Editing Gith (section)

==3rd Edition==
The 3.0e Manual of the Planes and 3.5e Monster Manual I describes the Githyanki as follows:

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

:''They are gaunt, averaging 6 feet 3 inches tall and typically weighing around 170 pounds. They possess rough, yellow skin and black hair that is often pulled into one or more topknots. Their eyes gleam darkly, and their ears are pointed and serrated in back. They enjoy elaborate dress and baroque armor. In fact, they revere weapons and armor, and it is not uncommon for githyanki to show more regard for their panoply than for a mate.

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

:''"In eons past, the mind flayers enslaved entire races, including the forerunners of the githyanki. Centuries of captivity bred hatred, nurtured resolve, and finally instilled psionic powers into these slaves. With mental armaments of their own and a powerful leader to rally behind (the legendary Gith), the slaves instigated a cross-planar struggle that, in the end, threw down the mind flayer empire, bringing freedom to the surviving slaves. However, these survivors soon split into the racially distinct githyanki and their mortal enemies, the githzerai (see the Githzerai entry, below). Each constantly attempts the extinction of the other. This animosity has burned through the centuries, warping the githyanki into the evil, militaristic creatures they are today. Both creatures’ hatred of mind flayers knows no bounds, though, and they will break off hostilities to slay illithids if the opportunity presents itself.

:''Githyanki live within massive fortresses adrift in the Astral Plane. Here they conduct commerce, manufacture goods, grow food, and live out their lives. Family dwellings are nonexistent, since most githyanki prefer their own abode; however, githyanki are often found in groups, honing their fighting skills. A fortress contains noncombatants (mostly children) equal to 20% of the fighting population. Githyanki males and females may be found in almost any role or class.

:''The githyanki have no deity but instead pay homage to a lich-queen. A jealous and paranoid overlord, she devours the essence of any githyanki that rises above 16th level. In addition to eliminating a potential rival, the lich-queen enhances her power with the stolen life essence"


Githzerai are described as follows:

:''Githzerai are a hard-hearted, humanlike people who dwell on 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 closed-mouthed, 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."

:''"The githzerai forerunners united under the command of the rebel Gith (see the Githyanki entry, above) and threw down the plane-spanning empire of the mind flayers. Once free, the former slaves split ideologically and eventually racially, becoming the 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 (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 philosophy. A monastery contains noncombatants (mostly children) equal to 15% of the fighting population. Githzerai males and females may be found in almost any role or class."

There are minor differences between the MotP and MMI versions of these descriptions but about 90% of the words were copy-pasted from the former to the latter. The biggest changes were the omission of the Githyanki language section and a shortening of the physical descriptions of both races. The Githyanki's favored class is [[fighter]], and the Githzerai's favored class is [[monk]]. Both have 1 racial hit die and a +2 [[level adjustment]], in both 3.0e and 3.5e.

"The Lich Queen's Beloved," an adventure in Dungeon Magazine #100, introduced the Sha'sal Khou, a renegade organization of githzerai and githyanki attempting to collaborate to mend their divided race, which operated mostly covertly for obvious reasons, and was unfortunately penetrated by outside political influences; their highest ranking leader is a githyanki warlord, Zetch'r'r, who, while legitimately sympathetic to his group's actual aims, hoped to lead the reunified race on a path of planar conquest, just as Gith tried to do long ago.

===Eberron===
According to ''Player's Guide to Eberron'', the two types of Gith in [[Eberron]] were separately created by the Mind Flayers ~9000 years ago as slaves. They revolted when the Giants blew up one of Eberron's moons to stop the [[Daelkyr]], but could never get along with eachother. Gith herself is absent (or at least not mentioned) in this version.

Setting creator Keith Baker prefers a much cooler alternative: The Gith are refugees of a previous version of Eberron. It was invaded by the Daelkyr (who created most of Eberron's aberrations, including Mind Flayers), and they didn't have Gatekeepers around to save it. Gith herself led the refugees into the Astral Plane before the two split. The Astral Plane, being timeless, was unaffected when that version of Eberron was eventually destroyed and recreated - leaving the Gith 'orphans', and incredibly resentful of the occupants of the modern version of Eberron, because (a) the humans and such ''have'' a homeworld to live on, and don't realize how good they have it, and (b) the gith can't even invade, because they'll fall apart from being incompatible with the current edition of the Material Plane; they're stuck in the Astral and they can't have kids there, so they're doomed to die slowly.