How often have you guys used centaurs in your adventures or scenarios?

Campaigns?

Maybe used centaurs as a major component or plot arc in a campaign?

Whats the best way to integrate them into a fantasy setting?

Ever done that?

Ever played a character that's a centaur?

- Ed C.

I've always liked centaurs and tried to work them in when I could.
One campaign I ran had a small centaur kingdom that was surrounded by a maze of giant nettles that required guides to get in (not sure if I'd read the Elric books at that time). It became the base of operations for the PCs for a big chunk of the campaign, one of the PCs even married the centaur queen (we didn't go into the physiological details of their relationship).

There are centaurs in my current homebrew game but they're weird mutations and kind of insane.

Quote from: Koltar;465700How often have you guys used centaurs in your adventures or scenarios?

Campaigns?

Maybe used centaurs as a major component or plot arc in a campaign?

Whats the best way to integrate them into a fantasy setting?

Ever done that?

Ever played a character that's a centaur?

- Ed C.

Precis Intermedia has centaurs built in as a primary PC race in Iron Gauntlets RPG. In my IG Amherth game, they lived mainly with the elves and other sylvan races after being driven from the steppes by a great Mongol inspired horde. I had one PC but other than a few jokes and having to make special accommodations at inns, there was little difference from any other fantasy race.

Pete

The rpg Lace and Steel has centaurs as a playable character race. In the world that accompanies it they live alongside humans in most cities and are pretty much integrated into everyday life. Stat-wise they gain advantages for being stronger and having more mass to throw behind an effort, but they lose out on things that require dextrous manuvering. Centaurs even serve in that world's navies. Of course if they go overboard its pretty grim.

The game also draw a distinction between civilized and barbarian centaur cultures. The civilized prefer to refer to themselves as 'half-horses' while the barbarian tribes use the term centaur. The barbarians are much like the Mongols culturaly.

The King Must Die should be required reading for this thread.

They are also PC races in Forward! to Adventure!

-clash

I've had them in more than one game. In Forge of Destiny (playtest setting/campaign I've tried a couple of times.) One of the re-born heroes from the Black Blade, Mhoraighl, was a centaur who served as a frontline warrior in her Roman-esque worlds infantry. Clink Link t see my horrid rendition.

 Another was a Birthright PC, human originally but her bloodline slowly changed her into the Centaurus.

I've also had them as a PC race in nominal fantasy games without "special circumstances" like the above two..

They are a pretty neat honorable tribe in the Warcraft universe.

I've used them as a PC race in an old Dragonlance campaign.  I probably never will again.  There are just too many movement problems you run into when one of your party member can't climb or fit into doors.  My player spent most of his time shape-changed into something that could climb ladders and ropes that we felt it was a bit silly to have been a centaur in the first place.

There were other problems (can't go into a swamp, problems on boats, etc...) I suppose I could have changed the entire adventure to avoid anything that would be a problem, but it seemed simpler to just not allow anymore centaurs.

Quote from: flyingmice;465707They are also PC races in Forward! to Adventure!

-clash

Indeed, more specifically in the FtA!GN! sourcebook.

RPGPundit

Quote from: Dixon Hill;465717I've used them as a PC race in an old Dragonlance campaign.  I probably never will again.  There are just too many movement problems you run into when one of your party member can't climb or fit into doors.  My player spent most of his time shape-changed into something that could climb ladders and ropes that we felt it was a bit silly to have been a centaur in the first place.

There were other problems (can't go into a swamp, problems on boats, etc...) I suppose I could have changed the entire adventure to avoid anything that would be a problem, but it seemed simpler to just not allow anymore centaurs.

This.

I always felt they were too far removed from humanoids to be useful or cool. When I see a campaign setting has them figuring heavily into things, I tend to lose interest. I guess I don't find them all that neat.

Quote from: Kaz;465848This.

I always felt they were too far removed from humanoids to be useful or cool. When I see a campaign setting has them figuring heavily into things, I tend to lose interest. I guess I don't find them all that neat.

My thoughts as well. I won't go so far as to say they are a complete dealbreaker, I tend to do everything I can to push them to the periphery in settings where they must be included.

Centaurs and Society

Quote from: Kaz;465848This.

I always felt they were too far removed from humanoids to be useful or cool. When I see a campaign setting has them figuring heavily into things, I tend to lose interest. I guess I don't find them all that neat.

In FtA!GN! I emphasized both their strengths and their limitations (physical as well as societal, as the Centaurs there are considerably different as creatures and their social rules are quite different from the humanoid races ("humanoid" in this case meaning "with two arms and two legs", rather than the D&D-lingo for goblinoids).

RPGPundit

I played a centaur in RuneQuest with a fair deal of success.

His name was Shergar Sunhoof and was a Rune Lord of Yelmalio (the rationale was that the centaurs had retained sun worship and so could access Yelmalio). He was very useful in combat (Big, strong, high DEX) had a devastating Charge and kicked down doors really well. He even carried a duck on his back sometimes for added effect.

He wasn't that great when climbing or turning around in corridors, though, so tended to avoid scenarios where he would be going into caves. He did carry his own block and tackle with him, though, so he could be winched up cliffs. He was fine in marshes and on boats, except that he took up a lot of splace.

So, centaurs can work reasonably well. You just have to be aware that they have their limitations, especially in confined places or where climbing is involved.