Monster Ecology: Minotaur

Demon corrupted monsters or highly skilled coastal raiders, the Minotaur has been a part of Dungeons and Dragons right from its earliest days, and has seen many iterations. In this video, we will take a look at the dual nature of these beastial humanoids, where they come from, and how to include them in your game.
EDIT: The Playable Minotaur horn attack should be 1d10, not 1d8.
00:00:34 📚 Dual Nature: Minotaurs are both savage, humanoid-eating monsters and civilized, playable characters in D&D, reflecting their dual nature since their introduction.
00:01:00 🧩 First Appearance: Minotaurs first appeared in Dungeons & Dragons with the 1974 white box set and became a playable race in the Dragonlance setting in 1985.
00:02:23 🗺️ Maze Navigation: Savage Minotaurs excel in navigating mazes and complex environments, making them formidable hunters with high wisdom but low intelligence.
00:03:50 ⚔️ Brutal Combat: Minotaurs are powerful in battle, especially when charging, with high damage potential and a berserk fighting style triggered by blood.
00:05:01 🐂 Cult Influence: The Cult of the Horned King can transform members into Minotaurs under the influence of Baphomet, the demon prince.
00:06:13 🌪️ Demonic Energy: Savage Minotaurs infused with demonic energy become chaotic and relentless, driven by their primal nature and need for meat.
00:09:08 📜 Playable Race Evolution: The Minotaur as a playable race has evolved, with earlier versions being too powerful, while the fifth edition offers a balanced portrayal.
00:11:52 🌊 Sea Raiders: Civilized Minotaurs in the Forgotten Realms are portrayed as skilled navigators and sea raiders, drawing parallels to the Ironborn from *Game of Thrones*.
00:14:29 🏛️ Lawful Evil Society: Minotaur society is lawful evil, structured around combat and might, with leaders determined through ritual combat.
00:15:58 🌍 Island Civilization: Minotaurs have established an island civilization in the Forgotten Realms, combining their natural navigation skills with a seafaring lifestyle.
00:19:58 🏋️ Strength and Honor: Minotaurs are driven by a strict code of honor and strength, which plays a pivotal role in their society and individual development.
00:23:52 🪓 Cultural Weapon: The great axe is a symbolic and practical weapon in Minotaur culture, reflecting their strength and maritime traditions.
00:24:08 🌍 World Conquest: Minotaurs believe they are destined to conquer the world, a belief that drives their seafaring raids and expansion efforts in the Forgotten Realms.
00:25:17 🌍 Gnomes Return: The Gnomes of Lantern have returned to the Sword Coast, trading strange coins and crystals, possibly indicating they survived in another realm for 100 years.
00:26:09 🏴‍☠️ Mariner Minotaurs: Unearthed Arcana provides resources for Minotaur players, including Mariner fighting styles and random roll tables for character backstories, such as exiles or shipwreck survivors.
00:27:17 🐾 Baphomet's Influence: All Minotaurs are tied to Baphomet, the demon prince of the maze, who encourages them to unleash their savage, destructive instincts.
00:28:11 🥊 Minotaurs vs. Gnolls: Minotaurs have an instinctual hatred of Gnolls, driven by their connection to Baphomet and his rivalry with Yeenoghu.
00:28:50 🔥 Abyssal Maze: Baphomet's layer in the Abyss is an infinite, ever-changing maze populated by fearsome, demon-infused Minotaurs, embodying their chaotic and destructive nature.
00:29:31 📜 Satanic Panic Impact: Baphomet and other demon lords were temporarily removed from D&D during the 1980s' "Satanic Panic" but were reintroduced in later editions.
00:30:13 🗡️ Demon Prince Rivalry: Baphomet shares his Abyssal lair with Pale Night, a powerful fiend lord, avoiding her influence while ruling his savage, beast-filled realm.
00:31:33 ⚖️ Dual Nature: Civilized Minotaurs offer hope that savagery can be tempered, but their primal instincts still lie at their core, representing the struggle between civilization and chaos.
LINKS!
media.wizards.....
forgottenrealms....
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dragonlancenexu....
All credit to the original artists for their amazing images, music used in the intro is linked on the playlist called "The Music Used".

[@Brutalyte616]

Minotaurs were playable in D&D from the very start? Learn something new every day...

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, quite unusual given the assumption they were just uplifted directly from greek mythology.

[@theredneckstoner4209]

I didn't even know Minotaurs were playable characters at all

[@That80sGuy1972]

They were not. The Dragonlance versions were. They are not quite the Minotaurs of most AD&D settings. Minotaurs in Dragonlance are a people, a race. In most other worlds, they are monsters who just want to kill and eat people.

[@1supermanprime]

i have been playing with my minotaur character in d&d for over thirty years. still my favorite character to play.

[@omega311888]

in dragonlance, yes. original D&D, no. at least not that ive ever heard. and we've been playing since the game came out.

[@dontmindme1681]

I played a Minotaur in my first game of D&D...got killed by a dire rat because my DM is a merciless bastard and no one bothered to explain how combat works. I learned after that.

