OSR: Psychic Powers

This post is inspired by the work of Red Kangaroo, specifically this post.  

by mashu_003

Basic Rules:

You can gain Psychic Powers through a variety of means (see below).  

When you want to use a Psychic Power, you must roll 1d20 and add the relevant modifier (usually COG).  The Referee will assign a DC.  If you succeed on the roll, you successfully do what you tried to do.  Ex: A creature with telekinesis attempts to open a window with their powers.  The DC for this is 10, as the window is locked and it will require a bit of finesse.  He rolls and gets a 13, so he succeeds.  

You have Mana Dice (MD) equal to your COG+CON modifier.  You can roll these d6s to improve one of your d20 rolls to make your powers work better.  When used, your Mana Dice burn out, but they come back after a long rest.  You must choose to roll these dice when you make a d20 roll to use your powers, you cannot roll them afterward.  Additionally, certain powers will require more MD to be able to affect more people or be more effective.

When you first unlock your Psychic Powers, roll on the table below.  You gain that ability and can use it as an action.  Whenever you achieve a new threshold of Psychic might, roll on the table again and unlock a new random power.  Alternatively, you can choose to empower your existing abilities, gaining a +1 bonus to that specific ability whenever you use it. 

How to get psychic powers?
1d6
1- Unlock them through years of study, practice and meditation.  This will require years of meditation, deprivation, fasting and likely, celibacy.  Safe, but long and hard with no guarantee of success.    
2- Almost die, but don't.  Some speculate that all humans possesses latent psychic abilities.  These people often also speculate that putting yourself in near-death situations can awaken these powers.  They are occasionally right, but just as often they get people killed.  
3- Get attacked by a psychic or have a sufficiently strong psychic use their powers on you, and don't die.  The psychic energy within the minds of other psychics can sometimes kick-start your own psychic abilities, assuming you have the potential to manifest such abilities.  This can be done very slowly and painlessly, or it can be quick, abrupt and dangerous.  Make sure you're not dealing with a maniac before you ask them for this.    
4- Consume certain chemicals, drugs or toxins that raise psychic potential.  Certain chemicals are said to boost or bestow psychic potential and in some cases, this is actually true.  Many of the substances alleged to do this however are often merely powerful hallucinogens or deliriants.    
5- Try to get mutated in a beneficial way.  Risky, for obvious reasons.    
6- Get possessed or make a pact with a Astral creature (totally not a Demon).  Trust me, this one has never back fired.  It's foolproof! 

There are other methods, though they are less common and often have questionable results.  

Where do they come from?
1d6
1- From mutations.  Hang out around enough exotic radiation and you might learn how to shoot lightning with your mind.  Or you might turn into human soup- it's a bit of a crapshoot.  
2- From evolution.  Humanity is evolving into a psychic species.  One day, we'll all be psychic.  This is just a bit of growing pains as we figure it out.  
3- From alien DNA.  Aliens came and modified us with their DNA, granting us these abilities.  My source?  Uh, just trust me bro.
4- From God.  God clearly gave us these powers, as he intended for us to have 'dominion over the Earth'.  If you're of a more pagan persuasion, this could be powers granted by the gods or the magic from our ancestral legends.    
5- From the Devil.  These powers are evil and were given to us to ensnare us and lead us away from the truth!  We must resist the temptation to use them and fight those who use their powers to oppress their fellow man.  
6- Who knows?  It's a mystery, man.  Just don't worry about it.  

How to make them stronger?  
1d6
1- Train with a stronger psychic.  This will require finding and convincing them to train you.  This will likely be hard and annoying and require something dangerous, seemingly pointless or both.  
2- Vision Quest.  Go out into the wilderness and don't eat or drink.  Spend your time focusing your mind.  Live like an Old Testament prophet fleeing his countrymen.  Eventually, Angels or Gods might show up to teach you how to do something cool.  
3- Do certain, highly dangerous drugs.  You know those drugs that can boost or awaken psychic abilities?  Take an irresponsible amount of those and call me in the morning.  
4- Demon Pact.  Sell your soul, baby!  No possible downsides here.  
5- Put yourself in dangerous situations.  In a sufficiently dangerous situation, it is possible to have a Second Awakening, which dramatically boosts your powers.  Of course, this doesn't always works and usually never more than once.  
6- Kill another psychic and eat their power.  This is obviously a very taboo option, but it definitely works.  It's just much easier said than done, especially as you'll either need a bunch of weaker psychics or one that's stronger than you.   

      by Murata Yusuke, from One Punch Man

Random Psychic Powers:

1d20

1- Mind Reading: By reaching out and touching a creature's mind, you can attempt to read a creature's surface thoughts. These are the thoughts that currently maintain the lion share's of the creature's attention. Creatures get a saving throw to resist their minds being read.

2- Mind Control. You can attempt to take a control of a creature's mind and body. The creature must save. If the creature has more HD than MD used, it has advantage on the save. On a failed save, you take control of the creature. You can maintain control of a creature for as long as you maintain concentration. Should you attempt to do anything strenuous, take damage or otherwise become distracted, the creature under your control may attempt to break free by challenging you to a COG contest. On a success, it breaks free. You can release a creature as a free action. Your control is also automatically released if you fall unconscious or die.

3- Sense Emotions: As an action, you can attempt to sense the emotions of a creature with a soul. That creature gets a saving throw to resist. If you are already talking with that creature, you can attempt to use this power as a free action on your turn.  

4- Emotional Projection: As an action, you can attempt to project an emotion onto up to a creature or a group of creatures. Creatures get a save to resist having their emotions strongly influenced. You can invest MD to affect more creatures or increase the effect.  Each MD you spend lets you affect one more individual or another group of creatures, as long as the entire group is before you.  Additionally, for each MD spent, individual creatures get a -[sum] penalty to their saves, while groups get a -[dice] penalty to it's save.    

5- Cast Illusion: You can weave an illusion. This illusion can be anything you imagine, but it cannot make sound or any type of stimuli beyond visual. This illusion lasts until you stop concentrating on it or if you invest MD it lasts for [dice] rounds.

6- Invisibility: As an action, you can turn invisible. You can remain invisible until you take a strenuous action or break concentration. If you spend MD, you can remain invisible for [dice] rounds.  If you spend MD, you remain invisible for as long as you keep spending MD.    

7- Attention Manipulation: As an action, you can make yourself harder to notice or harder to ignore.  If you do the former, creatures must successfully save to notice you or pay any attention to you.  Creatures have advantage on this save if you are doing something interesting or novel, while they have disadvantage if you are doing something to blend into the background, such as disguising yourself as a waiter at a fancy dinner party.  If you make yourself harder to ignore, the opposite is true.  Creatures must successfully save to avoid looking and focusing on you.  Advantage is granted if you aren't doing something interesting or worth paying attention to, while disadvantage is imposed if you are doing something weird, novel or interesting.    

8- Telepathy: You can communicate mind-to-mind with any creature you can see, as long as that creature has a mind.  You can also reach out and contact a creature if you know where it is.  Creatures can try to shut you out and prevent communication by succeeding on a COG save.  

9- Telekinesis: You can move an object or person with your mind, as long as that person weighs less than or equal to something you could lift if your COG score replaced your STR score.  You can also make attacks and use your Telekinesis in other ways.  If you do, use your COG score, adding the relevant modifier to any check.  If making an attack, you can include your Attack modifier as well.  If any creature is grappled or restrained by your Telekinesis, they can make a STR check as opposed to your COG check, on a success, that creature can break free from your grip. 

10- Create Psychic Constructs: You can create constructs out of ectoplasm.  These are objects created out of solidified mana.  Constructs you create have 1d6+[sum] HP, where [sum] is from the amount of MD you spend to create a construct.  You can also heal your constructs by feeding them MD on your turn as a free action.  You can create anything you want and if your construct is capable of movement, manipulate it as an action on your turn.  Constructs that can move must have joints, limbs and other means of mechanical movement, as they are technically solid.      

11- Pyrokinesis: You can cause objects to ignite as an action. Creatures get a save to resist bursting into flames. You can also control existing flames, shaping or moving them as an action.

