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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JoeGKushner" data-source="post: 2011710" data-attributes="member: 1129">I’ve always had a fond spot for minotaurs. It may have started with Mayfair’s Role Aids and their version o the minotaur, or perhaps some of the excellent art on the various Magic the Gathering cards or even with good old Kaz the minotaur novel. I remember using The Complete Humanoids book for 2nd edition to craft many a minotaur NPC and even a player character or two when GMs were foolish enough to let me.In 3rd edition, we still have some minotaur action in the Dragonlance setting and general d20 has Savage Species, but there haven’t been a lot of sourcebooks on them. Enter Horde Book 2, Maze of the Minotaur. Written by Brian Stith and illustrated by Sang Lee, the copy I have is $12 for 60 black and white pages.The layout is crisp and easy on the eyes. No fancy borders but good use of white space. Chapter indicators are on the outer edge of the paper and flow like those in a reference book with the marker being in different spots on the edge for quick reference. Interior covers are used, the front being copyright & credits, the back, copyright and license information.  One thing shocking is that there are some recommendations for other companies products here like Emerald Press’ Campaign Options :Mazes or the Complete Spell Cards by the Other Game Company.Sang Lee’s art has two styles here. The first is the excellent detail given to most of the illustrations like his mighty bull lord on page seven or his charging minotaur on page 9, also reproduced on the cover. However, sometimes his work seems like a different artists. Take the minotaur illustration on page 16. I don’t know if it’s a reproduction problem, but the lines are very faint, almost sketch like and this is opposed by the dwarf drawn on page 5 where the style is very dark but the dwarf looks like he’s been blue-screened into the illustration. Much like the previous book in the Horde series, this book focuses on allowing the GM to bring more to the table when he introduces minotaurs to the game. For instance, in this version, the minotaur in the Monster Manual is just a pup whose on his way to becoming a mighty bull lord. Bull Lords then go about and get their own herd and have several types of inhabitants like the minotrice, the female version of the minotaur or the maze mage, a minotrice born with hairless pale skin with innate magical abilities. Add to these the tauron, a bull like creature capable of tunneling through stone, useful to expanding the lair of the bull lord.Each section includes full game details as well as a section on ecology. This allows the GM to quickly see how all things link together and how best to use them. Base challenge ratings range from 9 for the bull lord to 1 for the taurons.The book doesn’t stop there though. It provides numerous tools to help the reader make the minotaurs their own creature. For example, how about advancement tables for minotaurs on their way to bull lords and levels for bull lords who aren’t standard? Done. Looking for the information on minotrices? Done. Looking for an example as to how this would play out? Done.While there are a few general adventure hooks, the real meat of utility comes in the form of the NPCs. Each NPC includes background, game stats, and adventure hooks, as well as an illustration. None of these are what you’d call standard minotaurs. The first one for example, Baragor, is a bull lord with levels in both sorcerer and dragon disciple making him an awesome CR of 25, a powerful leader of a pack of minotaurs who don’t follow the standard rules of society set out in this book. An excellent example of breaking a rule to show the reader how it can be done.Another unusual one is Thrice, a minotaur with levels in both fighter and expert who does not seek to become a bull lord and is happy acting as a sheriff to a small town. How about the assassin minotrice Jarno  or the leader of her own tribe, Sharna, a maze mage who didn’t want to labor under a “dull witted male” Another example  would be Derth, an awakened tauron.The book includes other tools for time pressed GMs. Need an example of what a minotaur maze look likes? They’ve included a small two level maze. Need a breakdown of encounter levels and what’s appropriate for a wide range of levels? Look at the appendix. Need a bull lord NPC on a moment’s notice? Once again, the appendix is your friend as it includes NPC listings for 1st-20th level and includes starting ability scores, advancement ability scores, NPC gear, and trait generators like homelands, first name and deed name and appearance. Tables are included for minotaurs, mintrices and maze mages as well, enabling a GM to almost use the material on the fly.One of the nice things about a book like this, is that I can shake up what my players expect to happen in the game. For instance, I’m reading over Caverns of Thracia, an updated Judges Guild product, and I’m thinking, yeah, the minotaur material in here can be adapted to Caverns without too much work.If you’re looking to increase the potency of minotaurs in your campaign or just looking for new ideas to throw at your players, Maze of the Minotaur helps with NPC’s, adventure seeds, maps and new monsters in spreading ideas around.</blockquote>

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