Races - Other Races

Centaur

The race of Centaurs spends most of their time in sylvan settings removed from most human interaction. They interact with Elves and other woodland creatures on friendly terms. Centaurs are excellent hunters and trackers through the forests they inhabit and the open meadows. They have a simple society with Clan leaders often taking on the role of Shaman or Priest of Skerrit also.

Centaurs are probably the least understood of the semi-human races, despite their close association with humans. Perhaps their rarity is to blame, but it is more likely that because the majority of scholars are human, their writings have been influenced by human prejudice against the horse-people. Centaurs, claim the sages, are a wild, rude, and barbarous people, living in woodland far from human civilization. They are not very bright, and are prone to drunkenness and violence. They are slaves to impulse and instinct; even when they mean well, they are untrustworthy. There is some truth beneath these slanders, but they hardly give an accurate picture of centaur life and manners.

(more to be added on Centaurs as a player character race later)

Compilation of Centaur notes

Centaurs are probably the least understood of the semi-human races, despite their close association with humans. Perhaps their rarity is to blame, but it is more likely that because the majority of scholars are human, their writings have been influenced by human prejudice against the horse-people. Centaurs, claim the sages, are a wild, rude, and barbarous people, living in woodland far from human civilization. They are not very bright, and are prone to drunkenness and violence. They are slaves to impulse and instinct; even when they mean well, they are untrustworthy. There is some truth beneath these slanders, but they hardly give an accurate picture of centaur life and manners.

Anatomy
The unique structure of the horse-people lies behind many of their differences from other intelligent species. A centaur is most simply described as a creature with a human trunk, arms, and head, with a horse’s body and legs. The human portion of a centaur’s body merges with the equine at what would be the neck of a horse, the lower human back fading into horse shoulders and the human belly meeting the equine chest, so that the hominid navel is almost level with the withers. The lower, equine body stands about 15 hands high, with a range of 14-19 hands, the largest ones being quite rare. The rest of a centaur is proportionately large so that an average one stands over a head taller than a human of the same sex. Those in lands distant from the horse-people may confuse them with giants or ogres, and in this they are not too far wrong. A large centaur may weigh as much as a small giant, and few centaurs weigh less than an ogre does. The hominid elements of centaur anatomy are within the human range, however, and not truly giant-sized. The joining of apparently disparate elements in a centaur is not superficial; it forms a harmonious and coordinated whole that looks entirely natural to the accustomed eye.
The upper torso and limbs of a centaur are larger and somewhat coarser than the human average. The same applies to the head and facial features. With their high-bridged noses, powerful jaws, and broad teeth, centaur faces have a definite equine cast. Centaurs have more hair than the average human. The females have long thick hair, and the males sport abundant body hair and unusually heavy beards as well. Male centaurs rarely go bald in old or middle age. Centaur voices are more powerful but have the same range as human ones. Centaurs lack the infravision and keen hearing of demi-humans, but overall, centaurs have senses superior to humans. They can detect the scent of another equine (any horse like creature, including pegasi, unicorns, and normal horses) if that creature has passed within twenty yards of the centaur’s current location within the past hour. This ability is negated by rain or strong winds, or by the presence of overpowering odors such as skunk musk. A male centaur can scent a female in heat up to one mile away on a clear day; the mare is equally sensitive. Centaurs are more sensitive than humans to other smells, but not so much so that it has any real effect. Centaur vision is better at picking out movement, and this generally makes the creatures superior hunters. Centaurs possess only slightly better hearing than the human race, but use what they have with greater efficiency: they will attend to a small sound that a human would normally ignore.
Coloration follows the patterns found in domestic horses, with the most common color being a brown bay (brown body with dark head hair and tail), and the least common being true appaloosa and palomino (unless one counts the albino, which is extremely rare). As with horses, head-hair color and tail color are the same in most cases. It is not uncommon, though, to see a centaur with white and black head hair (in the case of a piebald or a skewbald), a phenomenon - that never occurs among humans. The upper and lower parts of a centaur generally correspond in color and build so that a stocky, red-haired centaur is stocky and reddish in both hominid and equine halves, and a thin, black-haired centaur is thin overall and has black fur on the lower torso and legs. Hair color does not have to match skin color. Pinto coloring, for instance, does not extend to a centaur’s skin, and some tropical centaurs are solidly black or brown above, though their lower bodies are striped black and white. Most centaurs tend to show a certain resemblance to local human and equine populations.
Centaurs can touch the ground with their fingers without bending their knees. The region of the withers and lower hominid back is of marvelously sound and flexible construction, with powerful muscles, strong ligaments, and an odd but effective set of vertebrae. The rest of the centaur body is also surprisingly flexible, much more so than that of a horse. It is not difficult for a centaur to braid his or her tail. Centaurs have two hearts, one in the upper body and one in the lower. Each is about three times the size of a human heart, and they beat together in a slow but powerful rhythm. There is also a pair of lungs in each chest cavity, though the lower pair is mostly a bellows for the peculiar but efficient upper respiratory system. The chests of a centaur expand and contract in unison. The overall construction of the centaur body is such that it is less vulnerable to injury than that of a human. Most of the major organs, such as those of the digestive system, are carried underneath the lower torso, where they are less easily reached by an enemy and well protected by less vital tissues. Many, such as the liver and kidneys, are proportionally smaller than in humans (as is common in larger creatures), and are therefore less likely to be hit. The area that appears to correspond to the vulnerable human abdomen is mostly composed of fat and muscle, with equivalents of the human windpipe, jugular vein, and such buried deep within it. All this makes it difficult to score a telling blow on a centaur. It also explains why damage from a small weapon is so much less serious than that done by a weapon that reaches the vital areas of such a large creature. There are some less favorable effects of a centaur’s weight, The bones and tissues of large creatures are proportionally weaker than those of smaller ones (strength does not increase as quickly as weight) so that a centaur will take + 1 on each die of falling damage it suffers.

Birth and aging
The equine body carries the reproductive organs. The fertility period of the females is monthly, but conception is most likely in spring or early summer. The gestation time is 11 months, but pregnancy is not so burdensome for a female centaur as it is for a human woman, and birth is easier and safer for both mother and child. There is usually only one foal, but twins are possible. The umbilicus is so attached that a centaur’s navel is on the upper torso.
At birth, a foal’s human portion is roughly equivalent in growth to a 4-year-old child. A newborn centaur is at first covered with a coat of fine hair, with a few longer strands on head and tail. Within two months, it will lose its downy covering and begin to grow fur on the lower torso and legs. Centaurs can stand within an hour of birth, and by the time they reach the age of two years can run as swiftly as a grown man. Most learn to talk by their first birthday. Mothers kneel down to nurse their young (their mammary glands are on the upper torso, just like humans), and must do so often; young centaurs have great appetites. In some societies, the diet of the infant is supplemented with milk from domestic animals. Centaurs are not fertile either with humans or with horses. Centaurs have a slightly extended life-span compared to humans, as the following table shows (see p. 13, DMG).
Child..................0-14 years
Young adult............15-19 years
Maturity...............20-40 years
Middle age.............41-75 years
Old age................76-95 years
Venerable.............96-135 years
Centaur children are called foals; specifically speaking, a male child is a colt and a female child is a filly. Mature adult males are stallions; mature females are mares. Adult status in a herd is usually granted at the age of seventeen for females and nineteen for males. Centaurs age gracefully, remaining active and healthy until the last year or two of their lives.

