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We're playing 4e Thunderspire Labyrinth and we've decided to let the tank play a large (2x2) Minotaur.

He has all of the stats from the Minotaur player character in the Players Handbook 3, but he's a large creature. He will be a Battlerager Fighter.

The labyrinth has several hallways that are only two squares wide and many doorways that he'll have to use Squeeze just to go through.

What are the advantages this will give him and what are the disadvantages?

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There are some major advantages and major disadvantages to playing a large PC. Here are a couple I can think of right off the top of my head

Advantages

  • Access to Large weapons. This increases the weapon die size by one.
  • As a defender they have the ability to draw in more targets there are 12 squares around them instead of 8.
  • larger close bursts.
  • defender aura more powerful as its an opportunity action and affects all squares around you.
  • Some monster races have threatening reach, a property that should be very difficult for a PC to achieve (there is no always on threatening reach for PCs, and for good reason, it provides way too much area of control).

Disadvantages

  • squeezing when passing through narrow hallways (grants CA)
  • more flanking opportunities for enemies (grants more CA)
  • more adjacency means more potential hits absorbed
  • marks mean less as you can only enforce 1/round
  • reduced ability to use cover and concealment (not a big deal for defenders but its a valid disadvantage to other roles)

Personally the only thing I find game breaking is the larger bursts, but that will be up to your discretion as DM. I don't think things that are designed to target a max of 8 creatures should get to go up to 12. But its possible that the trade offs of being able to be flanked more ways, and having to squeeze out weight the advantages of extra targets and more damage.

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    \$\begingroup\$ The character also cannot traverse through any area that requires a Medium character to squeeze. Considering the game does not assume there exist Large PCs, these might exist and will be impossible for the Minotaur to get through. \$\endgroup\$
    – Erik
    Commented Mar 11, 2015 at 20:48
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    \$\begingroup\$ Besides narrow hallways, I would be concerned about doors. \$\endgroup\$
    – DCShannon
    Commented Mar 12, 2015 at 1:38
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    \$\begingroup\$ I can confirm all of this. A while ago I had someone who played a large Dragonborn (which I was 100% OK with; slightly envious, even). He did have trouble with most doors, and he almost got stuck in a narrow tunnel once, but everything else in the story made it worth it. Something I would add is that, roleplay-wise, a large creature is far more impressive; I had NPCs react accordingly to the giant, even (especially) other Dragonborns. \$\endgroup\$
    – Linkyu
    Commented Mar 13, 2015 at 0:06
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I'd add these points to those already enumerated by @wax eagle.

Advantages

  • Large WardensDDI may mark much more creatures.
  • Even it is fuzzy and not really covered by rules, someone would eventually try the minotaur-riding gnome tactic.

Disadvantages

  • A Large creature has less safe-path choices while traversing patches of difficult, hindering or challenging terrain.
  • Reduced space for maneuvering out of close quarters. Two enemies could lock a Large creature in a corner, forcing it to squeeze or bull rush.
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