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.

 

[SkidAce]

Aberrations are, according to the video, now any creature transformed by the Far Realm. Gith fall into that category.

Werewolves were human once and now are monstrosities. Most undead were human too before being raised.

I hear and acknowledge.

Still nope.

 

[Shardstone]

I hear and acknowledge.

Still nope.

I guess you won't like that Halflings are Oozes now...

 

[SkidAce]

I guess you won't like that Halflings are Oozes now...

Funny story, there are no halflings in my campaign world since 86.

 

[Shardstone]

Funny story, there are no halflings in my campaign world since 86.

Can't say I'm a fan of the race either. But as OOZES?

 

[Stormonu]

This is just more and more reasons for me to stay clear of 2024.

 

[Charlaquin]

I'm not a fan, but mostly because I don't want everything with psionics to be Aberration-based. I mean, yes, weird crap from beyond reality can mess with people's heads and do telekinetics and see things far away and such.

You know who else can do those things? Jedi. And Jedi aren't aberration-based. The default for psionics should not be "slime and tentacles".

Isn’t it a D&D lore thing that Psionic power originates from the Far Realm though? I’m far from a D&D lore expert, but I thought that was the case in the assumed setting. I’m pretty sure that was the case in 4e at least.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Isn’t it a D&D lore thing that Psionic power originates from the Far Realm though? I’m far from a D&D lore expert, but I thought that was the case in the assumed setting. I’m pretty sure that was the case in 4e at least.

that was one of several ideas it is more it is connected one idea was it was a response of reality to the incursion like the immune system.

 

[Charlaquin]

I'd rather go with dual-classification.

Humanoid Fey
Humanoid Aberration
Humanoid Beast
Humanoid Elemental

Hold Person can freeze a Humanoid. Humanoids who have another type (except beast) gain advantage on the roll.

Weres who turn fully into animal lose the Humanoid type.

Agreed. If I had my druthers, creature types would be divided between planar origin and anatomical characteristics. So, you’d have…

Origins:
• Aberrant
• Celestial
• Elemental
• Fey
• Fiendish (though you could further subdivide this between Abyssal, Cthonic, and Infernal)
• Undead

For things native to the material plane you could either leave them without an Origin type, or create a new “Natural” type.

Anatomy:
• Beast
• Construct
• Dragon
• Giant
• Humanoid
• Monstrosity
• Plant

 

[SkidAce]

Read thread.
Great and valid points from everyone, good conversation.

Not to concerned about Hold Person. (mainly because goblins aren't fey, and gith will stay humanoids)
That leaves the lore, I like the "gith hate aberrations, especially mind flayers" theme in my camapign's prehistory, so I dislike the change. But this is a me problem, a molehill, not a mountain to die on.

"Slightly" curious about so many "humanoid > X category" changes, but will just keep an eye on it.

 

[Charlaquin]

that was one of several ideas it is more it is connected one idea was it was a response of reality to the incursion like the immune system.

Wouldn’t that still fall under their current definition of Aberrations as things either originating from the Far Realm or changed by it though? Since in theory any entities that gained psionic abilities as part of this “cosmic immune response” would not have gained said abilities if not for the incursion of the Far Realm.