Pegataur

A pegataur is a winged centaur whose upper half resembles a high elf, usually with flowing hair of silver or blond. The horse half is sturdy and comes in black, brown, gray or white, and the wings are covered in soft but strong feathers, normally white. Their languages are elvish, Common, and a tongue of their own, a dialect close to elvish but distinct enough to count as separate, and they can communicate with pegasi.

Pegataurs take up arms in defense of themselves and their land, or because an employer told them to, and though they dislike it, they sometimes bear human or demihuman riders into battle. A group that surprises foes in the open prefers a swooping dive with light lances, gaining +2 to hit and double damage while taking a +1 Armor Class penalty. Because they only dive at surprised enemies, the targets get no usual initiative bonus against the charge. This softening-up dive is normally made once at the start of a fight and wrecks the lances 60% of the time. Each round a pegataur may both wield a weapon and kick with both front hooves, 1d6 each.

Typical adults know the long bow, the light lance, the horseman's mace and the two-handed sword. The usual 5-HD pegataur has a 20% chance to be specialized in one of these, rising 10% for each Hit Die beyond 5. About a third of 5-HD pegataurs double as wizards of 5th level, but these never specialize in a weapon. Single-class wizards may be specialists, though rarely, and never necromancers. A few reach higher levels as fighters, priests or wizards, but none beyond 14th.

Most fly unarmored. A group has a 30% chance of wearing armor: roll for type, with half wearing chain mail, a quarter leather, 10% each elven chain or splint, and 5% plate. Armor of AC 7 or worse only improves their AC by 1, so leather gives AC 6. Just 10% carry shields, which improve AC by 1 for the humanoid half only. Each Hit Die gives a leader a 5% chance of wearing magical armor. Armor or a rider worsens their maneuverability in flight to class D, and a rider is free to fight.

Every pegataur sees 60 feet with infravision and, as half-elves do, resists sleep and charm spells 30% of the time.

Tribes carve homes called rehir into high mountainsides. These are not dark burrows but airy halls beneath high vaults, their walls richly carved, lit at night by seams of glowing crystal. A tribe has 2d10+10 adults led by an 8-HD male, along with 3d6 pegasi and 1d10+5 foals too young to fight.

In any group, every fifth pegataur has 6 HD, one per ten has 7 HD, and one per twenty has 8 HD with a 50% chance of being a 5th-level mage or cleric. A party of five or fewer has a 40% chance of 1d10 pegasi along. Like elves they keep their distance, especially from those who cannot fly, but their good nature makes them easier to approach than they seem. Given good pay and courtesy, they will work as troops, bodyguards or specialists, but never for evil masters.

Pegataurs sometimes work alongside phanatons and druids to keep a region's natural balance, and they train pegasi as mounts for ground-bound folk.