12- Cryokinesis: You can fire a beam that dramatically lowers the temperature, rapidly cooling them. This does 1d6+COG modifier cold damage. Creatures can either attempt to make a save to halve the damage or evade entirely with a successful Defense roll. If you add more MD, you can produce a wider and more powerful beam. Each additional MD adds +1d6 cold damage on a hit and also affects what you can freeze. O MD can freeze a bucketful of water, +1 MD can freeze a bathtub's worth, +2 MD can freeze a small swimming pool, +3 MD can freeze huge sections of a pool or lake.  

13- Transmute Material: You can transmute material, changing one substance to another. With a flat d20 roll, you can transmute a basket's worth of material, with 1 MD, you can transmute up a bucketful, with 2 MD, an amount up to a wagon load, with 3 or more MD, enough material to fill a small cottage. The DC for Transmutation varies depending on the amount and the substances being transformed. Turning something into a similar substance is much easier. Lead to Gold is much easier than Lead to Water. Ex: Transmuting Stone to Metal = DC 10; Transmuting Stone to Water = DC 16.  

14- Biokinesis: As an action, you can heal a creature for 1d6 HP by touching or being close to it.  If you choose to spend MD, you can instead heal a creature for up to [sum] HP.  

15- Mind Blasts: You can fire mental blasts as an action that do 1d6+COG psychic damage.  Creatures get a saving throw to reduce the damage by half.  This damage cannot reduce a creature below 0 HP.  If you spend MD, you can fire blasts that do 2[dice]+COG damage.    

16- Precognition: As an action, you can look into the future to see what is going to happen within the super-immediate future (next 15 seconds or less).  This lets you add +COG modifier  to any one d20 roll you personally make until your next turn.  If you spend MD, you can instead add 2[dice] to any one d20 roll.  Note that you may only add this bonus if what you are attempting is possible, if not, no bonus may be applied. 

17- Remote Viewing/Second Sight: Your mind functions like a Scry-glass, allowing you to look upon people or places far away from you.  Use the rules for Crystal Balls.  

18- Astral Projection: You can project your mind out of your body, allowing it to travel freely.  While projected, your mind or Astral Self acts as a Ghost.  It takes damage from sunlight, fire and magical sources of damage, but is invisible to most creatures, can pass through non-magical items and can fly.  Additionally, there is a magical silver cord connecting your Astral Self to your body.  If this cord is severed, and it can only be by a magical source, your Astral Self is separated from your body and you are considered "dead" by the laws of the universe, meaning Psychopomps will show up to arrest you and take you to the afterlife.  

19- Induce Physical Sensations: By focusing on a creature, you can cause that creature to feel a sensation.  Creatures must save to resist being affected by this sensation.  This sensation must be something you've experienced personally.  If you spend MD, you can induce more powerful sensations or sensations you've never experienced.  If you spend MD, creatures get a -[dice] penalty to their saves.  

20- Teleportation: You can, as an action, teleport up to the distance you could move in one round.  You can teleport to anywhere you can see, or if you know a location intimately, you can teleport there blindly.  You will always appear in the nearest unoccupied space to your destination.  If you spend MD, you can either double the distance you could teleport or bring 1 object or creature with you, as long as that object or creature is your size or smaller.     

by petersheppley

OSR: Githyanki

by MikhailSavier

They are an old race, older than the most ancient stones.  They are beyond time, each immortal and perpetual, a twisted race that long ago abandoned any trace of moral reasoning, creed or philosophy to justify their actions.  They are a race of amoral Devils, coming to torment the world.

Their Ancient Pedigree:

An Age ago, the world was nearly destroyed.  The flood-waters came and drowned everything, washing away the world that was, leaving a new, changed world behind.  All previous civilizations were extinguished, their knowledge and technology lost.  If not for the heroic intervention of the world's divine caretakers, it might have reverted to the primeval waters from which it first emerged.They are an old race, older than the most ancient stones.  They are beyond time, each immortal and perpetual, a twisted race that long ago abandoned any trace of moral reasoning, creed or philosophy to justify their actions.  They are a race of amoral Devils, coming to torment the world.

And it was in this virgin world, one where the mortals were little more than cave-dwelling savages who had just rediscovered fire than they came.  A race from Beyond, a species that viewed itself as divine, all other species merely being expendable pawns, living tools through which they could exercise their will.  This species came to conquer the world with endless armies of slave-races, other species from their own worlds which had been transformed into living weapons by the conquerors.

One of these slave-races were called the Gith.  They were an unexceptional race, though their true origins and history was long ago forgotten, even before they first set foot on our world.  They, however, possessed a unique talent that none of their other captives possessed.  When they first made land-fall into our world, the Gith were able to inhale the power of the winds of magic.  This gave them a unique edge that other species could not- even their captors did not possess such abilities.  

As such, this newfound blessing convinced the Gith to try and make a stand for independence.  This would not be the first time such a thing had been tried, their history was full of failed slave revolts, uprising and other attempts to throw off the shackles of their oppressors.  But all had failed before now.  So the Gith were hesitant to try again.  But then they met a very unique person.

The Stranger:

He, or she, depending on the telling, came to the leaders of the Gith.  He told them that he would give them a new weapon, one that would enable them to defeat the powers of their Masters and to free themselves from bondage.  All they had to do was serve him and do exactly what he said.  This new offer was viewed with great skepticism by the Gith.  They suspected from the start it was either a trap or a Devil's bargain but in the end, they accepted.  Better to die free than live in chains, after all.

And so, the Gith were granted a new power: the gift of immortality.  Now when a Gith fell, as long as they obeyed the instructions of the Stranger, they could return to life.  Additionally, given their new status, their conquerors could no longer control them.  As such, the Gith were quickly able to rise up and smash the rod of their task-master.  His plan successfully implemented, the Stranger left, leaving a group of his subordinates called the Archons in his place.

And with the help of the Archons and their immortality, the Gith freed themselves from bondage and broke the empire of their conquerors.  That ancient race retreated- the only ones of their race that remained in our world were scattered remnants, the detritus left behind by a messy retreat.

Yet their struggle was not finished, for the Gith suddenly found themselves bound to the Archons, who enslaved them through their own immortality.  The Stranger's laughter echoed on through their minds as they realized they had traded one master for another.  And so the Gith found themselves doing what they had done before, only now more effectively.

This enraged them, so they began to plan and plot.  When a great number of Gith were gathered together into one place, they rose up in revolt.  But they did not fight in the world of flesh- they instead engaged in acts of mass suicide.  Countless Gith souls suddenly entered the Spirit World.  The Archons found themselves surprised, especially when they were attacked.  The Gith attacked in a great horde, throwing themselves at their so-called Gods.  The Archons, though vastly more powerful than any Gith, could not beat all of them.  Many Gith were annihilated, their souls believed lost forever, but many more only suffered minimal damage.  The Archons, meanwhile, were torn to pieces and shredded beyond repair, reduced to pale wraiths.

by d1sarmon1a

The "Modern" Gith- the Githyanki:

It was during the Second Rising that the Gith race suffered a great schism.  While many did want to harm the Archons, some visualized the revolt against the Archons more as a prison break than an uprising.  As such, many of the Gith who slew themselves that day did not fight, but instead fled into the depths of the Astral Sea.  Among the Gith who fought and bled in the battle against the Archons, this is a crime that can and never will be forgiven.  After all, time may heal all wounds, but what is time to immortals?  

These Gith renamed themselves the Githyanki, or the 'Gith who fight'.  And fight they do.  For in the most tragic of twists, the Githyanki have found themselves continuing in the path that they were set upon all those years ago.  They still raid, pillage and enslave, only now they do it for themselves.

What does a Githyanki raid look like?

It is an ordinary day in your city.  You are going about your business shopping in the market.  Your wife needs you to buy cabbage for stew, so you're looking for a good deal.  It is a day as mundane and normal as can be imagined.  Then suddenly, the sky darkens.  Those clouds up there, don't they look a bit funny?

