[4e] Is Minotaur really that bad a choice for a bear shaman?

[Gamerlord]

So, I am going to become a player soon, taking a break from DMing and all that, and I decided on being a Minotaur Bear Shaman, I went to the WOTC forums and looked up some shaman guides and they said that Minotaur is a horrible choice for Shamans.

So, is it really that bad to be a Minotaur Bear Shaman?

[Kylarra]

So, I am going to become a player soon, taking a break from DMing and all that, and I decided on being a Minotaur Bear Shaman, I went to the WOTC forums and looked up some shaman guides and they said that Minotaur is a horrible choice for Shamans.

So, is it really that bad to be a Minotaur Bear Shaman?

Yes and no.

You have minimal synergy with any shaman specialties as a minotaur, ie you won't be charging, you're not STR based so your ferocity is useless as is your +2 str. You do have Con synergy which helps a little, but it doesn't do much to change fact that you've really got no useful racial traits here, and no + to your primary ability.

On the other hand, this is 4e, so you won't be completely useless, you'll just have less powers available, and be missing about 10% of the time more than most.

[bloodhawk]

I doubt its horrible - at least its got a CON bonus, even if it lacks a WIS bonus. There won't have any good racial feats, either. Thing is, its difficult to built a truly horrible 4e character, so you should be fine as long as you start with 16 WIS.

Also, only one of the guides said they were a horrible choice - this one is the most up-to-date i could find on the wizards boards and says minotaurs are a decent race.

[Kylarra]

They won't be horrible, but eh, of the +str/con races, I'd put warforged up first, then goliath, then minotaur/orc.

[Corvus]

Minotaurs lack all the options open to other races given all we have of them is from a single Dragon article. They are in PHB3 so there should be a lot more support form them when that happens.

[erikun]

I am currently running a 4e Minotaur Druid, and can give a few pointers.

+Con is good to have, as while you won't have the wisdom of a similar dwarf, you'll be in the same boat as everyone else with a Con bonus. You clearly want to be using the Protector Spirit for Con synergy.

+Str is mostly wasted, although if you want to pick up a shield and hide armor, it is a good way to reach 13 Str. You'll likely be using your powers rather than stabbing stuff in the face anyways, so Totem/Shield works well.

Dragon 369 has updated information regarding Minotaurs, including one very handy feat. Opportunity Gore allows you to use your Goring Charge as an OA, without expending it and without requiring a charge. This allows you to still provoke and grant flanking, even with your hands full. Rather handy with the Totem/Shield combo above. Having a halfway decent Str score means you might actually hit. (Knocking prone on an OA isn't bad, either.)

Beyond that, there isn't a lot of synergy between the Minotaur and something like the Shaman. You'll want to play up the Minotaur differences, or else you're just a human with a bonus in Constitution.