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Message: <blockquote data-quote="QuietBrowser" data-source="post: 7271408" data-attributes="member: 6855057">Githyanki Musings:For Githyanki, let's see... we started as a Dex/Int boosting race, then a Dex/Con, then finally a Con/Int race. So that makes the ability scores hard to decide upon. One could always go with just giving them +1 to all of those stats, but isn't +1 in three stats usually considered inferior to the +2/+1 split approach?If you look at their two more recent statblocks, there's a certain focus on mobility. 3.5 gave them Dimension Door and Planeshift spell-like abilities, 4e gave them Telekinetic Leap, and 5e gives the monster versions Jump, Misty Step and, for Knights, Plane Shift SLAs. So that's definitely something worthy to preserve. Heck, even back in AD&D, their monstrous incarnations could Plane Shift at will, an ability too potent to give PCs of course, but which emphasizes that githyanki should be capable of unearthly mobility.Telekinetic abilities, to support their psionic nature, are also a feature in both 3e and 5e.Not directly referenced in their statblocks, but githyanki are heavily associated with combat (hence the Fighter favored class in 3e), arcane magic use (they invented the term "gish" we still use today for martial/caster mixed characters), and the use of greatswords, which are their most iconic weapon, as iconic as the dwarf with his axe and his hammers.It has no tradition, but I really like the 4e version's Danger Sense and, especially, its Githyanki Willpower trait - the githyanki are culturally defined by their obsession with freedom and their hatred of the illithid, who rely heavily on Charm effects. It makes sense, doesn't it, that githyanki would be resistant to effects by others to sway their minds?Putting all of these together... I think my kneejerk rendition of the Githyanki would look something like this:GithyankiAbility Score Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +1 IntelligenceSize: MediumSpeed: 30 feetVision: NormalBlades of Gith: You have Proficiency in the Greatsword. When making melee attacks with a Greatsword, you can use your Intelligence modifier to determine your damage modifier.Mind over Matter: You can cast the Mage Hand cantrip, although your version is invisible. Additionally, you always count as having a running start when making Jump checks.Hate Breaks All Shackles: You have Advantage on saving throws against the Charmed and Stunned effects, and on saving throws to end those effects.This versions favors Dexterity and Intelligence because the githyanki are traditionally described as extremely quick and agile (high Dex), but also intelligent and adept at arcana (Int). It also reflects their tradition of training wizards and the special place they hold in githyanki society.Blades of Gith not only grants them an iconic weapon proficiency, but allows them to still use those weapons to lethal effect despite their not otherwise making particularly great fighters (the 5e MM's depiction of Strength as their highest value is quite uncharacteristic).Mind Over Matter gives the player a relatively balanced access to their traditional telekinesis, and its jumping bonus references Telekinetic Leap, itself a more player-friendlyform of enhanced mobility compared to the traditional dimension doors and plane shifts.Honestly... I think this looks flavorful, but maybe a little overpowered. I considered giving it Arcana proficiency (to represent their extensive anti-illithid training) and/or the ability to use Incorporeal Movement, but I worried that those would come off as too overpowered or uncharacteristic.Githzerai Musings:With a Githzerai, I think everyone immediately leaps to "+2 Wis, +1 Dex" as their ability score modifiers. Despite their Dex/Int origins in AD&D, they've become so iconically associated with monks and sages that it's hard to think of otherwise - I really liked 4e's version for giving us Dex or Int as the "flexible" racial modifier, since it actually harkens back to their tradition of training Zerths - warrior-wizards - as stand-ins for priests of Zerthimon. Alas, we can't do fluid ability modifiers anymore.Looking at githzerai across the editions, you'll notice that their recurring theme is, surprisingly, mentally-bestowed toughness. They had Magic Resistance back in AD&D, when magic was king, they had Inertial Armor as a psi-like ability in 3rd edition, and they had Iron Mind as their racial power in 4th edition. Even in 5e, their "Psychic Defense" trait and Mage Armor SLA means that githzerai are surprisingly tough foes despite rejecting armor, which is itself a reference to their monkly aspects.Mobility's another recurring theme; Catfall as a psi-like ability in 3.5, Shifting Fortune in 4e, and access to Feather Fall and Jump SLAs in 5e. Again, this fits