Cow Tools
A scenario for use with Violence. If you know you know.
Over the past several months you and your companions have become self aware, awakened to a sedate, bovine consciousness.
Now as evening falls you stand upright over the supine, bleeding body of the Farmer — your creator, father, tormentor — wielding crude tools. He has a keyring on his belt.
You need to get out before “they” come. You aren’t sure who “they” are. The Farmer always said if others found out about you “they” would be close behind.
You also need more of the Formula lest you revert to the intellect of a typical cow. You know the Farmer created this somewhere else on the farm.
Cow tools: Your strange bovine intelligence has limitless creativity but lacks sophistication. You can quickly craft a tool for any situation but when using it you have a Disadvantage or it has some other drawback.
Awakened Bovine: You have limited exposure to the human world. You can speak in a lowing bovine drawl, and there is a 1 in 6 chance you can read.
The Farm
A small, nondescript and unnamed dairy farm on about forty acres of land. There are ten milking cows on the farm. The players are the only awakened bovines.
The Barn
Stalls for twenty cows. A section at the back is an open area with a hayloft. This is where you all stand now, over the dead body of the Farmer. The other cows of the herd occupy the stalls, the nearest are awake and made nervous by the smell of blood.
The Farmhouse
A two story weathered 1800’s gothic farmhouse serves as the home for the Farmer and his family.
Outside
A long drive from the road leads up to the farmhouse, splitting off to the barn and shed.
Around back is a small garden full of enticing vegetables.
First Floor
Veranda Small enclosed patio to the entryway. A dog, Belle, sleeps on the porch. She is unafraid of the familiar cows but may bark to see them out of place. If given the Formula she becomes sapient in 1d6 hours and will join you, at the price of her share of Formula.
Dining
A dining room with solid, rustic table and chairs. A cabinet of fine china stands on one wall.
Kitchen
A standard home kitchen. Stairs go up to the second floor, and another set go down to the basement. Sharp kitchen knives can be found here, as well as heavy duty cookware.
A small bathroom is attached to the kitchen, as well as a walk in pantry.
Hanging over the back door is a double-barrel shotgun (unloaded). There is ammo in a kitchen drawer.
Parlor
A living room with a couch, reclining chair, and ancient television. The Missus is here watching TV, the glow flickering in the window.
Storage room
Old heirlooms, furniture, and keepsakes gather dust. Space has been cleared for a sewing table.
Bedroom
A small bedroom, with little decoration and bed neatly made.
Workshop
An attached workshop and garage. Assorted tools, welder, scraps of lumber, and bench for reloading ammunition. In a locked gun cabinet is a hunting rifle with a box of rounds.
Second Floor
A narrow hall connects the upstairs rooms, a tight squeeze for a cow (disadvantage on most actions).
Main Bedroom
Bedroom of the Farmer and the Missus. Dominated by a painting of cows.
Junior’s Room
The room of the Farmer’s son Junior, 16. Decorated in sports pennants and trophies. He is reading a magazine. If he hears a disturbance he’ll go for the shotgun in the kitchen.
Little Miss’ Room
The bedroom of the Farmer’s daughter, 10. Decorated in pink and lace. She is asleep, if startled by an intruder she will scream.
Bathroom
A shared bathroom at the end of the hall with a clawfoot tub.
Basement
Glass jars of pickled vegetables and sacks of potatoes and onions. At the far end is a locked door.
Behind the door is the Farmer’s lab. Chemicals in barrels line the shelves, lab equipment on benches. His lab notebook is here, the scribblings of a deranged mind or a genius. He was obsessed with creating a “better” cow with no indication of criteria used to determine this. The method for creating the Formula is written here. It is all nonsense to the bovines.
On the workbench are two dozen vials of Formula. One vial needs to be consumed per cow per week to maintain their sapience.
A locked storm door in the back of the basement lead to the back of the farmhouse.
The Shed
A large shed filled with farm equipment, a tractor, automatic milkers.
Events
In half an hour the Missus goes out to see what is taking the Farmer so long. If she sees him she calls an ambulance. If there are signs of foul play she calls the police. If she spots a bipedal bovine she goes for the shotgun in the kitchen or the rifle in the workshop.
In one hour a car breaks down on the road near the farmhouse. The couple head up to knock on the door and ask to use the phone—they don’t get service on their cells out here.
Escape
To the North are rural homes and wilderness.
To the West is town, a couple miles away.
To the East is the interstate.
The South is filled with dairy farms. It’s easy enough to slip into one, force yourself back on four hooves and blend in among the unenlightened cattle.
If traveling south, a light will steak out of the sky before resolving into a large flying saucer overhead. A beam of light pulls all aboard. Roll 1d6. On a 4-6 you are welcomed as ambassadors to Earth. Your sapience is made permanent. On a 1-3 you are probed and vivisected, remains left scattered on the field you were found in. You become the subject of conspiracy theories and urban legends.
Eventually the Formula will run out. You can’t stand the thought of returning to what you were before.