Cattle are one of the most numerous and popular domesticated animals. Fairly docile and easy to herd, cattle are farmed for their meat (beef) and their milk (useful for making cheese and butter), as well as their ability to pull ploughs or carry loads.
Cattle are versatile herbivores, capable of getting nutrition from a variety of grasses grown in a variety of soils.
This category includes most domestic breeds of cattle, steer, oxen, yaks, and similar animals. The wild versions are handled under the buffalo entry.
Combat[]
Timid and nonviolent by nature, cattle are nonetheless quite large, and they exhibit a herd mentality: if one flees, they all flee, and the resulting stampede can be deadly.
Society[]
Cattle organize in herds which can consist of only a few members, but can also consist of hundreds. For approximately every 20 females, there is one dominant male -- a bull. Most herds range from 20-200 individuals (2d10*10).
Bulls[]
Bulls are the dominant males in cattle herds. Aggressive and quick to anger, bulls do not hesitate in turning on intruders to attack.
Uses[]
Cattle are domesticated for their meat, for their milk, and for their hides. Their droppings are sometimes burned for fuel. Live cows are useful as trade goods (bulls less so), fetching quite a decent price and often readily finding a buyer.
Publication History[]
1e MM: Bull; Cattle, Wild;
2e MM: Mammal, Herd, Cattle;
2e MCA - Vol. 2: Bull (Wild Ox)
3e/PF: Herd Animal, Aurochs
4e: