Anyone else think food upkeep is tedious?

[ForceUser]

As both a DM and a player, I find that spending time worrying about how much food and water your characters possess is not only tedious but distracting from the roleplaying. In my game, my players are better than I am about keeping track of such things, but it's annoying to me as a DM. The only reason I haven't just told them "assume you always have the provisions you need" is encumbrance, because it is so ingrained into 3E. Encumbrance levels are important on the battlemat, making a real difference as to who's where and doing what.

Food is heavy. Tens days of food weighs ten pounds. For weaker characters that's important to note. I think. Is it? Do you gloss over such details, or do you religiously track them? If you track them, do you find that the bookkeeping undermines the roleplaying?

 

[Wormwood]

I track them.

There ain't much book keeping, anyay. Just say, "Mark off today's provisions".

If they are out of food/water, just follow the rules for Starvation and Thirst in the DMG.

Hey, it gives the Rangers a vital role in the party---providing food!

Barring that, clerics should always make sure to have a Create Food & Water.

 

[dave_o]

!

Agreed. Food is incredibly important, without calories to burn you're not doing anything.

And of course, you can't get those calories to burn without a safe place to eat them.

The concept of "camp in hostile territory" is really downplayed, for the most part. Without a good place to rest and grub, you're functionality will plummet.

So, yes, in my games, it's important. So important Rings of Sustenence and the like are a sought-after thing.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I use it off and on as an event and keep track of it, they rest, they eat and I mark it off my log. Water is even more important, in a underground enviroment you don't really know you are dehydrated and you just can't drink anything!

Very good point about Rangers, does give them greater roll in the party. also you have bags of holding and such that really help out the players, so, after a while you can stop worring about it as the players concern themselves with it.

Sailors up to the 1800's had to have 6000 cals a day or start to get ill, this was why there was livestock on ships which took up a lot of space. It is also why there was a lot of sailors with hooks and peg legs, they called it long pork and would draw straws to see who would add to the stew.

 

[EricNoah]

Depends on the situation. If they're in "civilization" I just assume they're buying/paying for food and finding water and don't worry about it. If they're in desolation then it becomes more of an issue and I think suffering the consequences of inadequate provisions can add to the tension and drama. (But then sometimes it's just a pain in the rear!)

 

[Umbran]

Yeah, what the loremaster said.

When the PCs are in civilized lands, you can just use the monthly upkeep rules and ignore food. When they aren't, it can be an important issue. Nothng says "drama" more than considering if you're going to have to eat your toad familiar to survive

Also, keepign track of food (or any other expendable), should be pretty quick. You know how much you have. Each day you tick some off. Done. That's all.

 

[Bob5th]

This is why I get a traveler cloak or ring of sustance for my characters that and only needing two hours.

 

[hong]

I've never bothered with it at all. Although I do have players who are fairly good about not abusing encumbrance.

Keep in mind that surviving in the wild is only a DC 10 Wis check (technically Wilderness Lore, but you can do it untrained). So anyone with at least average Wis could take 10 and survive indefinitely, or at least until the weather turns bad. Also, a party with a 5th level cleric could just use create food and water each day and not worry about food at all.

 

[Chauzu]

Food = Fun

Atleast it is for my fat ninja character.

 

[Khorod]

Keep in mind that surviving in the wild is only a DC 10 Wis check

Surviving in the wild is not DC 10 unless you are in fairly standard terrain- a forest with wild berry bushes and small game around. In a blasted wasteland, that DC is going to skyrocket.


Sustenance is such a basic part of traveling, and such a major concern for any but the wealthiest of wandering people, that a game going for realism should probably trot it out whenever finding food and rest would be a challenge. If you are near the tavern/general store, there is not great tension about food, a couple weeks off in the wilderness... and that's why the ranger is more than a fighter with two weapon fightning.

If the low strength players have encumbrance issues, that's a reason for the sound investment of a pack mule.

On the flip-side, a more heroic game should ignore food- just like all the stories of epic adventure and heroism. The problem of such champions is always the sinister dark lord, not their supply wagon. But I'm a fan of author David Gemmel, and that type of heroism is not what I generally play or DM.