Desert Centaur

These centaurs are the perfect marriage of nomad warrior and mount: lean, tough, quick, and stealthy. They are smaller than their forest cousins, with deep, barrel chests like a pony's and long, slender antelope legs. Males grow long beards that they curl and oil with great care, while females go veiled but otherwise pay little attention to looks. On the move they carry their belongings in packs or haul them on litters.

Every desert centaur is armed, half bearing light lances and the other half scimitars plus short composite bows. Up close each attacks three times a round: two hooves for 1-4 each and one weapon.

They are cautious and favor range. A favorite trick is to dash out of hiding, loose arrows, and vanish into the dunes, then return later to do it again, sometimes for hours or days until prey or enemy is worn down. The end comes with a storm of arrows followed by a full lance charge.

Their superb night vision lets them see clearly 200 yards by moonlight, and in darkness they suffer only -1 to attack, even with missiles.

They are nocturnal by necessity: big bodies and fast movement make them prone to overheating and sunstroke under heavy loads in the daytime heat. Like forest centaurs they are reclusive but fiercely defend their land, and a tribe's range can cover hundreds of miles. They regard keeping domestic animals as a crime and happily steal any cattle, goats, or camels they find, then usually slaughter and eat the 'freed' beasts at once, seeing no irony in it.

Each tribe's priestess is its waterfinder and oracle, holding the abilities of a desert soothsayer of 3rd to 5th level. She judges all disputes within the tribe and handles diplomacy with other desert peoples, often speaking several languages, such as the giants' trade tongue, the speech of local humans, and sometimes the tongues of nearby desert monsters.

Raids and hunts are led by veteran trackers with 4 HD who track as rangers and decide where the tribe wanders and strikes. Some centaurs hire on as caravan scouts or guards. A few have reportedly settled and irrigated land around oases to grow lush gardens; caravaneers swear this is true, but nobody can say where, since the farmers either swear finders to secrecy or deal with them less kindly.

Desert centaurs are polygamous, with as many as four mates for males and females alike; households gather around either a strong male or a female of influence. Except for the priestess, the 3 HD females and 1-3 HD young fight only if directly threatened, kicking for 1-4/1-4.

Tribes are always searching for new hunting grounds, new water, and new sources of bow wood and fletching. They respect human and giant desert tribes, making peace or raiding as suits them. They fear and avoid genies and visit towns only rarely, to buy goods they cannot produce themselves.