Gith Resources 3

"M" through the end of the alphabet.

Magic Item Compendium, 3.5

Two magic items are described here with relevance to the gith. The githborn talisman is used by both githyanki and githzerai to enhance their combat skills against aberrant beings. The soulvoid orb was originally created by githyanki to use as a weapon against githzerai who took up a practice called "meldshaping" (described in the 3.5 Magic of Incarnum sourcebook).

Magic of Incarnum, 3.5

The soulvoid orb is also described here. A semi-religious order serving ideals of pure law, the Sapphire Hierarchs, is also described. They’re led by a githzerai who’s taken the traditional githzerai obsession with order to a particular extreme.

Magic: The Gathering, Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate

Featuring Lae’zel from Baldur’s Gate 3 and the "Lae’zel’s Acrobatics" card. There’s also the red dragon Ganax (plainly a githyanki-allied dragon from the jewelry he wears in his card art) and a githzerai monk in Limbo. Lae’zel and Ganax have fancy additional card art.

Magic: The Gathering, Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate

Also features Lae’zel in several differently-colored iterations, the Wizened Githzerai, and the "Lae’zel’s Acrobatics" card.

Marco Volo Trilogy: Arrival, 2nd Edition

Githyanki feature here serving as bodyguards for a powerful evil artifact, summoned from the Astral Plane.

Manual of the Planes, AD&D

This is the other major source for the gith in the earliest edition of D&D. The basic facts are all here, that the githyanki live in the Astral Plane and the githzerai live in Limbo. However, there are some notable things about the githzerai that have changed in later editions. In this earliest incarnation, they wield silver swords identical to the githyanki silver swords. Zaerith Menyar-Ag-Gith is a wizard warrior king who prevents the githzerai from passing a certain level, and the githzerai keep slaves in their cities. These things are NOT true as of 5th Edition. An ominous note in the githyanki writeup about the unnamed lich queen: "She cannot grant spells (yet), but her power is rumored to be waxing."

Manual of the Planes, 3rd Edition

Don't worry, there's no 2nd Edition Manual. Planar stuff in that edition all went to Planescape, detailed below. The gith feature strongly in this book, recapping all of the standard lore. Militaristic, xenophobic, revering Vlaakith, sailing the Astral Plane as pirates, these are the githyanki we know and love. The githzerai, however, have finally come into their own. They've become a society of isolated monks, exercising their control over Limbo from monasteries hovering in the chaos. No more silver swords or slaves here.

Manual of the Planes, 4th Edition

A lot of 2nd and 3rd Edition ideas return here. The githyanki are fully recognizable as their modern selves here. It's noted that they do stalk the Plane of Dreams sometimes, an element unique to this book. Tu'narath gets a brief writeup, and githyanki silver weapons (notably, not restricted to swords) are available as items. In the 4th Edition cosmology, the githzerai inhabit the Elemental Chaos rather than Limbo. Their monastery of Zerthadlun (now missing its apostrophes) appears in full in the book. In an uncanny note in a sidebar on the realm of the demon lord Graz'zt, rogue githzerai may be found in his capital city.

Monster Manual, 3rd Edition

Githyanki and githzerai are straightforward and to the point, exactly as we'd expect them to be. The designs for both have been updated to match the tone of this edition. Githzerai here have been upgraded as described in the 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes entry.

Monster Manual 1, 4th Edition

The githyanki-and-githzerai story is presented in all its standard elements. An interesting note is that the githyanki are presented in encounter setups on their entry and on the "dragonspawn" entry as fighting beside redspawn firebelchers. These creatures serve Tiamat as part of her personal army in her war against Bahamut. Githyanki receive a nod in the red dragon entry, of course. Notably, the githyanki language is now missing from their setup. In this edition, gith speak common and Deep Speech, the language of illithids and aberrants.

Monster Manual, 5th Edition

Changes some elements of the githyanki story significantly. Gith wasn’t lost in the Hells, but came back with the red dragon pact herself. Rather than Vlaakith being the 157th of that name, the lich queen is Vlaakith I, and took power immediately after Gith herself died. It’s unclear why these changes were made.