into githzerai and their strong post-AD&D association with the Monk class. They're the iconic kung-fu arsewhuppers of D&D.Putting all that together... now that's the tricky part...GithzeraiAbility Score Modifiers: +2 Wisdom, +1 DexteritySize: MediumSpeed: 30 feetVision: NormalGraceful As Thought: When you Dash, you can ignore the effects of non-magical difficult terrain. You also have Advantage on Acrobatics checks.Inertia Armor: When not wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Wisdom modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.The Knowing of Self: You have Advantage on saving throws against the Charmed and Stunned effects, and on saving throws to end those effects.This version struggled to make itself work; 5e doesn't use the same kind of dynamic combat that 4e did, so fluidity is hard to pull off. Still, I rather like Graceful As Thought, which makes githzerai naturally mobile without treading too heavily on the monk's toes.Inertia Armor is literally just the Lizardfolk's Natural Armor using Wisdom instead of Constitution, but hey, why reinvent the wheel?The Knowing of Self... yeah, I was actually conflicted on whether or not to add that, but since githzerai are just as militantly anti-illithid as the githyanki, just with different ways of training against them, I felt it was a viable way to highlight that shared connection.Duthka'gith Musings:Now... what to do with the Duthka'gith, the githyanki's fiendish, half-red dragon mutant offshoot race. Unlike their kinsfolk, there's only one set of numbers to pull from, which both simplifies and complicates things.Now, obviously, you want to give it Red Dragon Ancestry, which'd be Fire Resistance plus the Red Dragonborn Breath Weapon racial trait.Given their stats, and their fluff as having been made to be superior military leaders for the githyanki, I actually default to seeing them as +2 Str/+1 Cha race. The former represents their massive strength, the latter their natural knack for leadership and the inherent magical prowess inherited from their fiendish red dragon ancestry.Ideally, I'd want them to have a trait or two to reflect their Githyanki ancestry and have it mean something on the battlefield, but that requires setting a functional Githyanki down first, I guess.I can't decide if they should or shouldn't make any use of the natural weapons/armor traits from 3.5. Might be best to leave them aside, because that could easily render them overpowered.Maybe a feature that grants them access to the of the Mage Hand, Control Flame and Produce Flame cantrips would be thematic? This represents their psionic nature, which ties them strongly to the githyanki, but also gives them a distinctive pyrokinetic feel, which you'd expect of the psionic progeny of a fiend and a red dragon. Or maybe there's a level-gated set of SLAs that can do the same thing...Smite Good needs to stay in the dust of 3.5 where it belongs, so probably best to either find a new angle for referencing their fiendish ancestry or else let their pyrokinesis and Cha modifer do the talking for them.The Duthka'gith is a very intriguing race, but there's so much going on for it that I'm hardpressed to figure out what to give it - doesn't help that 5e is so erratic in dispersal of racial traits (seriously, look at the Dwarf vs. the Dragonborn).One of the big issues here is that Duthka'gith are going to tread a little on Dragonborn toes, simply because they're supposed to be Half Dragon Githyanki with fiendish blood.So... yeah, seriously, I'm desperate to figure out how to make the Gith of all kinds shine.Duthka'githAbility Score Modifiers: +2 Strength, +1 CharismaSize: MediumSpeed: 30 feetVision: Darkvision 60 feetEphelomon's Blood: You have Fire Resistance and, as an action, can spit a 15ft cone of flames. Creatures caught in the cone must make a Dexterity save (DC 8 + your Con modifier + your Proficiency bonus). On a failed save, they take 2d6 Fire damage, and halve that damage on a successful save. Your damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you have used your breath weapon, you must complete a short rest or a long rest before you can use it again.Githyanki Blood: You are treated as a Githyanki for effects that key off of race. This allows you to use items restricted to githyanki, but also makes you vulnerable to powers that specifically target githyanki.Claws: You have a Climb speed of 15 feet and can use your claws as natural weapons when making an unarmed strike. A claw attack inflicts 1d4 + Str modifier Slashing damage instead of the normal Bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike.Pyrokinetic: You can cast the Control Flame and Mage Hand cantrips, using Charisma as your spellcasting ability score.Blades of Gith: You have Proficiency with the Greatsword.</blockquote>

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