Note: This is entirely theorycrafting;
So, I thought I would try working on a centaur cohort idea. THe idea is to have a samurai riding a centaur who is ALSO a samurai. I found the idea cool. And for fun, I'm using the race proposed in the advance race guide (the 28 pt race. Yeah, this is going to be silly).
Race: centaur
Stats: (15 pts)
Str: 18 Dex: 14 Con: 16 Int: 8 Wis: 16 Cha: 10
Class: SAMURAI!
Order: Ronin (both the cohort & the PC would be Ronins)
SO I'm wondering a few things:
-How would encumbrance work? Do you count the whole weight if the rider? Can there even be a rider (assuming the centaur allows it)?
I like the idea, but it is going to take a bit of work. At worse, I might use this as an NPC. Would be cool to find a GM willing to allow it though!
Any ideas on how to improve it?
It's a fun idea. Consider jousting. Give the centaur Natural Jouster so they can dual joust. Your damage output per charge could be devastating.
I think centaurs probably hate being ridden, generally. That doesn't mean your special friendship can't break with convention. ;) I would be tempted to house rule some stuff, particularly the fact that his torso and head would both give the rider cover and get in his way. Also, it presents the image two people screwing on a horse, just so you're ready for the jokes that are bound to plague you.
Yeah, I could not find a way to express a samurai on a centaur (both terms, "ride" & "mount" are simply too tetchy) but I think it's a decent idea.
And the basic concept would be that they are very good friends, and that's why they are allowed to ride.