Diet
Though they weigh six times what humans do, centaurs need only four times the nourishment. Larger creatures eat less, pound for pound, than smaller ones, as any human that has been host to halflings is well aware. Still, finding enough food can be a serious problem for the omnivorous centaur (see “Hunting and farming,” below). Though they have powerful jaws and high-crowned molars, centaurs are not suited to eating such coarse and abrasive fare as grass, twigs, tree bark, or leaves. This does not prevent them from consuming large amounts of fresh or dried alfalfa, dandelions, raw turnips, peas (along with the pod and vine), various seedy and bitter fruits and berries, acorns, and a broad range of other foods unpalatable or indigestible to humans, as well as less difficult fare. Grains, particularly oats, are eaten as a staple food. Fresh milk, cheese, and milk products may be taken in great quantities, especially by young growing centaurs. A healthy adult centaur eats roughly the following amounts (by body height in hands):
under 12 hh..............14-16 lbs.
12-13 hh................16-19 lbs.
13-14 hh................19-22 lbs.
14-15 hh................22-24 lbs.
15-16 hh................24-26 lbs.
16 + hh.................26-28 lbs.
In an ideal centaur diet, approximately 50% of the above must be concentrates, of which 30% should be meats and 70% oats, barley, maize, split beans, and other vegetables. The remaining 50% of the diet should be bulk: hay, alfalfa, chaff, bran, sugar beet pulp, oat straw, and the like. In an average day, a centaur must drink 5-12 gallons of water or other fluids, depending upon its size. Fair quantities of salt are also desired. The digestive system of a centaur is suited to this varied diet, and has both human and equine aspects. The stomach is relatively large, as in humans, so that meals can be taken more infrequently and in larger amounts than with horses. Centaurs can eat meat and other fatty foods because, unlike horses, they have a gall bladder, which aids in the breakdown of fats. On the other hand, centaurs have a fully developed horse like caecum (equivalent to the non-functional appendix of humans) which permits the digestion of rough, fibrous foods. With such a system, it is not surprising that centaurs actually enjoy tough foods, or those with exceptionally bitter or sour flavors, as well as foods humans enjoy.

Behavior and psychology
Though centaurs are quite similar to humans in outlook, the major physical differences between the two create significant differences in behavior. Humans tend to overstate these and confuse real differences between centaurs and humans with those associated with the usual centaur way of life. Most commentators are townsmen, and do not realize how similar the horse-folk are to human nomads and tribesmen. They are also prejudiced by the physical appearance of centaurs. Observing their half-bestial bodies, they attribute to them a beastly nature as well. A centaur’s ready reply to this would be that centaurs do indeed partake of the nature of both man and horse, combining the best aspects of both. The true nature of centaur psychology and its relation to human ways of thinking are best seen by less partisan races. If asked, an elf will point out that (like humans) centaurs are rough and boisterous, coarse of manner and feature, dimwitted, unappreciative of subtle jokes and song, that they eat and drink to excess, and that they are impatient and irascible. A dwarf might add that (like humans) centaurs are unruly, shortsighted, and short of memory, that they are unable to devote themselves to a task, and they quail before difficulties.
Other nonhumans give similar reports, and so the similarity of centaur and human minds can be regarded as established. It is the ways in which centaurs and humans differ that are of interest. Centaurs are self-willed to the point of stubbornness, and some are even more individualistic than uncivilized humans. They have little regard for custom and precedent, and have few laws. Often, they are seen as liars because they are apt to abide more by the general spirit of an agreement than by its particular terms, and will abandon it altogether if keeping it seems harmful to themselves or others. Few centaurs are good either at ruling or being ruled. They do not practice slavery and are themselves rebellious as slaves or serfs. Like elves, they are unlikely to treat others differently because of higher or lower station. Such behavior is often offensive to other races, and combined with a centaur’s casual contempt for law and tradition, and its natural stubbornness, this trait has proved unfortunate on more than one occasion. Perhaps the same bulk and strength that make centaurs so independent also give them the security to deal openly with the world. Centaurs are poor liars, and poor at discovering a lie. Literally big-hearted, they frown on such traits as jealousy and dishonesty, and place great value on an open and generous character. This does not mean that thieving is unknown in centaurs, but it does mean that if they practice banditry, it will be entirely aboveboard, and the victims will probably not lose more than they can afford. Centaurs are generally too good-natured to plot serious harm except in warfare. Misunderstandings sometimes arise, however, from centaur concepts of owner- ship, which differ from those of humans. Centaurs have a low regard for money, and give or take it freely. Also, while they understand ownership of individual items well enough, they do not recognize claims of land ownership unless the land is actually in use. They have little regard for national boundaries. Centaurs are known to break down fences and destroy or deface boundary markers, if they find such things on land they are accustomed to wandering over.
Intangible and abstract things have little hold on centaurs, not for lack of understanding but for lack of appreciation. They prefer direct and earthly things, such as food and drink. They are lusty, their games involve running or wrestling rather than thinking, and their jokes are more often practical than verbal. Gold and jewels are considered for their looks rather than for what they can buy, and are easily traded for something more directly appreciable if their novelty wears off. Modesty is an intangible for which centaurs have no use, and they enjoy amusing themselves by embarrassing non-centaurs. Because they are so large, centaurs have no room to be shy. They have no discomfort regarding nudity, and prefer to remain uncovered whenever the climate permits. Breeding is a natural part of life; although a mare and stallion will usually carry on such activities in private, they are not disturbed or shocked if they are watched. The human view of centaurs and their drinking habits is a distorted one, due to the fact that the most commonly seen centaurs are young males who are in town on holiday, squandering their money at the wine merchant’s, brawling, and staggering up and down the streets and in and out of houses and shops. The behavior of these fiery young stallions away from their band is hardly typical, but the fact remains that centaurs appreciate drink more than humans do, and are strongly affected in proportion to their weight. Once drunk, a centaur remains so for a long time — a result of its large size. If it were not so expensive a habit, there might be a good number of four-legged alcoholics. Centaurs are attracted to a number of other drugs as well, most notably tobacco. Though smoking is not uncommon, most prefer to chew cured tobacco leaves, which are considered a great delicacy. From their earliest years, centaurs are accustomed to standing on their own four feet, and they do not enjoy riding or being carried. They are particularly suspicious of boats, and would certainly only trust to an animal to pull them somewhere as a last resort. The need to keep their feet firmly on the ground and to be able to move swiftly means that centaurs dislike unstable ground, heights, and dark or enclosed spaces. They do not like any sort of uncertainty, preferring to control as much of their situation as possible. Humans have a number of stories illustrating the violent nature of the horse-folk, but centaurs are in fact no more violent than other races. What makes them seem so rough is that they often overestimate the robusticity of non-centaurs. Horseplay is common with centaurs, and they are baffled when others are reluctant to join in their games.
A centaur’s faults are likely to be those of excess —too much love for food, drink, or other pleasures, too emotional a response, too volatile a mood. In this, even sophisticated centaurs resemble some human primitives, acting without thinking and trusting to strength instead of wit. As centaurs are fiercely independent and prideful creatures, affront can be taken in all the manners common to humans (e.g., suggestive comments regarding ancestry, insults regarding family relations, etc.), as well as a few common only to centaurs. Any insult regarding a stallion’s virility is sufficient reason for an immediate duel, possibly even a fatal one. A stallion is also very protective of his hindquarters, and is apt to kick first and ask questions later. It is decidedly unwise to pat a male centaur on the rump unless he knows you very well. Rude remarks about one’s tail, as noted elsewhere, can also prove hazardous.

