Home to the Feywild, satyrs are natural tricksters and revelers that prioritize having fun and rarely worry about potential consequences. With centuries of mythology and modern adaptions to draw inspiration from, it’s a surprise that satyrs are not a core species inDungeons & Dragons.
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With more abilities and bonuses than most other species, playing as a satyr can bring a refreshing experience for long-time players or as a memorable first character. Although an iconic figure in mythology and fantasy, there are many unique ways to play a satyr while making the most of their features.
8Satyr Are Fey, Not Humanoid
Although almost every species in D&D 5e is classified as a Humanoid, satyrs have the rare exception of being considered Fey. With this technicality, you can use the specific wording of spells to grant you immunity to certain effects, as any slippery fey creature would enjoy.
Spells like Hold Person, Dominate Person, Calm Emotions, and Crown of Madness do not work on satyrs, which allow you to avoid any meddlesome spellcasters from influencing your mind. However, you want to avoid spells like Magic Circle, Hallow, and Planar Binding, which can specifically target and trap Fey.
Part of this trade-off is what makes satyrs a strangely unique species that require a bit of extra attention to make the most out of.
7Satyr Have Swift Feet
The best part of having hooves instead of feet is that your movement speed is slightly faster than most other species. While only 35 feet, the bonus to dashing can take a satyr to an impressive 70 feet in one round.
This effect stacks significantly with the Haste spell and a Rogue’s Cunning Action feature to be able to move at impossible speeds.
There are almost no situations where the additional five feet of movement will not affect your strategy or allow you to benefit where other species can’t. This can also affect which feats you might choose or magic items you attune to, especially ones that affect movement.
What makes a satyr’s fast feet especially deadly is their unique horn attack which makes their especially thick skulls useful at last. The damage is equal to 1d6 plus your Strength modifier which is enough to replace most non-martial weapons with the only downside being you may’t throw your own head.
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A way to lean into the unpredictable nature of a satyr is to use your horn attack to initiate combat and possibly give your enemies the Surprise condition as a mechanical benefit. Although your horns do not haveany weapon properties, having an attack that does not require hands can be exploited with enough preparation.
5Delight In Trickery and Revelry
Monsters of the Multiverse gives you the tools to safely lean into the trickster persona of a satyr who delights in the failings of plans and schemes of others. As descendants or even planar visitors coming directlyfrom the Feywild, satyrs are constantly making plans to trick others or are always assuming someone else is deceiving them back.
A satyr who discovers a material plane full of people with mostly honest intentions might feel like a kid in a ye olde candy shoppe.
Playing as a satyr you want to be mindful of your party members and reign your instincts to cause as much chaos as possible otherwise you might draw unnecessary tension and possibly hurt someone else’s enjoyment. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to play a trickster fey who seldom makes plans if your DM allows it.
4Remember Your Magical Resistance
One of a satyr’s strongest abilities is having an advantage on all spell saves. Considering a satyr is already immune to a number of charm effects, this allows you to enter into the heart of dangerous encounters against spellcasters or magical traps with significantly less risk than other species.
You will want to be carefulnot to metagamethis information, especially if your group is sensitive to it, but a satyr who recognizes their ability to slip through magic will not be afraid to put themselves in harm’s way if it means reaching their goal.
3Goat Legs Are Great For Jumping
Thanks to a satyr’s hairy haunches, and never missing leg day, their ability to run and jump is much better than almost every other species. Assuming your character has a max strength score, you’re able to double the maximum possible distance for a high jump and can make long jumps up to 28 feet.
With the Athlete feat, you can also make long jumps after only having to move five feet.
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This kind of mobility allows you to navigate elevated battlefields and reach allies and enemies more efficiently. This is especially useful if it saved you from using your action to dash or when forced to make an athletics check.
Although fey are likely to work behind the scenes and watch their schemes unfold, you will often find times when being able to spring into action is required.
2A Handful Of Free Proficiencies
Few species add additional skill proficiencies and a satyr shows off by adding two additional ones plus an instrument proficiency. This is to play into the Greek vision of satyrs, especially Pan and his flute.
Although the Performance proficiency is a nice addition, the Persuasion bonus is what makes this ability noteworthy as you are more likely to benefit when making a check with that skill.
With all of these features, it’s hard not to see satyrs as an unfinished class. Every session there will more than likely be multiple situations where you will find at least one of the satyr’s abilities useful, if not instrumental.
1Recommended Class Options
Satyrs are designed for trickery and fun at the expense of others, and even mechanically they fit into these types of classes very well. If you want to make the most out of the various satyr abilities, three classes work perfectly.
Bard
With the Reveler ability’s bonus proficiencies and the right background, a College of Lore Bard can be proficient in up to 11 out of the 18 skills. While the bonus instrument proficiency doesn’t have a ton of mechanical benefit, it’s entirely possible to build a one-man-band style satyr bard.
With the protection from spell effects, you might even be able to out-duel more proficient spellcasters.
Rogue
While a rogue’s sneak attack doesn’t work with a satyr’s unique unarmed attack, the additional speed and mobility will give you more than enough opportunities to trigger ranged or melee sneak attacks while reserving your bonus action. If you want to lean into the trickster fey persona, a rogue will allow you to do so without getting caught.
Monk
Satyr monks will find that they are most able to make use of their species' abilities. Since the horn attack counts as an unarmed strike, you may use Flurry of Blows with your head while wielding a two-handed melee weapon or bow, while dealing 1d6 damage instead of 1d4 at early levels.
As monks get an additional movement speed bonus, you will be able to move across most battlefields without ever having to dash. Finally, since monks are oftenfront-line characters, the spell resistance is enough to make you almost unstoppable.