Then you realize they aren't ships, but strange flying craft.  These craft descend on your settlment and disgorge dozens of alien-looking warriors wielding glittering blades.  These aliens then proceed to put your town to the sword, slaughtering people indiscriminately, capturing some, cutting down others.  They laugh and cackle as they fight.  Even when killed, they howl with glee.  The market is destroyed and countless lives are lost.  

Then, as quickly as they came, the alien warriors gather up their dead, the bodies of the enemy slain, the swords and jewels of their own fallen and their own living captives and put them all on their strange craft.  Then, with nary a word, they take off and disappear into the sky, as quickly as they came.  If it weren't for those who escaped and the damage to property, you would not believe that anyone had been there at all.

But why?

The Githyanki's immortality is powered by a series of great machines called the Lazar Engines.  These devices enable the Githyanki to easily and quickly create new bodies for themselves should they perish.  

How the Githyanki's immortality works is that the Githyanki bound their souls to Soul-Gems, small, glowing stones that they wear upon their person or implant in their flesh.  When a Githyanki dies, their soul instead of exiting the body, retreats to the Soul-Gem.  As long as this Gem is then attached to a new body, the Githyanki can live again.  

So after a battle, the Githyanki will gather up their dead, or at least, the Soul-Gems of the dead, bring them back to their home base in the Astral Sea and make a new body for their fallen comrade.  

The reason why Githyanki raid is because of this and the Lazar Engines.  Wondrous machines they are, but they exact a heavy toll.  The Engines only work when fed the souls of living creatures and less frequently, their blood and flesh as well.  As such, the Githyanki capture mortals to feed them to the Engines to bring their own dead back when they fall in raids, which requires them to raid more to get more fuel to feed the Lazar Engines so the can bring back their own dead who fall in raids so they have to raid more and so on. 

by Beckjann

Base Githyanki Statblock:

All Githyanki have the following Traits:

Soul-Gem: All Githyanki have a Soul-Gem implanted in their body.  Should they die, their soul goes here, instead of past the Veil of Departure.  This Gem can be used as a source of Mana, as per a Mana Crystal, and anyone who holds the Soul-Gem can telepathically communicate with the soul trapped within.   

Soul-Stealing Blade: All Githyanki wield Blades that have the power to steal Souls.  Should a Githyanki Blade kill a creature, that creature's soul is instead captured by the Blade and stored in the gems implanted in the hilt.  The amount of souls a Blade can wield depends on the type of Githyanki.  

Magic Resistance: Mana-based attacks and abilities are hard to use against Githyanki.  When someone uses one of these against them, there is a X-in-20 chance that the mana-based ability (magic, psychic powers, bio-energy blasts) or attack does not affect them.  This causes the attack or ability to slip around them and strike the nearest target.  If there is no obvious choice, roll randomly. 

by Joe Jusko

Types of Githyanki:

Githyanki Warrior

These are the rank-and-file of the Githyanki, the grunts and foot-soldiers.  They vary greatly in appearance, culture and behavior, though all of them pursue the goal of harvesting mortals and souls for the Lazar Engines.  They are largely numb to pain and fear, jaded beyond imagination.  They are the ones that most resemble the race they once were- dusky brown-yellow skin with long ears, broad foreheads and liquid eyes.  However, these features have been teased and altered over time, usually unintentionally.  They only barely resemble their old selves, having become exaggerated parodies of who they once were.  They can be sensual looking, smooth curves and elegant muscle or they can be starved, wasted shells.  Regardless of how they look, they have naked hunger in their eyes, an endless desire to fight on and survive, no matter the cost.  

They almost never wear any armor or much clothing.  Their bodies are hardened against ordinary pain and discomfort- being cut is only an inconvenience, being stabbed only a sharp pain.  They usually wear harnesses made of leather, usually made from the skin of slain captives.  The noble of their race adorn these with precious metal studs or gemstones, while the lesser soldiers will mark themselves with war paint or adorn themselves with grisly trophies- skull helms, piercings made of bone, capes of dried skin.  Some also differentiate themselves with more temporary marks- scarification of the face and limbs, tattoos, body-paint, anything that will make this current body resemble a unique creation and not a mass-produced product. 

They truly fear very little.  These mostly tie to failures of Reincarnation, the fear of being trapped in a Soul-Gem, the decay of the mind into madness, being reincarnated into a terrible vessel, or any other error.  Their ultimate fear, the one that all Githyanki but the truly insane dread, is the Final Death.  All Githyanki know they are damned and know the suffering that awaits them beyond the Veil of Departure.  As such, they will go to incredible lengths to save their kin from this fate, moving heaven and earth to ensure their slain kin make it back home to be reborn.

Statblock Changes: 

Number Appearing: 1d6+2

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Languages: Gith, 1d4 Ancient Languages

Treasure: Soul-Stealing Blades and their Soul-Gems, plus their Armor

Githyanki Warrior

HD 1d4+1

AR 2

Atk Soul-Stealing Blade (1d8+1) or Special Weapon (see below)

Mor 13

Saves (7+HD) or less

Soul-Gem: See above.

Soul-Stealing Blade: Githyanki Warriors wield Blades that can only contain up to 8 HD worth of soul(s).  

Magic Resistance: Githyanki Warriors have a 8-in-20 chance of resisting any spell or mana-based ability used against them.  

Tactics:

- Vary, see below

To customize a Githyanki Warrior or group of Warriors, roll on the tables below:

How do these Githyanki fight?

1d3

1- With stealth and ambush tactics.  They will sneak up on enemies, ambush them, set traps and generally be the most terrifying things you've ever seen.  

2- With Shock and Awe.  They attack suddenly in a blistering rush, designed to break the enemy in a single, decisive blow.

3- With a mad rush.  They charge you across open ground.  No tricks, no subversions.  Just a brutal slug-fest, but they're immortal and you're not.

How much do they remember?

1d4

1- Very little.  These Githyanki lack any real skill in fighting- they are little better than well-trained soldiers from the next city over.

2- Some.  These Githyanki have an X-in-6 chance (where X is their HD) of knowing 1 Martial Maneuver.

3- Much.  These Githyanki have an X-in-6 chance of knowing 1 Martial Maneuver and they also have the ability to Parry, reducing the damage taken by one successful attack against them by their weapon's damage di(c)e 1/round.

4- A lifetime of violence.  These Githyanki know 1d3 Martial Maneuvers each and can Parry Attacks 1/Round.

Do they carry any special weapons?

1d20

1-2: No, they do not.

3-6: Nets and Bolas.  Githyanki carrying Nets or Bolas can use one in place of their Attack or Action.  For Nets, a creature and any adjacent creature must save or be caught in a net.  Caught creatures cannot move and are considered prone, unless the Net was used as part of a booby-trap.  Githyanki nets are made of metal and thus can only be cut by magic weapons, magic or torn apart by a DC 18 STR check.  You can also escape from a non-booby trap net with a DC 15 DEX check, done as an action.  Bolas target one creature- on a failed save, that creature is restrained and immobilized.  Creatures can escape from bolas with a DC 16 STR check or by cutting through the rope.  The rope has 1 HD and vulnerability to Sharp damage.   

7-9: Bows and Arrows, with arrowheads smeared in poison.  When armed with a Bow, Githyanki Warriors can make 2 Bow Attacks that do 1d6+1 damage, plus any effect from the poison.  The poison they use does 1dX [1= 1d6 damage a round, until the affected creature passes a CON save or takes 3d6 damage; 2= Takes 1d6 DEX damage, if reduced to 0 DEX, creatures are paralyzed and cannot move; 3= Hallucinogens, creatures affected by it begins hallucinating for 1d4 hours; 4= Creatures hit must save or be overcome with furious battle-rage, those who fail go temporarily insane and must choose to Attack on their turn for 1 minute.]    

10-12: Darts, smeared in poison.  Githyanki armed with Darts can make 1 Dart Attack as a free action on their turn.  Creatures must save or be hit by a Dart- Shields grant Advantage on this save.  On a failed save, creatures take 1 damage and are affected by whatever poison is on the Darts.  (see above for poisons).      