Society and communities
Assertions that centaurs are completely lawless are false. Nonetheless, it is true that most centaurs know little permanent organization larger than bands of less than a hundred adults. This may be just as well, as any adult is allowed a say in tribal decisions, and usually has a long one. Few things are settled without shouting and confusion. Fortunately, the majority of a herd will usually follow the advice of one or two individuals best informed in the matter, most often either the war chief or the matriarch or both. The war chief is simply the most skilled and popular warrior, whose advice has been useful in the past. The rest of the centaurs will follow his lead in war, and he settles disputes over cattle or quarrels between males that might otherwise come to a duel. The matriarch is simply the most respected female, often the chief cleric of the tribe as well. The others turn to her for judgment in more serious matters, such as where to seek water in a drought, whether to wage war, or how to settle a dispute between households. It is in the nature of centaur life that males less often live to gain wisdom and lore, and so the opinion of the matriarch carries great weight. Centaur tribes of more than a hundred members tend to fragment due to a duplication of leaders, so there will seldom be more than one war chief and one matriarch in a herd.
As with human nomads, there are nearly twice as many females as males in many centaur communities, due to the hazards of the wilder lands. Still, because centaurs are polygamous, there may be some males with no wives and others (the most wealthy or otherwise popular) with many. Centaurs being as they are, this presents fewer problems than might be imagined. The custom of polygamy persists in more settled regions, where there may be large numbers of unattached males as a result. Most centaur males attend to herding, warfare (necessary and otherwise), hunting, and destruction of dangerous predators. Females perform many basic crafts of the community, from weaving to smith work, calling on the stallions of the herd to help with the heavier and simpler tasks. Young fillies may wander, but females with young children remain near the settlement or encampment, and the rest of the tribe is very protective of them. Some centaur bands are dangerously close to extinction, with fewer than eighty members to set against the hundreds of humans, demi-humans, and humanoids. Because they are polygamous and have flexible mating customs, the centaurs can afford to lose a few males, but childbearing females and their foals are precious. Strangers, even friendly ones, are likely to count fewer children than there are, the balance having been hidden. Centaur mares are considered equal despite their protected status. This is partly in the nature of centaurs, but the major reason is probably that female centaurs are more nearly equal to males in strength and speed than is so with humans. Female centaurs are as likely to have potter’s wheels, smithies, looms, and the like from their mothers, just as males are likely to have received cattle or other livestock from a father. The females hold most of the dwell- dwellings in a community, but the lone males may construct places of their own if they do not live with a parent or sister.
Though small bands of centaurs are often nomadic, larger communities may build homes, rather than seek shelter in caves or under trees. The largest such communities may consist of about 100 individuals, with 20-30 homes. Centaur villages, whether temporary or permanent, are haphazard affairs. Houses and tents are placed at the whim of their owners, and new buildings erected without reference to any overall plan. Centaurs of the forest usually build permanent structures, with heavy logs or planks set solidly on stone foundations. These buildings are long and rambling, with high ceilings, wide doorways and large rooms. They are well ventilated (drafty is the term most humans would use) and have hard clay or wooden floors, strewn with sand or straw. Storehouses, forges, smokehouses, and barns are separate structures, usually of similar design. Centaurs of the plains live in sod huts or in large tents, depending on the permanency of the settlement. If a blacksmith shop is not available, the centaurs will trade for such services from others with pelts, leather items, woodwork, food goods (such as grains), or their own considerable labor capacity. There is little furniture even in permanent centaur homes; usually only a few high tables (centaurs eat standing up) and a few straw mats for comfortable resting are present. Any other possessions are kept clear of the floor, hanging on the wall or resting on high shelves or in cabinets. Centaurs will go to considerable trouble to decorate their abodes; tapestries are not uncommon, and any member of a household might decide to carve a post or paint a wall of the dwelling in leisure hours. Decorative floor coverings are unknown, since these would be soiled with mud and dust in short order.
Centaurs of the plains and grassy hills are primarily pastoral, and, like all centaurs, are expert in determining when to move their herds so that the pasture will be sweet and full when they return. They are contemptuous of humans, who seem unable to use an area without overgrazing it or moving more often than need be. Grassland centaurs also hunt, and gather whatever wild plants and fruits are available. They may tend plots of grain and vegetables, visiting them only a few times between planting and harvest, but much of their grain they get in trade or warfare.
Sylvan centaurs are fewer but more civilized, as their contacts are more with elves than men. They depend on hunting, but they also grow crops and keep livestock. Their fields are small but very well kept, usually pastures or hayfields for their herd animals or small plots of oats or vegetables. Their livestock they keep well hidden, for what little they have they can ill afford to lose. Visitors, seeing the lush and carefully managed fields close at hand, may be forgiven for mistakenly concluding that the rich grasses in them are intended for the centaurs themselves. Centaurs keep few domestic animals other than cattle, sheep, or sometimes goats. They are often uneasy in the presence of horses, and regard them in much the same way humans regard monkeys, though with less interest. They find the sight of horses pulling burdens or carrying riders disturbing at first, and are angered at any mistreatment of them. The thought of eating horseflesh is abhorrent to them, just as many humans would not sample a stew if they saw a monkey’s hand floating in it. Most centaurs like cats, and use them to keep storehouses clear of rodents. However, they dislike dogs, which they find annoying. The sound of barking is unpleasant to centaurs ears, and they react strongly to having their heels nipped.
Finding food enough to support a herd is a time-consuming task. Some groups of centaurs have a large area of land which is carefully farmed, providing the bulk of a herd’s nutritional needs. The older colts (led by the best hunters from among the stallions, or even by exceptional mares) also go on regular hunting forays during the greater part of each year.
While a centaur farmer is stronger than a human and needs no beast of burden, he is still not four times as good at farming, as is necessary. Though centaurs can eat rougher food, they must work longer hours and hold more land than smaller farmers would, to feed themselves adequately. Worse, the farmland that supports one centaur can support four or more of almost any other intelligent race. They are threatened not only by starvation, but by sheer numerical aggression by human, demi-human, and humanoid tribes.
Finally, settled centaurs lose an important advantage over potential enemies unless their fields and houses are well-hidden: that of mobility. Centaurs less tied to a locale can always flee before superior numbers if all else fails. Unfortunately, farming supports the greatest number of inhabitants on any rich, tillable land, and so centaurs have retreated into the still un-cleared forests or onto land that is more difficult to plow. Centaurs are well suited to hunting, gathering, and herding, activities that permit them to take advantage of their speed and range. It does not matter so much that they need more ground if they can cover it more swiftly. If they tend fields, they are less dependent on them, since if they cannot grow or gather enough vegetable food, they can always trade for it with the surplus from their herds, or raid the granaries of hostile settlements. There is a price to be paid for this safer and more prosperous lifestyle, in terms of isolation, but with their mobility, centaurs can make contact with other races as they please.
In areas heavily populated by centaur tribes, annual or biannual festivals may be held, in which each herd sends a group of representatives made up of its finest athletes, artists, warriors, and leaders to the Gathering of the Great Herds. This is held in whatever area the Stallion of the Great Herds happens to call home, and consists both of a week-long political meeting as well as an athletic and artistic contest among the best the centaur race has to offer. At every third Gathering an election is held, with each herd having one vote, to elect a new Stallion (the capitalized form denotes the Stallion of the Great Herds). The candidates are chosen from amongst the very best of the herd war chiefs. The votes are then cast and the winner is the war chief with the greatest number of votes. In the past, it has occasionally occurred that two stallions of equal merit have received an equal number of votes. The traditional procedure to determine the winner in such a situation is by a pull-off, in which the two centaurs are harnessed together and must attempt to pull the other across a line. Once the Stallion of the Great Herds is elected, it usually follows that his entourage of females increases in number and that his particular herd grows in status, receiving better prices from the other herds for its goods, etc. The Stallion is empowered to make certain (often minor) decisions regarding the affairs and policies of the entire centaur population, as well as being re-required to settle disputes between herds and to handle interpretations of the herd law that can not be taken care of by the lesser herd stallions.
Although all centaurs are of a generally independent nature, they will risk everything for the benefit of the herd. This apparent contradiction has confused researchers for many years, but it makes good sense for the survival of the race. A centaur who one day stands in direct opposition to his herd stallion will the next day give his life to save that same stallion.

Centaur law
Herd law is an unwritten code that varies from herd to herd. Justice is usually administered by the matriarch and is executed by the herd war chief. As the rules are unwritten, a discussion of them can only be general at best. In a few herds, it is a crime to insult frequently any individual herd member. If a centaur is convicted of this, the maximum sentence is tail shearing. Cropped tails are often much in evidence after council meetings, unless this rule has been temporarily suspended. The drawing of a weapon against a herd member by an outsider, except in self defense, is a crime punished by expulsion from the herd environs. Use of a weapon by one herd member against another carries a maximum sentence of permanent expulsion from the herd environs, unless the offense was premeditated (which they rarely are). Attempted murder of a herd member is punishable by a maximum sentence of sterilization. Murder of either a herd member or an invited guest of the herd is punishable by death. The breeding of underage herd members with other underage herd members is usually punishable by tail shearing, but not by anything worse. However, the breeding of underage herd members by full herd members is a crime punishable by sterilization. A full stallion caught breeding with a filly (underage female) will be castrated forthwith, the only recourse being a decision by the herd stallion saying that the situation (drastic decline in population, necessitates early breeding. etc.) Hoarding of food or supplies needed for herd survival is punishable by expulsion or restrainment from breeding for as much as five years. Surprisingly (especially considering the drives of a normal stallion), if it is decided that a particular stallion has committed a crime and cannot breed any mares, he almost certainly will obey the decree. Perhaps the fact that castration awaits the breaker of such a decree has an effect, but that is difficult to say.
Although centaurs do not lie, they find nothing wrong in “not telling the whole truth.” Such editing allows a centaur to avoid situations that could be dangerous to life or limb, and is quite acceptable as long as the guilty party is not caught. This, of course, applies only to normal situations; in a court of herd law, the telling of a partial truth is serious indeed, and is usually punished by the shearing of the offender’s tail. A centaur would never, except in dire situations, avoid the full truth when talking to a friend unless that truth would cause needless emotional harm.

