Githyanki, 1st-Level Warrior

Githyanki are an ancient line of humanlike beings residing on the Astral Plane, filling their armories for their next skirmish, raid, or war.

Githyanki are gaunt, averaging a little over 6 feet tall and typically weighing around 170 pounds. They enjoy elaborate dress and baroque armor. In fact, they revere weapons and armor, and it is not uncommon for a githyanki to show more regard for panoply of possessions than for its mate.

Like dwarves, githyanki are craftmasters, although they focus exclusively on items of warfare. Their items are distinctive, and nongithyanki who acquire them run the risk of immediate retribution should they encounter githyanki.

Githyanki speak their own secret tongue, but most also know Common and Draconic.

The statistics block describes a 1st-level warrior. Most githyanki encountered outside their homes are fighters. However, wizards (called warlocks) and multiclass githyanki (called gish) are also found.

Githyanki are seasoned combatants, familiar with the tactical use of ambush, cover, and psionic sniper attacks from afar. However, they prefer to engage their enemies in hand-to-hand combat so they can bring their devastating melee weapons to bear. Githyanki weapons are usually greatswords, bastard swords, and other particularly large-bladed weapons of special githyanki manufacture, all masterwork and each distinctively decorated and named. Githyanki wizards direct their powers with pinpoint accuracy to support their comrades in melee.

The githyanki warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.

Psionics (Sp): 3/day—daze (DC 9), mage hand.<p>Spell Resistance (Ex): A githyanki has spell resistance equal to its class levels + 5.

Challenge Rating: Githyanki with levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to their character level. Githyanki with levels in PC classes have a CR equal to their character level +1.

Githyanki Silver Swords

These impressive weapons are typically carried by githyanki combatants of 9th level and higher. Of githyanki make, a silver sword is a +1 silvered greatsword that looks much like a standard weapon while still in its sheath. But when drawn, the silver sword transforms into a column of silvery liquid, altering the weapon’s balance round by round as the blade’s shape flows and shimmers. A silver sword has the additional quality of reaching into the minds of the foes it strikes, disrupting their psionic powers. A target hit by the weapon must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or lose any psionic abilities for 1d4 rounds.

High-level githyanki often take the Improved Sunder feat, using their silver swords to attack astral travelers’ silver cords (see the astral projection spell, page 201 of the Player ’s Handbook). The normally insubstantial cord is treated as a tangible object with the owner’s AC, hardness 10, and 20 hit points.

It is rumored that each githyanki warrior has but one silver sword, and if the weapon is lost or stolen, the githyanki must seek it out at all costs or be killed by its superiors. That may be only a legend, but githyanki have been known to exact terrible revenge upon those who steal their silver swords or win them in battle.

Some silver swords (belonging to particularly high-level githyanki) have additional enhancements. Enhancing a silver sword is just like working with any other weapon that has existing abilities. A normal githyanki silver sword is treated as having a +2 enhancement for this purpose: +1 for its bonus on attack and damage rolls and another +1 for the sword’s antipsionic ability.