Centaur build ideas

[MagneticKitty]

Im thinking of playing a centaur in an upcoming group thats starting at level 2. We will probably have rolled stats. Character will have a paladin (vengence) with mounted combatant feat riding them. This means I'll be up in combat. I'd like to synergize with them. Classes that give my rider perks would be cool. At the same time I don't want to cheese the whole "taking attacks for your mount" all the time just to avoid spell concentration checks because it feels cheap. I don't want anything too broken. Just a nice few perks for teaming up. Or compliments eachothers builds.

I'd rather not need heavy armor due to the cost and time to commission.

The rest of our team: swashbuckler, wizard (undecided subclass), and either a second paladin or cleric (he's still deciding)

I was leaning moon druid (larger mount is advantage for rider more often), wolf totem (advantage for rider), cleric of whatever god my paladin picks, monk for vertical wall climb
I'm particularly fond of gishes

We will not be stacking centaurs. Centaur don't count as mounted on themselves. Please keep this drama out of the thread, thanks

[Waterdeep Merch]

Going Knight for the ward could create a really nice synergy effect if the paladin's willing to take Mounted Combatant (they take the blow, which violates your ward, which lets you smack them around). You'd also be a ridiculously dangerous team.

I know you'd prefer to avoid heavy armor, but I also really, really want to play a Shining Force-style centaur knight myself. The visual is just so cool. If you can get your DM to handwave the quadruple price on plate, this could be you-

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/shining/images/d/d1/Centaur_image.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100515050244

[Man_Over_Game]

There are two extreme builds that work off of this. Before, they were just funny possibilities, but they're extremely plausible in your case.

Without Heavy Armor, the obvious choice is Ancestral Guardian Barbarian. With the Centaur's bonus unarmed strikes, and the fact that the Ancestral Guardian makes everyone more tanky than themselves, it becomes a very powerful combination. You can safely abuse Reckless Attack and not suffer the penalties for it.

With Heavy Armor, the alternate solution is Life Cleric with Heavy Armor Master and Warding Bond. It performs a similar goal, making your ally indestructible as you absorb half of his damage and mitigate health super-efficiently.

A few other mentions:

Order of the Crown Paladin while your ally has Heavy Armor Master. Take his damage while you're indestructible, or heal nearby allies when they take too much damage.

Order of Redemption Paladin, for effectively the same thing, with more emphasis on RP than the Crown (who focuses on Combat).

Totem Warrior Barbarian of the Wolf, to give your friend advantage on all of his attacks.

Totem Warrior Barbarian of the Elk + Mobile, to move 65 feet per turn and to easily make 2-3 hit-and-run attacks each turn. Will require your friend to constantly Ready their action.

Death Cleric, due to it being a high damage melee class with low defenses, and now no longer having any major weaknesses.

Trickster Cleric, stacking your own stealth and becoming a stealthed duo without your friend requiring any investment, and your illusory double can consistently provide advantage on melee attacks without you having to be at risk. Cast Pass Without Trace on just yourself, and it effectively also applies to your friend.

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Make sure your GM understands how all of these implications work, and what their plan is for dealing with them should they come up.

As a GM, I wouldn't let it fly.

Or rather, I'd let your friend ride you, but I'd just add the implication that Mounted Combatant only works on Controlled Mounts (I.E. unintelligent, not having their own turns). I also add the stipulation that specifically trained mounts (like with Find Steed or Find Greater Steed) can act as Controlled Mounts, even if they're intelligent. This prevents any kind of abuse of someone using their Pegasus to fight while the player makes it indestructible. Or it also means that Centaurs can't gain the benefit of Mounted Combatant without anyone being butthurt.

[MagneticKitty]

Going Knight for the ward could create a really nice synergy effect if the paladin's willing to take Mounted Combatant (they take the blow, which violates your ward, which lets you smack them around). You'd also be a ridiculously dangerous team.