Appearance and grooming
Like many humans, centaurs take great pride in their personal appearance. Many decorate the upper torso with paint, and wear carved trinkets of ivory, of bone (such as from giant or ogre teeth), or of precious metals. Clothes, usually only worn to protect the upper torso in cold weather or as a handy place from which to hang tools, are elaborate and brightly colored, and look as if their primary purpose were decoration. A shiny coat of fur brings high status, and even the poorest centaurs take care to comb their hair. Males are, if anything, worse than females in this regard, having a beard to attend to as well. The tail of a centaur, both among the stallions and the mares, is an object of pride often bordering on vanity. A long, flowing tail, with or without braiding or other decoration, is the envy of the rest of the herd. “Muddy-tailed” is a common centaur expression for anything ugly or poorly kept. Pulling a centaur’s tail is a grave insult, and to make degrading comments regarding the length, color, fullness, etc., of a centaur’s tail is a sure way to start a fight. On the herd level, many stallions who commit crimes are punished by having their tails docked (as noted elsewhere above). There are only three greater punishments: banishment from the herd, castration, and death.\\ Male centaurs have a unique custom which bears mention. If a compatriot at arms is also a good friend, a centaur will cut a small piece of his tail hair and bind it to a leather thong (or whatever material is available). When worn by a friend, this signifies that the individual will be protected to the utmost by the giver of the token, and that the giver will avenge his death if ever it should come to that. Usually, this act, called “sharing the tail,” occurs with each centaur giving the other the token as described above. On very rare occasions, such tokens have been shared between centaurs and those of other races, in which case the non-centaur will use any available body hair of sufficient size to be seen. The sharing of the tail occurs only between two comrades at arms, and is perhaps the strongest commitment a centaur can make.\\ A centaur values its hooves almost as much as its tail. The race is very protective of legs and “feet,” and individuals are apt to be upset if a stranger touches either. In the same manner, centaurs insure that their hooves are well looked after and usually find a partner in the herd who is willing to cooperate both with hoof care and grooming. Some centaurs, especially adventurers, hire their own squires to look after such details. Hooves should be trimmed by a knowledgeable person once every two months. This is sufficient on soft ground, but galloping about on stony surfaces is an invitation to disaster. Continual movement over paved or rocky ground will wear down the hoof faster than it can grow. In addition to the minor discomfort from this, there is a 1% cumulative chance per day of hard-road travel of developing an injury that will keep the centaur off his or her hooves for 1-4 weeks. This time cannot be shortened, unless some sort of regeneration magic is used, since cure wounds spells will not repair the hoof’s nonliving nail-like material. The solution is to wear horseshoes. Good farriers are hard to find, though there are many poor and mediocre ones. Many lands will have poor shoeing customs, and some may be entirely ignorant of metal shoes despite a substantial material culture. The latter should not be a problem unless the centaur strays beyond the vaguely medieval-Europe culture in which most AD&D campaigns are set, but the former will be hard to avoid. A centaur will be able to tell if a shoeing is improperly done, though what might be done about it is another matter. If all shoes stay on, re-shoeing will be required once every 4-6 weeks because of hoof growth and the wearing of the shoe itself. A centaur will know immediately if a shoe is thrown, but unless it is reattached or the other shoes removed, movement will be awkward. In cities and along hard roads, there is a 1 in 6 chance per week of throwing a shoe. On rough or rocky ground, the chance is 2 in 6, and elsewhere there is a 1 in 8 chance per week of losing a shoe.

Origin and history
Sages have debated for ages on the origin of centaurs. Were they the result of magical experimentation by an ancient mage? Not likely. Could they have come from the mating of a human and a horse? Jesters think so, but this, too, is not likely. Learned clerics and sages have conferred with their centaur equivalents to seek an answer to this question, and the following hypothesis seems most reasonable.\\ Sages believe that there existed a universe of pure thought, from which the earliest gods originated and from which the energy to create the many planes and material universes was drawn. In this universe of thought existed pure forms representing all basic things, whether they be chairs, trees, humans, or horses. It is possible that some of these pure thought-forms mixed together when the first gods were created, and this produced a centaur deity (Skerrit), who then proceeded to create the race of centaurs in his own image. Centaur herds were then established on a multitude of worlds, as were humans and other creatures.\\ Whatever their genesis, centaurs have existed from the time of the earliest records. Once they were common, and sizable communities farmed the rich river lands, but with the multiplication of humans, humanoids, and other hazards, their numbers have been reduced, and they have been driven out onto the plains and into the hills and forests. Now they have begun to grow again in number, especially in peaceful alliance with humans or demi-humans.\\ If centaur fighters and rangers (see below) are present, they may be either individuals trained in dealing with non-centaurs, or those who have broken with centaur fighting methods to take up foreign ways. Other centaurs than the rare character-class types have begun to appear in the outside world. Those knowledgeable in herb lore are well known, and more accessible than their elven colleagues. Centaur farriers are much in demand, as they are often highly skilled in their craft. Religion Skerrit is the major deity of the forest centaurs, as he is of many of the sylvan peoples. The horse-people often adopt non-centaur gods as well, particularly human or elven ones. Of those listed in the Legends and Lore volume, members of the Greek, Celtic, and American Indian pantheons are most appropriate, particularly Pan, Dionysus, Poseidon, Hastseltsi, and Silvanus. Of those in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK™ Fantasy Setting, Obad-hai is an obvious choice, but Ehlonna, Fharlanghn, and Olidammara are also suitable. Centaurs also have various minor deities and demi-deities of their own. These include Naharra (goddess of fertility and love), Fanthros (god of the sky and weather), Brilros and his sister Linroth (twin demi-deities of strength and speed), and others concerned with health, singing, cattle, and other important aspects of centaur life. The few evil centaurs in existence tend to worship one or another of the demon or devil lords. Centaur clerics and druids are greatly respected in the community. Centaurs spend considerable time in worship, but do not fashion expensive temples or altars. Religious ceremonies feature singing, dances (often wonderfully complex), contests of skill, and a concluding feast.

Interspecies relations
In the world outside the herd, a centaur will more often than not be hampered not only by limited charisma (see the section on centaurs as characters), but also by the general reaction of humans and others toward his race.

Centaurs: preferred (P)
Dwarves: neutrality (N)
Elves: goodwill (G), or preferred (P) for wood elves
Gnomes: neutrality (N)
Half-elves: tolerance (T)
Halflings: neutrality (N)
Half-orcs: antipathy (A)
Humans: neutrality (N)

The reaction of centaurs to other races is the same in most cases, except that centaurs tolerate (T) the smaller and less aggressive gnomes and halflings, and the centaurs hate (H) half-orcs and their kin. Many intelligent creatures are intimidated by the size and careless strength of centaurs, and by their apparent wildness and lawlessness. As more than one human has remarked, centaurs don’t just step on corns —they break toes. The more flexible and tolerant groups are able to see that they usually mean well, and harm others only by accident, but such understanding peoples are rare.\\ Despite their similarities, or perhaps because of them, humans and centaurs do not always get along well. Centaurs think of humans as greedy, touchy, and by nature tyrannical and servile. Humans are less than pleased to see centaurs on the horizon because of their reputation for violence, as seen in many stories. Even more common and less believable than accounts of centaur violence and drunkenness are tales of the abduction and rape of human women by centaurs. These fables probably have more to do with human fears and preoccupations than centaur behavior, but they may have some basis in a centaur’s idea of a joke. To carry off a woman (and later release her unharmed) would be just the sort of rough jest that is considered the height of wit and humor among centaurs. Despite occasional incidents, centaurs can and do exist peacefully with humans, though this is most likely where the two lead largely separate lives and where the humans involved are not farmers or townsmen.
Dwarves and centaurs regard one another with mixed feelings, but perhaps because they seldom meet there is no open hostility. Dwarves are scornful of the centaur disinclination to hard work, and centaurs dislike dwarves for their greed and lack of humor, but neither bears the other any lasting grudge. Centaurs have never succumbed to gold fever and tried to raid a dwarven settlement, as many other races have. This may have more to do with the relative sizes of dwarf and centaur populations than it does with the centaurs’ merely passing interest in precious metals, but in any case it has prevented a complete souring of relations.
The small demi-humans, gnomes and halflings, are not disliked or distrusted by centaurs, as they are less numerous and greedy than certain other races. However, the attitude of these people toward centaurs is somewhat cool. The small folk are even more distrustful of centaur size and strength than are the tall humans or the short but powerful dwarves. Too often, centaurs have trampled gardens, caved in burrows, or thrust smaller folk aside by main force. That such incidents are the result of carelessness rather than malice does not make them any less traumatic, and they are not forgotten. Halflings in particular are wary of centaurs and will usually hide and wait for them to go away.
It is elves, particularly wood elves, that get along best with the horse-people. They are similar in their individualism, their love of feasting and drinking, and their appreciation of nature. Centaurs are less fine-tempered than elves, quicker to take offense or to forget a quarrel, and more apt to be rowdy and bawdy. For this reason, they associate most closely with the more rustic wood elves, though most elves have a liking for centaurs and are willing to overlook their faults. Perhaps because of their long life spans, it is in the nature of elves to regard other races as children, and so while centaurs are regarded affectionately as stubborn and overactive but basically good-natured children, humans or certain others are seen as spoiled, sullen, and ill-mannered children. For their part, centaurs prefer the tolerant and unaggressive elves to the greedy and oversensitive sorts.\\ There is one race of elves that does not love centaurs, though the horse-people have long forgotten it. In ancient time, when the elves drove from their number those of evil disposition, the centaurs aided the elves of light, the better-natured elvenfolk that remain in the sunlit lands. The elves of darkness, the Drow, have not forgiven or forgotten this. Only one of their generations passes for each five of centaurs, and the drow are unwearying in hate. Few drow have even seen a centaur, but it is said that the dark elves plot for them a revenge no less horrible than that they would visit on the elves and faeries of the upper world.\\ It is the humanoids and other evil humanlike races that present the most obvious threat to centaurs, particularly the more numerous and well-organized ones. Giants, trolls, and ogres are generally too rare or too poorly organized to be more than occasionally dangerous. Centaurs may outweigh them, can often outfight them, and can certainly outrun them. Gnolls and bugbears are a more serious problem, as they are more numerous, but the real danger is from humanoids of lawful alignment: orcs, kobolds, goblins, and hobgoblins. These races hate and fear the powerful and swift horse-people, all the more so for their association with elves, and they find centaur slaves intractable. They have therefore carried out a campaign of extermination, killing and eating any centaur they can catch. These creatures are more difficult to avoid than the occasional band of giants and ogres, and with their organization are more dangerous than a rabble of gnolls, which might not have the persistence to hunt down a centaur tribe.
While centaurs hate these humanoids with a passion and intensity matched only by that of the dwarves, they have never waged extended wars against them. They are not so well organized as humans, or so long-lived and foresighted as elves, nor do they have the iron determination of the dwarves. Worst of all, they are less numerous than any of these peoples. Nevertheless, the bitter strife between centaur and humanoid accounts for the reaction of centaurs to half-orcs or to even faintly orcish-looking humans. Most half-orcs dislike centaurs, if for no other reason than that a centaur is difficult to bully.\\ Satyrs are particularly well disposed toward centaurs, and often ally themselves with centaur tribes. For reasons not fully understood, titans are also especially friendly toward centaurs on those rare occasions when they meet them. Pegasi are on good if somewhat distant terms with centaurs. Like all intelligent quasi-equine beings, centaurs are at continual war with worgs, winter wolves, werewolves, and the like. Few natural predators will attack a full-grown centaur, though large packs of wolves or particularly hungry big cats are sometimes a danger. Griffons and bulettes are a greater threat, as they are harder to kill and more avid in their pursuit of equine flesh. Centaurs will always slay such animals if possible, and griffon feathers and bulette teeth are popular decorations with centaur warriors.

Centaurs and warfare
Centaurs are superior in many sorts of common labor because of their strength and ability to carry large loads. Most sought after by some human societies, though, are centaur troops. A charge of centaur cavalry is much feared, and their archers are famed for the power of their bows. Where they are allied with the halfling folk, they can carry the smaller ones to battle in large panniers so that the halfling archers are not in danger of being overrun by heavier troops. Centaurs are often employed as scouts in conjunction with elven or halfling riders, a combination that permits stealth or speed as necessary.\\ Though they are good mounts, centaurs will usually only carry a friend, and even then most will balk at the idea of a saddle. On rare occasions they will consent to carry human foot soldiers. Those centaurs trained in them are very good with siege weapons, since they need no draft animals to draw them onto the field. Valuable as they are, the horse-folk are difficult to find in numbers unless there is a major humanoid threat. If recruiters know where to look, though, they may be able to find small groups of unattached young males, eager for action, pay, and the prestige that comes with it. Another problem with centaur troops, but one that is less easily solved, is that they are difficult to keep in order and likely to charge before the proper moment. They are also next to useless on either side of a long siege because they eat so much and tend to lose interest in a contest if inactive for more than a few days.

Centaurs as characters
Despite certain limitations, the centaur character is a workable and enjoyable alternative to the standard set of humans and demi-humans. If properly handled, the race does not unbalance a campaign. On the contrary, a centaur is a valuable addition to the group he or she joins. The benefits of a centaur’s unique characteristics go as much to the party as a whole than the individual. For example, a centaur’s size and speed may be used to good effect. One of the more unfortunate situations in AD&D gaming comes when a party must flee from a swift and dangerous foe. Too often devils take the hindmost, the shortest-legged or otherwise slowest members of a group. With a centaur present and cooperative, however, small demi-humans need no longer fear abandonment, and the wounded may live to fight another day. On a centaur’s back these bold adventurers can make a strategic withdrawal at maximum speed.
When not carrying fellow adventurers, centaurs can use their great carrying capacity in transporting equipment or treasure. They are hardier than mules for this purpose, and more polite in their refusal to be overburdened. Lastly, centaurs are very good at opening doors and impressing large foes. Even those DMs who feel compelled to follow the official rules closely may at least wish to include centaurs as NPCs.

Classes and statistics
Warrior centaurs may be fighters or rangers. In either event, advancement is limited as follows. Centaurs of 16 strength or less are limited to the 6th level of fighter or ranger ability; those of 17 strength may reach 7th level, and those of 18 or better strength can advance to a maximum of 8th level.
Centaurs may become clerics or druids if they have exceptional ability scores. As clerics, they are limited to 3rd level, and those in the druid subclass may reach 2nd level. Centaurs can never be magic-users of any kind. They can be multi-classed fighter/ clerics, fighter/druids, or ranger/clerics.\\ A centaur character starts off with one extra hit die of the appropriate sort. Thus, fighters will have 2d10, rangers 3d8, and clerics and druids 2d8 at 1st level. This extra hit die is retained, so that a 4th-level centaur fighter will have 5d10 hit points.\\ All centaurs have two virtually independent types of physical strength. First, there is the strength inherent in the human part of their body, which is consistent with normal human strength. This strength score is used for determining damage from hand-held weapons attacks, and for granting additional encumbrance carried. Feats performed by the hands, such as bending bars apart, would also be determined by this first strength score. Second, there is the strength of their equine halves, which is the same as a horse of similar size and constitution. This second type of strength is often ignored by humans, who are then surprised at what centaurs can do. Few humans could even budge a thousand-pound block of stone, but with proper harness most centaurs could move it about with relative ease by dragging it along the ground. Weights of up to one ton (for a large, 17-hand-high stallion) can be so moved.
A traveling centaur is likely to need one or two hundred pounds of food in order to survive for any length of time in areas where no food can be found. Nature has provided for this by giving centaurs broad, strong backs (see section on movement, below, for information on encumbrance values). There is also the possibility of hitching oneself to a wagon or cart, which may double the amount that can be moved. Their great weight makes centaurs one strength class better at forcing stuck doors than are other beings of the same strength. Even a 13-strength centaur opens doors on a 1-3, and an 18/00 strength centaur can force a lock or stuck door as easily as a hill giant can. Strength is determined with 9d6, the best three scores being retained and the rest discarded. A total of less than 13 should be re-rolled. The remaining ability scores are determined in the same way as for other characters in the campaign, with the following adjustments: intelligence - 1, wisdom -2, constitution + 1, charisma -2. In addition, maximum and minimum ability scores must be observed, as shown below:

The unmodified charisma score should be recorded, since the penalties and limits to charisma apply only to dealings with non-centaurs. The large size and unusual appearance of centaurs accounts for their limited appeal to other intelligent creatures. Females are seen as less threatening, and so are not quite as limited in charisma.

Combat abilities
Unlike humans or demi-humans, a centaur can inflict lethal damage without the help of a weapon, striking an opponent with its two fore hooves for 1-6 hp damage each. Using both a weapon and hooves in the same round, however, requires special practice and training. Normally, only centaur warriors have the time to train, though other adults do have some combat training. Just as they do not have the hit dice of other adult centaurs, fighter or ranger characters do not in the beginning have the ability to strike as ordinary centaur warriors do, with both weapons and hooves. They have opted for a more difficult but ultimately more rewarding path, and differ from ordinary centaurs in much the same way as a monk character differs from a man-at-arms: weaker at first, but with greater potential for development. A centaur character may strike with the fore hooves at any point at which a weapon attack would normally be allowed. This attack consists of a thrust with each hoof, and may not be divided between two opponents. It does not allow the character to use his or her strength bonuses to hit or damage, though these bonuses do apply to any hand-held weapon attacks. Thus, a 2nd- level centaur fighter battling against creatures of less than one hit die can attack either twice with a weapon, twice with each hoof, or once with the weapon and once with each fore hoof. Skill in hoof use does not count as a weapon proficiency. Centaurs may also kick out with their rear hooves. This attack replaces all normal attacks during a round. Each hoof inflicts 1-8 hp damage, but is at -2 to hit targets. This attack requires no weapon proficiency to learn, and a double-hoofed kick may be made twice per round.\\ In most cases, a centaur uses weapons just as any other character would. A centaur does damage equivalent to a human mounted on a medium warhorse if using a lance, scoring 2-7/2-12 hp damage with bonuses for charging as applicable. They may use bows while running, just as a human can shoot from horseback, with a -2 penalty to hit. Finally, a centaur’s weight can be used to good advantage if he or she uses a lasso (see Unearthed Arcana). Note that the use of front hoof attacks requires that the centaur have at least 50% of his height in clearance space above his head; that is, a 9’ tall (approximately 17-hands-high at the withers) centaur requires about 13’6” vertical space for his front hoof attacks.
Centaurs, like mounted riders, can charge an opponent with a thrusting weapon. At least 50’ of relatively level space is required to build up speed for this form of attack. Such charging makes defense difficult, thus raising the centaur’s armor class by one, but can result in double damage if a hit is successful. The victim of the charge can only do normal damage, unless he has set a weapon. Setting a weapon takes one round and is only possible with pointed weapons of greater than 2’ in length. It simply means the weapon is positioned with its business end pointing in the direction the charge is coming from, doing double damage if it hits the charger.

Movement
The movement rate of a centaur is in most respects like that of a medium warhorse (18“), with all the advantages and disadvantages that implies, but a centaur has the advantage of intelligence and hands as well as a more flexible body. Normal movement is at 18”, and a centaur gets the bonus for quadrupedal movement if he or she charges (p. 66, DMG). The rate of 18” can be maintained under loads of up to 4000 gp in encumbrance, plus bonuses for strength as applicable, and a centaur can still move at 9” while carrying up to 6500 gp plus bonuses. Armor may impose an upper limit on movement rate regardless of other considerations, as explained below.
Though they are able to enter typical dungeon areas, centaurs are not ideally adapted to moving around in buildings and diggings made by humanlike races. They cannot move faster than 6” up or down stairs, and are plagued by a host of other problems. Narrow passages, tight turns, steep slopes, low ceilings, and collapsing stairs are just a few of these annoyances, not to mention crowded bars, polished floors, and small pottery shops, and to say nothing of such horrors as ladders and rope bridges. Centaurs may be prevented from entering or leaving an area by local law, physical fact, or nervous inhabitants. No inn will give a room to a centaur anywhere other than in a local stable or barn. Outdoors, however, centaurs can handle themselves as well or better than donkeys or mules. If unencumbered by a rider, they can move as far as a light riding horse in a day, or as far as a human would, whichever is greater (p. 58, DMG). Movement over marshy or snow-covered ground can be tricky, though, particularly over the latter; while humans can resort to skis and snowshoes, there are no equine equivalents. Climbing is next to impossible, indoors or out. With the help of a crane (or a sling around the rump and a rope to grasp), a short cliff might be ascended, but under no circumstances can a centaur actually pull his or her unsupported weight up using only the arms. Going hand over hand up a rope or chinning on a branch or ledge is impossible unless the feet can get a purchase so as to support some weight. The best a centaur can manage is to hang, and that only with difficulty and for a very short time. Centaurs can swim much better than they can climb, but are not swifter in the water than a human.
Though centaurs don’t always like to be ridden, a few don’t mind carrying close friends, and warriors may carry an armed rider with a second spear or lance. Centaurs are easier to ride than horses, since there is an upper torso for the rider to grasp. This is just as well, since most centaurs object to saddles. A centaur may alter a harness so as to be able to pull a cart or wagon if he or she so desires. Getting personal transportation, rather than providing it, will be troublesome and expensive for centaurs. Most land conveyances will not carry a centaur in comfort, if they can carry one at all, and small or unstable watercraft will be unsuitable. A rowboat or canoe with a centaur in it will have very little freeboard, if it does not sink outright.

Armor
Most centaurs go unarmed, since the hide, size, and structure of the centaur body is such that it has a base armor class of 5. Centaurs may wear armor, with results similar to those given for horse barding by Gary Gygax (DRAGON® issue #72 and Unearthed Arcana), presented again here. Normal human armor is, of course, of no use.

Dexterity adjustments and shield use will modify the armor classes listed. Shields have their usual values, but they are less useful for centaurs than for humans, since there is more unprotected space along each flank. No magical armor found will even fit a centaur’s upper torso. Magical rings and bracers offering protection will be of great help here. Armor for a centaur is very expensive, costing almost thrice the normal cost of horse barding. Plate barding can run as high as 3000 gp, chain barding up to 1000 gp, and leather up to 300 gp. The above prices assume a normal-sized centaur. The price is high to allow for special materials needed to make the armor light enough to wear. A centaur of 18 or better hands in height can wear lower quality plate barding, costing as little as 900 gp. One of 17 or better hands can wear lower quality chain, with a price of as little as 500 gp.

Other considerations
Centaurs are allowed a bonus on saving throws against poison similar to that allowed dwarves (i.e., + 1 for every 3½ points of constitution). They gain this bonus because of their size and hardiness. This resistance does not extend to any other saving throws other than against death or paralyzation magic. Centaurs are larger-than-man-size for determination of weapon damage. Up to twelve attackers may engage a centaur foe at once, if stabbing and thrusting weapons are used or if overhand chopping weapons are employed on a first strike. A centaur surrounded by orcish halberdiers is in serious trouble!
Whatever their ability scores, no centaurs will have psionics. If under attack from a mind blast they are treated as humans (p. 78, DMG).
Disease is, as always, a problem. In monthly health checks, exposure to a human or equine carrier of disease is 50% likely to be significant.\\ Centaurs have, at best, rural backgrounds, and so will know only alignment and centaur languages in addition to the Common tongue —and they may not be particularly fluent in the latter. Those centaurs dwelling in remote sylvan areas might have learned elven instead of Common, and any centaurs with the capacity to learn another language will likely learn elven if it is spoken in their environment. Centaurs can learn other languages than those they start with, if their intelligence score permits (p. 10, Players Handbook).
Centaurs are regarded as lower class, if they have any class at all in human eyes. This is the result not only of their appearance, but of their rustic and unsophisticated upbringing. Because of this, they do not automatically attract followers of any sort. At the DM’s option, other centaurs might be attracted, however.
Certain secondary skills are unlikely, given the background of the average centaur. If skills are randomly determined, allow only a 5% chance that a centaur will have some minor skill associated with mining, the sea, or city life. Otherwise, re-roll until something more probable is indicated. If a character does have an unusual skill, then it must be attributed to the often unusual history of adventurer types. Common sense and imagination are required in explaining such a past. Experience on the water, for instance, is probably with barges on a river. Treat any result of “armorer” as “farrier” (blacksmith), a much more likely profession in a centaur herd.
When traveling on hard surfaces, centaurs surprise opponents only on a 1 in 6 chance, because of the sound of their hooves. Straw slippers or cork glued to the bottom of horseshoes will be effective in achieving normal chances for surprise, but will require daily replacement. It is a measure of centaur woodcraft that they can surprise opponents normally in most natural terrain.
The cost of living is high for a centaur. Feeding, clothing, and otherwise caring for a being that weighs between one-quarter and one-half ton is not always a simple matter. The cost of food will be about four times that spent by other characters. Clothing is not always needed, but may be required because of inclement weather or local custom. Vests and shirts in cool weather, with the addition of a blanket in very cold weather, should prove sufficient, and items of such a nature are not too difficult to come by. Any covering specifically designed for the centaur body, however, will be costly —two or three times the price of similar human garb.\\ Some typical prices for goods a centaur might want are listed below.

Leather armor/barding.......315 gp
Chain armor/barding........975 gp
Plate armor/barding........2700 gp
Vest (with pockets).............5 sp
Food, merchant’s meal.........4 sp
Food, rich meal...............4 gp
Rations, iron, 1 week.........20 gp
Rations, standard, 1 week.....12 gp
Horseshoe....................5 cp
Shoeing, per hoof..............5 sp

If centaur characters are included in a campaign, they are necessarily considered to be persons for purposes of such spells as charm person and hold person. (They are surely persons if troglodytes and lizard men, which are also affected by these spells, are classified as persons.) A centaur can be resurrected only through the use of a rod of resurrection (treat one as an elf for number of charges used), and one may otherwise return to the campaign (although perhaps in different form) by use of a reincarnation spell or a wish spell if it is killed.
Many of the available magical items in a campaign will be useless or of dubious value to a centaur, for one reason or another. Such items include potions of climbing or potions of levitation, any substance that must be applied over a character’s whole body surface (a centaur needs 3-5 times the amount that a human would). Other less than desirable magic items for a centaur include a ring of water walking (nearly useless if the centaur wants to carry anything), magical boots, belts, robes, and cloaks (none will fit), most magical flying items, and any magical armor (all of which is assumed to be tailored for humanoid frames) except shields. On the other hand, a centaur will certainly get more use out of such items as magical horseshoes than any humanoid character would— particularly horseshoes of speed, possession of which makes it much more practical for a centaur to wear heavy armor.
The material in this article is based on the information available in the AD&D® game books, and on the Greek legends from which other fictional centaurs are derived. The numerous centaurs and centaur-like beings of modern science fiction and fantasy were also a source of inspiration, as was information on horses and humans of the factual world.

Second section - corrections

Two months ago (DRAGON® issue #103) we presented an article called “The Centaur Papers,” written by two very centaur-oriented people from the Great White North, Stephen Inniss and Kelly Greig Adams. As readers will recall, “The Centaur Papers” was a composite article, put together from the two individual articles that Stephen and Kelly had written on the topic. We claimed at the time that “The Centaur Papers”had “virtually everything you could ever want to know about centaurs.” Well, “virtually” should have been “almost.” Jeannie Whited of Rockville, Md., pointed out that the height of a horse is measured in “hands,” which indicates the height of the horse at the withers — at the top of its front shoulders, on the ridge of its back. One “hand” is equivalent to four inches; there are three hands in a foot just as there are three feet in a yard. For instance, a 17-hand-high centaur would be 5’ 8” tall at the withers. A centaur’s withers correspond to the point on its back where the human half of the body meets the equine half.
The two authors also wrote to us with some additional material. Kelly Adams believes that a weight of one-quarter ton for a centaur is rather low, since the average weight for a 14 hh pony is about 700 lbs. Most riding horses are about 1000 lbs., and a horse larger than 17 hh will weigh 1300 lbs., or more. Stephen Inniss says that the tables for human heights and weights may also be used to generate centaur heights and weights. A centaur is 1.2 times as tall from head to hoof as an equivalent human, and isabout 6 times as heavy. The height of a centaur at the withers is about .84 times the height of an equivalent human. To determine the height and weight of a centaur, roll on the Dungeon Masters Guide tables for height and weight on p. 102 (or use the tables from Stephen’s own article in DRAGON issue #91, “Realistic vital statistics.”) For example, a height of 6’ and a weight of 175 lbs. is obtained. Multiplying these figures by the “centaur factors” yields a height of 7’2” (6’ × 1.2) from hoof to head, or about 15 hands high (6’ × .84 × 3) at the withers. The centaur’s weight is 1050 lbs. (175 × 6), which agrees very well with Kelly’s notes above.
Stephen had several other comments. The quantities of food given in the table on p. 37 of “The Centaur Papers” are consumed on a daily basis. Centaurs would not often eat tough foodstuffs such as hay and straw. Unicorns, like pegasi, are on distant but good terms with centaurs. The starting age for a player-character centaur would be the same as for a human character of the same class. The use of a spear or lance from a centaur’s back would be difficult, but we, the editors, feel it is still possible (perhaps with penalties “to hit”). Stephen corrects an example given in the article on p. 44: An 8’ tall centaur requires about 12’ vertical space for his front hoof attacks.\\ Stephen has also expanded the Racial Preference Table to include centaurs. In the listings that follow, the letter before the slash indicates the given race’s attitude toward centaurs, and the letter after the slash is the centaur’s attitude/reaction toward the given race: Centaur, P/P; Dwarf (any), N/N; Dark elf, H/N; Gray elf, G/G; Valley elf, T/T, Wild elf, N/T; Wood elf, P/P; Gnome (any), N/T; Half-elf, T/T; Halfling (any), N/T, Half-arc, A/H; Human, N/N.

Additional Scraps of Information from Articles

Centaur [Subrace] Apotharni, kentauroi, phere [Callicantzari] {greek names} gandharva, kinnara, kimpurusha {hindu names} Callicantzari (singular: callicantzaros) is a name most often used to describe centaurs, but it may also be used in naming forlarren, hybsil, korreds, satyrs, lamia, and wemics. See “The Ungrateful Dead“ in DRAGON issue #138 for a description of this creature as an undead, ghoul-like monster.

CHIRON 15th-level centaur ranger with clerical and sage-like abilities
ALIGNMENT: Lawful good
HIT POINTS: 125
ARMOR CLASS: 2
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type (+3)
HIT BONUS: +2 (+3 with missiles)
MOVE: 18”
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
STRENGTH: 18 (71)
INTELLIGENCE: 18
WISDOM: 18
DEXTERITY: 16
CONSTITUTION: 18
CHARISMA: 18

In ancient Greece, before the Trojan War, lived an immortal centaur named Chiron who was good-natured and wise, unlike the marauding sorts of centaurs common to the area at the time. Chiron was educated by Artemis and Apollo in the arts of hunting and medicine. His fame and skill increased to the point where he was universally revered by gods and mortals alike; many people brought their children to him to have him teach them in turn what he knew. Among his pupils were such heroes as the hunter Actaeon, the adventurer Jason, and the warriors Peleus and Achilles. Another pupil, Asclepius, became a renowned doctor and healer, and learned so much that he was able to raise men from the dead. The Olympian gods took affront to this, and Zeus slew him, though Asclepius later became the god of medicine.
Chiron may be found, if any AD&D™ adventurers are able to get to ancient Greece, living in a triple-normal sized colony of centaurs which he rules. Neither he nor his pupils are troubled in the least by other centaurs, who respect Chiron mightily. Chiron uses standard centaur weapons as well as a shield; his dexterity reduces his armor class from the front to the equivalent of plate mail and shield on a human.
Chiron functions in all ways as a ranger, though normal centaurs cannot operate in this class. His spells may be chosen by the DM, either at random or through purposeful selection. As a healer, Chiron functions as a 12th-level cleric, using only curative spells (but he cannot raise the dead). His healing abilities are not truly magical and are manifested through the use of natural materials, drugs, ointments, and bed rest. Chiron is very knowledgeable about a variety of topics. If pressed for information, he will function as a Sage with the major fields of Humankind, Centaurkind, and Supernatural & Unusual. His minor fields of study are in Flora, Fauna, and the Physical Universe. Chiron may be considered to have as his special categories the fields of Philosophy & Ethics, Weaponry & Warfare, Medicine, and Metaphysics. He may have a wide collection of teaching materials to aid him in his classes, gathered from all parts of the environs of Greece and its neighbors. Any character who spends a year under Chiron’s instructorship will gain one point of wisdom; if the character is a member of the fighter class, or a cleric type dedicated to a Greek deity, he or she will also gain one level of experience from the teachings. Chiron may accept favors or quests from characters in place of monetary payment for his services. Chiron is immortal; if poison enters his bloodstream, it causes him great torment though it will not kill him. Chiron cannot be killed by any normal means (assume he regenerates all lost hit points at the end of each melee round, even if his total is reduced to zero or less during that round), and any who dare attack him risk the wrath of the Olympian gods and goddesses, as well as that of the entire local nation of centaurs.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology (hard bound, Prometheus Press). Written by Roger Moore