Monster Manual IV, 3rd Edition, p.62-66

A full writeup of the githyanki, updating them from the Monster Manual I. Statistics, combat tactics, encounter groups, and a map of a forest encampment. Includes an unexpected quote on rebellion by the notorious Zetch’r’r. Also has a note on the role of githyanki in Eberron, a description of githyanki cuisine, and a few NPCs. Not much new lore, and what’s there all lines up with the standard story from 3.5 and earlier.

Monstrous Compendium Volume One: Spelljammer Creatures, p.12

The Star Lancer entry describes how these winged, sentient, shark-like denizens of the Astral Sea associate with githyanki as allies and mounts.

Monstrous Manual, 2nd Edition

Githyanki and githzerai, alongside the Dark Sun gith and the "gith pirate," receive full write-ups here. Dark Sun gith are noted to be egg layers, which will clearly carry forward as far as Baldur's Gate 3. The githzerai are starting to inch closer to their modern incarnation, with the first mention of Zerthimon. Here, he's a mythic figure who died fighting Gith, but will return to lead the githzerai into paradise. It's more of a cult than the true history we'll see later.

Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, 5th Edition

The githyanki and githzerai as 5E playable races. Nothing else new.

Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, 5th Edition

Follows the 5th Edition Monster Manual in many of its baseline assumptions. One of the most extensive looks at githyanki and githzerai culture with an entire chapter devoted to them. It’s entitled "The Gith and their Endless War," which is quite evocative of how 5E is viewing them. Includes most notably a new look at Zaerith Menyar-Ag Gith, portraying him not as a warrior king but as an apparently comatose, absurdly powerful monk.

Neverwinter Nights 2, 2006, Obsidian Entertainment

The entire plot revolves around the Silver Sword of Gith, as forged for Gith herself by Zerthimon. The player character, the Kalach-Cha or Shard-Bearer, has to collect the shards of the broken sword and reforge them while being pursued by the githyanki. The githzerai companion Zhjaeve provides plenty of discussion of the history of the gith, insight into Zerthimon and Gith, and the respective modern cultures of githyanki and githzerai.

Oerth Journal #21, p.48

A githyanki appears in "The Colorless Spire of Frozen Ice" as a guest/guard. She's fled the Astral Plane and taking refuge in the spire.

A Paladin in Hell, 2nd Edition, p.16

A githyanki gish and a knight appear making a deal with the demon captain of a plane-hopping ship. Includes a direct letter from Vlaakith CLVII to the ship’s captain—one of the only times outside of Baldur's Gate 3 that we hear Vlaakith herself speak.

Planar Handbook, 3rd Edition

SO much gith content here. We're introduced to an NPC of the astral dancer prestige class (p.63-64). Tu'narath gets an extensive writeup (which is clearly drawing on the Lich-Queen's Beloved and associated articles), including Vlaakith's full statistics and a map of the city. On p.165, a githyanki ghost ship is fully described as a location players can visit. The githzerai get significantly less attention, but Zerth'Ad'Lun (with apostrophes) does receive a full description. Oddly, in the discussion of the githyanki history, it's stated that Gith refused the monarchy and this was what drove the civil war. A very unusual take.

The Plane Above, 4th Edition

Mentions the githyanki frequently and details the usual lore of the githyanki in the Astral Sea. Notable for breaking their situation into three stratagems (establishing Tu’narath, making the pact with Tiamat, and forging the silver swords). Incorporates new lore for the silver swords, with each containing a fragment of the Living Gate that holds back the Far Realm. Presents the githyanki as a rather heroic group, fighting back against the Far Realm. Also introduces the factions of the far travelers (githyanki who travel and pay tribute to Vlaakith) and the gul’othran, who don’t adhere to the "plunder and leave" strategy of their kin, but would rather conquer everything to keep it from the mind flayers. On p.126, describes the strange site of Kar’ka Dun, possibly the first landing place of the githyanki in the Astral Sea, and a potential site of peace between the githyanki and githzerai.

The Plane Below, 4th Edition

Details on several githzerai communities in Limbo, monasteries and a strange town. Offers an unusual githzerai NPC, the enlightened monk Liricosa. Also provides some different takes on Zerthimon, who he was, his conflict with Gith, and his ultimate fate. Presents the rumor here that Zerthimon may have become a lich, trying to continue to protect his people, though apparently no one (githyanki or githzerai) likes that theory.

