Githyanki

Since winning their freedom from the mind flayers, the githyanki have become corrupt raiders and destroyers under the rulership of their dread lich-queen, Vlaakith. They dwell on the Astral Plane in the city of Tu'narath, a metropolis built on and in the corpse of a deity.
From birth, githyanki are conditioned to fight and die for their queen. Children endure a brutal upbringing that constantly preaches devotion to Vlaakith. Each of the fortified settlements where young githyanki are raised and trained is a combination of military academy and cult headquarters.

Only the Best Survive

The githyanki raise their young in hidden creches that they construct in far-flung places on the Material Plane. Such measures are necessary because birth and growth are impossible on the Astral Plane, whose occupants don't age. The adult overseers in these places train young githyanki to harness their psychic and physical abilities.
Githyanki hatch from eggs. Each newborn enters the world alongside other eggs deliberately laid so that all hatch at the same time. Since githyanki adults must return to the Astral Plane to keep from aging significantly, the roster of instructors continually changes, with no adult staying longer than a few months and none ever returning for a second stint.
The instruction that young githyanki undergo is unrelenting and unforgiving. As a crop of youngsters grows older, more and more is demanded from each student, and the penalties for failing to keep up become more and more severe. In the early stages, combat practice lasts only until a wound is scored. Later, near the end of training, a drill of the same sort might be a fight to the death—the ultimate way of weeding out all those who don't meet Vlaakith's standards. To the githyanki, it's better for a weakling to die in training than to undertake a mission and imperil a war band.

Final Test of Loyalty

By the time a group of githyanki come of age, they have heard years of stories of Vlaakith and her immortal warriors dwelling in the silvery void. The young are told they are on the verge of entering the queen's realm, each one of them destined to take a special place in the society. Their skills have proven them worthy, and now only their loyalty to the Revered Queen remains to be determined.
As their last test, a group of githyanki entering adulthood must slay a mind flayer as a sacred rite of passage before they are permitted to join their people on the Astral Plane. When the victors enter Tu'narath for the first time, they carry the bounty of their hunt directly to Vlaakith. She accepts the gift and intones a ritual chant that marks the youngsters' induction into githyanki society. These youngsters will go on to live the lives of merciless marauders, partaking in regular astral raids decreed by Vlaakith.

Indolent Dilettantes

As a race bred and shaped by the mind flayers for a life of fighting, the githyanki never knew anything else while they were enslaved. Now that they aren't constantly at war, keeping her people occupied is perhaps the greatest challenge Vlaakith faces.
When githyanki aren't on raids or other missions for Vlaakith, they enjoy a languid existence in Tu'narath. Since time doesn't pass on the Astral Plane, the githyanki have no need to labor for food or water. To keep their minds sharp, Vlaakith orders them to pursue a variety of arts and studies. She regularly arranges contests, scavenger hunts, and other trials to keep her servants involved in purposeful activity, but the attraction of such diversions wears off after a brief time. Most of the citizens of Tu'narath, when they haven't been called for duty on a raid or for some other mission, indulge themselves in any way they see fit.
Githyanki, with an infinite amount of time on their hands, crave novelty. They expect every returning raid to provide new forms of entertainment. This preoccupation with newness stands at the hollow center of githyanki culture. They dabble in creating art, but never master it. They stand among treasures taken from countless worlds but are never truly appreciative of them. The githyanki flit from topic to topic, craft to craft, never settling on one endeavor for long. Tu'narath is littered with half-built sculptures, partially completed frescoes, and other unfinished works of all sorts. The githyanki simply abandon personal projects that bore them, and every such endeavor they undertake ends in this manner.

A Blade Kept Sharp

Despite the decadent lifestyle the githyanki indulge in, they remain in fighting shape. All are required to attend weapon and combat drills, which serve as a brief respite from their boredom.
Vlaakith, of course, stands atop the githyanki military hierarchy. Under her serve the supreme commanders, each of whom oversees a regiment of one thousand githyanki warriors. Ten kith'rak, each responsible for a company of one hundred, answer to a commander. Each kith'rak in turn commands ten sarths, each of whom leads a party of ten warriors. A githyanki war leader retains that status in times of peace, looking after her underlings and maintaining their discipline and combat training.

Gith Adventurers

Although gith seem fairly set in their way, it is not entirely uncommon for them to find themselves wandering the Material Plane as adventurers. The vast majority of gith on the Material Plane are there with purpose, wandering the Underdark and hunting illithids. However, unforeseen circumstances can lead to them being separated from their people.
Gith are also raised to adulthood on the Material Plane. A young gith might develop an interest in adventuring, or an older gith sent to defend or maintain a colony might leave, either seduced by the temptations of the outside world or in order to confront a great threat to the colony.
Of course, outside of the Underdark and high-magic areas of Avalor, gith are met with confusion and sometimes fear. Most common folk know nothing of the Astral Plane, let alone its inhabitants.

Githyanki Traits

Githyanki have the following traits in common, in addition to the traits they share with other elves.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Alignment. Githyanki tend toward lawful evil. They are aggressive and arrogant, and they remain the faithful servants of their lich-queen, Vlaakith. Renegade githyanki tend toward chaos.
Decadent Mastery. You learn one language of your choice, and you are proficient with one skill or tool of your choice. In the timeless city of Tu'narath, githyanki have bountiful time to master odd bits of knowledge.
Martial Prodigy. You are proficient with light and medium armor and with shortswords, longswords, and greatswords.
Githyanki Psionics. You know the mage hand cantrip, and the hand is invisible when you cast the cantrip with this trait.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the jump spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the misty step spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells. When you cast them with this trait, they don't require components.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Gith

Lifespan

72‒120 years

Average Height

5'5"-6'11"

Average Weight

124-280 lbs

Geographic Distribution

• Astral Plane