Minotaur
Minotaurs stalk complex passageways, whether natural or artificial, and are masters of stone architecture. Inquisitive and steadfast, these bovine humanoids spend their lives perfecting the pursuit that calls to them, which can sometimes lead them far from the enclaves where they were raised. Minotaurs are originally from the Shattered Isles but have spread far and wide across Boardrinn, forming close-knit communities often near Mountains or beneath the surface of the earth. Though sometimes mistaken for simple brutes, minotaurs have scholars and warriors alike. Those who can look past their appearance will find an affinity for building and navigation, as well as creative problem-solving.
The myth many minotaurs tell of their origins is one of craft, curses, and misunderstanding. Millennia ago, when deities walked among the mortal peoples. A stonemason named Tavdrinos, admired by mortals and hero-gods alike, received a vision from to create a glorious temple, though the myth doesn’t name which one. The mason found the images of the vision murky: scrambled glimpses of twisting columns, charging bulls, and a defiant stand made by an unknown figure. It was hardly a detailed commission, but one does not refuse a divine order. The mason labored for 17 years before his task was done. The three-story temple celebrated the glory of the hero-god and their sacred animal, the bull. Upon the herogod’s arrival, Tavdrinos expected to be met with praise and congratulations, but the deity flew into a rage instead. Tavdrinos had misunderstood the vision, for the bull was a hated beast, not a celebrated ally. As punishment for this accidental insult, the hero-god cursed Tavdrinos with the hated shape of the bull.
Angered by both the curse and his failure to please the deity, the mason retreated to a series of caves under the temple, where he continued his work as the first minotaur.
If you want to play a character with strength of body, who expresses themselves through craft more than words, you should play a minotaur.
You Might…
• Decorate your hooves and horns with designs or colors of personal significance.
• Be adept at navigation and puzzles.
Others Might…
• Be intimidated by your size or think you calculating.
• Think you can see through stone.
Minotaurs are tall, bulky humanoids with the bovine features such as horns, hooves, and elongated faces. Their fur patterns are frequently monotone in deep browns or blacks, though white or gray aren’t uncommon. Though the large size of a minotaur might cause one think they are clumsy, the truth is quite the opposite. Minotaur hooves rest on a delicate balance point, making their footfalls quiet and precise. However, when there is a need to be heard, the steps of a minotaur can fall like thunder.
A minotaur’s horns are a source of pride and often accented by pieces of fashion. Those with longer horns add rings and chains around them, cast in whatever rare metals are affordable, or dye or engrave patterns along them. Those with not much horn to speak of instead shave their fur around the base of the horns, possibly adding stylish circular tattoos to the surrounding skin or fitting metal caps onto their tips. This draws attention to an otherwise overlooked feature.
Minotaurs typically reside within insular, subterranean communal enclaves. They take great pride in their architectural prowess, hewing buildings out of stone and natural caves alike. An enclave often has almost twice as many buildings as it needs, with the extra structures serving as functional art. Young minotaurs practice their hunting and stalking skills in the empty buildings, with each generation adding a small expansion or fresco on the walls. Expansions like twisting hallways, unexpected overhangs, shared gardens, and a variety of other such contrivances create numerous social spaces and quiet areas for calm reflection, so long as the traveler is able to keep from becoming lost by the unusual architectural flow.
Myths surrounding minotaurs lead most to believe they are fierce carnivores, or even cannibals in the darkest of legends. In reality, most minotaur societies are hunter-gatherers, feeding off lichen and other flora. Their reputation as fierce hunters stems from monthly rituals, when the most accomplished stalkers venture out and bring back dangerous prey. The return of these hunters is one of the few occasions minotaurs indulge in meat, feasting on the kills as a show of gratitude and reverence for the hunters’ skills.
Minotaurs tend to be blunt and literal, rarely engaging in overly clever wordplay, sarcasm, or irony. Flaring nostrils and rolling eyes can be intimidating expressions when viewed by non-minotaurs, but to a minotaur, they can convey a complex story with emotional and even spiritual elements. Minotaurs wishing to emphasize a certain emotion occasionally use piercings and tattoos, though minotaurs who lean too heavily into these adornments to look fierce often come off as a bit foolish to their peers. The minotaur saying “an angry bull stamps once and gores twice” is both an admonition against overly aggressive displays and a reminder that the creature truly to be feared is one who speaks with their actions.
