Two separate things, related by a similar problem.
Rations and water. Some DMs rule that a "Cost of upkeep" lets the character assume that his sustenance needs are met, others just say "make sure you consume a trail ration once per day", and others just ignore the whole issue.
This is a minor problem, I realize, but I just don't like how that part isn't even addressed. What happens when I miss a meal, or when we've been travelling through a desert and the party misjudged the length of the journey, or when someone's being tortured via starvation? Do I become nauseated or fatigued, and do the usual remedies for these conditions apply here?
The second problem is Regeneration. There's a spell for it, and certain monsters can do it inherently. Why would they ever need to, seeing as there's a lack of called shots? What happens in the interim (the penalties and conditions they suffer in between having their arm lopped off and regrowing it/having it regrown? Even if Pathfinder takes a page from Star Wars Saga Edition, it would be better than a spell whose only necessity is a nonmechanically derived condition.
Two separate things, related by a similar problem.
Rations and water. Some DMs rule that a "Cost of upkeep" lets the character assume that his sustenance needs are met, others just say "make sure you consume a trail ration once per day", and others just ignore the whole issue.
This is a minor problem, I realize, but I just don't like how that part isn't even addressed. What happens when I miss a meal, or when we've been travelling through a desert and the party misjudged the length of the journey, or when someone's being tortured via starvation? Do I become nauseated or fatigued, and do the usual remedies for these conditions apply here?
From 3.5 SRD:
Starvation And Thirst
Characters might find themselves without food or water and with no means to obtain them. In normal climates, Medium characters need at least a gallon of fluids and about a pound of decent food per day to avoid starvation. (Small characters need half as much.) In very hot climates, characters need two or three times as much water to avoid dehydration.
A character can go without water for 1 day plus a number of hours equal to his Constitution score. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
A character can go without food for 3 days, in growing discomfort. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each day (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
Characters who have taken nonlethal damage from lack of food or water are fatigued. Nonlethal damage from thirst or starvation cannot be recovered until the character gets food or water, as needed—not even magic that restores hit points heals this damage.
I think a gallon of fluids is too much. Maybe they are counting the water we get from food, like the juices in fruits and vegetables. Real humans need 8 cups of water per day, which is 1/2 a gallon which sounds more reasonable. Maybe they are assuming heavy activity from adventuring, which requires more water.
The pound of food sounds about right. The average American eats 4.7 lbs of food a day, but I think that is way more than what we need. I've gotten by on just one trip to taco bell per day and I didn't feel any ill effects. I would also rule that you need more food in cold climates because your body is working overtime to keep warm.
The second problem is Regeneration. There's a spell for it, and certain monsters can do it inherently. Why would they ever need to, seeing as there's a lack of called shots? What happens in the interim (the penalties and conditions they suffer in between having their arm lopped off and regrowing it/having it regrown? Even if Pathfinder takes a page from Star Wars Saga Edition, it would be better than a spell whose only necessity is a nonmechanically derived condition.
There are SOME conditions that can cause you to lose limbs. Say, you get caught stealing in a city and the punishment is to chop off your hand. There are also some traps that specifically snare your arms or legs and lob them off. The DM can rule some special situations cause you to lose a limb. Finally, regeneration is also good for just healing hp damage.
Personal metabolism and physical activity can greatly alter your dietary needs. I work as a mechanic on Semi-Trucks, a job I started only about 2 months ago, and let me tell you, a 10-hour shift in the tail end of summer, I drink an average of 20 cups of water on shift, and thats not counting the 1 liter of Mountain Dew I have on lunch, nor anything I drink at home after shift (which is usually about 4-6 cups of milk or juice). And I don't need to take bathroom breaks at work; I sweat it all out.
Its not every day, but by the end of the week, I need a crazy big meal too. My usual routine is to skip breakfast, but have 2 hotpockets and a small pudding container for lunch, then get a good sized dinner, then a smaller "snackmeal" in the late evening. Last time we went to a buffet place, I had four plates of food. My wife was actually stunned at how much I ate.
Prior to the mechanic job, I didn't eat or drink nearly as much. (I can chug Mountain Dew like a pro, but thats a different story.) So yeah, I think the food and water requirements for an "active adventurer" are spot on, considering I think my mechanic work is probably about the same amount of relative walking, jogging, heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, hitting, and dragging to what an adventurer gets.
3.0 (and other prior editions of D&D) had several ways to lose limbs.
Several monsters could sever limbs by biting them off. (usually followed by a quick swallow, and a depressed and now armless PC).
Vorpal swords had a less-terminal cousin called the "sword of sharpness". Nat 20 chopped off a non-head limb.
From these sprung the need to have PC's regrow limbs, and for some monsters to be able to regrow their bodyparts.
Lets face it, nothing is more laughable than an armless, legless, troll wobbling around screaming obscenities at you with full HP but no limbs.
In the current edition, no monster that I recall, and no weapon that I know of, lops off limbs except for the Vorpal.
The sentences relating to limb-loss with regeneration spells and abilities simply harken back to yesteryear when the losing of a limb was actually a problem in the game.
-S
I think a gallon of fluids is too much. Maybe they are counting the water we get from food, like the juices in fruits and vegetables. Real humans need 8 cups of water per day, which is 1/2 a gallon which sounds more...
Speaking from a medical perspective (I'm a nurse), a gallon of liquid per person per day is the recommended intake to maintain proper health. Yes, not all people consume this amount -- some need less or more, and many people (in the US, at least) are chronically dehydrated to some extent.
We also need to remember that "drinking" liquid isn't the only way to get it. Many of our foods have liquid components that we also consume. Someone eating dry rations may need the "full amount" of liquid as extra, but someone eating a rounded diet of meat, fruits, and veggies is getting quite abit of liquid intake from that.
(there's no easy way to calculate that ingame, of course, but for us in RT it's factor).
Also consider that these rules are designed for player characters and don't necessarily apply to the general masses.
PC's typically carry heavy weights all day (gear) and kill things, riding horses, crossing vast country, etc. Basically- a labor intensive, energetic lifestyle.
A couch potato may need less :)
-S