Post by Puck on Jul 10, 2015 16:04:52 GMT
MINOTAUR INTRODUCTION
Even while the supernatural community was still underground, minotaur have always been seen with some disdain from the other residing races of the plains for their more barbaric natures compared to the devout elves and noble centaur. Although mostly known for their inhuman strength and simple approach to life on the whole, minotaur are particularly infamous for often ending up as dumb muscle for mercenaries and bandits. However, this is not a very fair reputation despite being an earned one, as most minotaur are a peaceful folk – they just tend to keep to their small communities rather than getting caught up in violence like their peers. Generally standing a good few inches taller than humans, female minotaur are humanoids who resemble cattle with their bovine horns, tails, hooves and ears. Some occasionally have patches of fur on their bodies; particularly surrounding their ankles. Male minotaur, on the other hand, tend to be far more monstrous and sizable; a bizarre case of gender dimorphism – however, there are some examples of the alternate gender resembling the monstrous or humanoid nature of the other; leading to theories that the change may be linked to a minor genetic alteration or a supernatural matter.
Although generally a peaceful and patient race, minotaur have an infamously dangerous temper oft-compared to the violent temperaments wild bulls. Given this is backed by their superhuman strength, a furious minotaur is a terrifying thing. They have a tendency to be stubborn and often short-sighted in their ambitions, but are generally a friendly and down-to-earth race; considered reliable workers and considerate leaders. Within minotaur society there is a lot of admiration for raw strength and violence amongst the adolescent community, but it is frowned upon by elders – it appears to just be a part of minotaur puberty on the whole; particularly when it comes to males. A curious note in minotaur biology though is how their adrenaline affects their metabolism; drastically increasing it to many times a human’s. Due to this, many minotaur appear plump or overweight compared to other races but are actually intentionally reserving this weight in order to allow for this sort of overclocking; leading to many stories of minotaur warriors gorging themselves before battles only to come away as muscular as the iconic minotaur of myth… and leaving a disaster behind them.
Minotaur culture is a very simple matter; focussed around survival rather than progression and ambition – most minotaur are taught the basics in all their areas of life, and then left to decide their specialisation; if things go poorly for any field at any point, any other minotaur can help cover for them. Their main focusses are farming, hunting, medicines (typically herbal or shamanic), and crafting (both blacksmithing and carpentry). They manage to handle these select professions by only dipping into all of them in a very shallow way, focussing on just getting the job done rather than developing or researching anything new. Of particular note, minotaur place a major importance on recreation and relationships; with dining and drinking being especially of importance – many of their relationships with other races stem from their love of foreign cuisine. Going in hand with this and their admiration of strength, there is particular importance placed on a minotaur’s height and weight – unsurprisingly, given how it is related to their ability to overclock their metabolism in dire situations.
Minotaur generally live in plains or light forests, although some clans have found in deserts or tundra as well. They live in small clans, with populations of about seven to ten members of mixed genders – however, in recent times there have been a vastly disproportionate number of females compared to males in these communities, while the males have gotten increasingly caught up in their reputation for violence during their adolescence; an exaggeration of similar issues in other races. Being a hot-tempered race in general, many of both genders have been entranced by the romanticisation of soldiers, vigilantes and mercenaries prevalent in human culture and are now a somewhat common sight among such groups. Those whom end up among other races out of wanderlust or interest in work are typically caught up in their host race’s culture; often trying to mimic the other race out of admiration or a want to acceptance – for example, among humans minotaur have styled boots and shoes that mirror human footwear for their hooves, just to try and fit in… or more often, to look ‘as cool’.
On a reluctant note, minotaur milk is of some magical worth as it is has height and weight increasing capacities when properly mixed and refined – however, given the personal nature of the substance it is especially rare to come across outside of minotaur tribes; particularly since only minotaur seem to know the proper way to activate its properties.
MINOTAUR LIMITATIONS
- Cannot be turned into any other supernatural kind.
- Can learn and use Ki.
- Can learn magic, although they are restricted to natural element affinities.
- Are unable to use a some human-based equipment, due to their body structure.
GENERAL MINOTAUR SKILLS/ABILITIES LIST
Please do note you can make your own Skills and Abilities. These are just suggestions.
Skills: You may take up Skills from the Human list from here.
Abilities:
Name: Hyper Metabolism
Description: While their pride in their appetites and weights seems to be a cultural matter, this attitude among minotaur is actually linked to their abilities. Given a period of focus, minotaur can overclock their natural metabolism in a manner akin to meditation; albeit at the serious cost of their body’s energy. A minotaur can regenerate one fifth of their total Od each half an hour with this ability; however if they continue this process more than once in a row or on an empty stomach they will begin to harm their body as they try to overdraw on energy; lowering their Endurance with a - modifier. Each half hour this continues an additional - modifier will be added, until it goes over an hour and a half at which point they will pass out from the lack of energy. They will not recover from the negative modifiers until they have had a proper meal; though they will recover from passing out as their body recuperates.
Rank: C~E
Name: Natural Weapon (Horns)
Description: The growth of a natural weapon from one’s body, typically from bone or keratin. Akin to natural bovines, all minotaur have a pair or horns which can act as improvised weapons – particularly when they are on the end of a charge. Although they take a long time to regrow, a minotaur’s horns are as strong as metal and as sharp as a lance.
Rank: S~E
Techniques:
Name: Bull Rush
Description: The iconic charge feared by farmers and rodeo contestants around the world is as prolific among minotaur as it is amongst their bovine kin; albeit perhaps even more terrifying given there’s usually an axe behind it. Given enough room for a run up, the minotaur can crush their target with a charge headed by their horns. While charging, it is impossible to stagger or distract a minotaur without enough force to outright knock them off their feet. The impact itself is an attack from their strength with a ++ modifier thanks to the charge.
Rank: E
Cost: 5 Od
Type: Physical