Githzerai

[Stix]

The history of the githzerai is one of ancient war and ancient slavery. Once of one race with the githyanki under the enslavement of the mind flayers, the githzerai broke away from their illithid masters and then from their gith brethren, sparking a racial war on multiple fronts that has continued into the present. The two gith factions separated and found new homes: the githyanki in the emptiness of the Astral Plane, and the githzerai in the swirling chaos of Limbo. The cause of that split has long been lost, but the ageless bloodfeuds and forays of revenge continue unabated.

Githzerai look almost exactly like humans (but woe to the sod who suggests they're of the same stock!), except that they are slightly thinner and taller. Also, their features are sharply cut and their faces are longer, but the most notable difference is in their eyes, which range from gray to catlike yellow. Githzerai are a severe lot who don't dress in bright colors, don't wear jewelry, and don't smile, at least not in public. They have no particular dislike of other races (beyond mind flayers and githyanki), but they don't often grow close to others either; they say what needs to be said and little more. Bards know githzerai make bad audiences; they have no sense of art within them, it seems.

However, githzerai do have fierce passions that burn dangerously. First, as mentioned, the githzerai hate the githyanki. The long-time enemies will never willingly cooperate and will rather try to do each other in. (This hatred isn't suicidal, though.) Second, the githzerai have a single-minded dedication to the security of their own race, no doubt the result of their never-ending war with the githyanki. Similarly, they are sworn to protect their race on their adopted home of Limbo, since that refuge was only won after millennia of hardship and war; any threat against their haven is met with whatever force is necessary to eliminate it. The githzerai say little of their fortresses on Limbo, lest they say too much, and say even less of other activities. Finally, if githzerai have a sport, it's illithid hunting. Organized into parties called rrakkma, their youths cross the planes, hunting mind flayer prey.

To the githzerai, there are only three truths: that the githyanki and illithids will never be anything but mortal enemies; that they will allow nothing to hinder the survival of their race; and that no one will ever enslave them again.

Strength: 6 to 17
Dexterity: 8 to 19
Constitution: 7 to 18
Intelligence: 10 to 19
Wisdom: 6 to 17
Charisma: 7 to 18

Size: Medium
Alignment: Any non-lawful
Movement Rate: 12
lnfravision, 60’.
Movement Rate: 96 in Limbo
Magic resistance: 5%/level

Classes and level limits:

Fighter

Ranger

Paladin

Mage

Specialist

Elementalist

Thaumaturge

Cleric

Druid

Shaman

Monk

Crusader

Thief

Bard

Ninja

Psionicist

9

N/A

N/A

12

12

12

12

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

15

N/A

N/A

12

Multiclass options:
Fighter/Mage
Fighter/Psionicist
Mage/Psionicist
Thief/Psionicist

Male height range: 5'4" - 6'10"
Female height range: 5'0" - 6'6"
Male weight range: 120 - 180 lbs
Female weight range: 90 - 150 lbs
Starting age range: 32 - 78
Lifespan: 250 years

Githzerai begin play with 5 Character Points. They may purchase the following racial abilities:

Anarch (10): The PC receives the chaos shaping proficiency. All attempts to shape land in Limbo automatically succeed, and the githzerai can shape double the amount of land normally allowed.
Dexterity bonus (20): The PC gains +1 to Dexterity.
ESP (10): The PC can cast ESP once a day. At 9th level, the PC can cast ESP twice a day.
Intelligence bonus (20): The PC gains +1 to Intelligence.
Lower resistance (10): Once a day, the PC can attempt to lower his magic resistance by effecting lower resistance on himself only.
Mental assault (10): The PC can cast feeblemind once a week for every five experience levels.
Mental shielding (10): Once a week, the githzerai PC can cast mind blank.
Mind guard (5): The PC gains +1 to all saves vs. mind affecting spells and psionics.
Plane shift (20): Once a day, the PC can plane shift (himself alone) to any other plane he has previously visited. This ability takes one full round to activate. If the PC is interrupted during activation of this power, the power fails.
Racial enmity (5): The PC’s extreme hatred of githyanki grants him a +2 to hit on all attacks against githyanki.
Rrakkma hunter (5): The PC gains +2 to hit against the despised gith slave masters of ages past — the mind flayers.
Renegade (5): The PC has secretly decided to advance in level beyond the artificial limits set by the githzerai wizard-king (i.e., the PC has no level limits in any chosen classes). Once a renegade githzerai’s decision becomes known, he rarely survives for long, as any such blasphemous githzerai are quickly hunted down by the wizard-king’s forces.
Sword bonus (5): The PC gains +1 to hit with any sword of githzerai make.
Xenophobe (5): Fearful and hateful of nearly all sentient creatures not of his own race, the PC is always on the alert for outside treachery and attack. The PC receives a +3 to all surprise checks. Note that while a xenophobic githzerai may be able to suppress displays of his xenophobic nature most of the time, such strong emotions are ever-present under the surface, just waiting for a chance to be expressed.
Zerth bonus (5): The fighter-mage PC is a renowned zerth -- part of a religious sect who worship the memory of the legendary githzerai hero, Zerthimon. PC receives a +4 reaction modifier when dealing with any githzerai . Such hero worship takes form as joining rrakkma bands, spreading the word of Zerthimon or hunting githyanki on a regular basis.