13-14: Thunder Rods.  A Githyanki carrying a Thunder Rod can make 1 Thunder Rod Attack, doing 1d6+1 damage plus 1d6 lightning damage (the bonus lightning damage doesn't count for the Atk roll).  Creatures without HD who are hit by a Thunder Rod must save or be paralyzed for 1 minute.  Creatures can repeat this save each round to try and free themselves.  Creatures with metal armor make this save at disadvantage.  

15-16: Stun Bombs.  A Githyanki carrying a Stun Bomb can throw one in place of another Weapon Attack.  Stun Bombs do 2d6 damage, save for half.  Creatures that fail their save are also Stunned and cannot Attack, but can move at half-speed for 1 minute, or until they pass a CON save.  

17-18: Gas Grenades.  A Githyanki carrying a Gas Grenade can throw one in place of another Weapon Attack.  Gas Grenades fill an area of 30' square, with a 10' high cloud of gas.  This gas 1d4 [1= Laughing Gas, all who inhale the gas must save or lose their action, spending it laughing like a madman; Tear Gas, all who are exposed to the gas feel immense pain in their eyes and faces and start tearing up, these creatures make all Attacks at disadvantage; 3= Mustard Gas, all exposed to the gas take 2d6 acid damage, save for half; 4= Neurotoxin Gas, all who inhale this gas must save or be paralyzed for 1 minute after they stop being exposed to the gas.]      

19: Arcquesbus.  A Githyanki carrying an Arcquesbus can use it in place of another Weapon Attack.  Arcquesbuses fire a 15' cone or a 30' line that does 2d6 psychic damage, save for half.  This damage is non-lethal, creatures reduced to 0 HP are instead stunned for 1 minute or until they pass a COG save.  The Githyanki can also switch it to do other types of Elemental Damage, but these are lethal.   

20: Soul-Taker Whips.  A Githyanki carrying a Soul-Taker Whip can replace one Weapon Attack with one use of a Soul-Taker Whip.  These Astral Whips do 2d6 necrotic damage, on a hit.  If they reduce a creature to 0 HP, the Whip latches onto the creature's soul and yanks it out of their body, effectively rendering the creature as 'Dead' and it's body as alive, but helpless and vulnerable to possession.    

For Nets, Bow and Arrow, and Darts, all Githyanki Warriors have a 50% of carrying one.

For Thunder Rods, 1d4 of the Githyanki Warriors carry one.

For Stun Bombs and Gas Grenades, 1d2 of the Githyanki Warriors carry some, and each only carries 1d4.

For the Arcquebus and Soul-Taker Whip, only 1 of the Githyanki Warriors will carry one.   

by SickJoe

Githyanki Butcher Fiends

For every flawless Return, there are those who fail to come back.  Whether it is the trauma of death(s), the bizarre geometries of the compressed soul, long imprisonment inside a Soul-Gem, a flawed vessel or simply the endless expanse of time, there are plenty of Githyanki who are damaged by the process of artificial reincarnation.  Even at best, the process is flawed and confused, poorly understood and layered in superstition.  The Priests who utilize and maintain the Lazar Engines are only vaguely aware of how they work and are simply doing their best.  So it is no wonder that sometimes the process fails.  Even the most flawless reincarnations can result in temporary disorientation, memory loss, body disphoria or dismorphia, suicidal tendencies and other bizarre conditions.  So when the process fails, it often does so in dramatic fashion.

The Butcher Fiends are the result of these failures.  Some become Fiends overnight, reduced to shells of their former selves by trauma or flawed Returns, while others slowly degrade until they are little more than blood-crazed berserkers.  Butcher Fiends rush into battle heedless of any form of danger, they have no sense of self-preservation.  They do not acknowledge other Githyanki or their fellow Fiends in battle.  They will step around their allies but only in the sense that you shift your feet to avoid tripping on a rock.  

They fight until they die and should they survive the battle, they become wild-cards.  Some will attack anything near them, including each other, gleefully hacking each other to bits.  Others will immediately kill themselves, whether with their own weapons or through some convenient hazard, such as a large fire or a cliff.  Then there are those who will simply sit down and go into a catatonic state.  These are the most stable ones and will simply sit until battle comes to them once more.  Their kin will come and take them back to their holding pens, where they will obediently wait until called to battle once more.  

Statblock Changes: 

Number Appearing: 2d6+2

Alignment: N/A

Languages: N/A

Treasure: Soul-Stealing Blades and their Soul-Gems, as well as the trail of valuables they ignore or abandon as they cannot recognize their value

Githyanki Butcher Fiend

HD 1

AR 0

Atk Soul-Stealing Blade (1d6+2)

Mor 20

Saves 7 or less

Soul-Gem: (see above)

Soul-Stealing Blade: Githyanki Butcher Fiends wield low quality Blades that can only contain up to 5 HD worth of soul(s).  

Magic Resistance: Butcher Fiends have a 5-in-20 chance of resisting any spell or mana-based ability used against them.  

Fearless: Githyanki Butcher Fiends are utterly relentless.  They do not feel Fear and are immune to any effect that would cause Fear.

Mad Behavior: Githyanki Butcher Fiends do not behave reasonably.  If not presented with an obvious enemy to fight, roll on the table below:

The Butcher Fiend...

1d8

1-4: Stares off into space, doing nothing.

5: Begins randomly attacking an inanimate object.  

6: Attacks the nearest Butcher Fiend.

7: Attacks the nearest creature.

8: Kills itself.

Tactics:

- Rush in, charge the nearest enemy

- Attack until dead or the enemy is

- If no enemies visible, roll on the 'Mad Behavior' table

by SlaaneshG

Githyanki Sage-Soldiers

Despite it being the factor that enabled them to initially break free from their enslavement, the Githyanki are not big fans of sorcery and magic.  They regard it with superstition, largely because of the events that led to them being stuck in the cycle of death and rebirth is only possible due to hyper-advanced sorcery.  As such, those Githyanki who do have potential to wield magic are largely shunned by the non-casters among them, sent off to the priesthood to learn magic and to study the ancient arcane lore of the Gith.  

The most revered of their Sorcerer-Priests are the ones who guard and maintain the Lazar Engines, which is the highest calling in all Githyanki society, as it is the only thing standing in the way of the Final Death.  However, there are many lesser Sorcerers who are given much lower tasks and less glorious duties.  The most common of these are the common Sage-Soldiers, who accompany the Raiders on their endless quest for more blood and souls.  These are Magi who though powerful and skilled by the standards of mortals, are not well-respected by their fellows, as all Githyanki have the ability to resist magic, making them less than intimidating against or towards other Githyanki, who are the true threat.  Mortals in most cases are little more than livestock and not considered a real threat.  Yes, a cow can trample and kill a farmer, but only if that farmer is being foolish.

As such, when they are not using their magic to devastate concentrations of mortals or break open defenses, Githyanki Sage-Soldier are busy scouring the battle-field for injured Githyanki, to provide healing, and the dead, to snatch up lost Soul-Gems before they can be misplaced.     

Statblock Changes:

Number Appearing: 1d3

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Languages: Gith, 1d4 Ancient Languages

Treasure: Soul-Stealing Blades and their Soul-Gems, plus their Spells and Spellbooks

Githyanki Sage-Soldier

HD 1d3+1

AR 0

Atk Soul-Stealing Blade (1d8+1) or Spell

Mor 10

Saves (7+HD) or less

Soul-Gem: See above.

Soul-Stealing Blade: Githyanki Sage-Soldiers wield high-quality Blades that can only contain up to 10 HD worth of soul(s).  

Magic Resistance: Githyanki Sage-Soldiers have a 10-in-20 chance of resisting any spell or mana-based ability used against them.

Spellcaster: Githyanki Sage-Soldiers have the ability to cast spells as an action.  They have X Mana Dice (MD), where X is their HD.  Their MD burn out on a "5" or "6" and on a roll of doubles or triples, they trigger Chaos.  To determine what spells they know, roll on the table below.  

Tactics:

- Let your allies take any serious risks

- Pelt the strongest enemies with your strongest spells

- If you have any support Spells, use them to strength your allies

- Unless your allies need help, focus on recovering the Soul-Gems of the dead 

To customize a Githyanki Sage-Soldier, roll on the tables below:

What do he use for protection?

