Minotaur

Though undoubtedly a mighty and storied people, minotaurs are paradoxically both the most ancient and youngest intelligent species on Ere; the living legacy of the orcs who once dominated half the world.

 

A minotaur is a humanoid standing between six and a half feet to eight and a half feet tall with broad, slightly hunched shoulders and a bovid head crowned by a pair of horns. Their body is covered in a hide of short, coarse hair. The skin beneath the hair is usually black ro dark brown while the coat ranged from white to tan, brown or black with patches of different colored hair shading from back to belly being uncommon.

 

Minotaurs have three fingers with an extra-thick middle finger and a singular thumb on each hand. This makes fine manipulation difficult without extensive practice, but allows for exemplary grip strength. Their legs are digitigrade, ending in a cloven hoof. About twelve percent of minotaurs are born with a tail. This is an appendage approximately two feet in length ending in a tuft of hair.

 

Game Statistics

Size: Medium
Base Speed: 6 squares
Languages: Common and Orci

Senses: Minotaurs have Low Light vision 6 squares

 

Mighty Frame

Minotaurs can use Large weapons with no penalty and their STR is considered to be 5 additional points higher for the purposes of determining how much they can lift, carry or drag.

If a minotaur wields a Medium weapon, they treat it as if it were one step smaller in terms of handedness. A two-handed weapon is one-handed, a one-handed weapon is light, and a light weapon remains light.

 

Effortless Strength

Whenever you make an Athletics check, if the result is less than 10 + your ranks in Athletics, the result is 10 + your ranks in Athletics.

 

Horns

All minotaurs have a pair of horns, granting them a Horns natural attack (1d6 piercing x3) that is considered an Unarmed Strike and a Natural Weapon.

 

Wayfinder’s Stride

While rumor would say that minotaurs have a special sense of direction, the reality is that they possess fine-tuned spacial awareness that allows them to easily avoid obstacles. They have the Wayfinder’s Stride ability:

Wayfinder’s Stride – Move Action – Encounter

Move up to your move speed +2 squares. This movement ignores difficult terrain and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

 

Minotaur Backgrounds

 

Minotaur Honor Blade [Background, Minotaur]

Young minotaurs, upon reaching adulthood, may choose the gift of an honor blade, a weapon forged especially for them that is a symbol as their adulthood and their choice to dedicate themselves to the art of war. Martial traditions among minotaurs centers around the use of these weapons being considered the highest form of weapon mastery.

 

Benefit: You start play with either a Superiority +0 daizaku or direblade. This weapon is made specifically for you and in the hands of anyone else, it imposes a -1 penalty to attack rolls. Whenever this weapon would otherwise be destroyed in combat, it is dropped or lodged in an obstacle and unrecoverable until the end of that encounter.

 

If you lose or sell your Honor Blade, news soon travels among the important personalities in your life and you suffer a -2 to all CHA-based checks made to interact with those characters as you have shamed them deeply. The only way to overcome this penalty is to retrieve or buy back the Honor Blade.

 

You also gain the following benefits:

  • Gain Proficiency with Long Blades and all Shields.

  • Gain Advanced Proficiency with either the daizaku or dire blade.

  • +2 species bonus CMB to Block and Parry

 

Iron Soul Practitioner [Background, Minotaur]

Minotaur society values agrarian skill first of all, but martial ability far ahead of magical. Minotaurs with natural tendencies toward magic gravitate toward ferif as a means to enhance their martial prowess.

 

Benefit: You gain the following benefits:

  • Gain Ferif Affinity as a bonus feat

  • Gain hone edge as a bonus spell

  • +1 species bonus to the DC of Ferif spells

  • +2 species bonus to CMD vs enemies wearing or wielding metal armor or weapons

 

Minotaur Exclusive Feats

 

Swords to Plowshares [Minotaur]

You have eschewed the arts of war for philosophy and scholarship.

 

Benefit: You gain the Swords to Plowshares ability:

Swords to Plowshares – Minor Action – Encounter

You gain a +5 species bonus to the next Persuasion or Knowledge roll or Expertise check you make.

 

Tireless Tread [Minotaur]

The minotaurs who inhabit the low, marshy ground of the East have long found little use for horses and make due with their own grit and determination.

 

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to base speed and can travel overland on foot at the same speed as a heavy horse.

 

Horned Charge [Minotaur]

The grace of Sylph gave us horns, that we should never be without the means to rush headlong to righteous battle”

 

Benefit: You gain the Horned Charge ability:

Horned Charge – Full Round Action – 3FP

Move up to twice your speed +2 squares and make up to two Simple strikes against one target with your Horns. If you hit, deal double damage.

 

Threatening Bellow [Minotaur]

The roar of an enraged minotaur is something few beings can keep steady in the face of.

Benefit: You gain the Threatening Bellow ability:

Threatening Bellow – Move Action – Encounter
Sonic, Emotion

Make an Intimidate check. All enemies within 5 squares must succeed on a Will saving throw (DC 10 + ½ level + the result of the check divided by 5) or become shaken.

 

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