Gith

The story of Gith is rooted in a cruel twist of cosmic fate. Inspired by the great leader for whom the race is named, the gith rose up to overthrow the mind flayers that held them in servitude. But after they won their freedom, two factions among the gith disagreed on what kind of civilization they would forge. That disagreement quickly flared into open hostility, and the two groups distanced themselves from one another to pursue their separate agendas. They remain bitter enemies today, each side willing to fight to the death whenever they cross paths.

The githyanki were motivated by revenge and convinced that they deserved to take whatever they wanted from the worlds they traveled. Ranging out from the titanic city of Tu'narath on the Astral Plane, they send raiders out to plunder the Material Plane and other worlds, bringing treasures and slaves back to their ageless realm. At the same time, they hunt down and kill mind flayers whenever possible, as recompense for what the illithids did to them.

The githzerai believed that the path to an enlightened civilization lay in seclusion, not conflict. Their dedication to the principles of order is so strong that they can manipulate the stuff of chaos and use it to their benefit; thus, they have carved out a stronghold for themselves on the plane of Limbo that is virtually impervious. Though the githzerai are pacifists by nature, they share the githyanki's racial hatred for mind flayers, and from time to time they send out squads to destroy illithid outposts.

If the two races were ever to team up against the illithids, a combined force of gith could conceivably tip the balance in their favor. But as long as the githyanki and githzerai stay at each other's throats, their goal of ultimate victory over their original common enemy will likely remain unachieved.

Names

Githyanki and githzerai have different naming conventions, and both split their names by gender.

Githyanki names include:
Male Names: Eliradain, Gaath, Ja'adoc, Kar'i'nas, Lykus, Quith, Ris'a'an, Tropos, Viran, Xamodas
Female Names: Aaryl, B'noor, Fenelzi'ir, Jen'lig, Pah'zel, Quorstyl, Sirruth, Vaira, Yessune, Zar'ryth

Githzerai names include:
Male Names: Dak, Duurth, Ferzth, Greth, Hurm, Kalla, Muurg, Nurm, Shrakk, Xorm
Female Names: Adaka, Adeya, Ella, Ezhelya, Immilzin, Izera, Janara, Loraya, Uweya, Vithka

Traits

Your character shares the following traits with other gith.

Ability Score Increase
Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Age
Gith reach adulthood in their late teens and live for about a century.

Size
Gith are taller and leaner than humans, with most a slender 6 feet in height.

Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Gith.

Subrace
There are two kinds of gith, githyanki and githzerai. Choose one of these subraces.

Githyanki

The brutal githyanki are trained from birth as warriors.

Ability Score Improvement
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.

Size
Your height is 5'0" with a modifier of +2d12. Your weight is 100 lbs. with a modifier of +(height roll) x 2d4.

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 Jump 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.

Githzerai

In their fortresses within Limbo, the githzerai hone their minds to a razor's edge.

Ability Score Improvement
Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Alignment
Githzerai tend toward lawful neutral. Their rigorous training in psychic abilities requires an implacable mental discipline.

Size
Your height is 4'11" with a modifier of +2d12. Your weight is 90 lbs. with a modifier of +(height roll) x 1d4.

Mental Discipline
You have advantage on saving throws against the charmed and frightened conditions. Under the tutelage of monastic masters, githzerai learn to govern their own minds.

Githzerai 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 Shield 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 Detect Thoughts spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells. When you cast them with this trait, they don't require components.

Githyanki MPMM

Once members of a people who escaped servitude to mind flayers, githyanki split from their cousins, githzerai, and fled to the Astral Plane. In that timeless, silvery realm, githyanki honed their psionic powers and built a great city called Tu'narath. They have since spread throughout the multiverse, starting in outposts outside the Astral Plane, called creches, where time passes and their children can reach adulthood.

A lanky people with skin tones of yellows, greens, and browns, githyanki complement their physical prowess with psionic might, instilled in them by mind flayers and cultivated over eons in the Astral Plane. Now all githyanki can use their psychic bond with that plane to access splinters of knowledge left behind by beings who travel, live, and die among the silver astral clouds.

Githyanki who reside in the Astral Plane can live indefinitely.

Ability Score Increase
One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1, or three ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Size
Medium

Speed
30 ft.

Astral Knowledge
You can mystically access a reservoir of experiences of entities connected to the Astral Plane. Whenever you finish a long rest, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice and with one weapon or tool of your choice, selected from the Player's Handbook, as you momentarily project your consciousness into the Astral Plane. These proficiencies last until the end of your next long rest.

Githyanki Psionics
You know the Mage Hand cantrip, and the hand is invisible when you cast the cantrip with this trait.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Jump spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast Misty Step with it. Once you cast Jump or Misty Step with this trait, you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race). None of these spells require spell components when you cast them with this trait.

Psychic Resilience
You have resistance to psychic damage.

Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.

Githzerai MPMM

Githzerai migrated to the Everchanging Chaos of Limbo after the ancient schism that split their ancestors from their cousins, githyanki. Limbo is a roiling maelstrom of matter and energy, collapsing and reforming without purpose or direction, until a creature exerts deliberate will to stabilize it. Through their potent psionic power, githzerai carved a home for themselves amid the chaos. As the ages passed, githzerai explorers ranged out to other planes and worlds of the multiverse.

Githzerai are generally slender, with speckled skin in shades of yellow, green, or brown. Eons of cultivating their mental powers within the endless chaos of Limbo have imbued githzerai with the ability to shape psionic energy to protect themselves and probe minds.

Ability Score Increase
One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1, or three ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Size
Medium

Speed
30 ft.

Githzerai Psionics
You know the Mage Hand cantrip, and the hand is invisible when you cast the cantrip with this trait.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Shield spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the Detect Thoughts spell with it. Once you cast Shield or Detect Thoughts spell with this trait, you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race). None of these spells require spell components when you cast them with this trait.

Mental Discipline
Your innate psychic defenses grant you advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed and frightened conditions on yourself.

Psychic Resilience
You have resistance to psychic damage.

Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.

Source: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse