I'm starting a new homebrew Faerûn campaign in a few weeks and one of my players has a really strong desire to play a centaur. Fortunately my setting's lore in Faerûn already includes a lot of them. I'm publishing this homebrew race on D&D Beyond soon so hopefully other people besides my player will get to use it. I was quite disappointed with the other homebrew centaur races published on D&D Beyond.
Because some of the published Feats match up well to what a centaur would be capable of, I built this race around including a Feat selection at level 1 from a canned list of 6 feats. There are some big downsides to being a centaur, but hopefully the feat and a few other perks make up for it. The person this was designed for is playing a Druid (Circle of Dreams), but hopefully this race would be suitable for other centaur-themed classes such as Barbarian, Fighter, (Nature) Paladin, (Nature) Cleric, Ranger, (Archfey) Warlock, or Bard.
Do you all think this is well balanced enough, and can anyone think of other implications I overlooked that should affect a centaur? I'm open to ideas for new perks too since I feel it may be a little weak for melee types.
Centaur
Descended from the fey inhabitants of the Feywild, centaurs are large, fearsome creatures with the lower-body of a powerful horse and a humanoid upper-body and mind. They are almost entirely nomadic, traveling great distances in a season. Within their communities they speak a dialect of Sylvan, but they have learned Common and Elvish through their love of bardic ballads and epic poetry in those languages collected throughout their herds' far-flung journeys across the face of Faerûn.
Centaurs are generally neutral good, and may tolerate peaceful interactions with other non-evil folk, but a threatened heard is a dangerous force of nature: keen with bows, spears, druidic magic, and an ability to easily outrun most other creatures, an armored centaur herd can rival the militaries of man.
For a centaur, leaving a herd means abandoning the security of one's clan and the centaur way of life. Such a sacrifice would be one the most difficult decisions a centaur could make. Amongst bipedal races, centaurs can sometimes be treated as non-persons, something very insulting to the innate dignity every centaur easily finds in their strong connection with nature.
Centaur Traits
Your centaur character has the following racial traits.
Big Target
Because centaurs are so large, they are hard to miss. You have a permanent -2 penalty to AC.
Centaur Feat
You gain one feat of your choice from the following options: Charger, Durable, Polearm Master, Sharpshooter, or Tough.
Clumsy Athletes
Because of their horse-like features, centaurs are not as nimble as a bipedal race, but they have the muscular conditioning to rival giant-kin. You have disadvantage on all Acrobatics checks but you are proficient in the Athletics skill.
Conspicuousness
Due to your size, it is difficult for you to remain unseen. You have disadvantage on all Stealth checks that rely on sight. While maneuvering stealthily, your movement speed is equal to that of a human moving stealthily.
Equine Limitations
Centaurs cannot climb anything a horse could not such as a ladder, rope, or brick wall. Normal doorways are not designed for horses, but may be passable with much effort and commotion, per the DM's discretion. Your swim speed is 10 feet, however with heavier armor you may sink and be able to walk on the bottom at your swim speed. With lighter armor or none at all, you have neutral buoyancy but swimming vertically is more difficult. Small boats cannot support you. You may cause significant damage to weaker things you walk upon, such as a narrow dilapidated wooden bridge.
Indignant Mounts
Centaurs can perform logical functions of a horse, such as serving as a mount or pulling a cart, however traditional centaur culture would consider this embarrassing except under special circumstances. You may be mounted by a Medium or smaller creature.
Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 2.
Age
As creatures related to the fey, centaurs have long lifespans. A centaur reaches adulthood around 30, and the oldest of them can live for 500 years.
Alignment
As people who follow the rhythm of nature and see themselves as its caretakers, centaurs are typically neutral good. Evil centaurs are rare and are usually the sworn enemies of the rest of their kind.
Armor Compatibility
Centaurs can wear armor designed for a horse with modification performed by a blacksmith. Any starting equipment has already had such modifications made or was initially designed for centaurs by the cultural craftsmen of a herd.
Centaurs cannot, however, wear lower-body armor designed for bipedal races. To calculate AC from armor, halve the AC for worn human-compatible armor and add it to the halved AC for worn horse-compatible armor (don't round until after adding the numbers together, then round down). Magical human-compatible lower body armor (such as boots) cannot resize to fit a centaur.
Donning armor without help takes 10 minutes and doffing takes 5 minutes. With help, normal times for the armor type apply.
Centaur Weapon Training
You are proficient with the shortbow, longbow, spear, glaive, lance, pike, and halberd.
Fey Ancestry
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common, Sylvan, and Elvish.
Size
Centaurs are between 7 and 9 feet tall and weigh between 1,800 and 2,600 pounds. Your size is Large.
