Homebrew Centaur Race Details

Should you ever find yourself at the business end of a centaur, don't bother running.

He'll be faster than you.

He'll be stronger than you.

And he won't even be the one that gets you.

It'll be the rest of his tribe that you didn't realize was surrounding you until they've buried their arrows in you.

 Wilderness Nomads

Centaurs live in nomadic tribes. They roam in climates that they are able to survive wearing furs or hide. Hunter-gatherers by nature, they rarely spend extended periods of time in any one location. The tribes most often sleep under the stars or in cover of trees. They rarely construct anything more than a shield from inclement weather.

The migration pattern of a centaur tribe can be so large and so long that each generation may only see a location once in their lifetime. The tribe tends to follow the same migration through generations, setting and following a tradition. The long periods of time centaurs take to return to a location oftentimes leads to strife with civilizations that have sprung up on their path.

Reluctant Settlers

The nomadic nature of the centaur tribes means that if you are unable to keep up due to age or injury, you are often left behind. Tribeless centaurs often assimilate into nearby civilizations in order to survive. The knowledge of the land offered by centaurs has made them valued members of the few frontier settlements they've joined.

Centaur tribes often have established trade relationships with the elves along their nomadic path. They've also been known to trade with other nomadic peoples or caravans if they are able to successfully communicate with them. Dealing only with elves for generations, most centaur have never bothered to learn the Common tongue.

Centaur Names

Centaurs are given personal names at birth. Some tribes reward centaurs with a tribal surname as they come to maturity.

Male Names: Joh, Vrol, Rhal, Vraz'hir, Kathilk, Bizren, Vithag, Aldrudis, Am'zine

Female Names: Belgas, Fylreh, Laresh, Nelnath, Shyrget, Ryzag, Lelras, Eneh, Sheglag

Tribal Surnames: Thornbreaker, Oakenhoof, Vinemane, Starcatcher, Dustborne, Rocktree

Centaur Traits

Part horse and part humanoid, the centaur walks the line between beast and man.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

The lifespan of a Centaur is slightly below that of a human. They reach the age of maturity at sixteen years and live on average sixty years.

Alignment

Centaurs favor nature over civilization. As such, they tend towards Chaotic. Centaurs are almost always Neutral rather than Good or Evil due to their focus on the balance of nature.

Size

The average centaur is between six and nine feet tall. They have been known to weigh between 1000 and 2500 pounds. Your size is Large.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 50 feet unarmored. Any armor heavier than hide or a rider causes a reduction in speed to 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak Elvish and Sylvan. Most centaurs have no need to learn the Common language.

Hooves of Fury

Your hooves are natural weapons, which you are proficient in and can use to make unarmed strikes with either your two front hooves or your two back hooves. If you hit with them, they do 2d6 + Strength modifier in bludgeoning damage.

If a successful attack is made with the back hooves, the target must make a DC 10 Strength saving throw or be pushed back 5 ft. Movement in this way does not provoke any attacks of opportunity. 

Charge

If a centaur moves at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with an attack on the same turn, the target takes extra damage of the weapon's type. The amount of extra damage is dependent on level:

1st - 4th level: 1d8

5th - 11th level: 2d8

12th - 20th level: 3d8

Equine Weakness

While there are surely advantages to being a hybrid, there are a number of ways in which the horse half of a centaur is a detriment to the humanoid half.

  • As you lack the lower body of a humanoid, you are unable to wear humanoid armor below the belt (ex: leggings, greaves, or boots).
  • Due to the larger size of your lower half, any fall damage taken is doubled.
  • Unless your hooves are in some way obscured, you have disadvantage on Stealth checks when walking on hard surfaces, such as stone, brick, or glass.