Homebrew Bleak Isle Minotaur Species Details

Visually a minotaur combines the features of a human and bull, with the build and musculature of a hulking humanoid, but with cloven hooves, a bovine tail, three digits per hand and, most distinctive of all, a bull's head. Fur covers a minotaur's upper body, coarse and thick on the head and neck, gradually thinning around the shoulders until it becomes humanlike hair over the arms and upper torso. The thick hair turns shaggy once more at the minotaur's waist and thickens around the loins and legs, with tufts at the end of the tail and around the powerful hooves. Minotaur's take pride in their horns, the sharpness, size, and colour of which are related to an individual's place in minotaur society. Fur and skin colouring runs from albino white to coal black, though most minotaur's have red or brown fur and hair.

Minotaurs were formed from aspects of Demon, Devil, Beast, and Human so each individual varies wildly in personality from another. Even a single individual may have wildly changing opinions and reactions as their own version of the Blood war rages its was across its Psyche. While most lean towards a Lawful neutral alignment variations are not uncommon. 

When the Fraternity of Tharos on the Verdant Isles sought to honour their demonic patrons by creating suitable vessels based on information from the Book of Vile Darkness. The initial creations were (predictably) too chaotic and being hopelessly insane, massacred many cultists before their forms decayed from the demonic taint they contained. Ironically for a cult of Demon worshippers the answer was found in the 9 hells. Using essence of will belonging a greater Devil the new forms were Chaos restrained. The newly birthed Minotaurs contained all of the hunger, power and destructive force of the Demons and the cold reason, vindictiveness and ambition of the Devils.

Despite being displeased that their creations could not be used as vessels for their demonic masters the Fraternity of Tharos decided to use the Minotaurs to cause "as much damage as possible" among their enemies and ordered them out into the world. Unfortunately the Devils Lawful nature is plain to see in the Minotaur race and they went to their orders with increasingly effective results. Separating into warbands with hierarchies based on strength and cunning the twelve hundred members of the new Race exploded out onto an unexpecting world. Within a year the roaming hordes had destroyed cities, burnt forests, desolated farm land, poisoned water sources and slain all who they met (Including several cults of the Fraternity of Tharos outside of their creators) transforming the Verdant Isles to their new namesake the Bleak Isles. 

Eventually the creators demanded their creations return and found that the monsters they had sent out had returned in reduced number with supply trains, captives and most worryingly children. To achieve their task it was decided the horde needed more than just raw strength so they had developed an internal organisation with each warband reporting to a central camp, communication chains between the roving groups, rudimentary battle tactics and when their numbers started to dwindle they had reproduced to ensure long term re-enforcements. This was all explained by a titanic individual named Speaker Vatness who strode down into hidden base and the calmly reported all of the past years conflicts and achievements in a slow measured tone. At the end of his report he mentioned that he was to report as he was their best speaker and explained they had needed to learn common to interrogate their enemies.

Panicked by the unexpected ability of their "disposable" creations as well as realising that with the destruction reported they would have to flee to the main land imminently the cultists were furious with their creations. How could they let this happen? What were they thinking? and other questions were hurled at the lone Minotaur stood amongst them. The single response that they had carried out the orders given caused havoc among the cultists.

Eventually the Grand Cultist ordered Speaker Vatness to assemble the horde and escort the remaining members of the cult to the coast so they could leave the islands. Vatness stated that the order was incorrect, he was not the leader of the horde and could do nothing of the sort. Only the Head of the Horde could change the hordes destination, and tried to explain the chain of command. Additionally now that all war bands were in one place each leader was struggling to make themselves the Head of the Horde by right of challenge so any orders would be worthless until a new hierarchy had been formed when all challenges were completed. Being ordered to halt all challenges Vatness explained that to cancel or refuse a leadship challenge was met with death so it would kill of at least a 3rd of the remaining Minotaurs whose matches had not yet been performed.