[@blackhawk3975]

That's just a bad DM, my first DM helped me learn, explaining what to roll, and what to add.

[@dontmindme1681]

@@blackhawk3975 He was admittedly a dick about it but I was also an incredibly difficult person at that age so I don't hold it against him.

[@blackhawk3975]

@@dontmindme1681 I will admit, as awesome as my DM was, he made my first character a pawn of the bbeg and didn't tell me until it was made a dm npc. {Because i was unable to attend at the time.)

[@bayoubilly5176]

@@blackhawk3975 that is textbook number one no no amongst DMs... You never take over players characters except with a legit loss of a save for a temp control from spell. If you're going to do what happened to yours you gotta be like Mercer and be in on it exactly as much as the DM. Seriously not cool. It's amazing how many DMs break the five basic rules to a good time for all to control the story. We guide it... We don't control it. That's for the PC's... Bad dming...

[@forsaken7976]

@@bayoubilly5176 that being said there’s an unwritten rule that if a player misses a session for a stupid reason, their character is fair game.

[@hakuzoable]

Man, that is some lack of cowbell in the intro.

[@AJPickett]

Taco Nuke(Dapper Edition) I don't have a fever currently.

[@Jianju69]

I find it distracting.

[@That80sGuy1972]

*Christopher Walkin's voice* We need more cowbell!

[@Simir328]

I have a fever ...

[@80Elminster]

MORE COWBELL!!!

[@Joe-pi9bx]

They have quite a nice moo-vement speed.

[@AJPickett]

I'm sure we could milk puns out of this all day.

[@Raivan31]

And should.

[@Joe-pi9bx]

Raivan, if so, riddle me this: would a Minotaur archer be a bowvine?

[@beastwarsFTW]

the can bull-doze there way though crowds

[@Runstyr]

Their priests peace from a bull-y pulpit

[@michaelkelligan7931]

Just be glad Minotaurs are not like the one in the movie,"Your Highness"....gawwd! That was an awkward scene to watch!

[@marclytle644]

That was funny. No no, don't suck on that. It's dead.

[@jbirmingham2380]

Some great artwork in this video!

[@anathema1828]

Such a wealth of information in this video- wow!

[@Ratt611]

Monsters as PCs!? I can't deal with XD.

[@AJPickett]

Sometimes, you just gotta grab new experiences by the horns... :D

[@TheFattdragon]

AJ Pickett I absolutely love your ecology videos.Could you do a few on setting of D&D Spelljammers.

[@AJPickett]

I have not played any spelljammer campaigns, but it is a great setting and I can look into making a video covering the basics :)

[@adrenalineunlimited]

You are quite robust and healthy my dude

[@H3xx99]

Not saying you're wrong, and I'm not trying to be mean. But the "And look at me now" argument always makes me laugh because there's always that one asshole (usually me) who's like "Yeah look at *You* now...." I love this channel. Keep up the Awesome work.

[@davidfletcher6703]

I've heard somewhere that there was a Minotaurian entity called Yevüs (pronounced Yevoos) who was worshiped as a malignant god on the island of Crete, I'd have to do more research on it but it would be an interesting element to add to a campaign as perhaps a splinter cult of Minotaurs, a channel called Lighthouse Horror did a story that has the main character who is a vampire working for an agency that that enforces a piece agreement between humans and Fey, and the main character of the story investigates a string of murders were each victim has an organ harvested by cultists of Yevüs to bring about an even called The Divergence to bring Yevüs into this world

[@davidfletcher6703]

I reckon it's possible for there to be minotaur who are more human looking in appearance as well that make it easier for them to integrate into human societies

[@kennethwickersham4213]

My Minotaur PC Faz Shaggybak is very badass he is a Death Kight by 3.5 rules

[@sagesheahan6732]

By 3.5 rules: the one I made was Torax Stonesplitter NG Minotaur lvl 14 Monk / lvl 6 Cleric

[@gerythionargarys7848]

7.4k subs. 7.7k views. That's how you know you've got a good channel ;p

[@krispalermo8133]

18minute mark, Nocking Prone .. I grew up with bloody fist fights with my sibling and cousins along fought for a few years with foam weapons. If a minotaur head butts you in a fight, make a fort save vs 10+dmg deal or drop down on your backside. Also seeing short to mid size people try to deal with big people over six ft with a couple hundred lbs on them. You bump into them with normal or running speed like football or foam weapon fighting, you hit the ground, they don't move and fall down .. the other person does.

[@renarddubois940]

30:00 really cool artwork

[@bayoubilly5176]

My second game ever of DnD was taladas...(the continent on krynn). We were a group of castaways that get enslaved. Being an elf was no fun heh(it was total fun)...

[@kevinchristiansen4348]

the transformation of the minotaur is basic human psychology, spend enough time in a certain doctrine, develop it into your lifestyle

[@bluemagus2424]

I love playing Minotaur. they rock.

