D&D 5E [RANT] Why are centaurs not humanoids / unplayable?

[Caliban]

Thus, a centaur is a quadruped. Quadrupeds are not humanoid. Merfolk are the subterranean version of bipedal, or as near as.

I think you mean "aquatic". "Captain Pedantic away!"

 

[Ancalagon]

Hello

I have insight about this, because waaaay back in the day - 2nd ed days folks! - a friend of mine played a centaur. There were two main issues:

1: as alluded to above, a centaur is bloody inconvenient when you want to go inside, underground etc. Their great weight is also a challenge

2: A centaur is *really powerful*. They are strong, tend to be good archers, have natural weapons (hooves) and high speed. So the centaur would either stay at range with his ballista-like bow, or close in and lash out with his hooves and great-sword (or somesuch, it's been a while!) inflicting great damage.

If both these issues can be overcome, they could be usable in play.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

I think you mean "aquatic". "Captain Pedantic away!"

Damnit I meant submarine.

I hate when you make an exit and then have to creep back in to pick up your coat.

Cheers.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

If it was about the number of legs, Giant Slugs would be humanoids as well...
The fact that they are not humanoid does indeed make them unplayable - Magic Jar, Reincarnate are out of question, Hold Person doesn't work on them etc.
Also imagine a merfolk doing climbing and navigating subterranean terrains, please do.

That doesn't make them unplayable in practice. I had a whole party of PCs at my table who almost got turned into abominations instead of humanoids after experimenting with a xixchil machine (e.g. extra limbs, insect chitin, etc.). The players thought that was cool but it didn't have that much impact on the campaign. In fact, I don't think it wound up affecting a single combat.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Hello

I have insight about this, because waaaay back in the day - 2nd ed days folks! - a friend of mine played a centaur. There were two main issues:

1: as alluded to above, a centaur is bloody inconvenient when you want to go inside, underground etc. Their great weight is also a challenge

2: A centaur is *really powerful*. They are strong, tend to be good archers, have natural weapons (hooves) and high speed. So the centaur would either stay at range with his ballista-like bow, or close in and lash out with his hooves and great-sword (or somesuch, it's been a while!) inflicting great damage.

If both these issues can be overcome, they could be usable in play.

#2 isn't really a centaur-specific issue in 5E, since you can achieve the exact same thing as a variant human with the Mobile feat and high Dex. Yes it is a good tactic to have available.

 

[ProphetSword]

According to the dictionary, Humanoid in noun form means:
a being resembling a human in its shape.

Centaurs don't qualify due to their shape, having an appearance that is more like a horse. An Orc, a Minotaur or even a Mermaid are representative of the human shape, albeit altered. That is why Centaurs are not humanoids.

 

[Kobold Stew]

A fun exercise is to consider the placement of internal organs for a centaur: are the lungs in the human chest, or the horse chest, or both? The stomach? I think there was a Dragon article back in the 80s that suggested the human body had oversize lungs and a huge esophagus... In any case, the biological set-up, however you imagine it, is fundamentally different than the common structure shared by humanoids.

 

[ccs]

Wether or not a Centaur is humanoid has nothing to do with wether it's playable.... Way back in 1e, in the rogues gallery book, there was an npc character presented that had been reincarnated as a centaur. It was a character played by TSR staff/friends. If they could manage it in 1e I'm sure you could here in 5th.

 

[Fanaelialae]

If it was about the number of legs, Giant Slugs would be humanoids as well...
The fact that they are not humanoid does indeed make them unplayable - Magic Jar, Reincarnate are out of question, Hold Person doesn't work on them etc.
Also imagine a merfolk doing climbing and navigating subterranean terrains, please do.

The reason is probably as simple as the fact that they are large size (AFAIK, since at least 3rd edition humanoids have always been medium size or smaller).

Its certainly possible to play a centaur if the DM allows them as a playable race. Some beneficial spells won't affect them (Reincarnate) but the same can be said of some harmful spells (like Hold Person). So it is roughly a wash. Of greater concern, as has been noted, is that centaurs will have difficulty doing some things that are par for course for normal player races (such as climbing a ladder). In those instances, you either need to suspend disbelief (give the centaur disadvantage to climb and handwave the implausibility of a horse climbing a rope ladder) or accept that there will be things the centaur is left out of due to its inhuman form, which the player might not enjoy. Similarly, they cannot wear magical boots, though I suppose magical horseshoes might suffice as a substitute. FWIW, I'd estimate that the MM Centaur is somewhere between an ECL of 4 or 5.

I would point out that AFAIK merfolk aren't a playable race either. Outside of an aquatic campaign, they would be be even more limited than centaurs in many circumstances.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Wether or not a Centaur is humanoid has nothing to do with wether it's playable.... Way back in 1e, in the rogues gallery book, there was an npc character presented that had been reincarnated as a centaur. It was a character played by TSR staff/friends. If they could manage it in 1e I'm sure you could here in 5th.

Yes, the centaur was a possible outcome for reincarnation (17-19) in both 1e and 2e. I believe The Complete Book of Humanoids (2e) and Savage Species (3e) also had rules for playable centaurs, although there were warnings about the disadvantages of doing so.