As Druids (??)
Other gods: The 2nd Edition Legends & Lore tome provides numerous other deities for druids in the Celtic pantheon, though the Greek goddess Artemis (page 112) also is available. The original AD&D game’s DEITIES & DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia added the Sumerian goddess Ki (page 126) to the list. The presence of player- character centaur druids in The Complete Book of Humanoids suggests that Skerrit the Forester is a druidic god for that race (see Monster Mythology, page 123). Finally, if druidic halflings are allowed in play as they were in the original AD&D game, then Sheela Peryroyl should be their deity. (See Monster Mythology, page 40; after all, I had created her in 1981 to give halflings their own druidic deity!)

Knockdowns for large creatures & armor (sage advice)
How do you assign knockdown dice to large creatures using weapons? Page 32 of the PLAYER’S OPTION TM : Combat & Tactics book says large monsters bump the weapon’s knockdown die up to the next size. Does this mean that a centaur with a two-handed sword rolls 1d20 for knockdowns? If the centaur also is a grand master with a two-handed sword does he roll 1d1OO for knockdowns?
A knockdown die of 1d12 increases to 1d20. I don’t recommend allowing any knockdown die to increase beyond 1d20. (As it is, rolling 1d20 will give a knockdown chance about half the time against huge opponents and even more often against smaller opponents.) I also don’t recommend increasing any knockdown die more than three places. For example, a creature armed with a dagger never gets a knockdown die bigger than 1d10, no matter how big or skilled it is. If you don’t like the foregoing advice, the steps beyond 1d20 are: 1d30, 1d40, 1d50, and so on. The best way to generate these numbers is with 1d10 and some kind of a control die. For example, you can roll 1d30 by rolling a 10-sided die and a six-sided die. If the six-sided die comes up a 1 or 2, read the lo-sided die as it is. If the six-sided die rolls a 3 or 4, add 10 to the number on the 10-sided die, and if the six-sided die comes up a 5 or 6 add 20 to the number on the 10-sided die.

How does one deal with armor for bariaur characters from the PLANESCAPE™ setting? How much does the armor cost and how does it work?
I recommend treating armor for a bariaur or centaur as horse barding, but add 15% to the cost and weight to account for the creatures’ humanoid foreparts. So chain mail would cost 575 gp and weigh 80 pounds. If the armor normally grants an armor class better than the character’s natural armor class, the character gets the better one, AC 5 in the case of chain mail. Otherwise, the character’s armor class improves by one; for example, a bariaur in leather would have an armor class of 5. A shield improves a bariaur’s or centaur’s armor class by one, but only against attacks coming from the front.

Zebrataur (centaurs in africa)
A zebrataur is a centaur that has a zebra’s body rather than a horse’s. The upper torso is a deep black human’s and the lower half alternates black and white stripes. Zebrataurs are fierce and proud, but friendly to others. They gain a +1 bonus to Strength and Constitution and a -1 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom scores. They calclate their weight allowances and chances to open doors as if they had a Strength one class higher than they possess. They may make two hoof attacks for ld6 each in place of all normal melee attacks allowed. They are Large-sized for purposes of damage determination. They gain the saving throw bonuses allowed versus poison and spells that are allowed to dwarves and gain hit-point bonuses for high Constitution scores as if they were fighters due to their large size. A zebrataur stands about 84” tall and weighs about 400 pounds. They start adventuring at around the age of 15 and may live to be as old as 90. They have a movement rate of 24.

CENTAUR, SEA
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-3
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: //24”
HIT DICE: 5
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 5%
INTELLIGENCE: Average to exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic good
SIZE: L (12-15’ long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: V/245 + 5/hp
These aquatic creatures appear to be a cross between a triton and a hippocampus. They are found in any area where either of the other two creatures might be found. Sea centaurs usually gather in small, nomadic families, but occasionally may be found amongst a group of tritons. Tritons feel superior to the sea centaurs because of the latter’s lesser abilities (e.g., lower magic resistance, lack of psionic ability, etc.); tritons sometimes use sea centaurs as mounts if the latter are agreeable. For the most part, sea centaurs have no treasure (except for an occasional piece of jewelry), although 10% of them have acquired tritons’ magic conch shells. When used by sea centaurs, these shells summon 2-8 hippocampi; they can also be used to send messages underwater within a half- mile radius.
There is a 10% chance that any sea centaur has the ability to cast spells as a 1st-4th level druid. All sea centaurs speak triton and hippocampus, and 25% of them also speak common. They say little about the deity they worship, but it is assumed to be the same one as worshiped by the tritons (i.e., Triton).

BUNE (Duke of Hell)
FREQUENCY: Unique (Very rare)
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: –3
MOVE: 12”/18”
HIT DICE: 136 hit points
% IN LAIR: 90%
TREASURE TYPE: I, Q(x10), W, Z
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-5 or by weapon type +8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: L (12’ tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 229
Attack/Defense Modes: All/all
Bune is a duke in the service of Asmodeus, commanding 30 companies of malebranche. He is greedy (fond of material wealth) and enjoys manipulating lesser beings of all sorts (including his warriors). His loyalty to Asmodeus is solid, but he is naturally “cheeky” to and defiant of all beings of whom he is scared (in other words, those stronger than himself). Asmodeus tolerates this because of all the dukes, Bune is the quickest and most careful in the execution of his orders. Bune is content with his position, sees Asmodeus as the most powerful arch- devil and thus the safest lord, and will not betray him.
Bune can use the following spell-like powers at will, one at a time and once per round: pyrotechnics, produce flame, animate dead, dispel magic, detect invisibility, detect magic, tongues, locate object, flaming sphere, magic missile (6 missiles per spell), teleport, and (fulfill another’s limited) wish. Once per day Bune can cast a cone of cold (9d4 +9), once per day heal himself, and once per day use a symbol of death. Bune causes fear (save vs. spell at – 2 to avoid) by touch, and can summon 1-4 malebranche (70% chance of success) or a pit fiend (40% chance of success) to his aid. Bune regenerates 2 hit points per round.
Description: Bune appears as a male branche, except that his scaled body is green in hue (coppery on the belly and loins), and his talons are silvery in color. Bune’s head, however, is human — with dog-like furry ears and a great griffon-like beak. His voice is high-pitched and lilting, although he will screech if he becomes infuriated, and he is an excellent mimic of other beings. Bune fights with a saw-edged sword, shaped somewhat like a leaping flame (2-8 base damage), and a trident. He bears the sword and any treasure (in a pouch) by means of a belt, but rarely wears any other clothing. Bune’s bite does 2-5 damage; if he is unarmed, his claws do 2-8 damage each, but he will snatch up a weapon at any opportunity.

Hearldric meanings
Centaur: These are hardy and tenacious creatures, and are often the symbol of woodland beings, foresters, and hunters. The bearer can run for 1-5 turns without fatigue. A monarch gains 10 temporary hit points in addition to the character’s normal total. These hit points are the first lost when suffering damage.

Value of young 400 gp in some areas

Centaurs hold Korreds as friends, and are sometimes allies of berserkers

ADD IN

Complete Humanoid information for character statistics, new book, double check for issues after 250 for more information.

Known ( to be introduced) Centaurs

Terrock Family

Mor'Haten Family

• View
• Edit
• History
• Print