Minotaur
A minotaur's roar is a savage battle cry that most civilized creatures fear. Born into the mortal realm by demonic rites, minotaurs are savage conquerors and carnivores that live for the hunt. Their brown or black fur is stained with the blood of fallen foes, and they carry the stench of death.
Most minotaurs are solitary carnivores that roam labyrinthine dungeons, twisting caves, primeval woods, and the maze-like streets and passages of desolate ruins. A minotaur can visualize every route it might take to close the distance to its prey.
The minotaur of Ign’nikhu have a split history. Originally creations of an evil deity, the minotaur have taken on life of their own. Mobeik knows of two subspecies of minotaur: one lost to the primal and monstrous urges it was created for; another beginning to break free and prove itself to be more than a monster.
Minotaur Names
Minotaur are not big on names, frankly because they tend to not have the memory for it. But their own names are cherished and used as often as possible. Some minotaur refer to themselves in the third person (but this may be a technique to prevent them from forgetting it). Baphometian minotaurs names are usually short and simple, like Bloodhoof or Slayhorn. Minosan minotaurs, on the other hand, prefer to name their calves, giving them names they think to be grand. Regardless of subrace, minotaur rarely have a family name.
Minosan Male Names: Epikindynos, Gryllismos, Ischyros, Ktinos, Megolos, Nkriniazo, Ponos, Skliros, Tavros, Thymomenos, Trichotos
Minosan Female Names: Aima, Idiosynkrasia, Idrotas, Kidemonas, Opli, Sklinrynei, Talaporia
Baphometian Minotaurs
The scent of blood, the tearing of flesh, and the cracking of bones spur a baphometian minotaur's lust for carnage, overwhelming all thought and reason. In a blood rage, a baphometian minotaur charges anything it sees, butting and goring like a battering ram, then chopping the fallen in twain.
Apart from ambushing creatures that wander into its labyrinth, a baphometian minotaur cares little for strategy or tactics. Baphometian minotaurs seldom organize, they don't respect authority or hierarchy, and they are notoriously difficult to enslave, let alone control.
Minotaurs are the dark descendants of humanoids transformed by the rituals of cults that reject the oppression of authority by returning to nature. Inductees often mistake these cults for druidic circles or totemic religions whose ceremonies involve entering a labyrinth while wearing a ceremonial animal mask.
Within these bounded environments, cultists hunt, kill, and eat wild beasts, indulging their basest primal urges. In the end, however, sacrificial animals are exchanged for humanoid sacrifice- sometimes an inductee that tried to escape the cult after learning it secrets. These labyrinths become blood-soaked halls of slaughter, echoing to the cultists' savagery.
Unknown to all but their highest-ranking leaders, these mystery cults are creations of the demon lord Baphomet, the Horned King, whose layer of the Abyss is a gigantic labyrinth. Some of his followers are fervent supplicants that plead for strength and power. Others come to the cult seeking a life free from authority's chains- and are liberated of their humanity instead as Baphomet transforms them into the minotaurs that echo his own savage form.
Although they begin as creations of the Horned King, baphometian minotaurs can breed true with one another, giving rise to an independent race of Baphomet's savage children in the world.
Baphometian minotaurs are essentially the minotaur as described in the Monster Manual, with some small changes. For this reason, they are not actually playable creatures, but their slightly more evolved counterparts are.
Minosan Minotaurs
Minosan Minotaurs have somewhat freed themselves from the savage bloodlust of their ancestors. They have somehow regained touch, at least to a degree, of their inner humanity, and because of this, are capable of more emotion than mere rage. But just because they have become aware they are more than mere monsters does not mean the more civilized humanoid races have seen it.
Most races view even the minosan minotaur with disdain and little, if any, trust. Entire towns may bar one from entering for fear of trouble from the creature. Because of this, minosan are more likely to stick close than their baphometian cousins. But this does not lead to much more than small camps of 4 or 5 at most, as their great tempers are still quite easily agitated, leading to fights and displays of dominance.
Minosan are at their social best when in command, and best pull this off by taking over small nests of goblins or goblinoids who are willing to listen to the strongest. But minosans distrust all humanoids equally and are quick to jump to the conclusion that the whole squad is plotting against the minosan for being a monster. This is why most minosans are still found solo, often guarding their own labyrinthine home or nest.
Minosan will couple long enough to have a calf or two. Once the calf can speak and walk, it is named and sent off to begin life on its own. Most Minosan couples break up shortly after this.
Minosan Minotaur Traits
Ability Score Adjustments: Your Strength Score increases by 4, your constitution score increases by 1, and your Intelligence score decreases by 2. As a house rule, these changes should not bring your ability score higher than 20 or lower than 7.
Age: Minosan are considered capable of living on their own as soon as they can walk and talk, so around 4 years old. At this age, they create a lair and guard it until they reach about age 15, when they abandon the nest of their youth for something new. They can live to be about 100, but rarely keep track of their own age.
Alignment: Most adventuring minosan minotaur are chaotic neutral, rejecting their ancestor’s bloodlust, but still being prone to outbursts. Lawful minosan are possible, but often break their own rules when angry. Good minosan are not only possible, but common, as minosan strive to change the image of their race and hope to be accepted somewhere. On the flipside, evil minosan still come about, often believing their kind will never be seen as more than monsters, so they might as well play the part.
Size: A minotaur stands between 7 and 8 feet tall full grown, and weighs in between 650 and 750 pounds of solid natural muscle. You size is large.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet
Darkvision: Minotaur are used to exploring dark caverns and labyrinths. Their eyes are quite well adjusted to seeing in this environment. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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 grey.
Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Easy to Notice: Minotaur are big and smelly, making them easily noticed in most situations. Unless downwind and using a hiding place of at least large size, they have disadvantage on all Stealth skill checks made to hide.
Natural Armor: Minotaur have a thick, tough hide. You have +4 Natural Armor to AC. Natural Armor does not stack with the Armor bonus from wearing armor, but does stack with Shield bonuses
Horned Skulls: Minotaur have large horns atop their heads. Each minotaur’s is slightly different in its pattern and bend, and many minotaur can actually recognize one another by horn shape alone. Minosans seem to have slightly smaller horns. But regardless of an individual’s shape, its horns can always be used to make a gore attack. This is a melee attack that cannot be finessed. Damage is 2d6 piercing damage.
Charge: If the minotaur moves at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the attack deals an extra 2d6 piercing damage (not doubled on critical hit). If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC = 10 + your Strength modifier) or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone.
Labyrinthine Recall: You can perfectly recall any path you have traveled.
Reckless: At the start of your turn, you can gain advantage on all attack rolls you make during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of your next turn. You must declare this action each turn.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Abyssal and, unlike your baphometian cousins, Common.