[@terraaegis6060]

My minotaurs are tall, athletic mountain herbivores. They tend to craft pieces of art that are a mixture of Spanish and Greek in style, and tend more towards isolationist views. They can be compared to dwarves in their great love for the arts and sciences.

[@imlaughing2death]

I kinda find it funny how so many large sized races get shoe-horned into some variant of the Proud Warrior Race Guys Trope. I've been thinking about what it would be like if a setting had all of it's Cows, Horses & Pigs transformed into playable races instead of just having them be background animals. I'd Imagine the Pigs (Ogres) to be loud, and have a love of tasty (but not necessarily healthy) food and the arts. Extra wide streets in a noisy market, with a cacophony of smells conflicting with each other, leading to large, historic theatre. As a side note, Ander Wood had an interesting take on Ogres for his setting in his game, Within the Ring of Fire. Cows & Bulls would obviously become Minotaurs, but instead of the brutes they're always depicted as, I see them more as VERY devoted parents. They're very entrenched in traditional gender roles, with the males being the stern father and the females being nurturing mothers. You've heard about how parents have done incredible things to save their children, right? Imagine that in the body of a large, bestial person, and that response is directed at you. Yikes. I also kinda imagine Minotaur breastmilk being sought after by other races as a way to ensure healthy children, after all, bulls were often associated with virility and fertility throughout history. I don't know if Horse people (Equinar? Epona?) are a thing in D&D (aside from Centaurs obviously), but I imagine them being very athletic and vain. They love the feeling of exerting their body in a hard days work, and a pretty much stereotypical jocks. Not always the brightest, their society would probably have some their priorities is the wrong places with emphasis on appearance and "bro-culture", hindering them from really advancing as a community. Let me know what you think.

[@AJPickett]

I work for an agritech company and sometimes we have some funny chats in the lunch room about milk, how ridiculous it is that we human mammals, drink the milk of another species of mammal.. it is a very odd thing, really. If you want to see a funny reaction from someone, present them with a wedge of Brie and tell them it is made from Human milk. Your comment about Minotaur milk being sought after by other races, I don't think so, minotaurs are carnivores, they are not cows, their milk would be quite different (for instance, nobody milks cats and dogs, we generally don't drink the milk of any mammals that eat meat). What may be more likely is that Minotaurs have a secret trade in humanoid meat, keeping it concealed from the other races as best they can, but yeah, the fact is that they have a preference for the flesh of other humanoids, it tastes great to them, weather they are enlightened, good hearted and civilised or not, a hunk of BBQ human rump is mouth watering to a minotaur.. I mean, if humans encountered and lived with a species of alien pig people, bacon would still taste fantastic to us, and we would crave it. As for your first sentence, the Firbolg from Volo's guide to Monsters are a great example of how not all large humanoids fit the proud warrior trope. I shall be doing a vid on them at some point.

[@Runstyr]

Pigs are extremely intelligent and rather passionate in their affection and their anger and rage. It would be interesting to see a race of pig people who are talented wizards, passionate bards and intense and gifted sorcerers

[@deannatheos4471]

Very good thank you and have a nice day.

[@Thagomizer]

There seems to be a continuity snarl in the D&D sources regarding how minotaurs propagate. In Dragon issue 116 notes that there are male and female minotaurs, whereas the Monstrous Manual states the minotaurs are only male. It notes that there are cursed minotaurs who were once human (implied to be fallen heroes like Death Knights, but perhaps they were Baphomet cultists?) and "natural" minotaurs who were the offspring of minotaurs and human females. Are all of these origins true, perhaps depending on which prime world they originate from?

[@AJPickett]

Yes. Personally, I would ignore the monstrous manual's lore on there only being male minotaurs, I mean, in that case, why have any gender at all? The consistent lore is that Minotaurs originated from cultists who were transformed and now breed true, so, they could come from all sorts of races, and yes, there are males and females.

[@Thagomizer]

In the earlier editions, some monsters were only female (harpies, medusae, nymphs, dryads, sirines, lamias, hags, gynosophinx, etc.) and some monsters were only male (satyrs, minotaurs, androsphinx, etc.). It seems sex characteristics were intrinsic to the original mythologies, when these monsters were essential and archetypal, and not rationalized as naturalistic creatures that evolved into a particular ecological niche. Even for monsters in which that wasn't the case, 3e went out of its way to avoid this for some reason, even with monsters that weren't necessarily monogender to begin with: the manticore's head changing from resembling a bearded human head merged with a lion's mane to a "vaguely humanoid beast", the medusa being described and depicted as a scaly humanoid rather than having a sensual female body, the harpy and satyr merely described as half-human despite depicting them as female and male in their respective pictures, the andro- and gyno- sphinxes hardly even have human-like faces at all, and the minotaur's body now being covered with shaggy fur so it looks ambiguous. All seemingly to avoid reading any monster immediately as a male or female. Only hags and nymphs avoid this treatment. And I have to wonder: why? Political correctness? In a game supposedly drawing from the recesses of myth, legend, history, and fantasy?

[@AJPickett]

See "Religious persecution of the hobby in the 1980's"Yes, 'political' correctness, let's call it that.

[@Thagomizer]

The people who precipitated that nonsense objected to the supposed occult elements and the presence of demons and devils. TSR responded by re-naming the fiends Baatezu and Tanar'ri, and removing some of the "immoral" elements of the game, like the assassin class and the half-orc race. By the advent of 3e, the D&D moral panic had subsided and the terms "demon" and "devil" were re-instated along with half-orcs and assassins as a prestige class. Clearly, they weren't worried about offending the same people any more. But some of the lore and tonal changes in 3e suggest they were worried about implied sexism instead.

[@adamgor0035]

I would love to see a video on the gorgon

[@AJPickett]

Leaping Ligers nice! added to the list.

[@onemisterfranko]

I did not know minitours could be a player race that could be fun to slip into my homebrew somewhere, could be a lot of fun to pair them with goliaths maybe like fierce rivals.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

This comment is long in coming, but animals generally spend a lot of time just lounging because they don't sweat. As such it is much harder for them to cool themselves off. Sustained activity heats the body up quite a lot. We take it for granted because we do sweat. But if an animal tried to perform at the level we do it would die of heat stroke. Quickly. It is why we were so successful despite being slower, weaker, and more fragile than most animals per weight. We literally can just chase them until they drop in their tracks. We are even smart enough to use that to our advantage.

[@AJPickett]

Its also the reason why the oldest and most commonly used weapon and tool in human history, was a sharp edged throwing rock that could be easily carried while we ran after our prey.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

@@AJPickett True, another strange ability we have that made it much easier for us to survive. The ability to throw. It is weird to think what allowed us to thrive is how quirky we are.

[@hellionpie]

small question how bad are the complants about making a previously monsterus race into playable one

[@AJPickett]

Scroll down and you will see a very amicable conversation/debate about it that pretty much sums it up, with less profanity and personal insults than is normally the custom. The excellent Trevor Cormier outlines his opinion on the matter, and Allen Linnen, Jr. counter points respectfully, a brief word from Callum in there and I put forward a gaming philosophy at the end of the thread (I am always late to the party).

[@kannathraymaker]

If I were to introduce a Minotaur playable race it would likely resemble the Tauren from World of Warcraft. The idea that Baphomet cursed his cultist to become mindless brutes would be a completely separate kettle of fish.

[@notsocrates5979]

The gnomes could have been transported to Sancrist Island if your going with the island on Krynn idea, that’s where the gnomes are on Krynn or at least their homeland

[@guybob548]

I've wanted to do a game where all the players are Minotaurs for a while now. That's about all I got so far haha.

[@AJPickett]

Campaigns where the home base is a ship are very cool.

[@guybob548]

Love it, a ship of Minotaurs exploring the seas. The idea tree has been planted

[@frostdragonking5336]

the horn attacks according to UA waterborn says it's a 1d10 not 1d8.

[@AJPickett]

Quite right! Thank you for letting me know.

[@alexandriamason2355]

There is an entire empire of Minotaurs on the continent of Taladas in Krynn(not Ansalon where the War of the Lance takes place) It is the largest civilization on that continent.

[@pyrosapien4028]

Monsters should stay monsters? I want to play as a gelatinous cube!!!

[@adorablecockroach5131]

If the DM allows it then fuck it go for it. People seem to forget that D&D is a game were you are meant to have fun with.

[@sebastianfrost5035]

In the book I’m writing the main character is a Minotaur if you’d like to help.

[@kenneth6989]

I'm sorry I like the monster Monster but I would like to make them smart as the intelligence ones the only reason is because how big they get

[@22thevoice22]

Minotaur dubstep haha excellent

[@AJPickett]

could not resist :)

[@renarddubois940]

6ft tall, wut? bruh! I see now what ppl were complaining about.. they should at the very least be 9ft tall and 500 pounds.. Imagine you go to the gym and half the guy you see there are bigger than DnD playable minotaurs..

[@jgr7487]

Minotaur cow, that's quite a weird thing!

[@logannichols5848]

Maze memorization should be intelligence based not wisdom. Intelligence is the ability to memorize knowledge, wisdom is ability to use knowledge.

[@AJPickett]

Wisdom is the aquity of the senses.

[@dashua1]

Why aren't player Minotaurs the same height as Firbolgs, and Goliaths

[@AJPickett]

Because they ignored all the lore?

[@dashua1]

@@AJPickett That makes sense.

[@rickeymariu1]

I play drgon lance, homebrew, and forgotten realms.. not in that order.

[@warface4881]

I need stats for Man-Bear-Pig!

[@AJPickett]

Grooont?

[@JimmyTurner]

mOnSterS sHOulD StAY MoNsTERs.

[@AJPickett]

In Jack Vance's tales of the dying earth, there was a species of unintelligent humanoids that looked human but were just animals.. to some of the other species in these fantasy worlds, humans are the monsters, little better than Orcs. It is all a matter of perspective.

