I know that realism is one of those polarizing topics, but I'd like to put up a question, and then offer a suggestion.
My question is this: What relevance has rotting food ever had in anyone's games? food rations don't go bad as I understand it, and what is the penalty for eating bad food? is there an illness, a disease?
Now a suggestion: Aside from the obvious reasons for not having a complete description for the digestive process in game terms, I think there is another solution. Something more straightforward. What do you think of the concept that adventurers in the Pathfinder world have digestions with 100% efficiency and no waste? It would help to make an easier justification for the fantastic talents and healing that characters have. Opinions?
I know that realism is one of those polarizing topics, but I'd like to put up a question, and then offer a suggestion.
My question is this: What relevance has rotting food ever had in anyone's games? food rations don't go bad as I understand it, and what is the penalty for eating bad food? is there an illness, a disease?
Now a suggestion: Aside from the obvious reasons for not having a complete description for the digestive process in game terms, I think there is another solution. Something more straightforward. What do you think of the concept that adventurers in the Pathfinder world have digestions with 100% efficiency and no waste? It would help to make an easier justification for the fantastic talents and healing that characters have. Opinions?
It's never come up in our games... But Pathfinder has a LOT of rules for disease and illness and plagues...
Probably have them make a fort save 15 or be sickened... I don't know.
I wouldn't really concern myself with this in a fantasy game unless it was an important part of the storyline. For the result of eating bad food I guess I'd look at the diseases and pick something fairly non-lethal. If *I* eat bad rice it might be pretty debilitating (been there, done that, thought I would die) but if my Con 18 fighter does? Probably not much effect.
Now, for a post-apocalyptic game I'd probably get more careful about this subject...I just don't think heroic fantasy characters should go around with tummy aches all that often. YMMV.
M
This topic made me smile :)
I remember a small encounter in some 3.5 3rd party softcover that was all about encounters "on the road", where a bunch of goblins had eaten some bad food or other and where hallucinating. IIRC, there was even a table to roll on what happened if you ate it.
I know that realism is one of those polarizing topics, but I'd like to put up a question, and then offer a suggestion.
My question is this: What relevance has rotting food ever had in anyone's games? food rations don't go bad as I understand it, and what is the penalty for eating bad food? is there an illness, a disease?
Now a suggestion: Aside from the obvious reasons for not having a complete description for the digestive process in game terms, I think there is another solution. Something more straightforward. What do you think of the concept that adventurers in the Pathfinder world have digestions with 100% efficiency and no waste? It would help to make an easier justification for the fantastic talents and healing that characters have. Opinions?
I'd say they'd need to make a fort save (DC 7 spoiled milk, DC 25 vulture vomit) or be sickened with a 10% chance per round of combat to become nauseated and vomit for a round. This persists for 1d4 days, during which they require double the normal amount of water to avoid dehydration due to excessive vomiting and diarrhoea.
Some decent answers to the question I posted. Any thought on my suggestion? It kinda makes sense, don't you think? keeps things neat and tidy. pun intended.
Some decent answers to the question I posted. Any thought on my suggestion? It kinda makes sense, don't you think? keeps things neat and tidy. pun intended.
This is ridiculous! My adventurers take the time to poop in-game, and describe what color and smell it is, and consistency! Why, just the other day, Grognar the Barbarian had to take a tremendous shit after a big battle with some orcs (the elvish travelling bread gives him cramps).
The stats for characters already assume that they aren't getting proper nourishment and sleep, and are likely feeling intestinal discomfort and headaches.
Cure potions are nothing more than simply caffeinated drinks! Heroes' Feast is really just a normal, hot meal (a rarity in itself for adventurers). All these benefits are simply getting the characters back to what they should be if they weren't drudging through the pits of stank, fearing for their lives at every turn, and eating road rations that seem to have less personality than Thok the barbarian with 3 Charisma.
/joking
In all seriousness though, I've run across APs that gave morale bonuses for eating what was basically a warm meal and sleeping in a nice bed.
Note that the cantrip Prestidigitation can spice up your food, while the orision Purify Food and Drink can negate the need for worrying about this kind of problem at all.
Rings of sustenance are popular amonst my games, too.
Mostly, because of the above mentioned "counters", I just handwave that stuff unless someone is really dumb, or there's some significance to the moment.
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What do you think of the concept that adventurers in the Pathfinder world have digestions with 100% efficiency and no waste? It would help to make an easier justification for the fantastic talents
I was going to post that the PC's bowel movements probably aren't important enough to be what sets them apart from the common folk, but for some reason "fantastic talents that characters have" made me think of things like spellcasting ability.
"So, Astor the Conjurer, how did you become such a powerful wizard anyway?"
"I HAVE NOT POOPED SINCE I WAS SIX."
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"So, Astor the Conjurer, how did you become such a powerful wizard anyway?"
"I HAVE NOT POOPED SINCE I WAS SIX."
So, it's not blood that bloatmages are full of?
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What do you think of the concept that adventurers in the Pathfinder world have digestions with 100% efficiency and no waste? It would help to make an easier justification for the fantastic talents and healing that characters have. Opinions?
No shit?
My opinion: No.
Just no.
Beside from the fact that this doesn't make sense - not the same as realism. Why would a human fighter (nothing supernatural going on) get a perfect metabolism?
Plus, the mere mention that adventurers don't have to drop the kids off at the pool, breaks one important rule: Don't ever mention poo in the rules. It's one of the things you just don't mention. Everyone just assumes they go on off screen. It adds nothing to the story to know the frequency, consistency and quantity of anyone's bowel movements.
I've had it come up a few times. Recently the party had a bunch of halfling slaves they freed and no one had time to grab any rations. That same group, earlier, had to leave town after a... misunderstanding involving the druid's lance and a kidnapers head, and didn't get to buy rations. They bought food at a farm and used purify food and drink to keep it from spoiling.
