Homebrew Centaurs Species Details

Centaurs stand at the crossroads of two worlds, their sculpted human torso rising above the powerful haunches of an equine body. Every movement exudes effortless grace—whether they stride through a princely court as vigilant guardians or gallop across open grasslands with the wind whipping through their hair. Their voices, rich and resonant, shift seamlessly between cultured conversation and a deep, rumbling strength that carries the echo of untamed wilderness. Yet it is beneath the wide skies—where small clans drift from sun-baked plains into misty highlands along ancestral routes spanning generations—that centaurs feel most at home, guided by instincts as old as the land itself.

Upon reaching maturity, each centaur undergoes The Tempering, a rite both brutal and revelatory. Leaving the safety of their herd, young colts and fillies journey in close-knit bands, armed only with their bows, burgeoning healing lore, and the determination to master both. By day they hone their skills through arrow-strewn feints, ambush isolated caravans, and test their mettle alongside human or elven adventurers in search of forgotten ruins. By night, campfires blaze as trophies of grain and wine are shared, laughter and song mingling with the clang of steel and the shout of challenge. In those long hours around the fire, they learn not only to wield strength, but to temper it—discovering discipline in the same breath that they taste freedom.

When The Tempering draws to a close, a sacred choice awaits. Most return to their clans bearing scars and spoils that speak of hard-won mastery: arrows fletched with care, healing salves distilled from rare herbs, and spirits forged by shared trial. Their eyes hold a steadier light, their laughter rings with deeper camaraderie, and their bond to the herd is renewed—stronger for the journey they have undertaken together. But some hearts, restless and curious, cannot turn homeward. Drawn by love’s unexpected call, the lure of distant lands, or an unquenchable thirst for what lies beyond known horizons, these centaurs strike out on their own. Among frontier settlements, they become scouts, healers, and storytellers—bringing a wild wisdom that transforms simple outposts into bastions of survival.

Despite a reputation for daring raids—driven as much by tradition as necessity—centaur society prizes honour above all. Within their clans, personal property is sacrosanct; beyond them, they believe possessions must be defended by those bold enough to claim them. Grain stores and wine convoys are tempting prizes, but the spoils of cunning outweigh those of raw violence, and the best raiders are those who strike unseen and vanish like wraiths on the wind. Their healing arts, cultivated over countless seasons, rival any human apothecary’s craft, even as they eschew ink and spellcraft in favor of skills they can hold in hand and heart.

To the settled realms they often bewilder or alarm, centaurs can seem unpredictable—and indeed, their migrations sometimes clash with the borders of kingdoms and the wagon-wheels of merchants. Yet those who win a centaur’s respect discover allies beyond compare. Guided by unerring knowledge of herb and terrain, they shepherd lost travelers from ambush, tend wounds by moonlight, and teach survival where none seemed possible. In those rare interludes of peace, caravans exchange silken bolts for exquisite bows crafted by centaur hands, and elders barter tales of starry skies for cures born in roaming glades.

In every hoofbeat and whispered tale around the fire, centaurs carry the memory of their nomadic heritage. They are neither man nor beast, but something more—a living bridge between civilization’s order and wilderness’s wild heart—bound by an unbreakable union of mind, muscle, and spirit that nothing can ever truly sever.

Centaurs Traits

Centaurs have the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose three different +1

Creature Type

You are a Monstrosity.

Age

Centaurs mature and age at about the same rate as humans.

Alignment

Centaurs are inclined toward neutrality.

Size

Centaurs can stand up to 10 feet tall and can weigh over 1,000 pounds. You are Large.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 40 feet.

Centaur Build

Any climb that requires hands and feet is especially difficult for you because of your equine legs. When you make such a climb, each foot of movement costs you 3 extra feet (4 ft total). In addition, you wield weapons sized for a Medium creature due to your humanoid torso.

Charge

When you move at least 30 feet straight toward a creature and then hit it with a melee weapon attack on the same turn, you can use your bonus action to enhance the attack. If the weapon used has both the Heavy and Reach properties (such as a glaive, halberd, pike, or lance), you may increase its damage die by one step for this attack (e.g., d6 → d8, d8 → d10, d10 → d12, or d12 → 2d6). If the weapon lacks either property, you can instead make one melee attack against the target with your hooves as a bonus action.

Hearty

Due to your Large size, armour you buy or have made costs four times as much as its Medium equivalent and weighs twice as much, you require four times the food and drink per day of a Medium humanoid.

Hooves

You have hooves that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Survivalist

You have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Athletics, Medicine, Nature, or Survival.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.