I don't usually have non-standard PCs in our games, but I let this one go because it gave me lots of room for interesting social encounters between adventures. I have a player who is playing a minotaur in our campaign. I'm using the Savage Species progressions to keep him balanced with the other players, but I have had some situations involving skill checks. In particular, ones like Climb, Move Silently, and Swim. I thought I'd seen something posted here before about similar issues with centaur PCs, but I'm not sure. I am making it up as I go, but any advice?
I imagine climbing would be difficult with hooves. Balance might be as well, but horses and the like don't seem to have any special penalties. Moving silently isn't an issue for me, except when the players are inside, trying to sneak around on polished stone floors. Swim seems like it probably wouldn't suffer any penalties, seeming as many hooved animals can swin enough to keep themselves afloat.
Alright, any suggestions are appreciated...
Later,
BM
Director of Narrative
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I imagine climbing would be difficult with hooves. Balance might be as well, but horses and the like don't seem to have any special penalties.
Think about goats, especially mountain goats. Not that they are THAT much like bulls, but they have a hoof type that is greater suited to rough terrain. The cleft hoof is far more stable than say a horse's hoof, however horses/mules/donkeys never seem to have trouble carrying loads up moutain trails. Most of this balance and limited climb ability does not come from the hooves, but rather from being a quadraped.
Now I don't know what rules may be available on this topic, but I believe a bipedal hooved creature would have a more difficult time with these skill checks than a quadrapedal creature. Except move silently, where either creature could use some sort of equiptment (i.e. leather/cloth/padded 'shoes') that would negate any circumstantial modifiers to their skill check.
Juss mai tu
EDIT: I just thought of this....climbing shoes are hard toed and the arch of the shoe is very rigid allowing the narrow firm part of the shoe to be wedged into cracks in the rock to enable you to climb easier. Which in form, hooves could match that profile.
EDIT: I just thought of this....climbing shoes are hard toed and the arch of the shoe is very rigid allowing the narrow firm part of the shoe to be wedged into cracks in the rock to enable you to climb easier. Which in form, hooves could match that profile.
Good point - its at least arguable that the class is as good if not better at many of these tasks. I'd just rule that hooves are by and large different but niether better or worse then other peoples shoes.
EDIT: I just thought of this....climbing shoes are hard toed and the arch of the shoe is very rigid allowing the narrow firm part of the shoe to be wedged into cracks in the rock to enable you to climb easier. Which in form, hooves could match that profile.
You know, that's a good point. I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. I'd been thinking more along the lines that being a biped on hooves one might be at a disadvantage in those situations. I guess the disadvantages are negligible and probably not worth the effort of making them up and applying them in game. Though, I was thinking the same thing with Move Silently, some kind of padded shoes seemed to make sense for muffling the sound to avoid any penalties to the check.
Thanks,
BM