D&D 5E How do you handle using a different race for common Monsters?

[MaximusArael020]

Here's the scenario: I'd like to populate a Gith prison with a lot more Gith guards and whatnot, however the party is of a level where too many of a Githyanki Warrior would be very, very dangerous. Already it will hopefully be mostly a stealth mission, but I'd like to have them be able to have the potential for the entire compound to descend upon them and not immediately kill everyone.

So my thought was using some stats for normal NPC monsters like "Guard" and "Thug", but having them be Gith. However, it seems like most of the Gith have the addition of "Innate Spellcasting" with spells of "Jump, misty step, nondetection, tongues, plane shift, and telekinesis". Would you add those to the "Guard" statblock to make it a "Gith Guard"?

In a more general sense, how do you reskin Monsters for use in other environments/settings?

 

[MarkB]

The alternative to making generic guards more gith-y is to make gith more minion-y. Take the Gith Warrior stat block, halve its hit points, shave a couple of points off its attack bonus and AC, drop its damage die a step or two and you'll have a serviceable mook.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Build them as PC Gith using MToF.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The actual population of gith is low, so it's not implausible that they would employ another race to run their prison, with just one gith in charge.

 

[jasper]

Keep the AC but give them guard hit points and attacks. Lose the innate abilities.

 

[MaximusArael020]

Interesting points. I totally get what you are saying, @lowkey13. And it assuredly makes sense. I might pull back the idea of making them more "mooky".

 

[S'mon]

The actual population of gith is low, so it's not implausible that they would employ another race to run their prison, with just one gith in charge.

This sounds like an excellent idea to me. They can use eg hobgoblin mercenaries or slave soldiers with one or two Githyanki overseers. Red dragonborn would make sense too.

 

[S'mon]

Build them as PC Gith using MToF.

Also a great idea - take the Gith PC stats Gith - Giger's 5e D&D and add them to an NPC stat block, anything from Guard to Veteran.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Actually, there is a similar situation in the NWN2 CRPG. Near the start protagonist's village is attacked by githyanki, but, since they are only 3rd level, the gith are using bladelings and duergar as minions.