Undead with a ring of sustenance?

[Nebrok]

I have heard it ruled by other DMs that a ring of sustenance could relieve an undead of the need to eat/feed. I.E. Vampires, ghouls, or any other corporeal undead that need to feed on the living. (I would exclude incorporeal undead and any undead that “live” off of energy drain or “life force”)

Personally, I believe that a ring of sustenance provides a body sustenance that derives from physical food, so an undead that feeds off of physical food like blood or even just the flesh of the living should also benefit. It kind of makes sense.

This is an interesting idea and I was curious of with others may have to say on it. So please, share your thoughts… I would be interested in hearing other opinions.
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[Alzrius]

I agree. I've ruled that a vampire that wears a ring of sustenance doesn't need blood, for example, and need only spend 2 hours in its coffin.

I hadn't really considered a dichotomy between physical sustenance and devouring life energy/souls, simply because most undead that are described as having a need for something to sustain themselves tend to have that be physical, e.g. blood, flesh, etc.

 

[Ahnehnois]

This belongs in the 3e rules forum.

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.

The text is pretty generic. I doubt there's an official word.

I would rule that undead sustenance (vampires needing blood, etc.) is not covered by the ring; it certainly seems silly that such a cheap item could transform their "lives" so and I don't equate needing calories and protein to needing life energy.

EDIT: but ghoulsh feeding maybe yes. LM has different categories of undead hunger; you could rule that some qualify and some don't.

 

[jdrakeh]

I like this idea, if only because it makes undead PCs a more viable option (no more having to worry about if your vampiric friend will turn you into a snack overnight) and because it's different than the same old thing (the status quo gets boring after a bit). Thanks for the neat idea. I'll have to try using this in one of my own campaigns sometime.

 

[Hand of Evil]

My rules are that it does not work on "dead/undead" because they feed off life energy, their hunger is not about digestion and keeping them alive but keeping them on the material plane (my view), you also have the alignment issue, evil, which brings to mind the story of the scorpion and frog, it is their nature to kill, drink blood and eat brains.

 

[zen_hydra]

My rules are that it does not work on "dead/undead" because they feed off life energy, their hunger is not about digestion and keeping them alive but keeping them on the material plane (my view), you also have the alignment issue, evil, which brings to mind the story of the scorpion and frog, it is their nature to kill, drink blood and eat brains.

I share this opinion. I feel that the existence of undead, and the state of being one, should be something truly horrific. The undead hunger for life-force is only superficially similar to the biological processes of living beings. The soul/spirit of an undead being has been infected with an anti-life cancer. A tiny bit of black void that needs to constantly consume the life energies of other lest it devour the last remnants of the host's soul/spirit and leaving it a mindless hunter. The spread of this spiritual infection is why an undead being becomes more and more monstous as time goes on. While regular feeding can keep the spread in check, and allow the undead to maintain what faculties it still possesses, inevitably the cancer will grow and what remains of the person that once was is replaced with a horrible desperate hunger. That's my interpretation anyway.

 

[frankthedm]

I share this opinion.

Agree as well. Mundane hunger assuaged by such a low priced item is fine. But Life-sustaining nourishment does you no good when you are no longer alive.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I'd rule no, because (mechanically speaking) the ring is based on the spell create food and water, which wouldn't sustain any (or at least most) Undeads', umm, special dietary requirements.

My in-game rationale is that, imho, their reasons for feeding as they do tend to be not a natural need for nutrients, but rather a psychological compulsion/illness or some spiritual or moral imperative.

 

[pawsplay]

My rules are that it does not work on "dead/undead" because they feed off life energy, their hunger is not about digestion and keeping them alive but keeping them on the material plane (my view), you also have the alignment issue, evil, which brings to mind the story of the scorpion and frog, it is their nature to kill, drink blood and eat brains.

If what they need is substance, I think it would work fine. Anyway, undead hunger is a pretty minor element in D&D, I think the ring is probably overpriced anyway if all it does it relieve the need to slaughter the NPCs you were going to slaughter anyway.

 

[Hand of Evil]

A thought on this is how you look at vampirism/ghouls/zombies; as a viral infection much like rabies, it alters a host so that it can propagate and spread. A ring of sustenance, does not help such an infection.