Ipotane
Racial Traits
Your Ipotane character has the following racial traits:
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Ipotane are quick to mature physically, reaching young adulthood at age 20. They can live up to a Century.
Size. Ipotane stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, with generally buff builds. Your size is Medium. Here's how to determine your height and weight randomly, starting with rolling a size modifier:
- Size modifier = 1d10
- Height = 6 feet + your size modifier in inches
- Weight in pounds = 300 + (2d12 x your size modifier)
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Hooves. Your hooves are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier.
Charging Rush. Immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least 20 feet, you can make one melee attack with a weapon you wield or with your hooves as a bonus action.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Equine Martial and Armor Training. You are proficient with two martial weapons of your choice. You also have proficiency with light and medium armor.
Primal Intuition. You have proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Survival.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
Ipotane, Bipedal Centaurs
Ipotane are half-man, half-horse bulky humanoids, and are believed to be the descendants or ancestors of Centaurs. Both have the features of the upper torso of a human, with the lower body of a horse, however the Ipotane entirely inherited only two legs of the Horse, giving them a much more human appearance. Though, Ipotane are commonly born either with a human's head or a horse's head. Though not as quick as Centaurs, Ipotane possess the great capa-bilities equivalent to that of a horse-mounted warrior.
Beastkin Duality
Great secrecy or just the lack of foreknowledge keeps mortals from understanding the origins of Ipotane and Centaurs. Some mortal lorekeepers believe Ipotane are the descen-dants of coupling between Centaurs and Minotaurs, who inherited the figure of a Minotaur while keeping the physique of a Horse. Others debate that Ipotane are the true origins of the Centaurs, who were born as a result of a mutated trait that exchanged a horse's head for the Ipotane for the back-legs of a Centaur.
Whatever the case may be, Ipotane and Centaurs, Minotaurs, or even say Satyrs rarely associate with one another though with origins steeped in beastkin origin. As opposed to the Centaur's habitations as nomads in the plains and forests, Ipotane are isolationists, who rule over great domains in hill-dotted lands, forested mountains, or more temperate savannahs or plains.
Equine Physiology
Ipotane share physical traits akin to Satyrs, bearing a humanoid torso and head, but with the legs of an animal. Ipotane possess the front or back legs, tail, and hooves of a horse. Commonly though, they have the head of a horse, with a mane that reaches from the shaggy hair on their heads to the small of their backs. When they don't bear an entire ho-rse's head, they have one of a human's but with more equine-like features, such has a horse's ears or a narrower face.
Ipotane with the head of a horse are sometimes mistaken for Minotaurs, as they carry the same physical bulk as one. Though they live a life steeped in their isolation, they are no different to the traits of defending themselves with great phy-sical force. Bearing strong horse's legs, and often maturing with powerful builds, even an untrained Ipotane is an innately strong combatant.
Life of Soldiers
Ipotane are trained from a young age to serve and to fight for their homes. They take great comfort in the great fortificati-ons of their keeps or forts, though also enjoy the freedom of the great wilderness around them. Ipotane are trained in a specific style of martial combat equivalent to cavaliers, which easily allows them to run quickly into the fray of combat and wreak havoc. Ipotane keep to a schedule, a routine they understand to awake when the dawn arrives, and sleep anywhere they can rest easily enough.
Ipotane rarely are kind to strangers, commonly suspicious or antagonistic to ones who appear on their lands unannounced and uninvited. They are quick to route or force off people who travel across their lands, and they meet resistance with aggression, and compliance with intimidating whinnying.
Ipotane negotiations are quick and headstrong, as they are prompt to understand the nature of a threat that endangers either the lands or their neighbors. The quickest way to gain clout with the members of an Ipotane tribe is displaying your venerable capabilites as a warrior equivalent to them, thro-ugh displaying a prized catch or kill. Some Ipotane that are unresting and battle-hungered sometimes travel the world, granting their services as mercenaries or scouts. An Ipotane that dies in such a service is not respected, for they forsake-ned the Tribe to seek a path that only pursues malice and destruction.
Ipotane who die from age are greatly respected by the whole of the Tribe, and often a coming-of-age ritual occurs between an elderly Ipotane and a foal that shows much promise, where the foal undergoes some sort of physical trial, and is given an ancestral trinket upon their success.
Homes in Forts & Keeps
Ipotane homes are often compared to that of a barrack or military camp. Rarely are Ipotane found idle, as smiths or warriors keep the maintenance of their weapons, soldiers or commanders train their militia, or transporting or preparing goods and foods. A child (foal) finds less of their enjoyment in the past-time of playing or frolicking with their friends, and more in the service of undergoing training exercises or doing mock-duels with their comrades in arms. Ipotane young who show great promise and talent with military prowess are rewarded and lauded. Any Ipotane who are lacking or inad-equate to their peers are reprimanded and exerted to improve or risk being banished or outcasted from their tribe. Weak-ness is unacceptable, and would only bring danger upon the tribe if any among them act as a weak link.
Their fortifications are found usually well located or well hidden areas, with open plains supporting their preferred style of cavalry-esque combat or thicketed forests for well placed shock-ambushes. Young and Elderly are kept within the walls of their fortifications, though elderly are expected to act as the last line of defense against an invading force while young are expected to be able to relocate or escape with the tribe's most valuable resources.
Ipotane Quirks
| d8 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | There is no time for idleness. You are always active, whether exercising or doing weapon maintenance, even in quiet company with others. |
| 2 | You apply routine discipline to every situation and abhore relaxing, but not resting. |
| 3 | You ration each and every meal you give to your comrades. Even down to the weight of each portion. |
| 4 | Your armor is fashioned with accents of previous hunts or kills. It's the first thing you fix after every battle. |
| 5 | You love running, and believe nobody is faster than you. |
| 6 | You're sprawling more for a fight than trying to avoid one. |
| 7 | You were an aspiring prodigy among your kinsman. You keep and treasure the object of your family's lineage passed down to you. |
| 8 | You were outcasted from your tribe, and it has since been a great mark of shame for you. You greatly hate the feeling of being inadequate. |
Centaurs Ain't Got Shit
Ipotane aren't definitely the most novel concept, but ever since Bojack Horseman basically made the idea of a Horse-head dude a much more interesting character than given credit for, I've warmed up to it.
Created by /u/tranborg. Much inspiration for this race was drawn from Zarajane Ferrir - Ipotane DM's Guild.
