Herd Mammals I

These are hoofed, four-legged grazers. Buffalo have heavy fur, sheep curly wool, and camels, antelope and cattle short rough coats. Bulls, rams and male buffalo and antelope carry sharp horns. The humps of a camel (one on a dromedary, two on a bactrian) let it go up to two weeks without eating or drinking.

Most of these animals bite. Buffalo use horns and tend to attack anyone closer than 6 feet; with a charge of 40 feet or more they gore for 3-18 and trample for 1-4. Cattle, antelope and sheep usually run, fighting only when trapped. Defending the herd, a male antelope or ram charges and butts for 1-4 if it has 40 feet to build speed. Bulls attack 75% of the time when intruders get close before the herd can flee.

Camels are foul-tempered and half the time spit at would-be riders or packers; the target is blinded 1-3 rounds on a 25% chance.

Frightened herds have a 25% chance of stampeding. Anyone in the way without cover, such as a tree, wall or rock pile, is run over by 2d4 animals, each dealing 1-4 damage (1-6 for buffalo).

Herds live everywhere: bactrian camels on frozen tundra, wild cattle in temperate hills, antelope on tropical plains. They graze open ground and move on when it is stripped. Size ranges from four buffalo to a thousand-head flock of sheep. The eldest, largest male usually leads and watches for predators. They keep no treasure.

They eat grass, grain and shrubs and are favorite prey of lions, tigers and dragons. People raise them for meat, milk, fur for blankets and clothes, and hides for shoes and tents. Even their dried dung makes fuel.