Races of Wild

CHAPTER 4OTHERRACES96Illus. by S. BelledinLands: Centaurs make their lairs in forested areas andprefer to range through temperate plains and forests.Although centaurs have permanent dwellings, their culturehas more in common with nomads and hunters than withthe city-building races of humanoids. Like nomadic cultures,centaur tribes range farther north during the warmmonths and concentrate in southern temperate regionsduring the winter.Settlements: Centaur lairs look little like the permanentstructures of other races, consisting of a series ofbeautiful forest glades, peaceful streams,and perhaps a few scattered lean-tos.Although these lairs seem simple andunprotected, they providemore protection thaneven the stoutest wallsby allowing the swiftmovingcentaurs to encircleapproaching foes or easily flee ifpressed too hard.Power Groups: A centaurdruid is usually a tribe’sdesignated leader andspeaker, but groups ofcentaur warriors holdgreat sway in any giventribe, mainly becausetheir choices ofwhere and whatto hunt greatlyimpact how wellthe tribe will eat inthe coming weeks.These hunters, braveand free-spirited as theyare, have their passionstempered by the wisdomof the centaur druidsMale centaurwho study the wilderness through which the tribe roams.Although these groups rarely have lasting conflicts, thehunters and druids often wish to pursue differing shorttermgoals.Beliefs: Centaurs love and worship nature, and mostwho wish to devote themselves to a higher power or causebecome druids. Nearly all centaur clerics (who are rare)worship the centaur deity Skerrit. Clerics of this nature deitycan choose any two of the following domains: Animal,Good, or Plant.Relations: Centaurs shun humans. Although they bearthem no serious ire, they prefer open lands to the closedincities that humans invariably build. Centaurs get alongwell with elves and with many of the wandering races,such as catfolk and halflings. Centaurs have had too manydangerous skirmishes against tribes of vicious gnolls tobe anything other than suspicious of the hyena-headedhumanoids, but they are open-minded and intelligentenough to get along with an individual gnoll that provesitself trustworthy.CENTAUR CHARACTERSBecause of their unique physical abilities and physiology,centaurs make versatile warriors and scouts. Centaurs whotake a few levels in druid or (more rarely) cleric combinepowerful ranged attacks with minor spellcasting abilitiesmuch like a multiclass humanoid spellcaster does.Adventuring Centaurs: Centaur adventurers don’t havethe problems with outsiders that most centaurs do. Througha combination of confidence, curiosity, and ambition,these brave centaurs have come to viewthe cities and communities of other culturesas places to learn and explore rather thanplaces to avoid.Centaurs view adventurers ascultural outsiders. Many otherraces of the wild, such asgnolls and catfolk, seeonly a small differencebetweenan accomplishedhunter who provides food for thetribe and an adventurer, butcentaurs feel quite differently.Although centaurs do notshun adventurers of theirown race in the same waythat they shun humans,orcs, and some otherhumanoids, they nevermake centaur adventurersfeel truly welcome, and usuallyencourage such a characterFemale centaurto move on to another area orcommunity after a short timeamong them.Character Development: Centaur characters have 4 racialHit Dice and a +2 level adjustment. As a result, many of acentaur’s early choices are simplified. In the early stages oftheir careers, centaur characters often have fewer hit pointsthan other humanoid warriors of an equal level, causingmany centaurs to favor ranged combat. Mastering the use ofa powerful composite longbow allows a centaur characterto take advantage of his strength, and his high speed allowshim to keep his distance from most foes. For melee combat,centaurs prefer two-handed weapons that allow them to takefull advantage of their high strength, such as longspears,greatswords, and greataxes.When playing a centaur, remember that the race’s uniqueanatomy causes problems in certain circumstances. Ina four-member party, it’s quite likely that if the centaurcharacter falls in combat, the party will lack the physicalstrength to move him. In addition, as pointed out on page7 of the Monster Manual, some creatures simply aren’t