I know you'd prefer to avoid heavy armor, but I also really, really want to play a Shining Force-style centaur knight myself. The visual is just so cool. If you can get your DM to handwave the quadruple price on plate, this could be you-

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/shining/images/d/d1/Centaur_image.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100515050244

Purple dragon knight? Eldritch knight? I don't see a ward ability...
Also my centaur is male.

[Waterdeep Merch]

Purple dragon knight? Eldritch knight? I don't see a ward ability...
Also my centaur is male.
Sorry, I always say knight when I mean Cavalier! I'm specifically talking about their level 3 ability Unwavering Mark.

I prefer Mae from Shining Force, but Ken's cool too-
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/shining/images/6/64/RODD_ken.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100615021922

[Sigreid]

Monk. You'd be able to eventually get so fast you'd get you and your buddy into combat with a speed boarding on teleportation.

[Naanomi]

Drunken monk, fit the classic Greek archetype best!

[MagneticKitty]

Sorry, I always say knight when I mean Cavalier! I'm specifically talking about their level 3 ability Unwavering Mark.

I prefer Mae from Shining Force, but Ken's cool too-
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/shining/images/6/64/RODD_ken.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100615021922


It would feel like a waste getting mounted abilities.. But the rest of the things are kinda neat. If I do that I'd probably dip bard for unarmored defense
I already have art picked, but thanks.

Monk does interest me for the speed, lol. And lack of armor.

[Man_Over_Game]

It would feel like a waste getting mounted abilities.. But the rest of the things are kinda neat. If I do that I'd probably dip bard for unarmored defense
I already have art picked, but thanks.

Monk does interest me for the speed, lol. And lack of armor.

Monk does sound appealing, but keep in mind that Centaurs get +2 in Strength as is, they already have a means to make unarmed attacks with a 1d4 with a bonus action, and they already have more speed than everyone else. More speed can be cool, but without some means of using it, it's wasted. Some monk subtypes address this (Drunken Master, Open Palm), but you'll still end up with redundant abilities and a +2 stat that doesn't benefit you. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it's very clear to me that they wanted more Barbarian Centaurs than Monk.

[MagneticKitty]

Drunken monk, fit the classic Greek archetype best!

Aren't drunken fighting styles historically /acting/ like drunk to be unpredictable and under estimated, rather than actually being drunk?
It does have fun abilities tho!

[MagneticKitty]

Monk does sound appealing, but keep in mind that Centaurs get +2 in Strength as is, they already have a means to make unarmed attacks with a 1d4 with a bonus action, and they already have more speed than everyone else. More speed can be cool, but without some means of using it, it's wasted. Some monk subtypes address this (Drunken Master, Open Palm), but you'll still end up with redundant abilities and a +2 stat that doesn't benefit you. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it's very clear to me that they wanted more Barbarian Centaurs than Monk.

Their natural weapon is 1d6 . And is not a bonus action, its a standard attack
As for the strength I'm ok with it to better carry my rider and their stuff.

Because I'm carying stuff I wanted to pack light myself. Which is another reason to avoid heavy armor

[Man_Over_Game]

Their natural weapon is 1d6 . And is not a bonus action, its a standard attack
As for the strength I'm ok with it to better carry my rider and their stuff.

Because I'm carying stuff I wanted to pack light myself. Which is another reason to avoid heavy armor

I'm getting some conflicting information:

Centaur: Fey, Medium, 40ft movement, +2 Str, +1 Wis, Fey (Not 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, Medicine, Nature, or Survival.

Can someone double check and see which source is more accurate?

[MagneticKitty]

I'm getting some conflicting information:


Can someone double check and see which source is more accurate?

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/UA-Centaur.pdf&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiFnuDxluTeAhWxo4MKHV2XCQcQFjABegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw2n0FOWnDT3a5I39qaYQRYg

That's directly from wizard's ua 2018

Was there a newer release?

