Is a Centaur PC considered an animal when calculating carrying capacity for vehicles?
I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I wanted to double check.
Mounts and Vehicles. An animal pulling a carriage, cart, chariot, sled, or wagon can move weight up to five times its base carrying capacity, including the weight of the vehicle. If multiple animals pull the same vehicle, they can add their carrying capacity together. (PHB, pg 155)
My understanding… is no. It would be calculated just like a normal character.
Equine Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag. (GGtR, pg 16)
Push, Drag, or Lift. You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity (or 30 times your Strength score). While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 5 feet. (PHB, pg 176)
EX. (Strength Score x 30 x 2) = Centaur's Push/Drag Carrying Capacity
Best Answer
Yes, but so can a halfling
AFAIK, this is the only use of the word “animal” as opposed to “beast” anywhere in the rules.
Assuming this was a deliberate choice (rather than a mistake) then the authors intended it to mean something different. As such, it should be given a broad reading as encompassing anything in the animal kingdom - beasts, humanoids, dragons, etc.
This also makes sense from a simulationist sense - people can pull more in a wagon than they can carry. I can push a car - there’s no way I could lift or drag it.