1d4

1- Regular Githyanki Armor, AR 2.

2- Heavy Githyanki Armor plus Shield, AR 4.

3- He has modified his body so he doesn't feel pain.  He takes half damage from all non-magical sources.  

4- He has the ability to regenerate- by spending MD, he can recover up to [sum] HP, which is the [sum] of all MD he chooses to roll.  MD used like this are automatically expended.

How many spells does he know?

1d4

1- Only a handful, he knows 1d4+1 Spells.

2- Two fistfuls, he knows 1d6+2 Spells.

3- Many, he knows 1d8+4 Spells.

4- More than you can count, he knows 1d10+2 spells.

What spells does he know?

1d20

1- Break Metallic Fraternity

2- Call to Heroic Death

3- Chain Lightning

4- Fear

5- Fireball

6- Flesh to Stone

7- Force Cage

8- Healing Touch

9- Magic Missile

10- Prismatic Ray

11- Protection from Energy

12- Rogue Wave

13- Seal Shut the Tomb

14- Shackle the Spirit

15- Shield

16- Spell Deflection

17- Spell Collapse

18- Take Captive

19- Tasha's Hideous Laughter

20- Wall of Force

Is there anything exceptional about him?    

1d6

1- Sadly, no.  He is destined for madness or mediocrity.

2- He is an Adept at manipulating Souls, he has 1d4+1 Githyanki Butcher Fiends acting as his body-guards.  These Butcher Fiends obey his order imperfectly, having a 50% of obeying his orders and a 50% of doing whatever they would ordinarily do.

3- He is a Necromancer and has 2d6 1 HD Undead serving him.  These Undead all obey him unquestionably.

4- He is an Alchemist and carries 1d4 potions and 1d6 Anti-potions with him.  

5- He has a Scry-glass.  He uses this to gather information on his enemies and reports this to his allies.

6- He is afflicted with the disease of Vampirism.  He takes 1d4 [1= No damage from the sun, but it gives him disadvantage on Atk rolls; 2= He takes 1 damage per round from sunlight; 3= He takes 1d4 damage a round from sunlight; 4= He takes 1d6 damage a round from sunlight] and he has the Vampiric Power of 1d4 [1= Entrancing Beauty, you must save to take harmful action against him; 2= Supernatural Strength- he counts as having a STR of 18(+3) and makes all STR checks or saves with advantage.  When grappling against Medium or smaller creatures, he also has advantage; 3= Transformation, he can transform into a bat, rat, wolf or cloud of mist; 4= Command of the Unclean- 1/Day he can summon a swarm of spiders, rats or bats to aid him in battle.] 

artist unknown

Githyanki Endless

Gods of War, the Hands of Death, the Githyanki Endless are their leaders and masters.  These are the Githyanki who have managed to (mostly) preserve their sanity over countless reincarnations.  Most of the time, they leave the raiding for souls and meat to their lesser Lieutenants, not bothering to stir from their fortresses in the Astral Sea, where they endlessly scheme and plot against their ancient enemies, their former Oppressors, the traitor Githzerai and the rivals, the other Githyanki Endless.  

These struggles are often pointless and ceremonial, but the Endless carry them out with absolute sincerity.  They fight circular wars, swear blood-feuds that they know in their hearts are pointless and engage in pointless ceremony and formality, all to distract themselves from the fact that they will have to do this forever.  The endless yawning abyss of Time waits for them and they know that the only thing waiting them is the Final Death, either at the hands of an enemy, or more likely, at their own hand.  On the worst days, even Death could be preferrable to the endless, weary misery of clinging to their pale existence.  

They only take to the battlefield under the most dire of circumstances or when there is an immense prize to be gained.  They are cruel, cunning and rather unstable.  After all, what is sanity in the land of the insane?  

Statblock Changes:

Number Appearing: 1

Alignment: Any Evil

Languages: Gith, 1d10 Ancient Languages

Treasure: Soul-Stealing Blades and their Soul-Gems

Githyanki Endless

HD 1d8+2

AR 3 [Masterwork Githyanki Armor]

Atk Soul-Stealing Blade (1d10+1) or Special Attack

Mor 16

Saves (7+HD) or less

Soul-Gem: See above.

Soul-Stealing Blade: Githyanki Endless wield masterwork Blades that can only contain up to 12 HD worth of soul(s).  

Magic Resistance: Githyanki Endless have a 12-in-20 chance of resisting any spell or mana-based ability used against them.

Tactics:

- Observe the battle-field, search out weak points in the enemy force

- Strike ruthlessly, with overwhelming force

- Retreat if in danger of dying

To customize a Githyanki Endless, roll on the tables below:

How has he modified his body?

1d8

1- He has modified his body so he doesn't feel pain.  He takes half damage from all non-magical sources.  

2- He has the ability to regenerate- by spending MD, he can recover up to [sum] HP, which is the [sum] of all MD he chooses to roll.  MD used like this are automatically expended.

3- He has replaced parts of his body with artifice, making him less organic and much tougher.  He has an AR of 4 and his artifice allows him to 1d6 [1= Jump up to [20*STR modifier]' horizontally or vertically; 2= Run as fast as a horse for 10 minutes a day; 3= Bend steel bars and lift anything as heavy or lighter than a horse over his head; 4= Have resistance to poisons, poison damage and disease; 5= He has a grappling hook built into his body, allowing him to grapple creatures from a distance or easily reach high places; 6= He has claws that give him the option of making 2 Claw Attacks (1d6+2/1d6+2) and give him advantage on climbing anything that isn't smooth as metal or harder than stone.] 

4- He has tattooed himself with runes of protection to make his body stronger.  This gives him 1d6 [1= Resistance to 1d4 types of Elemental damage such as Cold, Fire, Lightning, etc; 2= Gives him immunity to one type of Elemental damage; 3= The ability to do +1d6 elemental damage when he successfully hits with a melee attack; 4= The ability to walk on walls or the ceiling as if gravity was altered only for him; 5= A Damage Threshold of 2d4; 6= the ability to create a shield around himself, giving himself 1d8+1 FS, he can do this 1d3+1/times per day.]

5- He has allowed a Demon to possess him in exchange for more power.  Generate a Demon using the tables in this post.  The Endless has access to the Demon's Diabolic Gifts, but he must comply with it's will or it will restrict him from using it's powers or perhaps even leave him.   

6- He has replaced his flesh with an entirely artificial body made by long-lost artifice.  He does not have HD, instead he has 10 SHP and a Damage Threshold to match.  Besides being immune to poison and disease, his body also has installed in it 1d4 [1= Jets and wings that allow him to fly and levitate; 2= Active Countermeasures that cause anyone who strikes him with a melee weapon to take 1d6 lightning damage; 3= Weapons that allow him to, as an action, fire a beam of elemental energy that does 2d6 damage, save for half, every 1d4 turns; 4= The ability to manipulate magnetic fields, allowing him to manipulate metal items with thought alone (telekinesis but only against metal items).]   

7- He regularly consumes exilirs and potions that make him stronger, in exchange for requiring regular doses.  This cocktail of potions allows him to 1d4 [1= 1d3 times per day, absorb up to 1d6 MD worth of mana from a spell, weakening it by that much.  If this reduces a spell to 0 MD, it is as if it was never cast; 2= Exude an aura of impossible charisma, any who come into contact with him must save to attack or take harmful action against him; 3= He can transform his body into a liquid state but still move and act.  While in his liquid state he cannot be hurt by anything that could not affect a puddle of oatmeal and he can slip through spaces that a viscous liquid could flow through.  He can switch states as a free action on his turn; 4= 1d3 times per day, he can control the weather in the local area.  If in the Astral Sea, he can summon storms of emotion, memory or nightmares.]

