Homebrew Tauren Species Details
“Our people have walked this land for many, many years, and in that time have learned much about the world. Our allies will need to look to us for wisdom and guidance. My father once made a promise to the Horde, to repay a debt we owed them for their service to our race. I, for one, intend to deliver on that promise.”
— High Chieftain Baine Bloodhoof
The tauren (shu'halo in their native language of Taur-ahe and sometimes pluralized as taurens) are a race of large, bovine humanoids who dwell on the great plains of Central Kalimdor. For countless generations, they were constantly harassed by the violent centaur, who forced the tauren into a nomadic lifestyle in the harsh Barrens. However, during the Third War and the Horde's invasion of Kalimdor, the tauren and the invading Horde became allies, and the Horde aided the tauren in driving off the centaur from the sacred lands of Mulgore. High Chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof established the capital city of Thunder Bluff, and to this day the tauren remain one of the most stalwart allies of the Horde, even after Cairne's death and the ascension of his son, Baine Bloodhoof.
Despite their enormous size, the tauren are a peaceful and honorable people who nonetheless are fierce fighters when roused. Hunting and shamanism are held in high regard in their culture, as is their worship of the Earth Mother and respect for the land and nature
History
1,100 years before the opening of the Dark Portal, the tauren wandered Kalimdor's forests and plains, living in harmony with nature. One region in particular was especially sacred: the verdant grassland of Mashan'she, or "Loom of the Earth Mother". Drawn by faint elemental whisperings, the tauren became convinced that somewhere beneath the meadows, the Earth Mother herself dwelled. After decades of attempting to rouse her from her slumber, the tauren shaman eventually succeeded, but to their horror they realized that what they had awakened was not the benevolent Earth Mother, but the enormous earth elemental Princess Theradras, daughter of Therazane the Stonemother. The newly awakened Theradras reached out to the verdant surroundings for sustenance and consumed their energies in order to regenerate her weakened form. The tauren would later name this now barren land "Desolace".
The sudden monumental loss of life sent ripples throughout all of Azeroth and even the Emerald Dream. Zaetar, son of the forestlord Cenarius, traveled to Desolace to investigate, but though he had decided to imprison Theradras, he instead fell in love with her. Theradras requited Zaetar's affection, and the two became mates. From this forbidden and unnatural union, the centaur were born. After having brutally murder their father, the half-horse creatures quickly proliferated and spread out across Kalimdor, driving the tauren of Desolace from their homes and igniting a long and dark period of war that would come to last for many centuries.
For countless generations, the tauren roamed the plains of the Barrens hunting the mighty kodo, and sought the wisdom of their eternal goddess, the Earth Mother. Their tent settlements were scattered across the landscape and changed with the seasons and the weather. The wandering tribes were united only by a common hatred for their sworn enemy, the marauding centaur. The centaur hunted the tauren for sport and launched intermittent attacks on their foes, taking a heavy toll on both sides. The tauren did not shy away from combat and made the centaur pay for every unprovoked attack, but they had no love for war and always opted to find a new home rather than throw their lives away whenever the horse men appeared. As such, the tauren lived in a constant state of upheaval, and a year of peace was always followed by a year of war. The shu'halo accepted this cycle of conflict as inescapable as it was the only life they knew, but that would eventually change.
Culture
“But we're nothing if not people who strive for balance. Our warriors fight only when there is need. Our hunters take only what the tribes require to live, and use all they can when they do. The shaman stand as guide and mediator to the elemental spirits.”
— Tahu Sagewind
The tauren are a noble race that embrace the natural world. They have shed their nomadic roots and united in their ancestral lands. Their race may be one of spirituality, reverence for nature, and respect for elders, but it also possesses powerful warriors that willingly fight when the situation demands it. A calm and steady people, the shu'halo strive to live honorable and dignified lives filled with respect for nature and the Earth Mother. Although strong and capable warriors when roused in battle, most tauren reserve combat for when all other options are exhausted. They prefer course of wise discussion and careful rumination before embarking on any great endeavor, and they have great respect for the wise, spiritual and elderly among their people. The tauren are not wrathful by nature, but sometimes a thirst for justice causes them to take up arms in anger.