[Man_Over_Game]

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/UA-Centaur.pdf&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiFnuDxluTeAhWxo4MKHV2XCQcQFjABegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw2n0FOWnDT3a5I39qaYQRYg

That's directly from wizard's ua

Unearthed Arcana is a different version from the official Ravnica's version of the Centaur that's coming out.

Specifically, the UA version is the "Beta" version. The quote I posted is someone's prereleased information on the ("Final") Ravnica version, but I can't compare to see if it's 100% accurate or not.

[Sigreid]

Monk does sound appealing, but keep in mind that Centaurs get +2 in Strength as is, they already have a means to make unarmed attacks with a 1d4 with a bonus action, and they already have more speed than everyone else. More speed can be cool, but without some means of using it, it's wasted. Some monk subtypes address this (Drunken Master, Open Palm), but you'll still end up with redundant abilities and a +2 stat that doesn't benefit you. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it's very clear to me that they wanted more Barbarian Centaurs than Monk.

True on the stat, but when rolling I'm just as likely to use a racial bonus to cover a low roll as to strengthen a good one.

[MagneticKitty]

Unearthed Arcana is a different version from the official Ravnica's version of the Centaur that's coming out.

Specifically, the UA version is the "Beta" version. The quote I posted is someone's prereleased information on the ("Final") Ravnica version, but I can't compare to see if it's 100% accurate or not.

Even if your post is accurate it doesn't say they get to bonus action hooves? At least not reliably. Probably only happen once or twice per combat

Edit: is interesting they count as fey and not humanoid. So they loss one drawback as registering as monstrosities. They gained a few benefits bonus action hooves that don't need to cool down, choice of skill instead of locked to survival.

In exchange they lost their 1d6 and their crit from charging. Before they coukd do aby melee not just hooves from charge.. Distance required from charge went from 20 to 30 making it harder to use.. its kinda oretty useless now...

Overall a nerf if you ask me. But still usable I suppose

[Man_Over_Game]

True on the stat, but when rolling I'm just as likely to use a racial bonus to cover a low roll as to strengthen a good one.

The main reason someone would probably do that is to strengthen a bad saving throw or to improve skills, but neither are the case with Strength. It might make sense flavor-wise, but even in RP, I don't see how an 8 STR to 10 is going to make an impact.


Even if your post is accurate it doesn't say they get to bonus action hooves? At least not reliably. Probably only happen once or twice per combat

That's fair, but the same is also true of 50 movement without Mobile. And if you DO have Mobile/Disengage/Drunken Master, then the mobility is relevant, but also the Hooves part does come into play and competes for the Monk's Unarmed Strike.

So either excessive mobility as a whole is useless, since you don't want to provoke unnecessary Attacks of Opportunity, or mobility is useful, but your Hooves and Unarmed Attacks are both applicable and are redundant (being a waste to have both).

----------------------------------

Or, you could go Barbarian/Paladinbn with Mobile attacking and get a Monk's Unarmed Strike for free as you move around with high mobility.

I'm really not sure why, but they REALLY didn't want Centaurs to be Monks. If they did, they'd just say "Your Unarmed Attacks add +2 bonus to their damage", or allow you to pick between Strength or Constitution for your primary stat. Instead, the only thing Monk Centaurs get is 10 speed, which is a lot less than what every other melee class gets (compare to Wood Elf).

[MagneticKitty]

I'm really not sure why, but they REALLY didn't want Centaurs to be Monks. If they did, they'd just say "Your Unarmed Attacks add your proficiency bonus to their damage", or allow you to pick between Strength or Constitution for your primary stat. Instead, the only thing Monk Centaurs get is 10 speed, which is a lot less than what every other melee class gets (compare to Wood Elf).

Yeah, kinda sucks.. i might see if my dm will let me use the ua one. They might not want to mess with creature type is fey anyway.

Also that posted stat block doesn't mention them as moints. Can they no longer be mounted?
They removed the best part? The part that makes them unique to play...

[Waterdeep Merch]

Yeah, kinda sucks.. i might see if my dm will let me use the ua one. They might not want to mess with creature type is fey anyway.

