Homebrew Centaur (Adapted from 2E "The Complete Book of Humanoids" to 5E) Species Details

This is my adaptation of the Centaur as described in "The Complete Book Of Humanoids", TSR 1999, to 5E specifications. I hope you enjoy this interpretation of the Centaur as a player-character race.

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Centaurs have the upper torso, arms and head of a human, and the lower body of a horse. These woodland beings are sociable creatures, living in family groups organized into larger tribes. Tribes survive through hunting, foraging, fishing, agriculture and trade. They tend to shun humans, but often trade with elves for food and wine.

Centaurs welcome elves into their areas, sometimes even sharing territory with them. Humans and dwarves receive polite invitations to leave, while halflings and gnomes are usually tolerated.

Centaurs mate for life, and the males have the dominant role in most Centaur tribes. They are pastoral beings who can be violent when the need arises. They live in harmony with nature and know how to conserve resources. They keep things in balance, planting a tree for every one they chop down and taking only what the environment can easily give.

These woodland creatures use a variety of weapons, including oaken clubs, composite bows and pikes. Some carry shields, and a few wear special centaur armor.

Centaurs live in balance, They must eat a lot to power their great bodies, and have been known to over-indulge when it comes to wine and ale. Under the influence of alcohol, centaurs have been known to display rowdy, boorish, and aggressive behavior.

Those centaurs deciding to explore the world as adventurers usually do so to satisfy an innate curiosity and wanderlust that sometimes becomes a compulsion. They make excellent companions, good fighters, and hardy travelers. While they might sometimes offer a two-legged companion a ride, centaurs do not consider themselves pack animals or sources of transportation. In fact, they often become insulted if such a role is suggested. They also do not tolerate horse jokes, though otherwise they have good senses of humor.

Centaur (Adapted from 2E "The Complete Book of Humanoids" to 5E) Traits

Centaurs have the following racial traits:

Ability Score Adjustments

Your strength, constitution, and wisdom score each increase by 1.

Aging

Centaurs reach maturity at about the same age as humans and generally live just shy of a century.

Hit Dice

Player character centaurs receive hit dice by class. In addition they receive 4 bonus hit points at first level.

Natural Armor

Your base armor class is 13.

(Based on a natural AC 5 in "The Complete Book of Humanoids". Lizardfolk also had a natural AC 5 in 2E and have a base AC of 13 according to Volos. Centaurs as described as a monster in 5E have an AC of 12 (DEX 16). As a result of this discrepancy, the centaur's base AC is at the DM's discretion.)

Size

Having the body of a horse, centaurs are large creatures weighing well over 1000 lbs.

Your large size and bulky build put you at a disadvantage indoors. If you are allowed into a tavern, you will have trouble finding a spot to stand. Likewise, no inn will have accommodations for you.

If operating in a dungeon or other enclosed space, you may need to make a WIS check or become panicked due to claustrophobia (DM's discretion). Similarly, you may have to make a WIS check each turn or suffer attack disadvantage for that turn.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 50'.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Sylvan and Elvish

Weapon Proficiencies

All centaurs are trained in the use of longbows and pikes.

Hooves

Centaurs can attack with their hooves for 2d6 damage (plus strength bonus).

Charge

If you charge at an opponent for at least 30 feet before hitting it, the opponent takes an extra 3d6 damage from your weapon.

Non-Weapon Proficiencies

You can choose Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, or Survival as a bonus proficiency.