Planescape, Dead Gods, 2nd Edition

The githyanki got involved with a drow conflict inside the famous Vault of the Drow. Looking to establish a stronghold in the Underdark, they formed an alliance with a warmongering drow house and now act as their allies in a Vault-wide conflict. No names or concrete numbers are given. This plot point is not mentioned in the later 4th Edition Underdark sourcebook, where the Vault is brought in as a major location.

Planescape, A DM’s Guide to the Planes, 2nd Edition

Githyanki and githzerai figure prominently. In the Astral Plane section, alongside an illustration of a rather handsome githyanki warrior, there’s some discussion of githyanki civilization there. According to this source, the dead gods on which githyanki build their cities occasionally "wake up" a bit and can overwhelm residents with their personality.

Planescape, Doors to the Unknown, 2nd Edition

A githzerai merchant living in Sigil is detailed on page 13. While githzerai are mostly associated with asceticism these days, she’s a hedonistic member of the Society of Sensation.

Planescape, Faction War, 2nd Edition

A githyanki neighborhood in Sigil’s Guildhall Ward is detailed on p.19, and a githzerai neighborhood in the Hive Ward on p.27. On p.23, githyanki jewelry is for sale, and its magical properties are described.

Planescape, The Factol’s Manifesto, 2nd Edition, p.36

A former leader of the Bleak Cabal was a githyanki knight. His name was Tollysalmon. Yes, you read that right. As for the githzerai, it’s noted often that they don’t take well to strict rules and order—something that did not carry over as much to their monastic outlook in later editions—but they are a constant presence. They play a major role particularly in the chaotic Xaositect faction.

Planescape, In the Cage: A Guide to Sigil, 2nd Edition, p. 39

Most gith who live in the city of Sigil are actually githzerai. Merchants, tavern keepers, and average citizens, they’re one of the major groups in Sigil. They also run the Face of Gith tavern. Only one major githyanki NPC gets a mention: a princess who wants to regain the lich-queen’s favor by killing her own mother gets a paragraph in the writeup for the Fortune’s Wheel tavern.

Planescape, Morte’s Planar Parade, 5th Edition

Githzerai monastic disciplines that include matter and time manipulation, as well as just lovely art.

Planescape, On Hallowed Ground, 2nd Edition, p.53

Informs us that, since the githyanki don’t actually worship Vlaakith, she can’t become a god. Clearly, by the events of "The Lich-Queen’s Beloved," Vlaakith’s gotten a bit tired of this state of affairs.

Planescape, Planes of Conflict, 2nd Edition, Monstrous Supplement, p.9

The Singing Gith, a githzerai hermit living in the Beastlands. He tells stories of questionable truth.

Planescape, A Player’s Guide to the Planes, 2nd Edition

Githyanki and githzerai everywhere. If the Astral Plane is mentioned, the githyanki won’t be far behind. They aren’t presented as a playable race, but the githzerai are. Here, the origins of the species are mysterious, but they come from a place called "Gith." Not something that pops up anywhere else.

Planescape, Sigil and the Outlands, 5th Edition

A return to the githzerai in Sigil. Cranium rat exterminators, the Face of Gith tavern (now run by a member of the Sha’sal Khou), and the other trappings of 2nd Edition Planescape. Later on, includes the predominantly-githzerai town of Xaos and its Sha’sal Khou stronghold (an adamantine citadel floating above the town).

Planescape: Torment, Black Isle Studios, 1999

The companion Dak'kon is a githzerai who joins the quest as a companion, providing deep insight into their culture. Includes the "Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon," which is a githzerai-point-of-view document about Zerthimon, the liberation of the gith, and his conflict with Gith. It’s fairly detailed. However, at the end of the game, a major character acknowledges that at least parts of the Unbroken Circle were invented by that character for their own ends. Identifying which parts are actually real may be impossible.

The Planewalker’s Handbook, 2nd Edition

Githzerai are described as a playable race here (p.75), with lore matching the general trend. Interestingly, it’s noted that player character githzerai lose their innate plane shift ability because they’ve been too far away from their wizard-king for too long. Apparently "innate" abilities may be linked to that king. Shra’kt’lor is described as well (p.23) and the githyanki get a mention in the Astral Plane (p.31). Apparently portals to the Astral Plane have an inconvenient habit of appearing near githyanki fortresses (p. 38).