Also that posted stat block doesn't mention them as moints. Can they no longer be mounted?
They removed the best part? The part that makes them unique to play...
Not without DM intervention, sadly, but I'd personally allow it to work. At least for medium riders.

If you go with a small-sized rider (like a Lightfoot Halfling Dex-based Paladin!) then you're still legit by the rules.

[MagneticKitty]

Not without DM intervention, sadly, but I'd personally allow it to work. At least for medium riders.

If you go with a small-sized rider (like a Lightfoot Halfling Dex-based Paladin!) then you're still legit by the rules.

Well.. I don't know that he'll want to small race. Might have to give up on the dream. Oh well.

[R.Shackleford]

Personally I want a centaur that is a rogue, possibly thief, but probably an inquisitive or mastermind.

You get a lot of goodies that don't rely on ability scores (you get a lot of expertise).

Strogue is the way to go.

Though, I prefer the mighty Mantaur to the Centaur.

https://i.imgur.com/fAXFXq3.jpg

[JellyPooga]

Personally I want a centaur that is a rogue, possibly thief, but probably an inquisitive or mastermind.

I'll second this. Although you have another Rogue in the party, you can never have enough Rogue.

Secondly, with Cunning Action, a mount (as you plan on being) with bonus action Dash or Disengage is super handy.

Third, with a rider on board you'll always have a buddy to trigger Sneak Attack; letting you really play up the "massive impact charge" aspect.

Fourth, Strength Rogues are totally a thing.

Fifth, no heavy armour.

Sixth, Rogues can easily mix it up on the front line and even if things start looking hairy, they have the tools to get out of Dodge safely.

Seventh, Rogues are awsome :smallwink:

[Man_Over_Game]

There are a lot of concerns going against Rogues, though. More than what they get.

The Hooves attack they get can't use Sneak Attack, as it's not a weapon with Finesse
They can't climb, not without a massive penalty.
No stat buffs to a commonly relevant stat for Rogues
The Fey typing means they're restricted by specific magics, like Hallow or Magic Circle, keeping them out or trapping them entirely.

Rogues are cool, but the Centaur does nothing great for them. The deficits could be noted as being worse than the benefits (which is +10 speed).

I mean, at least Monks can do a super jump and eventually run on walls. Rogues seem to actively get hindered by being a Centaur. A Thief might work around it, but narratively, that's really hard to justify. Please tell me how a Centaur climbs a 5 story building as well as a Tabaxi Thief. Just...think about that image for a second, and please tell me how that's supposed to happen.

[Damon_Tor]

The speed makes them ideal for a hit and run build, probably a polearm fighter or barbarian.

[JellyPooga]

There are a lot of concerns going against Rogues, though. More than what they get.

The Hooves attack they get can't use Sneak Attack, as it's not a weapon with Finesse
They can't climb, not without a massive penalty.
No stat buffs to a commonly relevant stat for Rogues
The Fey typing means they're restricted by specific magics, like Hallow or Magic Circle, keeping them out or trapping them entirely.

Rogues are cool, but the Centaur does nothing great for them. The deficits could be noted as being worse than the benefits (which is +10 speed).

I mean, at least Monks can do a super jump and eventually run on walls. Rogues seem to actively get hindered by being a Centaur. A Thief might work around it, but narratively, that's really hard to justify. Please tell me how a Centaur climbs a 5 story building as well as a Tabaxi Thief. Just...think about that image for a second, and please tell me how that's supposed to happen.

Why is climbing such an important feature of being a Rogue? There's no reason Rogues have to be second-story men or burglars any more than they have to be an assassin, a pirate, a scoundrel, criminal, thief or any other stereotype. The Rogue class features can just as easily build a woodland scout, a ranger, a fencing master or any other character you care to imagine that fits their features. The only Rogue feature that directly has anything to do with climbing is the Thief Subclass.

