|
Minotaurs are large and brutish creatures, the largest of the misshapen fusions of beast and
man collectively known as Beastmen. Minotaurs are Large Creatures,
are Fearsome Creatures, and are also Berserkers. As Fearsome Creatures, they are immune
to Fear caused by most other Fearsome Creatures. As Large Creatures, they occupy four
squares on the standard Advanced HeroQuest floor plan, and tend to clutter up passages.
(Large Creatures may pass through doors, but a Minotaur is incapable of traversing a passage
that is only one square wide.)
Minotaur Heroes
A Minotaur can potentially be a Hero, though under extraordinary circumstances, and it
would behoove the player to come up with at least a flimsy reason why this has come about.
Perhaps the Minotaur was (oddly enough) spared by the party, and follows them now out of
a simple-minded but firm sense of loyalty. Perhaps it is the result of some sort of
magical summons. Or perhaps the GM is allowing a party of Chaotic characters, and the
Minotaur is just along for the mayhem and destruction that is bound to follow.
Increased Expense
In a typical campaign, a Minotaur will have a great deal of trouble getting by in a human
settlement. (Indeed, a Minotaur would be fortunate not to be run out of town followed by
an angry mob armed with pitchforks and blazing torches.) It should be assumed that the
Heroes somehow manage to persuade the villagers that this is a "tame" Minotaur, and he
quite probably has to be muzzled and taken around on a leash during his stay.
Cost of Living and all other expenses while in a settlement are doubled for a Minotaur,
to reflect the fact that it's a big, smelly, hairy, carnivorous monster trying to get by
in a more or less civilized place. Helpful fellow Heroes might try to help out by buying
or selling items for the Minotaur, but there's no way around the cost of services, which
would require the Minotaur's presence.
Weapons
An unarmed Minotaur may use Claws and Fangs for damage, as listed on the Hand-to-Hand
Weapons Table (p. 44 of the Advanced HeroQuest rulesbook). A Minotaur may also use
a weapon normally considered two-handed, as if it were one-handed. (Weapons that would
normally be considered one-handed for a human-sized user are simply too small for the
Minotaur to be able to use effectively.)
As a special item, a Minotaur with a Strength
of 7 or more may make use of a Huge Club (or Huge Axe), at a cost of 200 GCs. (This
price need not be modified based upon "doubled costs" for the Minotaur.) There is
generally no market for Huge Clubs in human settlements, so this may not be sold.
|
|
Armor
A Minotaur may not make use of armor intended for creatures human-sized or smaller.
It may only use armor useable by Large Creatures. (The GM's discretion may intervene
here, to determine whether a particular Large Creature is close enough in shape to a
Minotaur for it to be able to use its armor, but at the very least a Minotaur is
roughly close to an Ogre in overall proportion, and therefore can use the same armor.)
Shields and armor for a Large Creature are extremely expensive, and cost five times
what they would for a normal Hero. Furthermore, since there generally is not a market
for Ogre or Minotaur armor, these items of armor cannot be sold. Mithril armor is not
available for Minotaurs. (Elves just don't have the armoring of Minotaurs in mind.)
Dumb as a Doorpost
Minotaurs are not known for being terribly bright. It is assumed that Minotaurs are
illiterate, and therefore cannot make use of magical scrolls or tomes.
Healing
It takes a considerable amount of magical power to heal something as enormous as a
Minotaur. It takes twice the healing power to heal a Minotaur as it does to heal most
Heroes. Therefore, whereas it would take one potion or one casting of a healing spell to
aid a human, Dwarf, Elf or Halfling, it will take two to heal a Minotaur. If a
Minotaur receives a single "dose" of healing, keep track of this until the Minotaur
receives another potion or healing spell, whereupon it will be healed normally. If the
Minotaur is wounded before receiving the second "dose", then any stored magical energy
is lost and wasted.
Please note that this does not apply to visiting a healer in town. The fact that costs
for services are doubled for the Minotaur already takes this into account.
Living off the Land
Minotaurs are part beast, and as such have considerable instincts to help them survive
in the wild. Instead of visiting a settlement, a Minotaur may opt to "live off the land",
and forage for food in a nearby forest. The Minotaur is absent from any events that occur
while in the settlement, and does not have to pay Cost of Living expenses, but likewise
cannot make any purchases or sales, and cannot benefit from any services.
Scavenging
Minotaurs may take armor and arms from Large Creatures encountered during an adventure,
provided that the GM determines that such items could be used by the Minotaur. Of course,
they cannot be generally sold in a settlement, since there isn't a market for such
things.
Carrying Capacity
Minotaurs can carry twice as much as normal-sized creatures -- i.e., they can carry up to
500 GCs without being hindered.
|