Minotaurs often have names similar to the names of humans. Minotaur surnames are ever-changing, typically reflecting the most memorable achievement an individual has accomplished. Until adulthood, an Iblydan minotaur bears the surname Tavdrinos (after the first minotaur). Once they reach maturity, their childhood friends and allies collectively bestow a fitting surname. Minotaurs in adventuring groups might be renamed multiple times by their allies.
Sample Names: Actilea, Iraiasos, Paxaidio, Rotherion, Zavmandris
Long traditions of isolation have resulted in most minotaurs taking an evenhanded approach to events. Many tend toward an unbiased outlook that allows for adaptation. Those who have poor interactions with other humanoids, particularly those met with violence or intolerance, might choose to recede into a chosen lair, ruin, or fortification that they guard fiercely, which sadly perpetuates the tales of brutal minotaurs.
Minotaurs raised by their own people tend to avoid association with deities of any stripe—little surprise given their creation legend. Divine beings are thought of as petty and uncaring, if not by intent then by the sheer magnitude of their power. Many minotaurs adopt logical or spiritual philosophies as a way of reconciling their existence. Mysteries are puzzles yet unanswered, ones that can be explained with careful thought and study. When minotaurs decide to follow deities, they’re primarily drawn to those concerned with self-improvement and self-control, like Korak and Canelle.
Popular Edicts construct architecture of lasting beauty, seek out ever more perplexing puzzles, hone one’s prowess
Popular Anathema leave fate to godly hands rather than mortal initiative, pass up the chance to investigate a mystery
The myth many minotaurs tell of their origins is one of craft, curses, and misunderstanding. Millennia ago, when deities walked among the mortal peoples. A stonemason named Tavdrinos, admired by mortals and hero-gods alike, received a vision from to create a glorious temple, though the myth doesn’t name which one. The mason found the images of the vision murky: scrambled glimpses of twisting columns, charging bulls, and a defiant stand made by an unknown figure. It was hardly a detailed commission, but one does not refuse a divine order. The mason labored for 17 years before his task was done. The three-story temple celebrated the glory of the hero-god and their sacred animal, the bull. Upon the herogod’s arrival, Tavdrinos expected to be met with praise and congratulations, but the deity flew into a rage instead. Tavdrinos had misunderstood the vision, for the bull was a hated beast, not a celebrated ally. As punishment for this accidental insult, the hero-god cursed Tavdrinos with the hated shape of the bull.
Angered by both the curse and his failure to please the deity, the mason retreated to a series of caves under the temple, where he continued his work as the first minotaur.
If you want to play a character with strength of body, who expresses themselves through craft more than words, you should play a minotaur.
You Might…
• Decorate your hooves and horns with designs or colors of personal significance.
• Be adept at navigation and puzzles.
Others Might…
• Be intimidated by your size or think you calculating.
• Think you can see through stone.
Physical Description
Minotaurs are tall, bulky humanoids with the bovine features such as horns, hooves, and elongated faces. Their fur patterns are frequently monotone in deep browns or blacks, though white or gray aren’t uncommon. Though the large size of a minotaur might cause one think they are clumsy, the truth is quite the opposite. Minotaur hooves rest on a delicate balance point, making their footfalls quiet and precise. However, when there is a need to be heard, the steps of a minotaur can fall like thunder.
A minotaur’s horns are a source of pride and often accented by pieces of fashion. Those with longer horns add rings and chains around them, cast in whatever rare metals are affordable, or dye or engrave patterns along them. Those with not much horn to speak of instead shave their fur around the base of the horns, possibly adding stylish circular tattoos to the surrounding skin or fitting metal caps onto their tips. This draws attention to an otherwise overlooked feature.
Society
Minotaurs typically reside within insular, subterranean communal enclaves. They take great pride in their architectural prowess, hewing buildings out of stone and natural caves alike. An enclave often has almost twice as many buildings as it needs, with the extra structures serving as functional art. Young minotaurs practice their hunting and stalking skills in the empty buildings, with each generation adding a small expansion or fresco on the walls. Expansions like twisting hallways, unexpected overhangs, shared gardens, and a variety of other such contrivances create numerous social spaces and quiet areas for calm reflection, so long as the traveler is able to keep from becoming lost by the unusual architectural flow.