Somewhat off topic, but back in the 70s, when my family's DM made up most of the rules himself, my aunt's unicorn magic-user used to eat magic purple plastic wrap so she'd "go" in nice little packets and not mess up the dungeons.
Introducing "realism" is a slippery slope and can isolate your players. I personally would recommend against it. I had a GM who went down this slope with True20 and eventually lost more than half his players, including me, and we started playing Pathfinder (I ran)
Introducing realism tends to over complicate things that simply don't matter to the game or the story at the end of the day.
It also tends to further muddy up muddy waters like with teleporting. I mean when the discussion around a spell in a fantasy game sounds like you're debating some sort of experimental time/space astrophysics thesis, the game jumps the shark pretty quick.
There's really no need to reconcile the two to each other.
I wouldn't really concern myself with this in a fantasy game unless it was an important part of the storyline.
I only once had this come up--with a PC who occasionally threw his turds in a Dark Sun PBP.
It occurs to me that this would eliminate the need for butt-holes entirely... :(
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It occurs to me that this would eliminate the need for butt-holes entirely... :(
That's quite homophobic of you to say.
It occurs to me that this would eliminate the need for butt-holes entirely... :(That's quite homophobic of you to say.
My apologies. To be fair, it was accompanied by a frowny-face...
Ah, good times, Kruelaid, good times.
OMG FAKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We miss you dude!
Ah, good times, Kruelaid, good times.
OMG FAKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We miss you dude!
THE FAKEMEISTER!!!
"So, Astor the Conjurer, how did you become such a powerful wizard anyway?"
"I HAVE NOT POOPED SINCE I WAS SIX."
Owww...this made me laugh so hard I shot coke out of my nose...and my wife now thinks I'm crazy. Thanks. :p
My apologies. To be fair, it was accompanied by a frowny-face...It occurs to me that this would eliminate the need for butt-holes entirely... :(That's quite homophobic of you to say.
Okay, then it was nonsensical, not homophobic. Because you can always find new uses for old holes.
Owww...this made me laugh so hard I shot coke out of my nose...and my wife now knows I'm crazy. Thanks. :p"So, Astor the Conjurer, how did you become such a powerful wizard anyway?"
"I HAVE NOT POOPED SINCE I WAS SIX."
Fixed it for you.
Ah, good times, Kruelaid, good times.
Wait, you bow out here, say you have no time, but talk about poo-flinging Athans brings you running back?
Interesting. We have found your "Beetlejuice" now :P
Sufficiently bad food might be enough to necessitate a Fort Save or a Con Check. Something like this should be the exception, not the rule.
Example - when the Mites crap in your rations and the Fighter is brave enough to eat 'em for the next week, well he might need to make some kinda check after that.
Realism is cool and all, but in a game where guys shoot fire from their finger-tips, well... I mean, just how real is that? :)
When I looked at the title I got a little confused.
I thought this thread was going to be about house-ruling that swim checks made within an hour of eating should be subject to a -2 modifier. Because everyone knows you don't go swimming after eating.
Why you gotta be all anti-coprophiliac?
Because we need the world to be one worth living in. :P
Somewhat off topic, but back in the 70s, when my family's DM made up most of the rules himself, my aunt's unicorn magic-user used to eat magic purple plastic wrap so she'd "go" in nice little packets and not mess up the dungeons.
I've seen donkeys in africa who had eaten plastic bags wind up with something similar. None of them managed the self dispensing baggie but a few had what appeared to be knotted rope ladders.
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Why you gotta be all anti-coprophiliac?
You sent me running to the dictionary. I cannot remember when that last happened. I hereby invite you to join SAGOTEL, the Self-Appointed Gaurdians of the English Lexicon. To become member, you must promise to use the words "penultimate", "fortuitous" and "literally" correctly, promise never to use "impact" as a verb, and promise never, EVER to say, "irregardless".
You sent me running to the dictionary. I cannot remember when that last happened. I hereby invite you to join SAGOTEL, the Self-Appointed Gaurdians of the English Lexicon. To become member, you must promise to use the words "penultimate", "fortuitous" and "literally" correctly, promise never to use "impact" as a verb, and promise never, EVER to say, "irregardless".
I can't stand "supposebly". I hear it all the time where I live, even from univerity-graduates. Sorry, I had to. ;)
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You sent me running to the dictionary. I cannot remember when that last happened. I hereby invite you to join SAGOTEL, the Self-Appointed Gaurdians of the English Lexicon. To become member, you must promise to use the words "penultimate", "fortuitous" and "literally" correctly, promise never to use "impact" as a verb, and promise never, EVER to say, "irregardless".I can't stand "supposebly". I hear it all the time where I live, even from univerity-graduates. Sorry, I had to. ;)
+1 to all of the above, and let me add my distaste for "gay" and "retarded" in the pejorative sense as well as "fail"and "win" as any part of speech but a verb. "Epic" is starting to lose its impact (used properly) as well.
Owww...this made me laugh so hard I shot coke out of my nose...and my wife now thinks I'm crazy. Thanks. :p"So, Astor the Conjurer, how did you become such a powerful wizard anyway?"
"I HAVE NOT POOPED SINCE I WAS SIX."
I'm glad I'm not the only one XD
The only time I've ever had it come up is in relation to our cannibalistic half-orc barbarian that insisted on eating most of his enemies. That green dragon did NOT agree with him (He rolled a 1 on his fort save), so we came up with something about some nasty heartburn and gutrot from all the acid in the flesh.
Then again, the party also made frequent use of a Bag of Devouring as a garbage disposal for unwanted unpleasant things. I would not put it past them to take said bag behind a bush and take care of business.