Player’s Guide to Eberron, 3rd Edition

There may be githyanki city-states hidden on the continent of Xen’drik, with no further details given (p.77). The githyanki and githzerai are further discussed in the section on the planes. In this setting, the gith were created by the illithids, either being changed from humans or hobgoblins, or created as a species fully formed. Figures such as Gith and Zerthimon are absent, with the split being due to separate castes—the githyanki as warriors in service to the mind flayers and the githzerai as personal servants and scribes. They have no special connection to red dragons. (p.123) There’s also a beautiful illustration of a githyanki looking particularly sci-fi.

Player’s Handbook 2, 3rd Edition

In the duskblade class writeup, it’s suggested that githyanki gish (traditionally fighter/wizards) might be re-skinned as gith duskblades. Also, a duskblade apparently ran off with a githyanki’s silver sword and avoided getting killed for it, so kudos to her.

Player’s Handbook 3, 4th Edition

Githzerai as a playable race with some insights into their culture and outlook. Great art throughout. Even more interesting, details the githzerai rrakkma hunting bands and their members, called rrathmal. (p.18)

Player’s Option: Heroes of the Elemental Chaos, 4th Edition

Githzerai are present as near-natives of the Elemental Chaos. Since this is a Player's Option book, lore is primarily focused on how a PC might have come to use one of the class features, feats, or powers in the book. Still, we get a sidebar on githzerai diplomats among the efreet (p.107, called sha'ir), a few details on Zerthadlun (p.17), and other mentions throughout the book.

Player’s Option: Skills & Powers, 2nd Edition, p.103

Githzerai as a playable race. Their society is described as highly chaotic here. They’re said to be travelers, adventurers, and traders: monastic, apparently, but without the walled monasteries and strict rules that they’ve acquired since 3rd Edition.

Polyhedron #141 – Erik’s Editorial, p.2

Calls the githyanki "the grand daddy of monstrous cool" and he’s damn right about that.

Polyhedron #159 – Incursion, Knights of the Lich Queen

Offers details on githyanki and the duthka’gith as playable races for 3rd Edition. Covers much of the same ground on githyanki culture and society as other sources, but also zeroes in on the role specific classes play in society, clothing that different castes wear, and other small details. At the end, provides information on some of Vlaakith’s terrifying magical breeding programs, including the b’kallash dreadnought, a fusion of red dragon and astral dreadnought. In "The Invasion of Pharagos," posits the existence of a long-dead patron deity of the forerunners of the githyanki.

Polyhedron #169 – Dark Sun Monsters, p. 88-89

Athasian gith in 3rd Edition! Notes that they’d be over seven feet tall if they stood up straight, details their underground lairs, and offers them as a playable race.

Psionic Handbook, 3rd Edition

Githyanki and githzerai both get extensive writeups here. Not much different than the standard stuff, except for the surprisingly sympathetic tone of both entries. It’s mentioned that the githyanki culture of violence stems mostly from their eternal conflict with the githzerai, and that the githzerai dialect is close enough to the githyanki one for them to speak to each other "if they chose to speak instead of fight." (p. 149)

Psionic Power, 4th Edition

There’s a beautiful illustration of a githzerai monk as the Grandmaster of Flowers, on page 148.

"Shackles" by Allen Varney, in DS1: Freedom, 2nd Edition

This short story, featured in the Dark Sun adventure Freedom, includes an encounter with a pair of gith slave gladiators. An illustration on page 8 of the story shows this early iteration of what the gith look like.

Saltmarsh Encounters, 5th Edition, p.13

A wrecked ship might be a githyanki astral skiff. The details might derail a campaign, so watch out!

Slavers, TSR 11261, AD&D, p.107

A githyanki mercenary serves one of the infamous Slave Lords of Greyhawk. He speaks enough Common to get by and is probably being hunted by his kin for an unknown reason.

Spelljammer: Monstrous Compendium Appendix, 2nd Edition

Describes the "pirates of Gith," a branch of gith who didn’t take off into the Astral Plane but into "wildspace." They’re more hostile, xenophobic, and violent than either of their cousin branches.

Tales from the Infinite Staircase, 1998

A significant portion of the adventure takes place in an abandoned githyanki city on a godmote in the Astral Plane. Features a beautiful illustration/map of the city and a githyanki war party.