[@JimmyTurner]

@@AJPickett I was making fun of the people who didn't agree with you to begin with lol

[@AJPickett]

@@JimmyTurner Oh, lol, I see :)

[@KudisBontasu]

Blood Sea Minotaurs have feet, not hooves.

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, there is variation among them, I put this down to their original form being the result of a demonic corruption, so, the result is, of course, chaotic. The form of their parent seems to breed true though, so there are populations that share the same features, but may differ from other minotaurs.

[@andirach]

AJ Pickett As a point of lore, Krynnish minotaurs don't have the cannibalistic hunger you kinda fixated on. There's no demonic origin to them at all - they are a devolved race. Their origin lies in the Irda, or High Ogres, stemming from the fall of that race. Other devolved races from the Irda include Ogres, half Ogres, and ogre Magi. Their horns are culturally significant - dishonored minotaurs have their horns cut off, a visual point of recognition of their fall.

[@andirach]

They were created when the Graygem of Gargath, an artifact containing pure chaos untainted by good or evil. The Graygem is also the origin of kenders from halflings.

[@rickeymariu1]

I just had 3 adds in 5 min on 1 video. This is stupid

[@jameslightfoot1872]

I played a minotaur monk. He liked to use his size advantage in grappling. being the result of an involuntary union between a human woman and a cursed minotaur, she left her monstrous child at a monastery devoted to Helm. He generally refused to use his bite attack because he considered it uncivilized.

[@KS-PNW]

Avoiding the bite attack like that was a cool touch . That's A+ roll playing right there..

[@jtb6737]

Best example of Minotaur as playable character, Kaz, Friend of Huma the First of Heroes books.

[@magnasupreme]

would it be interesting to have a minotaur character, afraid to go into alabyrinth settingbecause they are afraid they will become savage

[@AJPickett]

That would be great, they would work very well with an Aarakocra who has a similar phobia

[@xPumaFangx]

I hear hyperventulating as an angyst fueled Passivefist cow man walks into the underdark for the first time.

[@drandana3661]

I made an npc that was an outcast because of her philosophical and inillectual interests. She ended up roaming the labrynth for years, offering healing services for information and books from other realms.

[@ShinM.]

@@xPumaFangx fucking dying at passivefist.

[@xPumaFangx]

@@ShinM. Glad you had fun.

[@MarkATorres1989]

Hahahaha you remind me of my time playing a Minotaur. Either the savage type one or the strange super outlier one. My favorite was the time I played a Minotaur Paladin that sought to redeem his clan from the influence of Baphomet. Oddly as you said about the loyalty. Vorse Greyhorn (my minotaur) became sworn friends with the party. Pity for the evil warlord when he killed those friends, Vorse hounded him through the very ends of Faerun... up to Icewind Dale if I'm not mistaken in my memory of the cold bitterness and constantly smiting Yetis that got in my way.

[@peteraustero608]

Kaz the greatest of minotaurs!

[@curtisfranzen986]

Yes!!! I KNOW THAT REFERENCE!! WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!!

[@derrabbit7289]

Thumbs up from the lizardfolk, no problems with a Minotaur munching humans here

[@isitnotwrittenthat1680]

My character only ever animated skeletons, he was a lizardfolk cleric who followed the logic of waste not, for you shall obtain dinner and a servant thusly.

[@chocolatesunday4798]

Minotaur are my favorite fictional creatures. I'm so happy to hear they are playable characters

[@josephweymon8020]

Interesting that you used Worf to illustrate your point on what "civilized" minotaurs would be like because, in addition to our beloved Klingon hero, Michael Dorn voiced a "civilized" (and lawful for that matter) minotaur on the old Gargoyles TV series. Great video AJ, keep up the good work sir!

[@Donkeyearsa]

I created a minotaur playable race for another TTRPG and I thought of them to be something a lot like Klingon's. They are somewhat bestial but honor means everything to them. They are very quick to fight a dual but wont challenge thous that they see as weaker than them self's as that is not seen as honorable as they are not a challenge. To refuse a challenge or dual is seen as cowardliness but they will permit a non minotaur who they see as weaker than them self's to back out of a dual with their honor intact but if they push things they will fight them. Now minotaur cant refuse a challenge from another minotaur without their honor being destroyed. Now not all duels are to the death it all depends on the situation. There are four types of duels. There is the symbolic dual where going into the dual one is expected to submit after giving a symbolic defense this is mostly ceremonial duels. Then there is the friendly dual where they are just sparing to either see who is the stronger without really trying to harm each other or just to spar for practice. When two or more minotaur bulls will interact with each other over an extended period of time they will need to know who is the dominant and who is the submissive bull. There is the fight where one can surrender but with loss of honor this is used for things like who will be the herds dominant bull. Then there is the dual to the death where no quarter will be taken or given this is for true enemies of the race, tribe, or to that spastic bull or cow.

[@kevinchristiansen4348]

I love minotaur I have em in my deck in mtg

[@lonegoat81]

Loved Kaz, still my favorite Minotaur.

[@NWLR-tv]

I want to see that fight between the Minotaur and Medusa

[@jackcho634]

*sees video uploaded* Today is a good day...

[@AJPickett]

Sorry it was so late.

[@jackcho634]

AJ Pickett Not at all! I'm just happy to have more of your videos to watch

[@blueberrywine69]

Jack Cho

[@randallbaumgardt3424]

Has always been one of my favorite beasties. So much potential. I can attest in 4e they were very OP as a player race. Had a essentially unstoppable minotaur barbarian in the party. The saving grace was the role playing gold.

[@asepsisaficionado7376]

Minotaurs should eat grass for sustenance because their biology most closely resembles cattle. Change my mind.

[@suntiger2000]

Sweet Video! I'm gonna be playing a Minotaur very soon myself for 5th Edition, and I'm just trying to learn as much as i can to match their personality. It will be a pleasure to roleplay! :3

[@mediaaddict3997]

From 31:22 to 31:42 the art work shown is race known as the Charr their a humanoid feline race think lions and mountain lions with horns that walk in two or four limbs. Cool art work though and a great video been looking all over for info regarding minotaurs within the D&D setting !

[@skytheannur6168]

I love you showed off the Charr toward the end here. But that said I had a minotaur monk who was a fighter, and was part of a raiding party. The party was defeated and he was enslaved by the drow. The fun thing of the bonds mentioned, and a bit literally was he wanted not only to out smart his drow overseer, but best them in combat, even as a slave. The other player who was a drow agreed when time came there would be one final fight to see who would essentially serve who. Or rather if the drow kept his bovine beast o burden or if my monk would go on to being a warlord. That was the plan and sadly the campaign died. Another fun tidbit was, he was originally named Perseus, but after his defeat he was called "Spare (ribs)"

[@alexhudson-]

1:25 this art is from Kaz the Minotaur. Some of the best Dragon Lance novels...

[@tonyromasco1735]

Look into the Greek mythology of "Io". She's a great candidate for a goddess of good-aligned minotaurs..

[@DruPhred]

I love playing monsters as a character, back in 3rd ed I got the Savage Species book and played a Minotaur from level 1, he was growing up as we adventured. Sadly we didn't get to finish that campaign. :( Thanks for the video, I'm enjoying your channel, I'm glad I stumbled across it and subscribed :)

[@brightglory5734]

Kaz of the Axe, Kaz Dragonslayer.

[@dannyhunn6025]

Kenders would make a great video!!! It could be really funny to explain how a party full of Kenders would work when all the players are RPing them right...

[@Nyrufa]

"Monsters should stay monsters!" I agree... that's why EVIL is a playable option. You don't always have to be the hero of the story, people!

[@JoseMolina-ij3xx]

Question: Are Taurens from Azeroth considered a variant of Minotaur? One of the unique things about Krynn Minotaurs is that they were originally Ogres transformed by the Graygem. Which reminds me. You should make a video on the Graygem and its mutations, including up to its final reveal at the end of the Age of Despair, and the subsequent mutations of more races in the Age of Mortals. Your version of Dragonlance only goes up to 2nd edition, but there is a 3rd edition Dragonlance campaign setting. It's not as dated as you think. It's just your information that is not up to date. www.drivethrurpg.com/product/557/Age-of-Mortals-35

[@AJPickett]

Guess they are different species then.

[@Daleksaresupreme1]

If I remember the Dragonlance lore correctly, Minotaurs in that setting were originally Ogres who were mutated by a magic stone.

[@alanschaub147]

AJ, one of the things I can count on when watching your videos is that you say something like “Well, that’s about it”...and then you go on to share a bunch of other cool information. ❤️

[@Horbach322]

