Can you roleplay a Githzerai?

[SotiCoto]

Don't actually have the game. Know Githzerai aren't actually an official playable option (only Githyanki) ... but can you just opt to play as a Gith and roleplay them as Githzerai, or do the dialogue options completely ruin that potential?

[Agony_Aunt]

The dialogues with the Githyanki would kind of ruin it, as they should be immediately hostile to you.

However, i suppose if you start out with hostile responses when you meet them, it will trigger them to be hostile to you.

Otherwise, any reference to Githyanki can easily be explained away by stupid Faerun people not knowing the difference.

[larhtas]

You can take a Githyanki monk and use monk features with "longsword". They are very strong for that (even if elf is "maybe" a little better?)

[SotiCoto]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

The dialogues with the Githyanki would kind of ruin it, as they should be immediately hostile to you.

That raises an interesting point: Can Githzerai pass for Githyanki or vice versa? They're the same species... and both have psionic resistance, so it isn't like they can just casually violate each others' thoughts. Presumably if a Githzerai just changed their outfit and behaved more belligerent then they might fool even a Githyanki...
Or maybe they smell of Limbo and it is impossible to cover up? Who knows?

Otherwise, any reference to Githyanki can easily be explained away by stupid Faerun people not knowing the difference.

That would be good.
I was more concerned about the protagonist's dialogue options though... assuming they even have anything like that. Like if someone asks who or what they are, that there is an option NOT to say "Githyanki"? Get what I mean? Can the topic be just.... avoided?

Ah well... who knows? Maybe the devs will add the option to be Githzerai. They seem to be adding more things into the game now.

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by SotiCoto:

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

The dialogues with the Githyanki would kind of ruin it, as they should be immediately hostile to you.

That raises an interesting point: Can Githzerai pass for Githyanki or vice versa? They're the same species... and both have psionic resistance, so it isn't like they can just casually violate each others' thoughts. Presumably if a Githzerai just changed their outfit and behaved more belligerent then they might fool even a Githyanki...
Or maybe they smell of Limbo and it is impossible to cover up? Who knows?

Otherwise, any reference to Githyanki can easily be explained away by stupid Faerun people not knowing the difference.

That would be good.
I was more concerned about the protagonist's dialogue options though... assuming they even have anything like that. Like if someone asks who or what they are, that there is an option NOT to say "Githyanki"? Get what I mean? Can the topic be just.... avoided?

Ah well... who knows? Maybe the devs will add the option to be Githzerai. They seem to be adding more things into the game now.

I'm sure they could pretend to be the other for some time, but i suspect their innate hatred for each other would stop them even trying.

Although there is a group of Gith who infiltrate both groups in order to try and reunite the splintered people. I suppose you could roleplay as one of those.

[SotiCoto]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

I'm sure they could pretend to be the other for some time, but i suspect their innate hatred for each other would stop them even trying.

... So like.... Githzerai are Left-Wing Gith and Githyanki are Right-Wing Gith.

Sorry. Shouldn't have said that. I should NOT have said that.





... Githyanki are Nazis.

[Maxwell's Demon]

Originally posted by SotiCoto:

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

The dialogues with the Githyanki would kind of ruin it, as they should be immediately hostile to you.

That raises an interesting point: Can Githzerai pass for Githyanki or vice versa? They're the same species... and both have psionic resistance, so it isn't like they can just casually violate each others' thoughts. Presumably if a Githzerai just changed their outfit and behaved more belligerent then they might fool even a Githyanki...
Or maybe they smell of Limbo and it is impossible to cover up? Who knows?

Otherwise, any reference to Githyanki can easily be explained away by stupid Faerun people not knowing the difference.

That would be good.
I was more concerned about the protagonist's dialogue options though... assuming they even have anything like that. Like if someone asks who or what they are, that there is an option NOT to say "Githyanki"? Get what I mean? Can the topic be just.... avoided?

Ah well... who knows? Maybe the devs will add the option to be Githzerai. They seem to be adding more things into the game now.

The Gith are one race and two cultures, but each are raised very differently, so both a high degree of skill in disguise and deception as well as intimate knowledge of the opposing culture's practices would be needed.

The Githzerai would have an easier time of it, as they receive more specialized training as monks and psionicists as a matter of course: in order to even have air to breathe in their home, the Plane of Limbo, a person must psychically impose their will on the surrounding chaos matter at all times to maintain the environment in a steady state.

Anyone can do this using willpower, but the Githzerai are raised from birth to do it. Any Githzerai who fail to learn die or are exiled in their childhood, whereas Githyanki do not specifically train for this task, so their (relative) lack of ability will become a tell.

Outside of Limbo they are probably evenly matched.

[Maxwell's Demon]

Originally posted by SotiCoto:

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

I'm sure they could pretend to be the other for some time, but i suspect their innate hatred for each other would stop them even trying.

... So like.... Githzerai are Left-Wing Gith and Githyanki are Right-Wing Gith.

Sorry. Shouldn't have said that. I should NOT have said that.





... Githyanki are Nazis.

The source material paints both as nationalistic, socialistic, and authoritarian. The Githzerai have the trappings of Daoist cultivators and are more moderate and subtle about how they exert power, but are also far more conformist out of necessity to maintain their strongholds in Limbo. The Githzerai are a militaristic, meritocratic absolute monarchy. Neither could be described simply as rightwing or leftwing, as each contains multiple internal factions (or it least they did last I checked), but they would both be considered rightwing by today's standards. (Of course even if you're a Marxist-Leninist today, you're still likely to be considered to be a part of the rightwing, so the utility of the category is questionable, but I digress...)

[Crom]

Originally posted by SotiCoto:

Don't actually have the game. Know Githzerai aren't actually an official playable option (only Githyanki) ... but can you just opt to play as a Gith and roleplay them as Githzerai, or do the dialogue options completely ruin that potential?

Thats not what roleplaying is.

But anyway, you can roleplay banana if you wish to.

[SotiCoto]

Originally posted by Maxwell's Demon:

Neither could be described simply as rightwing or leftwing, as each contains multiple internal factions (or it least they did last I checked), but they would both be considered rightwing by today's standards.

I was being facetious, but okay. I just sorta meant in the sense of extreme, irrational hatred resulting from cultural differences (or rather the similarities neither wants to admit to).

(Of course even if you're a Marxist-Leninist today, you're still likely to be considered to be a part of the rightwing, so the utility of the category is questionable, but I digress...)

Both lateral political extremes are collectivist authoritarians. The main functional difference is that one side prefers wasting money so everyone suffers equally while the other prefers hoarding it so only 99% of everyone suffers. I'd honestly say the Githzerai and Githyanki have MORE cultural differences than Leftie and Rightie humans.

Originally posted by Crom:

Thats not what roleplaying is.

And gold is not what glittery things are, yet gold is still glittery... and what I described is roleplaying. Playing a role. Acting the part of a character that is not myself.
It doesn't have to encompass the full scope of the word, but merely refer to a single example of it... and that is exactly what it did.

[Crom]

Roleplaying is not playing a role :))

[SotiCoto]

Originally posted by Crom:

Roleplaying is not playing a role :))

So you're a contrarian, I see.
Noted.
But don't be offended if I don't want to engage with you any more. I don't deal well with people who insist A =/= A.