Speech of Beast and Leaf
You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 50 feet. When traveling long distances in a day, you can move at the same speed as a humanoid on horseback, unless you are moving stealthily, in which case the standard long distance humanoid stealth movement speed applies.
Because some of the published Feats match up well to what a centaur would be capable of, I built this race around including a Feat selection at level 1 from a canned list of 6 feats. There are some big downsides to being a centaur, but hopefully the feat and a few other perks make up for it. The person this was designed for is playing a Druid (Circle of Dreams), but hopefully this race would be suitable for other centaur-themed classes such as Barbarian, Fighter, (Nature) Paladin, (Nature) Cleric, Ranger, (Archfey) Warlock, or Bard.
Do you all think this is well balanced enough, and can anyone think of other implications I overlooked that should affect a centaur? I'm open to ideas for new perks too since I feel it may be a little weak for melee types.
Centaur
Descended from the fey inhabitants of the Feywild, centaurs are large, fearsome creatures with the lower-body of a powerful horse and a humanoid upper-body and mind. They are almost entirely nomadic, traveling great distances in a season. Within their communities they speak a dialect of Sylvan, but they have learned Common and Elvish through their love of bardic ballads and epic poetry in those languages collected throughout their herds' far-flung journeys across the face of Faerûn.
Centaurs are generally neutral good, and may tolerate peaceful interactions with other non-evil folk, but a threatened heard is a dangerous force of nature: keen with bows, spears, druidic magic, and an ability to easily outrun most other creatures, an armored centaur herd can rival the militaries of man.
For a centaur, leaving a herd means abandoning the security of one's clan and the centaur way of life. Such a sacrifice would be one the most difficult decisions a centaur could make. Amongst bipedal races, centaurs can sometimes be treated as non-persons, something very insulting to the innate dignity every centaur easily finds in their strong connection with nature.
Centaur Traits
Your centaur character has the following racial traits.
Big Target
Because centaurs are so large, they are hard to miss. You have a permanent -2 penalty to AC.
Centaur Feat
You gain one feat of your choice from the following options: Charger, Durable, Polearm Master, Sharpshooter, or Tough.
Clumsy Athletes
Because of their horse-like features, centaurs are not as nimble as a bipedal race, but they have the muscular conditioning to rival giant-kin. You have disadvantage on all Acrobatics checks but you are proficient in the Athletics skill.
Conspicuousness
Due to your size, it is difficult for you to remain unseen. You have disadvantage on all Stealth checks that rely on sight. While maneuvering stealthily, your movement speed is equal to that of a human moving stealthily.
Equine Limitations
Centaurs cannot climb anything a horse could not such as a ladder, rope, or brick wall. Normal doorways are not designed for horses, but may be passable with much effort and commotion, per the DM's discretion. Your swim speed is 10 feet, however with heavier armor you may sink and be able to walk on the bottom at your swim speed. With lighter armor or none at all, you have neutral buoyancy but swimming vertically is more difficult. Small boats cannot support you. You may cause significant damage to weaker things you walk upon, such as a narrow dilapidated wooden bridge.
Indignant Mounts
Centaurs can perform logical functions of a horse, such as serving as a mount or pulling a cart, however traditional centaur culture would consider this embarrassing except under special circumstances. You may be mounted by a Medium or smaller creature.
Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 2.
Age
As creatures related to the fey, centaurs have long lifespans. A centaur reaches adulthood around 30, and the oldest of them can live for 500 years.
Alignment
As people who follow the rhythm of nature and see themselves as its caretakers, centaurs are typically neutral good. Evil centaurs are rare and are usually the sworn enemies of the rest of their kind.
Armor Compatibility
Centaurs can wear armor designed for a horse with modification performed by a blacksmith. Any starting equipment has already had such modifications made or was initially designed for centaurs by the cultural craftsmen of a herd.
Centaurs cannot, however, wear lower-body armor designed for bipedal races. To calculate AC from armor, halve the AC for worn human-compatible armor and add it to the halved AC for worn horse-compatible armor (don't round until after adding the numbers together, then round down). Magical human-compatible lower body armor (such as boots) cannot resize to fit a centaur.
Donning armor without help takes 10 minutes and doffing takes 5 minutes. With help, normal times for the armor type apply.
Centaur Weapon Training
You are proficient with the shortbow, longbow, spear, glaive, lance, pike, and halberd.
Fey Ancestry
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common, Sylvan, and Elvish.
Size
Centaurs are between 7 and 9 feet tall and weigh between 1,800 and 2,600 pounds. Your size is Large.
Speech of Beast and Leaf
You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 50 feet. When traveling long distances in a day, you can move at the same speed as a humanoid on horseback, unless you are moving stealthily, in which case the standard long distance humanoid stealth movement speed applies.