8- He can assimilate living creatures by touching them.  By touching a creature he do 1d6 STR damage to that creature.  If he reduces a creature to 0 STR, that creature will melt into a puddle, as if it had all it's bones removed.  He can them absorb the creature's flesh, gaining access to all that creature's memories and abilities.  This absorption process is not instanteous, it takes 1d3+1 rounds of uninterrupted concentration to pull off successfully.  The Endless will forget any memories gained over the next 1d8 hours unless he writes them down and he will have the ability to do anything that the creature could do that was based off it's body- ie he could do a Fighter's Secret Techniques or Martial Maneuvers or the Rogue's sneaking abilities, but he couldn't access the Wizard's spells or the Prophet's Secret Name of God.  The Endless will slowly forget these abilities over the next 1d6 days.  Absorbing a creature will also cause the Endless to regain X HP, where X was that creature's remaining HP when it dissolved into soup.     

How does he fight?

1d3

1- He is a spellcaster, utilizing magic with great proficiency.  He has MD equal to his HD and knows 1d8+4 spells.  

2- He is armed with ancient and terrible Artifice and Runic Weapons.  He primarily wields a 1d4 [1= Sword that cuts through almost anything like the other substance is hard as soft butter; 2= A flamethrower that spews jets of burning oil; 3= A repeating crossbow that can fire poisoned, electrified, burning or explosive bolts; 4= A set of artificial tentacles attached to a metal frame he wears.  The tentacles are strong enough to rip a man's limbs off, delicate enough to shuffle a deck of cards and can handle multiple actions simultaneously.]  

3- He is a Master Martial Artist, having achieved the highest level of one of the Martial Schools.  Select one from here.    

Does he have any special abilities?

1d8

1- He has one of the Secret Names of God.  Roll on this table to determine which Word he has.  

2- He can is incredibly lucky.  He has 1d8 Luck Points, which he can use to increase or decrease any d20 roll by 1.  These are expended once used, but refresh after a long rest. 

3- He can see the future.  He has the ability to see the future as an Oracle.

4- He has multiple bodies that he can control individually or simultaneously.  His main body hosts his Soul-Gem, but he has 1d4 Subordinate Bodies.  These bodies obey his will and can each take an action.  However, they only have half as many HD as the main body.  However, they do not feel pain nor can they be affected by mental effects.  However, if the connection between the main and the subordinate bodies is broken, they will drop onto the ground, limp and motionless.    

5- He is a Shapeshifter.  He can take the form of any creature whose heart he has eaten.  He has 1d20 Animal forms that he can transform into as an action.  Use the rules for the Druid's Wildshape.  

6- He can fly.  He has a 50% of having wings or an equal chance of being able to levitate.  If he has wings his flight speed is double his walking speed and he cannot stay in the air unless he's moving.  If he can levitate though, his flight speed equals his walking speed and he can hover.    

7- He has a Specific Death Condition.  He can only be killed if he is 1d8 [1= Buried Alive; 2= Decapitated; 3= Burned to Death; 4= After death, he is chopped into pieces and buried in at least four different places; 5= Slain with a holy weapon; 6= Killed by a Hero or someone with a Pure Heart; 7= Killed by an Immortal; 8= Eaten by a Dragon, or if after death, his body is fed to one.]  Otherwise, he will return to life in 7 days.  

8- He is actually not a Githyanki at all.  He is actually a 1d6 [1= Demon; 2= Dragon with the ability to shapeshift; 3= Demigod or lesser God; 4= Archmagi; 5= Lich; 6= An Adventurer who has just gotten really, really lucky so far.]  He has all the abilities listed above, but he will not reincarnate via the Lazar Engines- the Soul-Gem he has is fake, or it contains a soul other than his own. 

by Thiago Almeida

Shade of the Archon

None of the Githyanki really know what the Archons were.  They have their theories and many will claim to know the truth, but in truth, none of them were ever sure.  All that is known is that they were immortal spirits that were sent by the Stranger to "help" the Githyanki, but in time became their jailors.  At one time, they and the Githyanki aided each other in the struggle against the Githyanki's oppressors.  But when the Archons revealed themselves to be the enemies of the Gith, the Githyanki led the revolt that destroyed them.  This led to the near-destruction of the Archons.  However, despite what the Githyanki initally believed, the Archons survived.  

The Archons continued to exist, albeit in a much reduced state.  They now exist with only fractions of their former power.  Some of these Shades are animalistic and bestial in terms of intelligence, lacking any real cognitive ability.  Others, meanwhile, are highly intelligent and weave intricate schemes.  However, regardless of their own capabilities, all the Shades of the Archon seek to unite with their other fragments.  Most of them believe, whether consciously or not, that if they can recover all their lost fragments, they will regain their former power.  

Many of the Githyanki believe this too, which is why they hunt the Shades.  Some simply want to annihilate the Shades to prevent them from ever threatening the Githyanki again, while others want to bind and enslave the Archons, both as an act of revenge, but also to utilize the impressive power some of the Shades can wield.  Others seek the Shades because they believe that the Shades might know the secret of how to repair the Lazar Engines or maybe even build new ones and that's not even mentioning some of the other secrets the Shade might know: how to achieve immortality apart from the Engines, the true identity of the Stranger and much, much more.  

As such, despite their impressive power, the Shades of the Archon hide and skulk in the darkest places of the world, plotting and scheming to regain their power so that they might finally take their vengeance, first on the Githyanki, then on all the worlds.   

Statblock Changes:

Number Appearing: 1

Alignment: Any Evil

Languages: All Languages

Treasure: 

Shade of the Archon

Damage Threshold 1d6+4

SHP [See Damage Threshold]

Atk Varies, see below

Mor 14

Saves (7+SHP) or less

Immune to Cold, Poison, Radiant and Necrotic Damage

Immune to Non-Magical Weapons

Damage Threshold X: A Shade of the Archon has a Damage Threshold equal to X.  It only takes damage from sources if the amount of damage equals or exceeds that Damage Threshold.  If a source of damage cannot equal or exceed the Threshold, instead ignore it, as if that source did no damage.  It has Super Hit Points (SHP) equal to it's Damage Threshold.  Should it's Damage Threshold be breached, reduce the amount of SHP the Shade has by 1.

Ethereal: A Shade of the Archon is ethereal and entirely spiritual in terms of make-up.  It has no physical, corporeal form.  It cannot be hurt by non-magical weapons, cold, poison, necrotic or radiant damage.  It can fly and pass through objects without a spiritual aspect to them (non-magical items).    

Extraplanar Existence: A Shade of the Archon cannot exist on a physical plane for longer than X rounds, where X is it's SHP, unless it inhabits a physical creature, willing or otherwise.  Should the Shade be unable to find a corporeal vessel within the alloted time, it fades and is banished back to the Astral Sea. 

Illusory Appearance: As an action, a Shade of the Archon may create an illusion over herself to alter it's appearance.  The illusory disguise can be anything the Shade imagines, though how realistic it is depends on the Shade's intelligence.  Additionally, the illusion fails to stand up to physical inspection.

Devour Soul: If a creature is slain around a Shade of the Archon and it is not possessing a body, it can devour that soul.  This causes a Shade to regain X SHP, where X is the HD that creature had while still alive.

Immortal: A Shade of the Archon is immortal, untouched by time and decay.  They can only be permanently killed via their Specific Death Condition.  They are immune to effects that would age them and any effects or abilities that could instantly kill them, such as 'Save or Die' effects.  

Specific Death Condition: A Shade of the Archon has a Specific Death Condition that varies depending on what it is.  If it is not killed in that way, it returns to life in 1d20 days.

Tactics:

- Try to deceive the enemy, pretend to be an ally or friend

- Offer to help in exchange for power and knowledge

- Strike only when or if you have all the advantages

- Retreat if battle is not beneficial

To modify a Shade of the Archon, roll on the tables below:

How many SHP does it have?

1d6+4

5-6:  If a Shade of the Archon has 5 or 6 SHP, it makes 2 Attacks that do 1d8 psychic damage.  These attacks ignore non-magical armor.  It has one Ancient Power.

7-8:  If a Shade of the Archon has 7 or 8 SHP, it makes 2 Attacks that do 1d10 psychic damage.  These attacks ignore non-magical armor.  It has 1d3 Ancient Powers.  

9-10:  If a Shade of the Archon has 9 or 10 SHP, it makes 2 Attacks that do 2d6 psychic damage.  It has 1d4+1 Ancient Powers.    

What does the Shade looks like in it's true form?

1d8

1- A genderless, featureless humanoid creature made of translucent red crystal.  It hovers and never touches the ground.  It also seems to be draped in fine fabrics that billow behind it in a phantom wind.  

2- An enormous, three-eyed crocodilian humanoid with black and green scales.  It has six fingers and seems to wear tattered finery from a foreign culture.  Wherever it goes, organics rot, food spoils and children are troubled by nightmares.  

3- A statue of pale stone, depicting a humanoid of a race you've never seen.  It never seems to move, though the statue's pose and expression shift subtly whenever you aren't looking directly at it.  

4- A black sphere, ringed by three orbiting rings of metal.  The smallest and closest is gold studded with rubies, while the second smallest is silver, adorned with blue sapphires and pearls, while the furthest and largest ring is dull iron, adorned with opals and moonstones.  Gives people headaches when they're around it for too long.  

5- A three-headed, six-armed woman with cobalt-blue skin, fangs, red eyes and three serpents protruding from her back like tails.  One of her serpents has a venomous bite that is save or die, another's bite can cure any poison and the third can extend life by 1d100+10 years.  All three serpents are identical.    

6- An inhumanly beautiful man with tattered wings and open sores, with worms crawling around under his skin.  Wherever he goes, you will hear the drone of insects, as if there is a swarm of locusts passing overhead.  

7- A humanoid made of flowing water that emerges from an unknown source and flows downward, forming an androgynous shape adorned with jewelry made of ice.  Wherever it goes, people are struck by intense melancholia and regrets over missed opportunities from the past.  

8- A glowing sillohuete made of light, usually humanoid but occasionally takes on other forms.  Always brightly illuminates the area, unless it doesn't want to.  Can talk but prefers to communicate through images and flowing patterns of light and color.    

How intelligent is the Shade?

1d6

1- Bestial.  This Shade is little more than an animal.  It is only about as smart as a particularly clever beast.  

2- Very Stupid.  This Shade is rather dim.  It is intelligent, but only about as smart as the village idiot.  

3-4- Smart as you.  This Shade is as smart as a normal member of your species.  

5- Smarter than you.  This Shade makes you look dumb.

6- Brilliant.  This Shade possesses a towering intellect that makes you look like a drooling imbecile.  

What is it's Specific Death Condition?

The Shade of the Archon can only be permanently destroyed if you...

1d8

1- Burn it to Death.  You must have a sufficiently hot fire to do this- small flames will likely be insufficient.

2- Poison it.  Normal poisons likely aren't going to cut it as it doesn't have a physical body.  Only one that works on spiritual beings or immortals will work.  

3- Kill it with a specific weapon.  There's only one weapon in this world that can kill it and odds are, you don't have it.

4- Absorb it.  Get someone to drink it's soul.  This is extremely hazardous, as it could either result in being possessed or exploding into giblets if you do it wrong.  

5- Bind it into a container and immerse that container in the River of Souls.  

6- Feed it to another Spiritual Predator of equal or greater HD.  

7- Scatter it to the four corners of the universe.  This will require a vast magic ritual and the ability to channel or at least direct the Elemental Chaos or one of the Winds of Magic.

8- Kill it with a specific weapon.  See above.      

What Ancient Powers does this Shade have?  

1d12

1- The Shade is immune to one type of Elemental Damage.  Specifically, it is immune to 1d8 [1= Fire; 2= Cold/Ice; 3= Lightning; 4= Acid; 5= Necrotic; 6= Radiant; 7= Psychic; 8= Poison.]  If you roll a result for something the Shade is already immune to, roll again.

2- The Shade is resistant to one type of Damage.  Specifically, it is resistant to 1d3 [1= Blunt/Bludgeoning; 2= Sharp; 3= Falling.]  If you roll a result twice, the Shade is immune to that type of damage from non-magical sources.    

3- The Shade can regenerate from injuries.  The Shade, if below maximum HP, recovers 1 SHP every round until it reaches maximum HP.

4- The Shade can heal injuries to itself or others.  As an action, the Shade can heal a creature up to 3d6 HP.  It can also choose to do less than this, or a specific amount, such as healing a creature for 5 HP.  It can heal a creature X times per day, where X is it's SHP.

5- The Shade can bind the souls of the dead.  Should a creature perish within 100' of a Shade, the Shade can force that creature into a contest of COG.  If the creature is defeated by the Shade, the Shade can bind that soul to itself.  The Shade can have up to 2X HD worth of souls bound to it, where X is it's SHP.  These souls stat as ghosts with the HD they had while alive and must obey the orders of the Shade, only being able to disobey if they can pass a COG save.  These souls can also be sent to animate corpses, raising them as Undead.  

6- The Shade can know the fears of it's enemies.  By looking into a creature's eyes, a Shade can determine that creature's worst fear and make itself appear as that.

7- The Shade can command light.  As an action, the Shade can turn invisible and remain so until it makes an attack or takes a strenuous action.  The Shade can also conjure illusions as an action, conjuring up to X independent illusions, where X is the Shade's SHP.  These illusions remain until destroyed or dismissed by the Shade.  Turning invisible counts as one of the Shade's illusions.  

8- The Shade can change the size of objects.  As an action, the Shade can make an object shrink or grow up to 3 size categories (miniscule, tiny, small, medium, large, huge, colossal).  Creatures can attempt to resist this change by passing a save.  The Shade can do this X times per day, where X is it's SHP.  

9- The Shade can transmute matter.  Roll twice on the following table.  The Shade can convert the first material into the second and vice versa.  The Shade can transmute an object or up to 100 pounds of this material X times per day, where X is the Shade's SHP.  Ex: If the Shade can transmute water into smoke, it can turn smoke into water.  1d20 [1= Fire; 2= Smoke; 3= Air; 4= Water; 5= Oil; 6= Ice; 7= Glass; 8= Metal; 10= Stone; 11= Crystal; 12= Blood; 13= Flesh; 14= Wood; 15= Light; 16= Sound; 17= Shadow; 18= Bone; 19= Time; 20= Spirit.]  If you get this result again, roll twice more on this table, rerolling any duplicates.

10- The Shade can fly.  It has a fly speed equal to double the walking speed of a Medium creature and can hover.  If it can already fly, reroll this result.  

11- The Shade can move objects with it's mind.  As an action, the Shade can manipulate an object using Will alone.  Treat this like a STR roll, but using COG instead.  The Shade has a COG of 10+X (max 18(+3)), where X is the Shade's SHP.  The Shade can also manipulate up to 1/2/X items at one time using it's Will (telekinesis).  

12- The Shade can curse creatures.  As an action, a Shade can describe the fate of a creature that can hear and understand it.  That creature is then cursed and the described fate will come true.  However, if the cursed has his horoscope read or is seen by a priest, oracle, outsider or God, they can diagnose the curse and tell the cursed how to break it.       

by Nectim

To customize a Githyanki raid, roll on the tables below:

Where does the invasion occur?

1d4

1- A small town or village.

2- A medium-sized town or city.

3- A large city.

4- A gathering of a large number of people for some temporary reason, such as a festival, feast day, etc.

Where do they come from?

1d4

1- From the bottom of a body of water, even if it doesn't seem like it could fit that many.

2- From out of abandoned buildings, long-disused doors, or other neglected places.  

3- From the sky, swooping down like winged marauders.

4- Nowhere, they seem to just appear when you're not looking.

What heralds their arrival?

1d8

1- Several large rifts or portals opening in the air, along the ground, or etc.  

2- The weather suddenly changes with no warning.  

3- Weird Weather.

4- Eerie, alien music that seems to come from nowhere.  

5- The sky "bulges" and wrinkles, as if it's an enormous piece of fabric that someone is shoving up against.

6- In the weeks/days/hours before it happens, those with the ability to see into the future suddenly have visions of a sudden, violent attack coming from nowhere

7- Ripples and disturbances in the Winds of Magic.  Magic may suddenly be weaker, or stronger, or may act erratically for no explainable reason.

