Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Centaur class for DIY D&D



The Centaur is a being irretrievably trapped between two natures. Half-man and half-horse, the centaur possesses both the wild urges of the animal realm and the high knowledge of civilisation. They possess innate powers of divination but are also afflicted by a chronic madness. Centaurs dwell apart from human civilisation and generally live deep within ancient forests. Their society is dedicated to the control of animal desires, for when the centaurs fail to master themselves they will descend into violence and licentiousness. As a result, most centaurs are very pious and reserved, spending their time in quiet contemplation of the future and the past. To focus on the present is the centaur's greatest desire and fear.

Adventuring centaurs are usually those who have been outcast from their tribe for failing to remain calm and collected. Perhaps they allowed their madness to take hold of them, or perhaps they merely questioned the elders' doctrine of non-interference with some prophesied event.

(Stats for LotFP, but can work with other OSR systems)

Requirements: Wisdom of 11 or less
Hit die: d8
Attack Bonus: +1 (other systems: as Cleric)
Save Progression: As Cleric
Cleric spellcasting: As Cleric, but lags 1 level behind (i.e. no spells at 1st level, 1 spell at 2nd, etc.)

Large Size: A centaur is not much wider than a human but is a good deal longer and taller. A centaur cannot fit into a space any smaller than 5' high or 5' long. Wearing human armour will protect the centaur with a -2 AC penalty at the front and no protection from the rear or sides. Custom centaur armour usually costs 3x that of normal armour.
Hoofs: Having four legs and hoofs makes the centaur well-suited to movement in the wilderness but less so in urban or indoor environments. Over open terrain or forest the centaur has a base movement of 150' per turn, but indoors, underground and in towns or cities the base movement is only 90'.
Riding: Centaurs can carry one human on their back without being encumbered, or two but the centaur will be encumbered.
Mobile Shot: Centaurs can move and fire bows without any penalty to speed or accuracy. The greatest horseback archer of the Mongols is no match for a creature that combines man and horse in one body.

Fugue: Centaurs are usually pious and reserved creatures, but when they get drunk their bestial natures emerge. Consuming even a small amount of alcohol will send the centaur into a fugue for 1d4 turns. During this time the centaur loses all inhibitions and must constantly search for treasure, food and wine. If interrupted by enemies the centaur will fight to the death, and if they find a store of food or wine they will feast and then fall asleep for the remainder of the fugue. All this should be controlled by the player themselves but they must be willing to play the role appropriately.
This is no mere drunkenness however but a divinely inspired insanity. While in a fugue the centaur gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls due to their unerring accuracy; a +2 bonus to saving throws because of an uncanny sixth sense; and once per fugue a brief vision that will lead them to their immediate goals, such as an augury of the nearest food or treasure.

After the fugue ends, the centaur will pass out for 1 turn and during this time make a saving throw vs. spell; if successful, a more long-term vision is granted from the following table. The saving throw attempt may only be made once per day regardless of how many fugues are triggered.
(d20):
1-3: Vision of the centaur achieving their current goal
4-8: Vision of the centaur suffering an imminent death
9-12: Vision of a random NPC nearby
13-16: Vision of a random location nearby
17-18: Further vision related to the fugue (i.e. if the fugue was primarily spent eating, a vision of a nearby cookhouse might be received)
19: Vision of a far-off location, possibly another plane
20: Vision of an important event in the distant future


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