Centaurs

Powerful and curious, quick to act and knowledgeable of the wider world, centaurs seek to experience life's boundless bounty. From far travelers and messengers to outland raiders, centaurs take on a variety of positions and lifestyles, though they all share a desire to wander and seek out adventures and the world's natural wonders. Centaur adventurers are not uncommon, as most young foals leave their original herd to explore the greater world in their formative years. They learn knew skills and trades, and should they choose to return to their original herd, or seek out a new one, they will bring with them valuable new skills that will benefit their community.

## **Nature's Calvary**

Due to their affinity for traveling, centaurs live in very diverse climates and therefore have a wide variety of body types and colorations. At the very base level, centaurs all have the upper bodies, down to the waist, of humanoids, displaying some mixture of human skin tones and the coloration and patterns of the rest of their bodies. Their faces have broad flat noses with nostrils that flare like a horse's Their ears are long and pointed like that of a horse and they tend to wear their hair in long, elegant styles the hang down their backs to around their waists. Most centaurs style their hair and their tails in a similar way, from long flowing locks to short and spiky styles.

From the waist down, a centaur's body becomes one of a hooved animal, most commonly that of a horse. Those centaurs that spend their lives in more extreme climates, develop slightly different bodies to better survive their environment. A centaur from tall, craggy mountains may have the body of a mountain goat, those from arctic climates may have the body of an elk or a moose, and those in hot, desert climates may develop the body of a zebra or an antelope.

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.

## **Caravans and Community**

Centaurs are a nomadic people who travel across Wormwood in set migratory patterns. Most smaller herds will have simple villages set up around a route where they will stay for several weeks before traveling to the next one. These villages are usually also inhabited by small groups of other feyborn such as halflings or satyrs who throw wild celebrations and festivals every time the centaurs come to town. The smaller bands of centaurs venerate ephemerality, often following deities related to the seasons and embracing change when it happens. They are also known for their love of celebrations as villages visited by a herd of centaurs may get inadvertently ravaged by the force of celebrations that follows.

Despite the danger and chaos that follows these small herds, they serve several important roles in the overall ecosystem of the Four Tribes. Centaurs are a reliable and excellent way to spread news and culture across cities and countries. Some factions will use this to their advantage and hire centaur herds to carry resources and shipments for them.

Large herds of centaurs have developed moving cities, massive caravans larger than houses which they pull using massive beasts. These cities travel across open plains and for many miles, almost never stopping for anything. Centaur herds this large are led by a group of elders that contains a Barterer, an Omener, a Courser, and a Koletra. The Barterer is the diplomatic face who speaks on behalf of the elders and can negotiate with any other civilization the caravan comes across. The Omener is the spiritual leader of the caravan, usually a druid or cleric of some kind, who conducts various rites to ensure safe travels for the caravan. The Courser is the navigator of the herd, an experienced and well traveled elder who is able to chart safe courses for the city. Finally, the Koletra is a powerful and experienced warrior who acts as the defender of the herd, organizing and overseeing the warriors in the city to come to its defense should it be threatened. These large herds often become temporary homes to beastfolk and those looking to escape their previous lives. The centaur's strong values of hospitality mean they accept anyone seeking shelter in their city, but if someone becomes a danger to the caravan, they will not hesitate to kick them out.

## **Centaur Names**

Centaur’s given names are passed down through family lines. The name bestowed on a new foal is typically the name of the most recently deceased family member of the same gender, keeping alive the memory - and, the centaurs believe, some shard of the spirit - of the departed. Centaurs don’t use family names, but they wear symbols that represent their family membership. These symbols might include graphical representations of plants and animals, printed mottoes, braids and beads worn in the hair and tail, or even specific patterns of woven fabric.

Male names: Aughus, Dirios, Ormasos, Volien, Eno, Roth, Skelor, Stihl.

Female Names: Honotia, Kelitia, Lileo, Meleo, Bido, Daxa, Saya, Tesia.

## Centaur Characteristics

*When creating a Centaur character, you can use the suggested ability score increases or, as detailed in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, you can instead increase one ability score of your choice by 1 and one different ability score of your choice by 2.*

*(Str +2; Wis +1)*

**Creature Type.** Fey/Humanoid

**Size.** Medium

**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.** You can use your hooves as an unarmed strike. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + 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.

**Natural Affinity.** You have proficiency in one of the following skills: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, or Survival.

**Languages.** You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.