Overview
This guide is still being worked on!I’ve noticed a lot of discord in goat herds in the RP grove, and I wanted to offer my opinion on how things should be run!You’re not obligated to follow anything in this guide, this is just my personal view on how to better your Roleplay experience <3(Note; If you think anything in this guide should be changed I'm open for suggestions! I'd love to improve upon this in any way I can- Even if it's just something like a small grammar mistake!)
Overview
First off, I’m not too knowledgeable about goats themselves- But meadow goats seem to be based more around deer, in my opinion, and I have some knowledge of white-tailed deer, caribou, elk, etc- So for the remainder of this guide, please assume I’m referring to the behaviour of those animals unless stated otherwise, thank you!
First off, deer are very skittish but also a creature with a very high kill count for a herbivore.
Yep, deer are deadly!
Deer have a high kill count when it comes to human deaths, estimated around 120 fatalities each year.
Most deaths are, however, caused by car accidents rather than outright attacks- But a stag can still kill easily with those antlers, so predators beware!
So, If Deer Can Kill How Should They Respond To Predators (And Vice Versa)
While it is true deer can defend themselves as needed, they’re very skittish creatures and would prefer to run rather than fight if they had the choice.
For example, imagine this;
A herd of deer is circled by a pack of wolves, no escape. The does are skittish around their fawns, and the lead stag is doing his best to protect his does.
One wolf lunges, but the doe he was aiming for rears up and attacks with her hooves.
Each time one of the canines comes close enough to bite, the stag or the does will attack it to protect themselves and their herd.
Now the wolves can’t attack without risking injury, and some of the herd may escape without a scratch, though if the wolves are hungry they will persist until they get food- But they won’t kill off the entire herd, just one deer!
Now, imagine this;
A group of wolves attack a herd of deer, but there is an escape route! The deer flee, and each time a wolf gets too close to a fawn, if the mother can, she will double back and fend off the wolf so her fawn lives. Stags will also try and protect their herd, but they will still run if they can.
Simple! Right?
Okay, okay, now imagine this one;
A lone wolf approaches a herd of deer and tries to attack. The stag fights back and the wolf gives up because one wolf can’t hurt an entire herd very easily!
But, if there is only one deer, a lone wolf or a pack has a much higher chance of killing it and getting food.
(Note: All of this applies to lynxes, too- Just lower success rate a little for any pack scenarios since lynxes are loners)
So, How Do Deer Behave?
Deer live in herds that mainly consists of does, fawns, and one lead stag- Though young males who are not yet full grown may remain in the herd.
The stag is the leader and protector of the herd and will take the herd to food, water, and safe places. If the herd is threatened by something, the stag will do his best to protect everyone and make sure his does are safe.
Young male deer will spar and play, and generally be a lot pushier than females or the lead stag, often underestimating how threatening or scary they are to a potential predator and sometimes opting to fight rather than run from a predator.
Young does will be similar but a little less gutsy and willing to back down from a fight, and tend to stick close to the herd.
Adult does will be more skittish than the lead stag, and will be more passive and less ready to fight, more skittish.
Young deer in general will spook easier when there is something they deem truly terrifying, but will also be more adventurous (ex; wandering away from the herd, running around more, exploring things slightly off from the herd)
Okay, That’s A General Thing… But What About Overall Herd Behaviour?
Well, I briefly touched on herd structure in the last section, but I guess it was pretty vague?
Either way, it works in a way similar to lion prides!
There will be one dominant male, then there could be young not yet grown males hanging around, but for the most part the herd would consist of females and fawns!
The lead male will guide his herd from food sources to water to safe areas to sleep, and it’s his job to make sure everyone stays together, no one gets left behind, and everyone knows that he is the leader here!
(Remember not to move too slow, mix it up with some running to keep the others players interested! And let predators chase you, it’s fun since you can’t actually die! )
But always remember to defend yourself and your herd from predators! But only if you have no other choice but to fight, or if the predator is attacking one of your herd members!
Males can challenge each other for leadership of the herd, but they don’t have to be of the same herd to fight!
Let me explain-
Ok, so, say there’s a random full-grown stag that shows up. He does the play action, or maybe jumps up and down while using different emotes, (Could be Group + Angry + Arrow, but depends on the player) what do you do?
Well, first- Think! Are you the dominant male? If not, sit by and watch the events unfold!
Okay, are you the dominant male? If so, then get ready to defend your herd from that challenger!
But You Never Told Us How To Fight The Challenger!
I’m getting to that! I just like to split it up, make it digestible, make some tension, get it going smoothly.
Anyways
Attack by jumping on each other in a way so your antlers collide! (Use the play action first if you feel you have the time) Start calling, too! Make it seem like a struggle! In my books, the more realistic, the better!
Normally, if one of you backs away, that’s a sign of submit! (Unless, of course, your enemy is gathering himself- You can never tell with Meadow)
If your opponent does not attack you again, congratulations! You won!
But wait! What if you lost? What if you got tired or injured before the challenger?
Well, you have a few options.
First, you can remove your antlers and become a doe and blend back into the herd- But you won’t be the leader anymore!
Second, you can make your antlers to a much smaller size and blend back in- Though the new lead stag might chase you out if he pleases!
And lastly, you can leave the herd all together, just book it out of there and hope he doesn’t chase you!
The What-Can-Kill-You-Foodchain
- Wolf Packs: Can hunt you for sure! You’re their main source of food!
- Lone Wolves: Can hunt you, but won’t succeed very often.
- Lynxes: Can for sure hunt you! don’t think just because they’re not a wolf they can’t do damage! They’re deadlier!
- Badgers: They can kill you, but they have to sneak up really close and surprise you! Otherwise you can spring away easily
- Foxes:They can’t at all, but things smaller than you are fair game!
- Eagles: Eagles are fish-eaters, so they shouldn’t really be able to hunt deer… But the smallest sized deer with no antlers can be hunted in Meadow, since they’re more like fawns than fully grown deer
Conclusion
Stags will lead the herd, does will follow. Young bucks can challenge the lead male, and so can stags and bucks that are not originally part of your herd.
Leaders have to lead the herd safely to food, water, and secure places to sleep, but also have to fend off challengers- But no other member of the herd can fight off challengers.
To fight off a challenger, jump at them so your antlers touch (Don’t move, just press spacebar).
If you loose you can become a doe, become a young buck, or leave the herd.
If you win you can chase the challenger off, or let them join as a doe or young buck.
Lynxes, Wolves, and Badgers can all kill you. Wolf packs will be more successful, lone wolves will struggle, badgers have to ambush you, and lynxes can easily pounce on you if they get close enough.
Eagles cannot attack you, but your fawns are fare game.
Hope you enjoyed this guide! I’ll fix any mistakes and add screenshots over time! Thank you for your time <3