🎯 Key points for quick navigation: 00:00:34 *📚 Dual Nature: Minotaurs are both savage, humanoid-eating monsters and civilized, playable characters in D&D, reflecting their dual nature since their introduction.* 00:01:00 *🧩 First Appearance: Minotaurs first appeared in Dungeons & Dragons with the 1974 white box set and became a playable race in the Dragonlance setting in 1985.* 00:02:23 *🗺️ Maze Navigation: Savage Minotaurs excel in navigating mazes and complex environments, making them formidable hunters with high wisdom but low intelligence.* 00:03:50 *⚔️ Brutal Combat: Minotaurs are powerful in battle, especially when charging, with high damage potential and a berserk fighting style triggered by blood.* 00:05:01 *🐂 Cult Influence: The Cult of the Horned King can transform members into Minotaurs under the influence of Baphomet, the demon prince.* 00:06:13 *🌪️ Demonic Energy: Savage Minotaurs infused with demonic energy become chaotic and relentless, driven by their primal nature and need for meat.* 00:09:08 *📜 Playable Race Evolution: The Minotaur as a playable race has evolved, with earlier versions being too powerful, while the fifth edition offers a balanced portrayal.* 00:11:52 *🌊 Sea Raiders: Civilized Minotaurs in the Forgotten Realms are portrayed as skilled navigators and sea raiders, drawing parallels to the Ironborn from *Game of Thrones*.* 00:14:29 *🏛️ Lawful Evil Society: Minotaur society is lawful evil, structured around combat and might, with leaders determined through ritual combat.* 00:15:58 *🌍 Island Civilization: Minotaurs have established an island civilization in the Forgotten Realms, combining their natural navigation skills with a seafaring lifestyle.* 00:19:58 *🏋️ Strength and Honor: Minotaurs are driven by a strict code of honor and strength, which plays a pivotal role in their society and individual development.* 00:23:52 *🪓 Cultural Weapon: The great axe is a symbolic and practical weapon in Minotaur culture, reflecting their strength and maritime traditions.* 00:24:08 *🌍 World Conquest: Minotaurs believe they are destined to conquer the world, a belief that drives their seafaring raids and expansion efforts in the Forgotten Realms.* 00:25:17 *🌍 Gnomes Return: The Gnomes of Lantern have returned to the Sword Coast, trading strange coins and crystals, possibly indicating they survived in another realm for 100 years.* 00:26:09 *🏴‍☠️ Mariner Minotaurs: Unearthed Arcana provides resources for Minotaur players, including Mariner fighting styles and random roll tables for character backstories, such as exiles or shipwreck survivors.* 00:27:17 *🐾 Baphomet's Influence: All Minotaurs are tied to Baphomet, the demon prince of the maze, who encourages them to unleash their savage, destructive instincts.* 00:28:11 *🥊 Minotaurs vs. Gnolls: Minotaurs have an instinctual hatred of Gnolls, driven by their connection to Baphomet and his rivalry with Yeenoghu.* 00:28:50 *🔥 Abyssal Maze: Baphomet's layer in the Abyss is an infinite, ever-changing maze populated by fearsome, demon-infused Minotaurs, embodying their chaotic and destructive nature.* 00:29:31 *📜 Satanic Panic Impact: Baphomet and other demon lords were temporarily removed from D&D during the 1980s' "Satanic Panic" but were reintroduced in later editions.* 00:30:13 *🗡️ Demon Prince Rivalry: Baphomet shares his Abyssal lair with Pale Night, a powerful fiend lord, avoiding her influence while ruling his savage, beast-filled realm.* 00:31:33 *⚖️ Dual Nature: Civilized Minotaurs offer hope that savagery can be tempered, but their primal instincts still lie at their core, representing the struggle between civilization and chaos.* Made with HARPA AI

[@casculator]

I love your channel, it is hands down one of the best channels on youtube. Please keep doing what you're doing, we love you Greetings from the netherlands

[@kurtoogle4576]

I've played a minotaur in several different D&D editions, DM'd for them, and been in games with other minotaur characters (including Krynn settings). They are a lot of fun, and I'd recommend trying them out. Really enjoyed this video. Thanks!

[@AJPickett]

Most welcome Kurt!Yeah I will always remember a good friends character, Goredo, he endured so much misfortune and still came out of it a hero (if a somewhat tragic one).

[@DuskyPredator]

This is helpful to what I was planning. I wanted to have a setting with a conquered minotaur cult, with a pretty much run down maze with setting goodies in it and the chaotic monsters imprisoned by a Bone Naga. But the Unearthed Arcana was making me think I also might like some more interesting NPC not so bestial, and so I was when I was writing up a pirate I might I like to put in I considered it, but was thinking the two could not exist in the same setting. I wrote the instead to Tiefling druid, but your explanation of how they can exist has confirmed what her first mate will be. A minotaur... monk.

[@AJPickett]

Makes perfect sense :)Boy I would love to know what that monks monastic order is like!

[@DuskyPredator]

I guess monastic order of minotaur would be pretty weird. So, she was on a ship that sunk in a storm as a child, then saved and adopted by monks who would try to breed out the aggression, but she still felt the pull back to the sea and away from the order's code. And now as a pirate will have her own hybrid between a monk's focus on control and the minotaur's belief in power, eventually after feeling proven self and returned to her people she will start minotaur monastic order. Probably way overthinking something I was only thinking of being a random NPC.

[@AJPickett]

I can well imagine a monastic order of Minotaurs.. I picture them standing under pounding waterfalls, doing kata, then spending a few hours smashing rocks and wood with their bare hands, randomly getting slammed across the head and shoulders with a staff by their Sensei. An afternoon of exercises such as reading philosophy on temperance and calm action, while being pelted with live bees, or having cups of ants emptied on their head. In the evening they gather down at the estuary with candles on their horns, waiting for crabs and fish to swim past, then either grab them or plunge their head in and catch the fish with their teeth, and back to the dormitory, where they rest, while all night, one at a time takes turn to stay awake and chant, light incense and repair torn kilts.

