The Bovini include many familiar animals, such as bison, buffalo, and cows. Their extinct relatives didn’t look all that different, being (mostly) large, heavyset animals with skinny legs, thick necks, and horns which stuck out sideways. It’s likely that most of them lived in single-sex herds, coming together only in mating season, and used coordinated aggression against perceived threats.
The Aurochs, Bos primigenius, was the ancestor of domestic cattle, bigger and hairier than most of their descendants. They seem to have been less social than other Bovini, living alone in summer and gathering in small herds the rest of the year. Aurochs evolved in the middle Pleistocene and were last seen in the 17th century.
The Bubalus genus includes several species of living Asian water buffalo. Bubalus cebuensis was an exceptionally small example, from the island of Cebu in the Philippines during the Pleistocene.
The American bison and European wisent are both descended from the steppe bison, Bison priscus, living in the middle Pleistocene mammoth steppe, which stretched across northern Eurasia and into North America. In North America, it evolved first into the late Pleistocene long-horned bison, Bison latifrons, and then into Bison antiquus, the direct ancestor of modern bison.
Pelorovis lived in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula during the middle Pleistocene. It had horns which curved like those of sheep (hence the name, which means “monstrous sheep”). The closely related genus Syncerus includes the living African buffalo as well as the giant long-horned buffalo S. antiquus.
Aurochs
ST 30;
DX 9;
IQ 3;
HT 12.
HP 30;
Will 11;
Per 11;
FP 12;
Speed 5.25;
Dodge 8;
Move 5.
SM +2 (3 hexes), 3,300 lbs.
Horns (9): 3d+3 imp. Reach C, 1.
Slam (9): 1d−2 cr at Move 1, 1d−1 at Move 2-3, 1d at Move 4, 2d at Move 5-8, 3d cr at Move 9-10. See GURPS Basic Set, p. 371.
Trample (9): 3d+3 cr. Only against SM 0 or less (SM +1 or less if prone). Automatic hit for half damage on overrun. See GURPS Basic Set, p. 404.
Traits: Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Bad Temper (12); Discriminatory Smell; DR 2 (Tough Skin); DR 5 (Partial, skull); Night Vision 1; Peripheral Vision; Quadruped; Temperature Tolerance 3 (Cold); Ultrahearing; Wild Animal.
Skills: Survival (Plains)-12.
The above profile is for a bull Aurochs. For a cow (2,200 lbs.) reduce ST and HP to 26 and remove Bad Temper. Damage with horns or trample becomes 2d+4. Slam damage becomes 1d−2 at Move 1, 1d−1 at Move 2-3, 1d at Move 4-5, 2d at Move 6-9, 3d at Move 10.
As Aurochs became more scarce, they retreated into forest refuges. Change Survival specialty to (Woodlands) in the Holocene.
For Bubalus cebuensis (340 lbs.) reduce ST and HP to 14, SM to 0, DR (Tough Skin) to 1, DR (Partial, skull) to 3. Change Survival specialty to (Jungle). Damage with horns or trample becomes 1d+1. Slam damage becomes 1d−3 at Move 1, 1d−2 at Move 2-3, 1d−1 at Move 4-7, 1d at Move 8-10.
For a Bison priscus bull (2,200 lbs.) reduce ST and HP to 26. Damage with horns or trample becomes 2d+4. Slam damage becomes 1d−2 at Move 1, 1d−1 at Move 2-3, 1d at Move 4-5, 2d at Move 6-9, 3d at Move 10. A cow (1,500 lbs.) reduces ST and HP to 23, SM to +1 (2 hexes), DR to 1, skull DR to 4, and loses Bad Temper. Damage with horns or trample becomes 2d+3. Slam damage becomes 1d−3 at Move 1, 1d−2 at Move 2, 1d−1 at Move 3-4, 1d at Move 5-6, 2d at Move 7-10.
Bison latifrons use the same profiles as Aurochs, except their horns are Reach 2.
Bison antiquus use the same profiles as Aurochs.
For a Pelorovis bull (1,600 lbs.) reduce ST and HP to 23, SM to +1 (2 hexes), and DR (Tough Skin) to 1. Bad Temper self control roll is lowered to (9), remove Temperature Tolerance; Damage with horns or trample becomes 2d+3 cr. Slam damage becomes 1d−3 at Move 1, 1d−2 at Move 2, 1d−1 at Move 3-4, 1d at Move 5-6, 2d at Move 7-10. A cow (1,300 lbs.) reduces ST and HP to 22, SM to +1 (2 hexes), and DR (Tough Skin) to 1. Remove Temperature Tolerance. Damage with horns or trample becomes 2d+2 cr. Slam damage becomes 1d−3 at Move 1, 1d−2 at Move 2, 1d−1 at Move 3-4, 1d at Move 5-6, 2d at Move 7-10.
For a Syncerus antiquus bull (4,400 lbs.) increase ST and HP to 33. Reach with horns becomes 2. Bad Temper self control roll is lowered to (9), remove Temperature Tolerance; Damage with horns or trample becomes 3d+5. Slam damage becomes 1d−2 at Move 1, 1d−1 at Move 2-3, 1d at Move 4, 2d at Move 5-7, 3d at Move 8-10. A cow (1,500 lbs.) reduces ST and HP to 28. Reach with horns becomes 2. Remove Temperature Tolerance. Damage with horns or trample becomes 3d+2. Slam damage becomes 1d−2 at Move 1, 1d−1 at Move 2-3, 1d at Move 4-5, 2d at Move 6-8, 3d at Move 9-10.