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Old 10-30-2017, 11:02 PM   #21
Dalillama
 
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post

If our human has a choice of weapons (melee weapons, not guns or bows or ranged weapons of any sort), what is his best bet? The centaur is obviously stronger, taller, and has more reach. It probably has more hit points. OTOH, the horse body would be hard to armor.

I'm trying to work out in my mind what such a battle would look like...
The human should not engage in this type of fight with a centaur. Failing that, the human should bring several friends with polearms.

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Originally Posted by Kalzazz View Post
How is the center equipped?
I'm picturing spear and shield, something like this

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Originally Posted by talonthehand View Post
Weren't centaurs classically archers? I may be imposing this from fantasy books though.

Archers who can move at horse-speeds are really really hard to beat. As evidenced by the Mongols.
Yes. I've heard the theory that Scythian horse-archers form the basis for early centaur myths.
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Old 10-30-2017, 11:32 PM   #22
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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Horses can learn pirouettes, and they did as part of war training

I'm not sure I'd give centaurs any particular penalties to change there facing
Not only that, but if you're up close to the horse/centaur, when it spins you'll get slammed.
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Old 10-31-2017, 01:00 AM   #23
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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Old 10-31-2017, 05:09 AM   #24
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

I believe there's a weapon called a "horse cutter."
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Old 10-31-2017, 05:35 AM   #25
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

While centaurs are depicted as archers in Greek art, the thread specifies melee combat, so lets largely assume the centaur doesn't have a bow today.

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Originally Posted by David Johansen View Post
I believe there's a weapon called a "horse cutter."
It's a pole-arm, and in general continues the theme of "get a long pointy thing between you and them".

Another suggestion: be a doplnelsoldier and get yourself a zweihander; go for the legs, or for the "abdomen/neck" between the human torso and the horse torso.

Another suggestion: get yourself one-or-many bolas and entangle or break the legs. That's breaking the "melee" rule though.

Wear plate, if you're rich enough.

Actually if we're talking wealth, wear plate, ride a warhorse in barding, and use a shield and a longsword (if it's unarmored) or a big mace or morningstar (if it's armored). I'd suggest a lance but I'm skeptical of how useful they are on the actual battlefield rather than as sports equipment.

Your horse isn't going to be moving as fast as the centaur (because it's got a plonking great pile of armor on it), but don't play silly stupids with the centaur. Wait. Eventually the centaur is going to have to close with you if you're supposed to have melee combat. If he decides to go away, you win, because you're not dead.

I don't see why the centaur would be hard to armor, by the way; humans and horses have both been heavily armored in various points in history, as well as lightly armored.
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Old 10-31-2017, 09:06 AM   #26
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
Another suggestion: be a doplnelsoldier and get yourself a zweihander; go for the legs, or for the "abdomen/neck" between the human torso and the horse torso.
I once spent a day with some very patient, well-trained horses training this. It is definitely a risky move (and much worse if they have peytrals).
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Old 10-31-2017, 09:30 AM   #27
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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Originally Posted by talonthehand View Post
Weren't centaurs classically archers? I may be imposing this from fantasy books though.
Imposing. Centaurs were depicted as being savage, and as such would be limited to sticks, spears, and thrown rocks. You're free to ignore this for a good game, of course.

As for their size, while they're obviously SM +1, that comes from the fact that a centaur would make Kim Kardashian look like Twiggy, with an extra set of legs to boot(y). I'd treat them as SM 0 for purposes of height (ignore Combat at Different Levels, pp. B402-403), reach, and ability to wear Torso and Head armor. Their hindquarters need SM +1 barding, however, and obviously a human trying to hit them gets a +1 to hit (though the centaur would take no penalty).
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Old 10-31-2017, 04:07 PM   #28
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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Mounted archers are skirmishers, not the entirety of any military.
But why is everyone assuming they have greater reach? I've never seen any with arms significantly longer than humans'.
This one is weird. Normally, a horse is a 3hex character, and I assume the rider is in the center hex. Which means that they need a reach 2 weapon to get to targets in the front hexes of their horse, with reach 1 limiting them to attacking on their weapon side. This is a significant disadvantage for most mounted horsemen, and is a good reason to use a spear or a heavier one-handed weapon that has reach 2, and even then, you have a limited arc where you can attack. A rough GM could apply a penalty for attacking through the horse, a penalty that can be offset by a technique for riding.

But a centuar's "human" body is in the front hex, I would assume. Which means he can use a reach 1 weapon on any of those front three hexes. Which, is a rather different deal than a human on a horse. So, be aware.
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Old 10-31-2017, 04:19 PM   #29
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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Imposing. Centaurs were depicted as being savage, and as such would be limited to sticks, spears, and thrown rocks. You're free to ignore this for a good game, of course.
There are definitely classical and ancient depictions of half-horse half-human archers. Nergal, the god, was an archer, and that influenced later depictions of centaurs, including the constellation Sagittarius. Chiron taught Achilles to shoot, and was therefore also depicted as an archer.
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Old 10-31-2017, 04:35 PM   #30
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Default Re: Melee combat with a centaur...

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There are definitely classical and ancient depictions of half-horse half-human archers. Nergal, the god, was an archer, and that influenced later depictions of centaurs, including the constellation Sagittarius. Chiron taught Achilles to shoot, and was therefore also depicted as an archer.
Chiron was always depicted as an exception who also knew chemistry and behaved as did men, so he isn’t evidence here. Lemme quick Nergal.



No wonder I wasn’t familiar with him. He’s Mesopotamian, and centaurs are Greek, and you’re assuming an origin of centaurs in mythology that isn’t supported as the zodiac came to Greece long after centaurs appeared in artwork. While I’m not going to say never since I’m mostly into Rome, not Greece, and hardly an art buff, do you have any valid examples? You just gave me one who was extolled as a legendary exception and another who has nothing to do with this. You’re 0-for-2.
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