8- Nothing at all. 

by muju

Githyanki Culture:

Githyanki, when not out raiding, generally live in the Depths of the Astral Sea inside Bubble Realms.  These Realms act like tiny pocket worlds that the Githyanki live in when not on mission.  These also act as places to hide in from fierce opposition and storage areas for captives and plunder.  A Bubble Realm is usually maintained by a powerful creature such as an Elder Dragon or Deity, but in the case of the Githyanki, they have figured out how to replace this powerful soul with artifice.

Inside these realms Githyanki tend to dwell in large communities organized along extremely strict lines, ruled by tyrannical elites and draconian laws.  Theirs is a society with little room for advancement or individuality, as all Githyanki are dependent on their Priests, who are entrusted to maintain the Lazar Engines.  Since refusing to cooperate will mean either a delayed reincarnation or being cast out to face the Final Death, Githyanki are extremely hesitant to break the rules of their community.  

Usually these tribes of Githyanki, also called Hosts, are led either by the highest rank Priest, sometimes called a Priest-King or by one of the Endless.  The Endless are simply the Githyanki who have managed to survive for a long period of time without needing to reincarnate.  They are very rarely Priests, as Priests are expected to stay behind and protect the Lazar Engines from enemies.  

The only time Githyanki are ever willing to rebel against their Priests or the Endless is when they join another Githyanki Host that is willing to cut them a better deal, either with a faster reincarnation for a beloved ally, for faster reincarnation in general or in some rare cases, if a Host's Lazar Engines stop working or don't work as efficiently, a working Engine.

Immortal Occupations:

The Githyanki are an incredibly jaded bunch.  As long as nothing goes wrong, they will live forever, so they must find some way to occupy their time.  Some choose to pursue mastery in a particular field, such as sword-smithing, knitting or dance, but this is not a common pursuit, as most Githyanki are so nihilistic that the idea of trying to create anything is little more than a bad joke.  Additionally, with the memory loss that sometimes occurs because of reincarnation, you could easily lose progress or interest in your projects all together.  

Others choose to participate in the constant and endless struggle between the Githyanki Hosts for resources, status and glory.  These are the so-called "Song Wars".  Unlike the "Soul Wars" which are fought to keep the Lazar Engines fueled, Song Wars are sometimes fought for vital resources or other benefits, but just as much are fought for sheer entertainment.

Among the elite of the Githyanki, it is most common to pursue grand, nigh-impossible goals such as uniting all Githyanki Hosts under one banner, conquering an entire civilization, exterminate or capture all the traitor Githzerai, kill a God, Ascend to Godhood, uncover cosmic or fundamental secrets about the universe, seek true immortality without the Lazar Engines, or bring about the annihilation of souls without allowing them to reach an afterlife.  

And there are still others.  One Githyanki Host captured entire populations and had them breed and develop an entire civilization in a contained biosphere in a Bubble Realm.  They then entered this society surreptiously in disguise and played among the population, either pretending to be normal, terrorizing them, or working their way to top of the bubble-society.  Then when they grew bored, they exterminated all their captives and started over.  

Other Githyanki periodically wipe their own memories.  This helps to keep life fresh while pretending them to succumbing to madness.  

What do the Githyanki want?

All Githyanki want to keep fueling the Lazar Engines so they can continue to live.  Beyond this, however, they have other goals.  

Over time, the Lazar Engines slowly break down and eventually cease to function.  The Githyanki haven't realized it yet, but they are slowly running out of Engines.  Worse, they do not know how to repair the ones they have.  While the Stranger did teach them basic maintenance, eventually the Lazar Engine will develop a problem that the Priests can fix.  So the Githyanki want to find any working Lazar Engines left as well as learning how to repair the ones they have.

Related to this goal, the Githyanki want to find the Archons and the Stranger.  They want to do this not only because they believe that the Archons and the Stranger will have information they can use on how to repair/maintain the Lazar Engines, but also because they want to subject them to the same torments that the Githyanki suffered.  

And finally, the Githyanki want to find their traitor kin, the Githzerai, and make them suffer for "forcing" the Githyanki into this current situation.  Of course, any intelligent observer could tell you that basically nothing about the current Githyanki is anyone's fault but their own.  This is an obvious and widely ignored truth- the Endless and the Priests are perfectly content to blame everything wrong with the Githyanki on the Stranger, the Archons and the Githzerai.  The common Githyanki are more than willing to go along with this, as doing otherwise would mean acknowledging the ghastly deeds they have committed and continue to commit to stay alive, which no Githyanki is willing to do.  This thirst for vengeance allows them to gleefully commit the cruelest and most vile acts while pretending to be the righteous ones, the oppressed victims who only do what they do out of a desperate need to survive.      

Githyanki Plot Hooks:

1d10

1- A Noble hires the party to investigate why a couple of his villages have suddenly disappeared.  When the party arrives they find signs of battle, but no survivors, bodies or anything else that would mark the sign of a normal attack.

2- The King hires the party to go visit the powerful Oracle who left the nation years ago to meditate in seclusion and ask said Oracle about the disturbing visions that his his lesser Seers have been seeing.

3- The King has had disturbing dreams of some sort of incoming attack or catastrophe, but doesn't understand what it means.  He has summoned all the court's astrologists, wise men and Sages to try and determine what his dreams mean.  One Noble hires you to help him, as your client believes that the only person who can answer the question is currently locked up by a jealous rival.  The Noble wants you to break this person out, as their current jailers are unlikely to do so, as it will benefit their boss' rival.  

4- A Sage searching for the secret of immortality has heard tales of undying warriors who come from beyond the veil to fight in great battles.  He hires the players to help him investigate these strange beings and see if it is possible to lure them to a location.  

5- An isolated kingdom with a cyclical calender is about to celebrate a great holiday, as it is the end of the longest cycle of their calender.  Their is going to be a tournament for prize money, games and festivities.  Unfortunately, the fun is being ruined by one madman who is yelling in the streets about how the end is near.  Go get rid of him.  If they talk to the madman, he will tell them how every time this society reaches the end of the longest cycle, warriors from beyond the veil come and destroy this civilization, leaving the survivors behind to rebuild.  These legends do exist in this culture's lore, but few people actually know or believe in them now.  Secretly they are all true.  The Githyanki are coming.  

6- The party get kidnapped by Githyanki and are taken to a Githyanki Bubble Realm where they are put into a variety of fake cities and used to train Githyanki raiders who have forgotten some of their skills, or are hunted for sport.  

7- The party wake up with amnesia, on a strange island inhabited by a friendly race.  They must find a way to get their memories back and maybe escape the island, which the locals insist is impossible, though they are welcome to try.  Secretly, the party were kidnapped by Githyanki and had their memories wiped.  This island is located within a Bubble Realm and is meant to be a simulation of a normal society for the Githyanki to amuse themselves with.    

8- A wealthy client has heard tell of a mystical device that can resurrect the dead.  Unfortunately, this device was lost in the Astral Sea.  Fortunately, he knows how to find it (don't ask how, he won't say).  Help him recover it on an expedition across time and space.  Unfortunately, this device is a Lazar Engine and the Githyanki desperately want it too.  

9- The players get contacted by/find the shade of an ancient God.  This God claims to have once been incredibly powerful, but it was betrayed by it's worshipers who stole it's power to make themselves immortal.  The God wants you to help it regain it's former power.  Unfortunately, it's former worshipers are still out there, looking to finish the job.  Help protect the God's Shade until it can become strong again.  Secretly, this 'God' is one of the Archons who oppressed the Githyanki all those eons ago.  

10- The party is in a city when it is attacked by a Githyanki raiding party.  The City's leaders are in a panic until a stranger shows up and makes them an offer.  He offers to lead an expedition to chase down the Githyanki and retrieve as many of their kidnapped people as possible.  The leaders of the City quickly put together a punitive expedition to try and do this, putting the stranger in charge, as per his request.  Now, no one actually trusts the stranger that much, but doing anything is better than giving up on those who were taken.  The party is asked to go along and if the stranger does anything evil, they are fully within their rights to stab him to death and bring the expedition home. 

by Neuntoterx