Myths surrounding minotaurs lead most to believe they are fierce carnivores, or even cannibals in the darkest of legends. In reality, most minotaur societies are hunter-gatherers, feeding off lichen and other flora. Their reputation as fierce hunters stems from monthly rituals, when the most accomplished stalkers venture out and bring back dangerous prey. The return of these hunters is one of the few occasions minotaurs indulge in meat, feasting on the kills as a show of gratitude and reverence for the hunters’ skills.
Minotaurs tend to be blunt and literal, rarely engaging in overly clever wordplay, sarcasm, or irony. Flaring nostrils and rolling eyes can be intimidating expressions when viewed by non-minotaurs, but to a minotaur, they can convey a complex story with emotional and even spiritual elements. Minotaurs wishing to emphasize a certain emotion occasionally use piercings and tattoos, though minotaurs who lean too heavily into these adornments to look fierce often come off as a bit foolish to their peers. The minotaur saying “an angry bull stamps once and gores twice” is both an admonition against overly aggressive displays and a reminder that the creature truly to be feared is one who speaks with their actions.
Minotaurs often have names similar to the names of humans. Minotaur surnames are ever-changing, typically reflecting the most memorable achievement an individual has accomplished. Until adulthood, an Iblydan minotaur bears the surname Tavdrinos (after the first minotaur). Once they reach maturity, their childhood friends and allies collectively bestow a fitting surname. Minotaurs in adventuring groups might be renamed multiple times by their allies.
Sample Names: Actilea, Iraiasos, Paxaidio, Rotherion, Zavmandris
Beliefs
Long traditions of isolation have resulted in most minotaurs taking an evenhanded approach to events. Many tend toward an unbiased outlook that allows for adaptation. Those who have poor interactions with other humanoids, particularly those met with violence or intolerance, might choose to recede into a chosen lair, ruin, or fortification that they guard fiercely, which sadly perpetuates the tales of brutal minotaurs.
Minotaurs raised by their own people tend to avoid association with deities of any stripe—little surprise given their creation legend. Divine beings are thought of as petty and uncaring, if not by intent then by the sheer magnitude of their power. Many minotaurs adopt logical or spiritual philosophies as a way of reconciling their existence. Mysteries are puzzles yet unanswered, ones that can be explained with careful thought and study. When minotaurs decide to follow deities, they’re primarily drawn to those concerned with self-improvement and self-control, like Korak and Canelle.
Popular Edicts construct architecture of lasting beauty, seek out ever more perplexing puzzles, hone one’s prowess
Popular Anathema leave fate to godly hands rather than mortal initiative, pass up the chance to investigate a mystery
Heritages
Ghost Bull Minotaur
Your fur is as pale as death, possibly from some connection you or your family has to the afterlife, which lets you supernaturally find your way. You can cast know the way as an occult innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell rank equal to half your level rounded up. In addition, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus against spells or effects that cause the confused condition.
Glacier Cavern Minotaur
Your fur grows thick and warm, well suited to the frozen mountains in which you reside. You gain cold resistance equal to half your level (minimum of 1). Environmental cold effects are one step less extreme for you.
Littlehorn Minotaur
Though no less powerful, your frame (and your horns) are smaller than those of most other minotaurs. Instead of Large, your size is Medium. Your horns unarmed attack deals 1d6 piercing damage instead of 1d8, but it has the agile trait.
Roaming Minotaur
Your hooves are broad and powerful, perfect for clearing away rubble as you step. You become trained in Survival (or another skill if you were already trained in Survival) and gain the Terrain Expertise skill feat. You ignore difficult terrain caused by natural uneven ground while in the terrain chosen for your Terrain Expertise feat.
Slabsoul Minotaur
Your deep connection with stone and walls allows you to conjure massive slabs of granite that collapse on your foes. You gain the Raise Slabs activity.
Stalker Minotaur
Despite your heavy frame, you walk on shaggy hooves that muffle your footfalls, allowing you to surprise your prey. You become trained in Stealth (or another skill if you were already trained in Stealth) and gain the Terrain Stalker skill feat, except you must choose rubble and you can Sneak no more than 10 feet instead of 5 feet without attempting a Stealth check.
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