In a rage the Grand Cultist told Vatness to report to the horde that all the leadership candidates must be ready outside the base tomorrow at dawn. The next day battered and bloody, Vatness with five others stood behind a huge grey Minotaur who declared Herself the new Head of the Horde and they all knelt before the Grand cultist who placed his hand on the temple of the new leader. The Cultist ordered the horde to escort him and the rest of the cult to the nearest coat where they could embark for the mainland. Respectfully the Head of the Horde explained there were no ships remaining afloat and they had set fire to all the forests they had found... But was interrupted by a spell from the Grand cultist, killing the already heavily wounded Minotaur. "By right of challenge, I am now your leader, follow my orders." He stated to the remaining six and marched back into the base.

Years later this was known as the folly of the masters among Minotaurs as it set the masters as part of their Hierarchy. Within the next 12 hours every cultist was challenged for their position and either died in battle or was killed for refusing the honour of combat. Being almost the only creature left alive on the isles and with their numbers decimated by the campaign, infighting and the cult eradication the Minotaurs had no mission to conduct and instead focused on survival.

It would be over a century before the next ship dared to make landfall on the Bleak Isles. When one eventually did it found a desolate waste land sparsely populated by small roving bands of Minotaurs. Initially retreating in terror they noticed that no pursuit had been attempted and in time started to trade with the clans who would trade whatever they had for farming items or knowledge as well as hardy animals such as goats. Eventually the loot from the destroyed cities dried up and all the value the clans had left was their own members. So they formed complex contracts (tapping into their devilish heritage) with the traders, Minotaurs would be totally loyal troops or labour for a set period of time in return for a repeating supply to the Bleak isles and a pay-out on the end of contract or the incumbents death. 

So for the first time in history Minotaurs left the Isles of their creation and stepped forth into the world.

Bleak Isle Minotaur Traits

Bleak Isle Minotaur's have the following traits:

Hammering Horns

You are never unarmed. Your horns are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. They deal 1d8 piercing damage, and you are proficient with your horns. Your horns grant you advantage on all checks made to shove a creature.

Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to shove that target with your horns. The target must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within 5 feet of you. Unless it succeeds a contested roll of your Strength (Athletics) against their choice of Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics), you push it up to 10 feet away from you.

Hellish Vitality

 Constitution score increases by 2, you are immune to disease and resistant to poison.

Bloodied reputation

Minotaur's have proficiency to Intimidation checks due to the stories of their races past. Conversely all persuasion checks must be made at disadvantage and many individuals will have a negative opinion of the character on first interaction with them.

Size

 Minotaurs average over 12 feet in height, and they have strong, stocky builds. Your size is Large.

Your large size gives disadvantage to stealth checks.

You gain the benefits of Powerful Build

Roughly speaking where a Medium creature would find total cover, a Large creature might only receive three-quarters cover; where a Medium creature finds three-quarters cover, a Large creature might only receive half cover; and where a Medium creature finds half cover, a Large creature might find none.

Item use

Due to their size and lack of any formal training or manufacturing base most Minotaur warriors will never find a weapon that both suits them and can survive the abuse they receive. Any weapon not specially made for the individual will be used at disadvantage. 

Special made weapons must be sized up (I.e. a two handed war hammer is treated as a 1 handed war hammer for the minotaur) and costs 4 times as much as would usually.

Minotaur's cannot wield traditional 1 handed weapons.

Minotaur's receive proficiency in improvised weapons.

Armour follows rules for Mount Barding I.E. Twice the weight, Four times the cost of materials and custom made nature will make it hard to find. (As per PHB p. 155)

As a large Creature you require 4 times the rations compared to a medium creature. Based on the food and water needs (DMG p. 111)

All checks using small items (I.E. Thieves tools, Jeweler’s tools, Glassblower’s tools, Pan flute Poisoner’s Kit etc) or subtle dexterous actions like slight of hand are made at disadvantage.