'Dungeons & Dragons' Testing Out Centaurs and Minotaurs as Playable Races

It's the middle of the month, which means it's time for a new round of playtest content from Dungeons & Dragons.

Each month, Dungeons & Dragons releases a brief set of "Unearthed Arcana" rules designed for public playtesting. Although the Unearthed Arcana rules aren't for official D&D play, they usually give some sort of indication as to what players could see in a future D&D publication.

This month's set of playtest rules are for two monstrous playable races: centaurs and minotaurs. Dungeons & Dragons previously released a set of minotaur race features for an installment of "Unearthed Arcana" back in 2015, but the centaurs is a new playable race that hasn't appeared in any Fifth edition ruleset (optional or not) before. Centaurs were previously a playable character in second edition AD&D and third edition supplements. Minotaurs have been a playable race as far back as the AD&D campaign setting Dragonlance.

The big draw for centaurs is that their base speed is 40 feet, meaning they can move faster than most normal creatures. Centaurs also have the "charge" ability, which allows them to double their damage dice for one attack as long as they move at least 20 feet straight towards their target before the attack. Centaurs can also be ridden by other medium or smaller creatures, while still moving and acting independently of their rider.

Both centaurs and minotaurs have their own natural weapons. Centaurs can use their hooves to attacks, while minotaurs have a variety of uses for their horns. In addition to standard attacks, minotaurs can make a goring rush attack with their horns when they dash, and they can push creatures away from them with their "Hammering Horns" ability.

The big drawback to both creatures is that they're hybrids, which means they can be affected by game effects that target humanoid or monstrous creatures. Centaurs also have difficulty climbing due to their equine bottom halves.

You can check out the full set of race features for centaurs and minotaurs here. If you're starting a D&D campaign, or creating a character for a one-shot, be sure to ask your DM before building a centaur or minotaur PC. Dungeons & Dragons will collect feedback on both races later this month on their website.