As I mentioned, Strength Rogues are definitely a thing; Expertise in Athletics and good Strength makes them excellent non-magical battlefield controllers under the right conditions. Especially Thief Rogues, who can manipulate the battlefield as a bonus action using Fast Hands.

Hooves not being finesse is no bad thing. A Rapier does more damage, or a shortsword does equal damage; just use those instead of your natural attack. The Hooves gives them an additional attack on the charge, if they don't have a use for Cunning Action that turn; the additional option of making an extra attack is not a bad thing, but rather an alternative option. That's a good thing for a Class that doesn't otherwise usually get an extra attack.

Fey type hinders Rogues no more or less than it does anyone else.

+10 ft movement for a Rogue is a much greater bonus than it is more most other classes because of Cunning Action. For any Fighter or Ranger, +10ft movement is just that. For a Rogue, on the other hand, it's +20ft when you need it to be. As a bonus action. In close quarters, that may not mean much, but the difference between 40ft movement for non-Rogues or 80ft movement and still having your Action for the turn as a Rogue is huuuuuuge in open environments. There's a reason the Mobility feat is so insanely awesome for Rogues and it's partly because of that +10ft move speed. Rogues like extra speed. A lot.

[Wildarm]

Rogue Centaur is indeed cool.

I'd say another fun option is a Hunter Ranger Centaur. Pickup GWM at Level 4. Wield a Greatsword. Charge + Zephyr strike + Horde Breaker and just go stompy town!

Charge(up to 70' without provoking AoOs) + Zephyr Strike + GWM = Advantage on the Attack and 4d6 + 10 + STR damage. If you hit and kill, you can make 2 more attacks against an adjacent creature. Just keep running through to the other side of the melee.

Another Option:

Beast Conclave Revised Ranger 5 - Ape Companion rides your back all the time raining blows down on opponents as you stomp all over things. Ape is medium sized though so you'd need DMs permission to do this(Summon a small Ape perhaps)

[Tectorman]

Fey type hinders Rogues no more or less than it does anyone else.

It's not that Fey Rogues are disproportionately hindered compared to Fey "Other-Class"s, it's that Fey "Anythings" are disproportionately hindered compared to Humanoid "Anythings". As in, it's not a wash. It's not just an even trade of some advantages and disadvantages for different-but-even advantages and disadvantages.

Why? Because the game is written under the assumption that all player-characters are Humanoid. Ergo, anything and everything that pays attention to Humanoid as a creature type is and must be easily mitigable. Any such spell entry either has a save or several saves or something else that the player can do in order to avoid the result of "You needn't have bothered to show up for the game today". For example, Charm Person gives you a save. It can also be defeated by the Monk's Stillness of Mind or having a Staff of Charming or other effects that specifically defeat being charmed, even before we get to the all-purpose effects like Dispel Magic or Counterspell, but before we even have to resort to scouring the books for anti-Charm Person effects, there's one in the spell itself.

On the other hand, there is nothing in the game like Hallow, but against Humanoids. Because that would be a game-ender. It's why NPC Eladrin are Fey and PC Eladrin are Humanoid, despite both having the same heritage and alien mindset. It doesn't matter what a Fey Centaur is immune to thanks to not being Humanoid when the flipside is Humanoids not being completely shut down by their disadvantages the way a Fey Centaur is his*. Even Drow in sunlight and climbing Centaurs only get penalties rather than not being able to progress further.

*In fairness, Dispel Magic et al means that the likes of Hallow aren't actually game-enders, either. But when an adventure having an enemy encampment protected by Hallow that the PCs HAVE to get to requires more DM intervention than the fact that the encampment has stairs and ladders, then something is messed up.

[JellyPooga]

It's not that Fey Rogues are disproportionately hindered compared to Fey "Other-Class"s, it's that Fey "Anythings" are disproportionately hindered compared to Humanoid "Anythings".

That was kind of my point. My post was in response to Man_over-Game pointing out being Fey as a reason not to go Rogue, when whether you're a Rogue or not makes no odds; it'll be the same advantages and disadvantages either way.