Tales from the Outer Planes, "Into the Astral Plane"

An adventure where PCs can visit a githyanki fortress on the Astral Plane. Incorporates knights riding nightmares, an artifact that could turn the tide of the war against the githzerai, and a full religious shrine to the unnamed lich queen (something that isn’t seen often). In the "Lairs" section, a pair of short encounter sets for githyanki and githzerai are provided. The cover art of the githyanki is also terrifying.

Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords, 3rd Edition

Introduces the prestige class of the "bloodstorm blade," a martial path created by a githyanki sword cult. Somehow, the secret knowledge got out—stolen or taught to an outsider by a traitor—and now other people practice the path. They have a habit of hunting down and killing anyone who takes up the path, unless that person joins a particular guild which offers protection from the githyanki. There’s a great artwork of a githyanki fighting a demonic spider. Finally, there’s a legendary rapier, Supernal Clarity. Most of the sword’s entry is the story of the githyanki smith who created the blade, not the story of the sword.

The Tower of Deception, 3rd Edition

Aan adventure that takes place in a tower belonging to a long-dead githyanki wizard. Not much overall githyanki lore, but worth the mention.

TSR Jam 1999, "Blood Feud"

Adventurers are hired to assist a githzerai rrakkma against a group of illithids and an elder brain. Githzerai mindset and culture get some significant details, as well as what it’s actually like to be part of a rrakkma.

Uncaged: Faces of Sigil, 2nd Edition

Features a few gith NPCs living in the city of Sigil. One is a githyanki hr’a’cknir who purports to sell maps to the mazes created by the Lady of Pain. The githzerai rat-catcher is spooky. A githyanki warrior-turned-mlar helped build a tavern, while a githzerai anarch teaches matter-shaping nearby. The Face of Gith tavern plays host to githzerai rrakkma, and the whole city—as a planar hub—has a background radiation of gith presence.

Underdark, 4th Edition, p.82-84

This section describes the fallen illithid empire of Nihilath (specifically named for 4th Edition D&D). The gith receive only one brief mention, but from content elsewhere in 4th Edition it's clear that the empire fell in large part because of their revolt.

Underdark, 3rd Edition, p. 151-152

Includes the githyanki settlement of Gatchorof, which is an outpost designed to strike out against the ancient illithid city of Oryndoll. It also has a sidebar about magic items the residents use against the illithids on their forays.

Unearthed Arcana, 3rd Edition, p. 28

The "Bloodlines" section of the book describes how a character might end up with a githyanki or githzerai bloodline—a child of another species taken prisoner in a raid or rescued from slavery and raised among the gith.

Vortex of Madness, AD&D

Includes encounters in the Citadel of Gith Reborn, where a githyanki knight who’s convinced that she’s literally Gith reborn has set up shop in an Astral Plane fortress with her fervent, nearly fanatical followers. The narration leaves it unclear whether or not she's right.

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

On the Level 15 Obstacle Course there is a group of githzerai, the leader of whom appears to be a member of the Shasal Khou (the faction isn’t named, but flavor text describes that he’s standing by to assist githyanki on another level against mind flayers to demonstrate the importance of a unified gith race). The Level 16 Crystal Labyrinth is a full githyanki creche, connected to the asteroid Stardock—which is described in its entirety, containing some GREAT worldbuilding. It also allows characters to set up the events at the opening of the "Stardock Under Siege" Adventurer’s League module. Githyanki also appear on Level 17, fighting mind flayers. These elements are absent from the "Undermountain" adventures of Edition 3.5 and 4th Edition.

Wayfinder’s Guide to Eberron, 5th Edition, p.83-84

Brief description of the githyanki and githzerai, updating them to include the city of Tu’narath in the Astral Sea (as opposed to 3.5 and 4E where that city did not exist) and synopsizing their place in the setting. The Eberron gith lore generally lines up with previous editions.

White Dwarf #12 – Fiend Factory, p.9

The FIRST appearance of the githyanki! Just a few paragraphs with basic statistics, it outlines all the iconic features that haven’t changed since the beginning: mind flayer rebellion, silver swords, lich queen, psionics. Only red dragons are missing, but that will appear in the Fiend Folio not too much later.

White Dwarf #47 – The Demonist, p.13

A spell to call forth an army can summon a githyanki war party, consisting of a knight, three warriors, and a red dragon. As opposed to many of the other armies who want payment in flesh, souls, or other horrors, the githyanki just want a paycheck. Good luck if they spot mind flayers or githzerai, though.