orcs and drow as far as why you might want them as NPCs instead. That's not a design or creative reason.

And I can see a plethora of creative and design reasons. I imagine the truth is a combination of the two (and more).

 

[Micah Sweet]

And I can see a plethora of creative and design reasons. I imagine the truth is a combination of the two (and more).

Fair enough. But my thoughts and opinions here are just as valid as yours, even if yours are the only ones anyone will admit to.

I know you know that. Just making it clear for our many fans.

 

[Parmandur]

I mean there was also the part in the films where they were digging orcs out of the ground at Isengard and they they just hopped up fine and ready to kick ass after presumably thousands of years without food, light, or oxygen. Like LOTR orcs are horrifying.

Oh, boy, that is aggressively not part of Tolkien canon.

 

[Parmandur]

While I'm with you when it comes to backward compatibility, we've been overruled. I've been assured that it's all backward compatible because I can mix and match whatever I want from either edition. Oops. This isn't a new edition of the game. Let's call them versions instead.

....?

How is it not backwards compatible? I seriously have no idea what you mean, not putting on a bit.