Minotaur

Minotaurs are powerful, humanoid bovine. They have the head of a horned bull and powerful muscles on a hairy humanoid body.

All minotaurs have horns, and sex has no determination on the size or shape of them. Some minotaurs have large, wide horns and others have short, curly ones. Horns typically grow slowly throughout the minotaur’s life.

The Importance of Horns

Horns have an important place in minotaur society, much like hair and beard grooming might have an important place in dwarf society.

Although horn shape and size can’t be altered much, counterculture minotaurs sometimes shave down their horns.

Warriors may sharpen them, and many minotaurs carve them with runes or adorn them with jewelry. Broken horns are often a sign of shame among minotaurs, and the breaking of a horn is used as a form of punishment.

The Fallen History

Although you would expect minotaurs to live in regions similar to that of other bovine, minotaurs originally lived underground. In minotaur legend, the creator of all the beastfolk made the minotaur first, but while they were busy making the other beastfolk, the minotaur fell into a crack in the ground and were trapped.

Minotaurs and dwarves have a long history of conflict with each other as they raced to tunnel higher and higher to avoid the horrors of the deep underground. Each believe that they were the first to break onto the surface, staying just ahead of the unspeakable horrors that chased them.

Minotaurs rarely live deep underground anymore, but they still build substantial parts of their homes and cities underground.

Minotaur Names

Example Names: Arrios Bravehand

Minotaur Traits

You gain the following abilities as a minotaur.

• Ability Score Increase. You gain a +2 and +1 bonus to two different ability scores of your choice, or +1 to three different ones.
• Age. Minotaurs age slightly faster than humans but live about the same length of time.
• Size. A minotaur’s size is Medium. Minotaurs are taller than humans and usually heavily muscled.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Horns (Major Feature). You have horns, which are treated as a Finesse weapon that you have proficiency with. Your horns deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier. If you have blunted horns, you deal bludgeoning damage instead. Your horns can’t be disarmed or disabled except through narrative play or extreme circumstances. You have advantage on all checks made to shove a creature.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon.

Major Features

Choose one of the following major features. You can exchange this major feature for two minor features.

• Ferocious Charge. When you use the Dash action, you can make an attack with your horns as a bonus action. You have resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while moving during your turn after taking the Dash action.
• Stomp. As an action, you can strike the ground with enough force to cause staggering vibrations. Every creature on the ground within 5 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, a creature falls prone and has disadvantage on attack rolls until the end of their next turn. The radius of this ability increases to 10 feet at 11th level. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Tenacity. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can immediately take an action before falling unconscious. If you would recover hit points from this action, you don’t fall unconscious. You can’t use this ability again until you finish a long rest.
• Unstoppable. When you use the Dash action, you can make a shove attack during your turn as a bonus action. You can move through the space of prone creatures as long as they are no more than one size category larger than you.

Minor Features

Choose two of the following minor features, or four if you didn’t choose a major feature.

• Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Fluent. You can speak, read, and write two additional languages of your choice.
• Intimidating Frame. You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
• Labyrinth Mind. You can perfectly remember any path you have traveled. You are immune to the maze spell.
• Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
• Runic Magic. You have proficiency in the Arcana skill.
• Siege. You deal double damage to objects and structures.
• Trained Tools. You have proficiency in two tools of your choice.