Githzerai

Medium-Size Outsider Hit Dice: 1ds (4 hp) Initiative: +3 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. AC: 17 (+3 Dex, +4 Inertial Armor) Attacks: Dagger +1 melee; or composite longbow +4 ranged Damage: Dagger 1d4; or composite longbow 1d8 Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 fr. Special Qualities: Psionics, PR variable (see text) Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +3 Abilities: Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 11 Skills: Concentration +4, Search +2 Feats: Inertial Armor

Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground Organization: Fellowship (3-12 3rd-level students), sect (1224 3rd-level students, plus 2 7th-level teachers and 19thlevel mentor), or order (30-100 3rd level students, plus 17th-level teacher per 10 adults, 5 9th-level mentors, 2 13th-level masters, and 1 16th-level sensei) Challenge Rating: 1 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Any neutral Advancement: By character class

Githzerai are a hard-hearted, humanlike people who dwell in the plane of Limbo, secure in the protection of their hidden monasteries.

They are thinner and taller than humans, with sharp features, long faces, and eyes of gray or yellow. Severe and serious, the githzerai tend toward somberness both in dress and personality.

As a rule, githzerai are closemouthed, keep their own counsel, and trust few outside their own kind. They speak their own language (similar enough to the tongue of the githyanki that either could understand the other if they chose to speak instead of fight), but many also speak Common.

Many githzerai are monks; however, psychic warriors, psions, sorcerers, rogues, and mu1ticlass githzerai (called zerths) are also indispensable members of a monastery.

COMBAT

Githzerai do not fear being caught defenseless, because their homes are weapons. Githzerai monks are deadly combatants, even weaponless and armorless, and yearn to bring the “good fight” to their enemies, the githyanki and mind flayers. In melee, githzerai psions and sorcerers often use their powers to enhance me monks, psychic warriors, and rogues.

Psionics (Sp): At will—combat prescience, far punch, and feather fall. Upon advancing to 11th character level, a githzerai can use plane shift once per day. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 16th-level psion.

Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will—ego whip/mental barrier.

Power Resistance (Ex): A githzerai has power resistance equal to 5 + 1 per character level.

GITHZERAI SOCIETY

The githzerai forerunners united under the command of the rebel Gith (see the Githyanki entry, above), and threw down the planespanning empire of the mind flayers. Once free, the former slaves split ideologically and eventually racially, becoming githzerai and their foes, the githyanki.

The githzerai's history of imprisonment was the foundation of their monastic lifestyle, in which all githzerai learn from childhood how to eradicate potential oppressors and enemies of the line (anyone not a githzerai). Githzerai live within self-contained, fortresslike monasteries hidden deep in the swirling chaos of Limbo. While disorder rules outside, stability holds sway inside. Each monastery is ultimately under the control of a sensei, a monk of at least 16th level, and follows a strict schedule of chants, meals, martial arts training, and devotions, according to a particular sensei's monastic philosophy. A monastery contains noncombatants (musty children) equal to 15% of the fighting population. Githzerai males and females may be found in almost any role or class. Rrakkma: As a special devotion, githzerai sometimes organize mind flayer hunting parties called rrakkma. A rrakkma consists of 4-5 githzerai of 8th level and 1-2 of 11th level, mainly monks, but also containing at least one psion and possibly a rogue. A rrakkma does not return to its home monastery until it has slain at least as many illithids as its membership.

GITHZERAI CHARACTERS

A githzerai’s favored class is monk (such characters are of lawful neutral alignment).