Weaknesses of the Githyanki

Weaknessesof the Githyanki

Iought to warn the reader in advance that the methods used to gather this informationcame about as a consequence of several campaigns against the githyanki. Forreasons that, I trust, are blindingly obvious, I have chosen to remainnameless.

 If you ask any githyanki whatweaknesses his race might have, it is likely that one of two outcomes willoccur. The first is a simple answer; ‘None!’ The other is that he will attemptto butcher you on the spot and then give that same answer. Githyankiare, with few exceptions, xenophobic, combative, vicious and cunning. As we’veseen in the description of their tactics, they consider themselves fineswordsmen, and there are volumes and volumes of eyewitness accounts to provethis. While it is possible that they might not be the finest swordfighters inthe Planes, I think it is arguable that if a list of the twelve greatestswordsmen in the multiverse were comprised, Gith would probably be among them.

 My first piece of advice, then,is to use ranged weapons if you can; don’t let them close with you. It ispossible to beat a githyanki in a sword-fight, but on the whole, treat themlike orcs - it’s probably best if you don’t get into a melee. While they havegood armour, they’re not known for using shields, and more often than not agood archer will be able to cause them some harm. This tactic may have theconsequence of littering the Astral with arrows that missed and kept going, andof course it is entirely possible that an archer could kill himself with anarrow he fired. Be that as it may, the future can take care of itself; if agithyanki gets near you, rogue arrows will be the very least of your worries.

 Some advice for spellcasters;githyanki are warriors for the most part. Their bodies are a bit more resilientto spells with a physical consequence, and if an effect can be evaded, then theymight be able to do so, given that their reflexes are always sharp. Stick tomind-affecting spells if you can; they have a bit more resistance to them thanmost warriors, but they’ve not practiced their mental disciplines as highly asthey should. Take advantage of it! Similarly, rays and ranged touch attacks arean excellent choice. They breach armour easily, and without their armour,githyanki are forced to rely on their reflexes. It is of course possible thatyou could fling spells that reduce their nimbleness too, but frankly I don’trecommend it. When you’re dealing with githyanki, your first priority is tostop them from closing with you.

 The main worry spellcasters willhave, I’m sure is their spell resistance; a perfectly valid concern, but thereare ways around it. Those wizards among you, I’m sure, will know the benefitsof training yourselves to overcome this resistance. Doing so is a heroic feat,I know, but if you’re a spellcaster of average or middling ability, you reallyshouldn’t be fighting the githyanki.

 There are other precautions youshould take, though. Shielding yourselves from scrying is perhaps the mostimportant; githyanki have some clairsentient ability, able to spy on you atrange. Now, any seasoned campaigners among you will know thatinformation is always a valuable asset. Githyanki are dangerous enough even ifthey don’t know your numbers, movements and capabilities. Imagine what they’relike when they’re in possession of that sort of information. They’ll know howmany of you are there, and how many of their number ought to be sent to dealwith you. I’d also urge you to bear in mind that githyanki are fond ofoverwhelming their enemies. Overkill is their style. Don’t help them byrevealing where you are!

 Now, the githyanki knights;they’re occasionally mounted, which means they’ll be fond of charging. Some ofthem will be using those silver swords - in which case, make sure you’ve gotaccess to the mind blank capability. Guard your silver cords, friend;they’re your lifelines. Others, however, might be using more conventionalcavalry tactics and will try to take advantage of the benefits of the use of alance. Be careful! A charge can often be lethal, especially when mounted. Ifyou’ve got no way of picking them or their steeds off at range, your best betis to use a polearm and set to receive the charge. Sure, you might take thehit, but they’ll be a bit easier to hit too - and if you’ve trained at holdingthe line, you’ll know well enough to take advantage of that opportunity! Evenif they manage to land a blow that could be fatal, don’t let them have thesatisfaction of taking you down without a few grievous injuries of their own!