Centaur (monster)

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

This page is about the centaur monster. For the removed player race, see Centaur. For a list of all monstrous centaurs, see list of centaurs.

centaur c
HP	14-30
HD	4
XP	112
Speed	15
AC	3
EV	7
Will	20
Attack1	7 (hit: plain)
Attack2	3 (kick: plain)
Resistances	None
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Human
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Natural
Size	Large
Type	centaur, centaur
Flags	Archer Speaks Warm-blooded

A hybrid with the torso of a human atop the body of a large horse, centaurs are famous for their skills in archery. “When Peleus, some distance away, saw him torn apart by the frightful wound he shouted: ‘Accept this tribute to the dead, at least, Crantor, dearest of youths’, and with his powerful arm, he hurled his ash spear, at full strength, at Demoleon. It ruptured the ribcage, and stuck quivering in the bone. The centaur pulled out the shaft minus its head (he tried with difficulty to reach that also) but the head was caught in his lung. The pain itself strengthened his will: wounded, he reared up at his enemy and beat the hero down with his hooves. Peleus received the resounding blows on helmet and shield, and defending his upper arms, and controlling the weapon he held out, with one blow through the arm he pierced the bi-formed breast.” -Ovid, _Metamorphoses_, XII, 330. 8 AD.

Useful Info

Centaurs are the bane of low-level, lightly armoured characters. Swift enemies with shortbows, they can fire arrows while chasing you down. They can be found in the Dungeon (alone early; in packs later) and in themed vaults within the Lair and Shoals. The earliest you can find an out-of-depth centaur is D:3.

As an enemy with the archer flag, centaurs deal up to 7 extra damage with ranged weapons.

Tips & Tricks

• Centaurs are fast - only Spriggans can naturally outrun one, so retreating beyond a few tiles is usually out of the question. Don't be afraid to burn potions, scrolls, or other consumables against an early centaur.
• Knowing monster AI is important against centaurs:
  • Centaurs will unwield their bows when the player is in melee range, dealing significantly less damage. Even casters may want to hide around corners and enter melee with them.
    • Note that having a summon in melee won't stop the centaur from firing at you.
  • Charging in may not be the wisest idea, but remember that monsters can't attack from outside the player's line of sight. Ducking behind corners, using a scroll of fog, or closing a door can force the centaur to approach you. In a pinch, a potion of attraction can pull monsters towards you.
  • Centaurs won't attack you if other hostile monsters are in the way.
• Centaurs have low willpower/HD, so all sorts of Hexes and status effects are effective. Successful use of Tukima's Dance will render them mostly helpless. A wand of paralysis will disable them, while a wand of polymorph will usually make them drop the bow. Mephitic Cloud inflicts confusion, making it very unlikely for a centaur to actually hit you.
• Be careful when repositioning; if you leave melee range, they'll pull out their bows and resume firing.
• Your allies can tank the arrows for you. But since your allies might dodge (letting the arrow continue its path), this isn't 100% reliable.
• Centaurs can pick up items on the ground (if you haven't seen it yet). A centaur with a great sword is just as dangerous in melee as in range. A D:3 centaur with a wand of acid or quicksilver is a nightmare opponent, able to kill you with little counterplay.

History

• Prior to 0.27, centaurs dealt 10 base damage with their weapon (before the archer flag), but did not have a melee kick attack. This change was to compensate for the hidden weapon penalties removed in this version. Also, centaurs could rarely be found on D:2.

In addition, monsters were limited by arrow supply, so you could run them out of arrows by stair dancing.