Githzerai, Githyanki...

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I am not very proficient in the knowledge of D&D. But after playing Planescape: Torment, I am interested in wanting to find out about the Githzerai and the Githyanki.

Are they something like the Drow and the Elves or more of the Dwarves and the Duerger?

however, they look fairly the same.
And are they an endangered specie? i cannot find much of the Githzerai and the Githyanki anywhere other than the P:T and BG2: SoA.

Please shed some light on this1

Thanks!

 

You can find a little info on them in the Psionics Handbook, Monster Manual 3.5, and i think there is a tiny bit on them in the Manual of the Planes.

 

I'm guessing you're not a P&P player, so you aren't going to purchase the books.

Here's what I can tell you on the top of my head:

The Githzerai reside in Limbo. This is a plane of Chaos. I believe that Githzeri are often Fighter/Wizards (Sorcerers?) or Monks. They're netural (good-evil-wise), but I'm pretty sure they swing either way when it comes to Law/Chaos.

Githyanki reside in the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is the big plane that connects all other planes. Githyanki are often Fighters or Wizards (once again, this is to my best memory). No Githyanki are Clerics, however. They often raid other places (like orcs and goblins), and sometimes get a mercenary Cleric to help them out.

Githyanki are Chaotic Evil, and often work with Red Dragons. They were, in the past, enslaved by Mind Flayers, but now are free, but still evil.

I know a lot of this sounds really random, like I just pulled it out of my butt, but I can assure that this is to the best of my recollection. The best choice would be to look at the Githyanki/Githzerai entries in the 3.5E MM.

 

Thanks, are there anywhere in the net i can find more info?

 

If you search the WotC site for them you will find tonns of information about them. I do believe it is all for 3rd edition.

 

Know it's an old topic, but anyway i've something to add...

I've read somewhere, that both races are a result of the mind flayer experiments... They fled from the material plane because of them...

I don't know much about the Githzerai, only that they live on Limbo in monastaries... They are some of the only creatures who can handle the chaos on Limbo...

The Githyanki are never clerics because of their ruler, the lich-queen... They are feared by astral-travelers because of their ability to harm silver cords (astral forms)... The races hate each other, and makes often war against each other... I think it's a miniature bloodwar...

Hope you could use my information...

 

Limbo isn't that the first layer of hell, According to Dante's Inferno? I have always been wondering why the Gitzerai came from hell...

That Mindflayer part is treu I did read that somewhere... Anyway there is also the Gothyanki a race of doomy planewalkers listening to the cure and writting dark poetry...

 

No... Limbo is the plane of ultimate chaos... You can read more in the manual of the planes... i don't remember what the first layer of hell is called, but i know it's ruled by the first of the nine, Bel... Try to make a search somewhere to find more information... But Limbo is very hard to control, and it's the homeplane of the Slaad...
Look in the Manual of the planes for more information...

 

I guess I'm right, read this:
First Level of Hell - Limbo

Charon ushers you across the river Acheron, and you find yourself upon the brink of grief's abysmal valley. You are in Limbo, a place of sorrow without torment. You encounter a seven-walled castle, and within those walls you find rolling fresh meadows illuminated by the light of reason, whereabout many shades dwell. These are the virtuous pagans, the great philosophers and authors, unbaptised children, and others unfit to enter the kingdom of heaven. You share company with Caesar, Homer, Virgil, Socrates, and Aristotle. There is no punishment here, and the atmosphere is peaceful, yet sad.

But then again you're right to since the Limbo In D&D is not the same Limbo as discribed above, they just used the same name. I do have a copy of the manuel of the planes but I'm still bussy reading the book of vile darkness and the ultimate Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy I shall take a look later

 

I have the old 1st edition Fiend Folio from TSR, if you want me to scan the pages on the Gith, e-mail me. I'll try to send it to you before the weekend is out. There was a fair amount of info on them in it.

 

Yes, the story Torment tells about their origins is fascinating!

(if you're still playing the game, the above link has definite spoilers).

Something that's confused about the Githzerai is their tendency towards Chaos. It seems like it would take a supremely ordered mind to keep their cities in Limbo together. Don't they have (1st Edition) Monks, as well? And yet the general type is Chaotic Neutral. Is that because only a Chaotic creature could stand life in Limbo? It's an ambiguity.