[@danjohnson887]

We played 2nd ed back in the day and one of the most memorable characters we had was a minotaur named Mongo. He was a true badass. He also wielded a weapon which was in reality a psionicist who could assume other shapes and had the ability to cause pain which effectively doubled damage! Frightening indeed.

[@frankburns8871]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mr. Minotaur, you're SOOOOO scary. Guess what, you're still ribeye to me. A little garlic salt, some baked potato...yeah, you're delicious.

[@pixelatedgrass7528]

Thanks for making this! Always been a great fan of Minotaurs and wanted my first D&D character to be one. Great help!

[@AJPickett]

Aerius Korgomoth most welcome!

[@H3xx99]

Lost? Get yourself a Taur Taur navigation system and never lose your way again! _Not responsible for loss of limb, life, or property due to temperment of Taur Taur system._

[@xPumaFangx]

F 4 Kaz the Minotaur.

[@BennysGamingAttic]

I have a campaign going where the Minotaur is a cursed tribe of nomads who defiled a god's grotto. The god punished them by merging them with the ox who pulled their wagons. The Minotaur race needs to appease the God, which is why my PC's Minotaur (Asterion) was looking for an adventuring party. If he can appease the god who cursed his people (the curse happened several generations ago) the curse will be lifted and his people restored.

[@BennysGamingAttic]

Though some Minotaur don't want the curse lifted. They will show up in the campaign later on to try and stop him.

[@AJPickett]

That sounds like a great character background story. I love it when players think about the primary motivation of their character like that.

[@aaronwilliams007]

Always inspiring and informative! Thank you Sir for the wonderful things you do.🙂

[@mattnerdy9430]

Hey AJ... I could build a whole campaign with just this one video. You give some much information, thank you AJ. Great video as always. Have a great day!

[@AJPickett]

You to Matt!

[@glorbojibbins2485]

12:45 What episode is this from I wonder

[@magnasupreme]

my first ever characterin dand just made him is aminotaur Barbarian who wasraised in adragonborn colony by the knightly order ofbahamut

[@Zaprozhan]

Given the moral range of humans in reality and in the game, from saintly benefactor to savage mass-killer, why not another race?

[@zmishiymishi5349]

We started with greyhawk. About 3/4 kampains, some pulled to epic lvls. Then kara tur and dragonlance, dont remember which first. After that we keept changing between swordcoast regions and kara tur. I very enjoyed the setting of Dragonlance, espetially knights orders. Maybe we played it wrong, maybe it was bad campain but i felt like it was, actually, too fantastic.

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Some minitaurs that are above ground but used to.live in a maze below ground are now just navigating the maze of life under the sky the whole world is one big maze dude it's like a hippie minitaur it's m.o.l. maze of life minitaur

[@chrisrobo1]

I use all the settings with portals other magical nonsense its all useful

[@GringatTheRepugnant]

I'm surprised you didn't use some of the opening animation from Neverwinter Nights for this! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnWtqoKKgaZ-ars

[@AJPickett]

I can't post that without getting slapped with copyright infringement, but you can certainly link to it in the comments (thank you sir) :)

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Not sure if you’ve played Dragon Age, but if you haven’t check out the Qunari. I feel like they are basically what these Minotaur would evolve into socially if they keep the focus of removing their chaotic nature.

[@MRDicristofaro]

thank you for your videos . iv DM'ed games for years but the added bits of info iv gotten from your videos have made my games that much better and more. thank you sir keep up the great work :

[@AJPickett]

You're welcome, will do!

[@arichaast8585]

My opinion are all monsters are playable long they have int of 4 or above

[@JCinLapel]

Dragonlance is the first setting I ever read up on and wish I could get a 5e group going but it is a hard fight. I know it long lost but and would not ask you to do things for it.

[@mattnerdy9430]

Dragonlance is a classic. You will find people that will want to play 5e Dragonlance. JCinlapel if you love the modules, wait till you read the books! Its my all time favorite.

[@JCinLapel]

I have more times than I can count. I have a friend that was the moderator of D&D AOL chat, that was a big part in how they got published and D&D writer for GenCon events. I even have a birthday gift from Marget a signed DM screen that is personalized off an upcoming products table.

[@AJPickett]

Nice!

[@AJPickett]

Some of the first books I ever read (the first novel I read all the way through was "Voyage of the Dawntreader").

[@lucca6153]

Fish oil is often used as a mood stabilizer. Tablets are actually sold on shelves at pharmacys

[@AJPickett]

Cod liver oil, all about those omega three's

[@goggandauntiss_2305]

I’m surprised you don’t compare them to vikings

[@Joshuazx]

monsters should be monsters.

[@lonerstoner9258]

Dub step cow... Thats a thing I guess..

[@curtisfranzen986]

I had a Minautor as an NPC henchman. His name was Ferdinand. His maze was grown of rose bushes. We all called him Ferdi. He was found as a calf by a Tiefling(sp. ?) Named Maug. Maug was known as "The Warlock O the Woods" raised Ferdi to be good.

[@DemonPrinceofHell]

Did you name him Ferdinand because of the Disney movie?