Description : As noted above Minotaurs stand quite large at over eight feet (including the horns), all of them are covered in short, shaggy fur. The color of the fur is variable ranging from a light brown to jet-black and even albino minotaurs are not unheard of (but very rare). The thickness of the fur depends on the environments temperature, so in winter the fur will become thicker, while in summer a minotaur will shed some of his hair.
There are different tribes of minotaurs which each have a more or less obvious feature which the others have not, e.g. one tribe may have very strong facial and head hair, like a lions mane, others may have a certain eye color which distinguishes them from other minotaurs. Minotaur legs are similar to horse legs (only much thicker) and end in hooves which makes climbing very difficult for them, hence they receive a two step penalty on any tests involving climbing. The horns of a minotaur range anywhere from a few inches for female minotaurs up to two feet for ancient male bulls, the form and color of the horns is variable ranging from curved to straight and from white-grey to black.
Habitat : Minotaurs can theoretically live anywhere, but prefer cold climates over warm ones, since their fur makes living under warm temperatures very strenuous for them. They usually live near the polar circle (This would be Finland or Canada) and sustain themselves by hunting game and selling furs. Minotaurs never reached any extent knowledge about agriculture to grow anything else than the most resilient plants.
Social Structure : Minotaurs are usually organized into clans formed from one or in rare cases up to three families, ranging from three or four up to a tribe with more than one hundred individuals. Minotaurs mate only during spring time every two years, a time when male Minotaurs enter a phase called Musk and battle (see Reg Warg) to impress the females. During the Musk male minotaurs are very aggressive and better not angered by outsiders, during this time special glands behind the minotaurs ears produce a strong-smelling secretion called DanHagon, which must smell appealing to the females, but smells horrible to all other races. During Musk males automatically enter frenzy when insulted, angered or wounded.
BTW, Male minotaurs outnumber female ones by a ratio of four to one.
Reg Warg : Which roughly translates as the "dance of the wolves" (warg comes from Scandinavia and means wolf, the Scandinavians were to afraid to call a wolf, a wolf so they called it warg) is the traditional challenge between minotaur bulls. The two bulls position themselves roughly 100 yards apart from each other and start rushing at each other with their heads poised for a batting attack with their horns, (much like bisons or buffaloes), they will continue to "knock their heads" until one of the combatants lapses into unconsciousness. Three quarters of the damage is stun damage however !
Minotaur Player Characters : Are usually no big problem, although they seem to be physically strong and playing a bull in the Musk is not that easy (especially with no females to impress), but in general Minotaurs can be played like any other race. (Well maybe not like elves, more like trolls) We had a minotaur PC for quite some time which has only sometimes been a problem for the group (about the same problem as playing a Nethermancer) usually when Olsen was drunk or got the feeling that someone had insulted him or his pet Dyre, (Mad) Helga, the unstoppable killing machine. Nevertheless he always took the brunt of the opponents assault with honor and a high durability.
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