[Man_Over_Game]

That was kind of my point. My post was in response to Man_over-Game pointing out being Fey as a reason not to go Rogue, when whether you're a Rogue or not makes no odds; it'll be the same advantages and disadvantages either way.

I guess I meant that Rogues are (slightly) impacted, more so than other characters.
More than anyone, Rogues get into places where they don't belong.
More than anyone, Rogues are designed to escape from precarious situations.
More than anyone, they're supposed to be able to adapt to problems.

With being a Fey, a Rogue is slightly more impaired than, say, an Abjuration Wizard, who'd be able to Counterspell or Dispel any kind of effects that revolve around Fey. Melee types aren't the kind to go snooping around or attempt something clever, so they won't care either way.

If it comes down to casters, warriors, or sneaks, sneaks are the kind to be the most impacted by the change.

------

That, combined with the lack of climbing, and I just don't see much benefit (other than just wanting a Centaur Rogue).

It's not much different than being a Half-Orc Rogue, but at least the Half-Orc's features are relevant.

Consider that for a second. People create Half-Orc Rogues for humor, and there's more synergy there than with a Centaur.

[JellyPooga]

If it comes down to casters, warriors, or sneaks, sneaks are the kind to be the most impacted by the change.

Again, I'll point out that while a Rogue has the option of being a superlative "sneak", they don't have to be, any more than a Fighter or Wizard might choose to take Stealth proficiency through their Background. Sure, I grant that some other Classes (like Wizard) might be able to deal with magical effects better, but that doesn't make being Fey significantly worse for Rogues compared to other Classes. Don't make the mistake of seeing the Class title as who the character is; Alignment and Background are a far better indication of a characters non-combat role in this case. A LE Criminal Fighter is much more likely to be found trespassing or committing larceny of any stripe than, say, a LG Folk Hero Rogue. The latter might not even be proficient in Stealth.


Consider that for a second. People create Half-Orc Rogues for humor, and there's more synergy there than with a Centaur.

Some go for the comedy. Others create Half-Orc Rogues because Half-Orcs have some great features for a brute-style Rogue. Hell, I'm currently playing a Half-Orc Wizard; not for laughs, but because Half-Orc features mitigate some of the weaknesses of being a Wizard on the front line.

[Man_Over_Game]

Again, I'll point out that while a Rogue has the option of being a superlative "sneak", they don't have to be, any more than a Fighter or Wizard might choose to take Stealth proficiency through their Background. Sure, I grant that some other Classes (like Wizard) might be able to deal with magical effects better, but that doesn't make being Fey significantly worse for Rogues compared to other Classes. Don't make the mistake of seeing the Class title as who the character is; Alignment and Background are a far better indication of a characters non-combat role in this case. A LE Criminal Fighter is much more likely to be found trespassing or committing larceny of any stripe than, say, a LG Folk Hero Rogue. The latter might not even be proficient in Stealth.

I get it, you can be whatever you want in 5E with how the system is set up. But most people don't play Fighters and think of Stealth. They occasionally pick Rangers, but almost everyone instinctively picks Rogue for playing that kind of character. It allows you to Hide more efficiently, it has mechanics that work off of hiding (Sneak Attack), grants you the skill and Expertise if you want it, too.

But my main point is, during the moments when your Fey typing is relevant, who's it going to impact the most for most people?

It might not be a big enough deal to deter you from playing a Rogue Centaur, even after including the lack of use for the Hooves attack, and that's fine. But if we take out opinions, just look at the mechanics and what the most likely scenarios are, Rogues and Monks benefit from being Centaurs the least compared to most other non-caster classes.

-----------

I think I might try my hand with a Mobile Ancestral Guardian Centaur, though. The spirits being my forest friends. Attack Recklessly with 2-3 hits, run away, force enemy to follow me but stay just out of reach of most of their attacks. Repeat every turn for consistent damage and damage reduction. Could be fun, like playing a Drunken Master with more damage and no resources.

Or maybe a Conquest Paladin, diving in headfirst to cripple enemies before they can approach your team.

[JellyPooga]

...but almost everyone instinctively picks Rogue for playing that kind of character. It allows you to Hide more efficiently, it has mechanics that work off of hiding (Sneak Attack), grants you the skill and Expertise if you want it, too.

As I pointed out when I first recommended Rogue in this thread; those very same mechanics are what recommend Rogue to the OP;

- Cunning Action is great for mobility more than it is for hiding.
- Sneak Attack works when you have an adjacent ally; as a character that's being mounted by an ally Sneak Attack will always be "on".
- Expertise is great for Athletics, as is having a racial bonus to Strength. Athletics is great for shoving (prone or aside) and grapples (aka: standing on your foe while your rider wails on them).

[strangebloke]

TBH they look like a shoe-in for any melee martial class, but particularly the barbarian.

Barbarian is already fast, but a centaur barbarian is faster.
Silly synergy if you make a Centaur Bearbarian. Lift all the things.
+2 Strength is great, +1 Wis won't go to waste.
No real reason to take PAM for the bonus attack, since you already sorta can do that with your hooves. I mean, granted, you can't get the -5/+10 to it, but you're still dealing 1d4+5+3=13.5. At low levels you'll feel like a god.
Survivor gives you more skills, which helps round you out a bit and provides some much needed out of combat utility.


The only thing that could make it a bit better is if the +1 was to CON, but then the whole race would just be silly good. I actually am not sure how good the centaur does as a monk, given that the monk already has the ability to make 1d4 unarmed strikes as a bonus action. The only reason to do this is if you're doing something really weird like a STR-monk, and in that case... don't use a centaur. Use a tortle with tavern brawler. Much more efficient.

Fighters are solid as usual. Basically can't go wrong with a race that gives a bonus to strength. Added mobility helps you get into range.

Rogues are ok as STRogues, but this is nothing special here. The only real upside I can think of is that you can do a kinda cool charger build if you pick up the charger feat, but even then its only really a marginal level of synergy there. You'd be better off as a human with an offhanded dagger.

Paladins are solid, although they typically want a CHA bonus, and they don't really need charge to improve their bonus action options.

Ranger is surprisingly good! If you want to go with a STRanger, anyway. Very cool and thematic.

I guess that they're perfectly serviceable clerics, and slightly worse druids. No real direct synergy except for the heightened speed.

Terrible warlocks/sorcerers/wizards/bards, as expected.

[MagneticKitty]

I actually am not sure how good the centaur does as a monk, given that the monk already has the ability to make 1d4 unarmed strikes as a bonus action. The only reason to do this is if you're doing something really weird like a STR-monk, and in that case... don't use a centaur. Use a tortle with tavern brawler. Much more efficient.


Why ever tavern brawler a monk? They have unarmed. Why ever tavern brawler a tortle? They have claws

[Man_Over_Game]

Why ever tavern brawler a monk? They have unarmed. Why ever tavern brawler a tortle? They have claws

Some people add the house rule that stacking unarmed strikes increases the die size. My guess is that they are using those rules.

In other words, Tortle (1d4) + Tavern Brawler (1d4) = 1d6 unarmed strikes. A level into Monk increases that to 1d8.

If I were to offer that, I'd make Tavern Brawler no longer a half feat (so it no longer gives an attribute).

[BarneyBent]

STRogue would work well with Sentinel and a rider with mounted combatant. Rider forces enemies to attack them, hit them with a sneak attack on reaction in addition to your normal sneak attacks.

Basically if you’re in melee you get two sneak attacks per round, every round (subject to hitting of course).

Have your rider be a Wolf-totem Barbarian for constant advantage on those attacks for extra power.

And if your DM doesn’t let mounted combatant work on a rider riding an uncontrolled mount, then just make him a Cavalier or Battlemaster (Goading attack), something that will give opponents a really difficult time deciding whether to attack you or your rider.

Note this strategy also potentially works with Moon Druids.