THE BECOMING: PLAYING AS MONARCH MINOTAURS

Posted on by RPCraftPublishing

In the section on Minotaur religion, we discussed the concept of Players as Monarchs in the sidebar. We talked about how one becomes a monarch, the effects on game balance, and the implications of losing monarchy. Additionally, we mentioned the types of powers monarchs gain and wanted to revisit this topic while providing a few examples of powers and monarchs.

When a player becomes a monarch, the first consideration is to avoid powers that cover the weaknesses of the player’s character. For instance, let’s consider a Cretan Minotaur Barbarian who is the Monarch of Strength. To attain this title, they possess exceptionally high strength and are naturally effective in close combat. However, they may not necessarily need to be highly resilient. While they might be capable of ranged combat, they probably rarely choose it, and they likely lack spellcasting abilities. In situations where a player character is the Monarch of Strength, they should focus on acquiring powers that further enhance their strength.

However, there are some important considerations to bear in mind. Firstly, when creating any monarch, it’s crucial not to disrupt bounded accuracy or, if it does happen (depending on preference), not to allow it to disrupt game balance. Secondly, it’s important for the created monarch to stay within their domain. For example, while a Monarch of Strength will certainly gain some combat-related powers, they should not be mistaken for a Fighting or Battle monarch. The priority should be on being the physically strongest minotaur. Similarly, a Monarch of Hunt should be able to hunt various types of enemies but should not excel in ranged attacks; instead, they should possess certain perceptual abilities. A Monarch of Magic should focus more on having a deep understanding of magic rather than being the best fighter with spells.

Without attention to these factors, all monarchs will inevitably become characters that excel in combat in some way, which contradicts the theme of monarchy in practice. As a suggestion, providing two powers to monarchs— one passive and the other activation-based— would be beneficial for both balance and character control.

Example Monarch of Strenght Powers

Contestant of Strength

This is an advanced version of the Minotaur’s Avid Contestant racial ability. When using Strength-based skills and making Strength checks, if you roll a 1-5, you can re-roll and must use the new roll, unless you roll a 1 on your second roll.

Surge of Monarch

As a bonus action, you activate your inner strength, gaining an advantage on your next melee attack roll made on the same turn. If the attack hits, it deals maximum damage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses after a long rest. Note that Surge of Monarch only maximizes the weapon damage, and does not affect additional damage from other features or magical properties of the weapon.

Example Monarch of Hunt Powers

Prime Minotaur Senses

Your senses become supernaturally keen, granting you the advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks. If you roll a 15 or higher on your Perception check and it is successful, you obtain the maximum amount of information possible from that perception attempt (for example, you could determine the race of an armored enemy by seeing only their arm, or the gender and age of a creature from the tracks it left). Additionally, your dark vision increases to 120 feet. You become immune to the Blinded and Deafened conditions.

Hunt of Monarch

Once you have tracked or become aware of a creature using Wisdom (Perception), you can mark it as your target. Your first weapon attack against this creature within 24 hours has an advantage. If the attack hits, the target must make a DC Constitution saving throw equal to the total damage dealt by the attack. If it fails, it becomes stunned. It can make a Constitution saving throw with advantage at the start of its next turn and continues to do so at the start of each of its turns until it succeeds or for 1 minute, whichever comes first. The stunned condition persists even if the target takes damage, unless it succeeds on this saving throw. You can use this feature once and you can use after a long rest.

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