D&D 5E What is the appeal of the weird fantasy races?

[Minigiant]

Kobolds do. You just have to imagine that all the thugs are very tall kobolds with some sort of sunglasses.

 

[Maxperson]

Apologies, I meant to use the more general meaning for Fighting Style, not the fighter class ability. I'd still argue that the Centaur enemy has access to a special "Centaur Warrior" class which the players do not have access to. Maybe it increases strength with training, et cetera. I see no issue here.

I don't agree with that, but I see where you are coming from now.

 

[Maxperson]

Look, on the hill, two humans. Andre the Giant and Peter Dinklage. Clearly the same so no need to worry about different rules in my game world.

The latter isn't possible by the current rules. The DM would have to house rule a size small human. OR, it's a medium human and a halfling on that hill.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Do their human/horse interface parts bend 90 degrees so they look more like a scorpion while scaling?

Yeah, clearly.

I’m serious, clearly yes. Find any art of a centaur that is rearing up on hind legs, and the top half of the centaur will still be basically vertical, no matter how far reared up the hindquarters are.

So, I don’t see any way to view them as not being able to lean their humanoid torso pretty easily and comfortable forward.

Beyond that, they don’t have special tools for picking things up off the ground, dealing with their own hooves, etc. so, they probably can touch their hand to the ground by bending down.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

The latter isn't possible by the current rules. The DM would have to house rule a size small human. OR, it's a medium human and a halfling on that hill.

Incorrect. A DM can create any monster/NPC they like per the "Creating a Monster" rules in the DMG (p 273). Yes, including a small human monster/NPC.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Yeah, clearly.

I’m serious, clearly yes. Find any art of a centaur that is rearing up on hind legs, and the top half of the centaur will still be basically vertical, no matter how far reared up the hindquarters are.

So, I don’t see any way to view them as not being able to lean their humanoid torso pretty easily and comfortable forward.

Beyond that, they don’t have special tools for picking things up off the ground, dealing with their own hooves, etc. so, they probably can touch their hand to the ground by bending down.

It also the same part that would otherwise hold a horse's head up. And horses regularly lower their heads to graze.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Incorrect. A DM can create any monster/NPC they like per the "Creating a Monster" rules in the DMG (p 273). Yes, including a small human monster/NPC.

I mean, if nothing else, I would expect that human children would not typically be treated as medium-sized creatures.

 

[Maxperson]

I mean, if nothing else, I would expect that human children would not typically be treated as medium-sized creatures.

Yeah, but they would obviously be children. Just like a dwarf human would also obviously be human. And I'm not saying that there cannot be individual exceptions, but having two entirely different races like the Ravnica Centaur and MM Centaur would get confusing.

 

[Maxperson]

It also the same part that would otherwise hold a horse's head up. And horses regularly lower their heads to graze.

Yeah. Add me to the list of those who think a centaur's torso is flexible enough to allow items to be picked up off the ground.

 

[Gammadoodler]

I mean, if nothing else, I would expect that human children would not typically be treated as medium-sized creatures.

Also, rather generically as it relates to the how much a centaur weighs and what that means for climbing from a rules perspective, I don't think body weight is typically included in any of the calculations for carrying capacity. Like I think a 450lb goliath and a 300lb goliath with the same relevant modifiers can lift the same amount.