Homebrew Lesser Minotaur Species Details

The descendants of minotaurs who drifted from Baphomet's influence, lesser minotaurs have grown smaller and less powerful, losing some of their infernal abilities in the process. Lesser minotaurs may retain some level of recklessness and rage from their forebears, but it is more moderated, and lesser minotaur society strongly chastises both. Lesser minotaurs have also lost their innate darkvision and much of their uncanny ability to perfectly remember paths that they have trod.

In contrast to tieflings, lesser minotaurs are largely tribal in nature, unable to overcome the extreme prejudice in civilized communities. While true minotaurs spend much of their time underground or in dark buildings, lesser minotaurs prefer open environments such as plains, open forests or rolling hills. Lesser minotaurs eschew their ancestors' proclivity for violent individuality and have replaced it with a community-oriented society, largely headed by and made up of women. Lesser minotaurs typically move in nomadic herds, and set up semi-permanent camps with large, communal tents. These tents typically contain between ten and twenty minotaurs, loosely organized by family or preference. There is also invariably a larger eating tent, where the group gathers for meals and important events. Lesser minotaurs often share tools with one another, look after calves as a group, and rotate volunteers for guarding the herd. Some minotaur herds have settled in safe areas, and these often burrow into hills or construct turf houses to live in, but retain all of the communalism of their nomadic relatives.

Lesser minotaurs, removed from their bloodlust and obligatorily carnivorous diets, are implacable, self-confident individuals, especially when supported by a herd. They do not spook easily, and are remarkably gentle for their size. Overall, lesser minotaure culture resemble that of goliaths, but lesser minotaurs have little respect for goliaths' reckless oneupmanship, score-keeping and preoccupation with physical strength (all of which lesser minotaurs squash quickly in their calves). On rare occasion, an exiled goliath may find an accepting home among lesser minotaurs.

Lesser Minotaur Traits

The following traits are shared by player characters who are lesser minotaurs.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution and Strength scores increase by 1, and your Strength or Wisdom score increases by 1.

Alignment

Most lesser minotaurs tend toward lawful alignments, and shun both chaotic and evil entities.

Size

Lesser minotaurs average over 7 feet in height, and they have strong, stocky builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Horns

Your horns are natural melee weapons, with which you’re proficient. When you hit with them, the target takes piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier.

Charge

Immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least as far as your speed, you can make one melee attack with your horns as a bonus action. Additionally, if the creature is no more than one size larger than you and within 5 feet of you, it must make a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. If it fails, you push it up to 5 feet away from you and knock it prone.

Hybrid Nature

You have two creature types: humanoid and monstrosity. You can be affected by a game effect if it works on either of your creature types.

Sense of Direction

You automatically know which direction is north, and have advantage on Intelligence checks for remembering where a path leads, if you have traveled on it before.

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 Abyssal.