Centaur PC=mounted PC. Is this unbalanced?

[Pielorinho]

A player in my campaign has created a centaur PC, and I've given him the option of taking feats and abilities as if he is a PC riding a horse. In other words, he may charge using his lance and do double damage; he may take the ride-by attack feat in order to move after his charge; and so forth. He took Mounted Combat in order to gain some minor advantage; I think I said that it would allow him to carry another PC without suffering attack penalties in the process.

His next feat, however, is going to be Spirited Charge, and now I'm worried: with his str of 18, he's going to be dealing 3d8+18 points of damage whenever he gets a chance to charge someone. 31 points of damage per round for a fourth-level character seems a bit extreme. And when he gets a critical, that's going to go up to 5d8+30 points, or 51 points damage.

Am I needlessly worried? Should I expect to see everything balance out? Or did I screw up by allowing him to use mounted feats like this?

Daniel

 

[glass]

Am I needlessly worried? Should I expect to see everything balance out? Or did I screw up by allowing him to use mounted feats like this?

I don't you think you screwed up. Doesn't the centaur description say he can take feats like that anyway?

In any case, a mounted human fighter with a same feats would have the same opportunities, and would have a higher bab and more feats to compensate for his lower Str.


glass.

 

[glass]

His next feat, however, is going to be Spirited Charge, and now I'm worried: with his str of 18, he's going to be dealing 3d8+18 points of damage whenever he gets a chance to charge someone. 31 points of damage per round for a fourth-level character seems a bit extreme.

I don't you think you screwed up.

Actually, I take it back, you may have done. I missed that part about his being fourth level. I don't have my books in front of me, but I don't think he should be playing a centaur for several levels yet.


glass.

 

[Pielorinho]

Thanks, glass! Actually, he's doing the Savage Species thing, and will be taking 6 levels of centaur before he starts taking any class levels; right now he's only on his third level of centaur (and therefore doesn't have spirited charge yet).

The SRD doesn't mention letting centaurs take spirited charge etc; do you remember where you saw a reference to them being able to do so?

I appreciate the feedback!
Daniel

 

[glass]

Thanks, glass! Actually, he's doing the Savage Species thing, and will be taking 6 levels of centaur before he starts taking any class levels; right now he's only on his third level of centaur (and therefore doesn't have spirited charge yet).

Ah, I see.

The SRD doesn't mention letting centaurs take spirited charge etc; do you remember where you saw a reference to them being able to do so?

I may have made it up. I have definately seen it somewhere for wemics, and I might have just assumed that it applied to centaurs too.


glass.

 

[Sertimon]

The SRD doesn't mention letting centaurs take spirited charge etc; do you remember where you saw a reference to them being able to do so?

Hi! There is a reference in Savage Species on page 109 that states that "even centaur characters benefit" from feats such as Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery etc. At least that's how I interpret the text.

Hope that helps!

 

[Pielorinho]

Somebody in the rules forum (where I have a related thread) said that in Races of Faerun there's mention made of this. I don't have this book, but maybe that's where you saw it?

edit: or what the previous poster just said--thanks for the reference!
Daniel

 

[Thanee]

RoF lists only Spirited Charge and Trample (centaurs can learn them, ignore the prerequistes, and apply them to their own melee attacks), however, the other mounted feats are not mentioned there and therefore probably cannot be used.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

Hi! There is a reference in Savage Species on page 109 that states that "even centaur characters benefit" from feats such as Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery etc. At least that's how I interpret the text.

*cough*

It reads, "even centaur characters benefit from the LATER feats", which IMHO also points to Spirited Charge and Trample (which are last in the chain).

Mounted Combat and Ride-by-Attack (use Spring Attack instead) should not work for them.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

Page 123 of the PHB (bottom left) covers armor, they use the nonhumanoid costs.
Armor is called (and donned like) barding for them.

They can use items specifically made for horses, like magical horseshoes, or they can wear boots (only one pair, tho, either front or rear pair of hooves, the boots fit themselves to the hooves, but look strange (it actually says so in RoF )).

Bye
Thanee