Ring of Sustenance and Growing Up

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Course, that often happens in RPG games. Players do the most ridiculous things under the most extreme rationale that they would never dream of doing if they were actually in that situation.

*grins* There's a reason our gaming sessions are often referred to as "The Gong Show"... and it's not because we make the best decisions.

There's a lot of long and trying information surrounding the situation that we're in... the child being one in a set of twins that cannot stay with the mother for pressing political reasons and the fact that the player that made the decision is quite the broody martyr (but that's what makes him so endearing )... many times I think his rationale is, "If anything happens to that child, I want it to be my fault."

But - whatever his reasoning, it was his decision to make and we're dealing with it, now.

 

[domino]

I suppose it would be a bit too much for the wizard to cast a polymorph spell on the father, so he turns into a woman capable of feeding his own child?

 

[punkorange]

We can have a wetnurse, but - in our brainstorming - we were trying to avoid it. A non-skilled woman serving as a wetnurse whilst adventuring is a little dangerous for her, and the baby... which is why the group had initially began formulating the idea of using the ring...

However - just want to point out that I didn't start this thread as a "help me prove my DM wrong" - he's made his decision and the game will run as such - no big deal. Just want to assess how other people would do it because it is a very, very interesting topic, I think. I've posted many, many threads on adventuring pregnant or attempting to raise a child as an adventurer... as a female that plays female characters that are, on occasion, sexually active, it's a very interesting aspect to role playing that is fun to explore.

I think it's odd that you feel your adventuring lives are too dangerous for a nonskilled wetnurse, but is just fine for an infant with a ring of sustanense.

 

[Victim]

Indeed. I think this is the part where the father is supposed to leave the baby with a trusted ally/rural priest/venerable retired knight/etc to be raised. I mean isn't the "I'm not actually your father, your real father was Sir Bob The Lecherous But Brave Knight" story line a classic in fantasy literature? If he truly cares about the child, he shouldn't be associating with him any more.

And besides, its a great back story for his next character when you start a new campaign set 20 years later.

Or use Planar Ally/Binding to get a Celestial to raise your kid. But if you thought a normal babysitter was expensive...

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

And besides, its a great back story for his next character when you start a new campaign set 20 years later.

hehehe... the current campaign is the DMs world 800 years after his first campaign... it's SO fun.

**PLUG** If any of you interested in the world that we play in, take a while to read our Story Hour... link's in my sig.

 

[Percivellian]

Forgive me if this point was raised on the previous page. I read through every post, but I have not had my full quota of sleep today.

From the SRD:

Sustenance: This ring continually provides its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. The ring also refreshes the body and mind, so that its wearer needs only sleep 2 hours per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. The ring must be worn for a full week before it begins to work. If it is removed, the owner must wear it for another week to reattune it to himself.
Faint conjuration; CL 5th; Forge Ring, create food and water; Price 2,500 gp. (emphasis added)

It was my group's interpretation that the ring needed to be worn for a week while the subject consumed their regular amount of food, and then ever after, as long as the ring was worn, it would provide that amount, determined by the week of attuning.

~Percy

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

I suppose it would be a bit too much for the wizard to cast a polymorph spell on the father, so he turns into a woman capable of feeding his own child?

We've actually discussed this option as well... it's an interesting possibility...

What makes it every more interesting is that we've already got an elf that used to be a dwarf and quasi-Yuan Ti (spelling?) that used to be an elf (reincarnation is FUN!)... why not have a man in a woman's body? Ahhh the Springer Dimension - it's a wonderful place.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Forgive me if this point was raised on the previous page. I read through every post, but I have not had my full quota of sleep today.

From the SRD:



It was my group's interpretation that the ring needed to be worn for a week while the subject consumed their regular amount of food, and then ever after, as long as the ring was worn, it would provide that amount, determined by the week of attuning.

~Percy

Nice pull, Percy... that wasn't pointed out... thanks!

 

[Ambrus]

Although I believe the ring would fully sustain an infant (or a 40 ton dragon for that matter) I believe you've all missed the really interesting aspect of a baby wearing a ring of sustenance: what would a baby who only sleeps 2 hours a day be like? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but AFAIK a newborn baby sleeps an average of 20+ hours a day; it's part of its normal development cycle. But the ring's bearer only requires 2 hours of rest a day which means the baby is awake and aware about 500% more of the time. Asside from perhaps driving its guardians insane with it's constant need for attention, I believe the child would also learn it's basic skills at an accelerated rate. As I understand it, the first five years of a child's life is the time it develops the most in its entire life. Such young children learn to crawl, walk, talk, run and learn a thousand other things they'll need to know throughout their lives. They absorb new experiences like sponges. A baby that's learning 5 times as often would probably develop somewhat more quickly; at least within the bounds of it's physical and cerebral limits. I'd expect it to start babling and crawling sooner, start interacting with its environment more and to eventually walk and talk much sooner than expected. Such a child would probably grow up to be very curious and precocious. Just my two cents though.

 

[punkorange]

This thread has inspired me to create a villian

A wizard's child dies during child birth. The wizard, too busy with his studies and quite uncertain about child raising, creates a magical item to keep the child alive. Perhaps the sentient ring idea. The ring, though, was created out of greed; a desire to spend one's time selfishly rather than taking care of the child. The child grows, and as stated before learns much quicker than norm due to being aware 500% more than a normal infant. It is being cared for and raised by the devious ring.