# Centaurs Centaurs have the upper bodies, down to the waist, of muscular humans, displaying all the human variety of skin tones and features. Their ears are slightly pointed, but their faces are wider and squarer than those of elves. Below the waist, they have the bodies of small horses, with a similar range of coloration — from various shades of chestnut or bay to dappled or even zebra-like striped patterns. Most centaurs style their hair and their tails in a similar way. Selesnya centaurs favor long, flowing hair. Gruul centaurs cut their hair in rough, spiky styles. The upper bodies of centaurs are comparable to human torsos in size, and their lower equine bodies average about 4 feet tall at the withers. Though they are smaller than a human rider mounted on a horse, they fill similar roles as cavalry warriors, messengers, outriders, and scouts. ## Affinity for Nature Centaurs have an affinity for the natural world. They have a deep reverence for their nature spirit, whom they vehemently deny is an aspect of the goddess [[Pantheon|Sylvana]], but they focus on the proud, wild, and free aspects of their spirituality. In brighter times, [[Omon|Omonian]] prides gathered around massive "ancestor trees," where they believed the spirits of their forebears watched over them. According to arcane scholars, the fruit of these trees was seen as divine, possibly as a way to pass down spiritual wisdom from one generation to the next. Centaurs celebrate life and growth, and the birth of a foal is always cause for festivities. At the same time, they revere the traditions of the past, and among both the Gruul and the Selesnya they are voices of memory and history, preserving old ways and keeping alive the legends of ancestral heroes. They feel a close kinship with wild animals, perhaps because of their own horse-like bodies, and delight in the feeling of running alongside herds and packs of other beasts. ## A Desperate People The Altari centaurs of Tevrand's central plains were once the dominating presence as their herds galloped through the seas of golden grasses, with arrival of humans in [[The Breach|the Breach]], however, they were continually displaced to smaller tracts of land. With equine influences, the need for land to roam is an important factor in centaur life, so conflict was inevitable. Most nations east of the [[Ebonwall Range]] now consider themselves locked in a pseudo-war with the native centaur people, though none have gone as far as a full attempt at genocide. Many centaur conclaves still defend tracts of land withing the borders of [[Tyrille]], [[Breonid]], [[Pharene]], [[Velan]], and [[Vomenad]]. These conclaves are hostile to most other races and interactions are rarely peaceful. There are however a number of centaurs that have adapted to life in the world of two-legged races, though their path is not an easy one - scorn from their "free" brethren and severe mistrust from most humanoids. The situation is a bit different in the new frontier of the [[Argent Wildlands]], where all races have brokered a tense peace because, without it, survival in this wild land would be all but impossible. The Voldranna centaurs of the [[Omon|Omonian]] plains did not fare any better after [[The Breach|the Breach]]. They faced assault and enslavement from both the undead armies of [[Tiberu Rak-hor]] and the people who settled the barren plains of [[Magral]]. While the provinces of [[Essen]] and [[Vashana]] have outlawed the capture and use of centaurs as slaves, [[Magral]] remains a place of utmost danger to the Voldranna people. The continent of [[Otoris]] was only recently graced by the hooves of centaurs as they were never native to those lands. It wasn't until the arrival of humanoids and their ships that centaurs made the journey across vast seas to the lands of Otoris. Like Otoris, [[Xoshana]] did not see centaurs until their arrival via the ships of other humanoid races. Xhoshanan's tendency toward xenophobia has kept most centaurs from making any sort of permanent presence there. ## Centaur Traits Your centaur character has the following racial traits. These traits are also suitable for the centaurs of other worlds where there are centaurs of fey origin. These centaurs are smaller than the non-fey centaurs that roam in some realms. #### Ability Score Increase Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1. #### Age Centaurs mature and age at about the same rate as humans. #### Alignment Centaurs are inclined toward neutrality, though their wild nature pushes them toward chaotic tendencies. #### Size Centaurs stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, with their equine bodies reaching about 4 feet at the withers. Your size is Medium. #### Speed Your base walking speed is 40 feet. #### Fey Your creature type is fey, rather than humanoid. #### 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. #### 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. #### 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 your equine legs. When you make such a climb, each foot of movement costs you 4 extra feet, instead of the normal 1 extra foot. #### Survivor You have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, Medicine, or Survival #### Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan. Sylvan is widely spoken in the centaur conclaves, for it is rich in vocabulary to describe natural phenomena and spiritual forces.