“Into the brave hearts of her pure children, the Earthmother placed the love of the hunt. For the creatures of the first dawn were savage and fierce. They hid from the Earthmother, finding solace in the shadows and the wild places of the land. The Shu'halo hunted these beasts wherever they could be found and tamed them with the Earthmother's blessing.”
— The White Stag and the Moon
Though the noble tauren are peaceful in nature, the rites of the Great Hunt are venerated as the heart of their spiritual culture. Every tauren, warrior or otherwise, seeks identity as both a hunter and as a child of the Earthmother. Tauren, young or otherwise, seek to prove their bravery by setting themselves against the creatures of the wild. Hunting is a tauren's greatest honor; at times they hunt for food, at times for honor, and at times to earn the Earthmother's teachings. Hunters are important to the tribes as a strong part of tauren tradition and history, and are respected and revered if they serve their people well. Young gazelles quickly learn to flee when they hear the war cries of tauren hunters in Mulgore. They don't hear the good hunters, unfortunately. While mighty warriors defend the tauren's homes, shamans show the ancestors' past and druids discover the Earthmother's will, hunters learn many aspects of those roles and blend them together. They represent the heart of the tauren people, and are looked to for guidance and protection. Despite killing the animals, the tauren are taught never to waste anything given to them by nature and to give back what they can. They learn the fine balance that exists in nature and that if they honor the Earthmother, she will bless them in return.
Many tribes claim that it is a gift to be blessed with the aptitude to use magic or to talk to the ancestors, but tauren warriors are taught that they are just as gifted. They are a special breed also, not unlike the druids and shamans, and are just as important. They are the ones called upon to defend the borders, to hunt the centaur, and to go to war. Every warrior plays a role in their tribe, and they must all go through the same rites.
Despite their enormous size and brute strength, the remarkably peaceful tauren cultivate a quiet, tribal society. However, when roused by conflict, tauren are implacable enemies who will use every ounce of their strength to smash their enemies under hoof. They are noble and proud and have never, despite significant adversity in the past, succumbed to their enemies. Like the orcs, the tauren now struggle to retain their sense of tradition and noble identity.
Their buildings are called long houses and great tents.
Faith
“Peace between the earth and all her people should be our goal. She has a grand plan for nature, and we all have a role to play in that plan.”
— Bashana Runetotem
The tauren worship the Earth Mother as their creator. According to the tauren myth Sorrow of the Earthmother, when the Earth Mother saw her children falling to the corrupting whispers from below the earth, (the work of the Old Gods) she tore out her eyes and set them spinning endlessly across the sky. Her left eye became Mu'sha, the moon, and her right eye became An'she, the sun. Neither of both is better than the other, and together they see with balanced vision - they are the tauren's own "Light".
The earliest history of the tauren is recorded in a series of myths. These chronicle the period of time from the creation of the world to the appearance of the centaur, speaking of the creation of the tauren by the Earthmother, their meeting with Cenarius, and the coming of the centaur.
Due to night elven influence, tauren druids long revered only Mu'sha, as Mu'sha is considered to be the tauren equivalent of the kaldorei moon goddess, Elune. During the War against the Lich King, the warrior Aponi Brightmane engaged in theological discussion about this matter with Tahu Sagewind. Aponi pointed out that in all else, the tauren strived for balance, and she wondered if they had neglected a key aspect of balance in all things. As a result of these discussions, following the Cataclysm, the Sunwalkers, an order of tauren paladins, arose, wielding the power of the Light through An'she.
Besides the Earthmother and her two eyes, an entity known as the Sky Father is also worshipped.
Last Rites
“Earth Mother, into your arms we give one of our own. She is Unaya Hawkwind, my mother, and Greatmother to us all; the wisest of our tribe. May her spirit fly to you swiftly; may the winds carry her gently, and the grass whisper her name. Watch over her as she has watched over us; let her look down on us with joy, through the eternal gaze of An'she and Mu'sha, until we too join her in death. For we are all born of you, and shall all return to you.”
— Chief Hawkwind during the funeral ceremony of Greatmother Hawkwind[41]
The tauren consider death to merely be the shadow of life, and hold that the ending of things is as natural as the birth of them.
The tauren choose not bury their dead. Rather, they prepare the body for its return to the elements and place it at one of their sacred grave sites. Only the most valiant tauren are laid to rest at Red Rocks, the tauren's sacred burial ground. It is an honor bestowed upon the great warriors who helped found and defend Thunder Bluff and those who have given their lives for the greater good of their tribes and chieftains.
When a tauren is cremated, it is done with ceremony and ritual. The body of the deceased is ritually bathed and wrapped in a ceremonial blanket before being placed atop a pyre, after which a fire is lit beneath them. The ashes are offered to the winds and rivers, to become one with Earth Mother and Sky Father. As the ashes fall to the earth and the smoke rises to the sky, both the Earth Mother and Sky Father welcome the honored dead, and An'she and Mu'sha witness their passing. This death ritual speaks of the tauren's origins as nomads, and if their loved ones are freed to the wind and fire, they can wander in death as they did in life if they so choose.
Once the proper rites have been performed, the spirits of the deceased join the Earth Mother to find peace, and deceased tauren ancestors are welcomed at the "hearth of the ancestors". It is believed that the spirits of dead tauren walk in the shadow of the Spirit of Life.
The Dawnchaser tribe believes that honoured ancestors who gave their own lives to save, or create, other lives become yeena'e ("those who herald the dawn" in Taur-ahe) — spirits who aid An'she in announcing the coming of dawn.
Taurens are slow to trust other races and often are very silent until a person has earned their trust.
Tauren Names
The language of the tauren is often harsh and low sounding, which is reflected in the names of their children. The last name of a tauren is usually a family name, handed down through the generations. If the tauren has performed some act that has made an impression on the elders of his tribe, however, he may choose to take on his own last name to commemorate that act. Tauren have several names. They receive a name at birth and another during a ceremony to celebrate reaching adulthood. This adult name describes some event in their lives or some notable individual characteristic: for instance, Blackhide, Earthborn, Halfhorn, Hidemaker, Riverwatcher, Scar, Splithoof, or Stormchaser. A tauren may also acquire a third name that he uses when dealing with outsiders.
Male Names: Azok, Bron, Garaddon, Hruon, Jeddek.
Female Names: Argo, Serga, Beruna, Halfa.
Family Names: Darkthorn, Thunderhoof, Stormhorn, Quillsplitter, Stonebreaker, Plainstalker, Spiritwalker.
Tauren Traits
Your natural physique and connection to nature provide you several benefits.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your wisdom score by 1.
Age
Tauren mature at A slower rate then humans, they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 100 years.
Alignment
Most Tauren are lawful, believing firmly in the benefits of a well-ordered society. They tend toward good as well, with a strong sense of fair play and a belief that everyone deserves to share in the benefits of a just order.
Size
Tauren stand between 7 and 9 feet tall and average about 400 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Darkvision
Accustomed to life underground, 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 gray.
Tauren Resilience
Due to your large build you are naturally capable of taking more damage then others. Your maximum HP is increased by 1 for each level.
War Stomp
As an action once per long rest, Slam the ground around you causing (DEX DC {{savedc:str}}, half damage on success) 2d6 Bludgeoning Damage [6th] 3d6, [11th] 4d6, [16th] 5d6 and Knocking enemies prone on a failed save.. you can only use this feature once per long rest.
One with Nature
Because of your races close ties to nature, You gain proficiency with Herbalism kit as well as the nature skill.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Minotaur.
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