Centaur

Centaurs possess the upper bodies of humans and the lower bodies of horses. Ixion, king of the Lapiths, in Thessaly, fathered the first centaurs. After murdering the father of his betrothed, he fled to Mount Olympus and, adding insult to injury, attempted to rape Hera. Enraged, Zeus gave Hera’s appearance to a nymph named Nephele. After Ixion coupled with her, Zeus tied him on a burning wheel that spins infinitely in the air. Nephele gave birth to the first Centaur, a horribly deformed being so awful that even the Grace refused to be present at its birth. The first centaur mated with mares in Magnesia, giving rise to the Hippocentaurs (Centaurs for short) known throughout Greece.

Although often depicted as exclusively male, there are also female centaurs. Centaur coloring varies considerably is representative of all complexions and hair types found within both humans and horses.

Centaurs are violent, capricious, and prone to fits of rage. Their exceptional strength augments their fearsome tempers; Centaurs are strong enough to throw boulders or tree trunks at their enemies. Centaurs are also very fond of drink and dance. As a result, they are fond of stalking nymphs. Centaurs can mate with nymphs, human women, or mares to produce offspring, which could be centaurs, horses, or men depending on the parents.

Centaurs are most numerous in Thessaly, their home of origin. Centaur society is very loose, a tribal structure that allows for the carousing centaurs are so fond of. As a people, they are extremely dangerous if provoked and can go to war at a moment’s notice. Because of their prodigious strength, centaur citizens are also soldiers. Centaurs hail from Arcadia and Thessaly.

Centaurs are not much for religion. When they do worship anyone, it usually Dionysus, who understands their distinctly uninhibited lifestyle. Centaur adventurers would be more common if it wasn’t so difficult for them to cross through human lands. They are free spirits by nature, so the adventuring life comes easily to them. They also embody the best and worst traits of machismo, combative cultures and are thus inclined to the life of a warrior.

Centaur names include: Agrios, Aithôn, Antibatês, Antinomos, Asbolos, Cheiron, Dexamenos, Egretos, Eurubotos, Eurytion, Hasbolos, Hupsipulos, Hylaios, Maineues, Melanchaites, Neôn, Nessos, Nukteus, Oreios, Oroibios, Petraios, Pholos, Pyrrhos, Simias, Skirtos, Telês, Therandros, Ulaios.

Traits

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.
• Age. Centaurs mature at 15 and age at about the same rate as humans.
• Alignment. Centaurs are not much for lawful behavior and tend towards the chaos axis. They are more likely to be neutral than evil or good.
• Centaur Lore. You have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Medicine, Nature, or Survival.
• Charge. If you move at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with a melee weapon attack on the same turn, you can immediately follow that attack with a bonus action, making one attack against the target with your hooves.
• Equine Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag. In addition, any climb that requires hands and feet is especially difficult for you because of you r equine legs. When you make such a climb, each foot of movement costs you 4 extra feet, instead of the normal 1 extra foot.
• Hooves. Your hooves are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
• Languages. You can read, write, and speak Common.
• Size. A centaur is as big as a heavy horse, but much taller and slightly heavier. A centaur is about 7 feet tall and weighs up to 2,100 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet.