Going Without Food	Effects on Animals	Minimum Daily Requirement of Food	-	Consuming and Carrying Food
FOOD GATHERING	Foraging	Inedible Plants	When Not to Use The Table	-
-	Hunting	Stalking a Wounded Animal	The Hunting Proficiency	-
-	Fishing	-	-	-
d%: Food & Drink	-	Food && Water	-	WSG

    In these rules, "food" is considered to be any solid || semi-solid
substance that can be taken into the mouth and swallowed
without harmful effects, and which provides nourishment to the
body. A poison plant is not food; neither, obviously, is a handful of
sand. Different substances do, in fact, have different properties
as far as nutrition is concerned, but the rules about going without
food incl. no distinctions re: relative food value; to a
character in dire straits, a handful of leaves is effectively just as
beneficial as a handful of meat to keep him from starving.

Going Without Food

    If a character has an adequate supply of drinking water, he will
suffer no ill effects from going without solid nourishment for a
number of days, referred to hereafter as his TL (Tolerance Level).
This <alt> # varies for different characters as follows:

Table 28: TOLERANCE LEVELS FOR LACK OF FOOD

Combined Strength && Constitution	Tolerance Level (TL) <>
15 or less	4 days
16 to 19	5 days
20 to 24	6 days
25 to 30	7 days
31 to 35	8 days
36 or more	10 days

    When a character exceeds his tolerance level, he must make a
successful STR check || CON check (using whichever
score is higher) once every 12 hours to remain unaffected by
the lack of nourishment. Every check after the first one is made
with a cumulative +1 modifier on the die roll -- +1 on the second
check, +2 on the third check, and so on. If a character fails one of
these checks, he is weakened, and all subsequent checks are
made with a cumulative +2 modifier on the die roll. If a character
fails a second check, he is distressed, and if he fails a third check
he becomes incapacitated and is in danger of starving to death --
perhaps in a matter of hours.

    Example: A character with a STR of 12 and a constitution of
14 can go for seven days without eating a meal, as long as he
takes an adequate amount of liquid nourishment in the meantime.
At the midpoint of the eighth day, he must make a CON
Check to remain unaffected. By the midpoint of the ninth day,
his CON Check is made with a +2 modifier to the die roll.
If he fails this check (with a roll of 13 or higher), he becomes
weakened, and his next CON Check at the end of the
ninth day is made with a +4 modifier. If he fails the check (with a
roll of 11 or higher), he is distressed, and if he fails any subsequent
check he becomes incapacitated from lack of food.

    A hungry (thirsty) character suffers a -1 penalty on all attack rolls &&
on any saves related to dodging || reaction during the first day (or part of a day) that he is in that condition.

For as long as he remains hungry, the penalty worsens by -1 per day.
If such a character begins to eat at least one full meal per day,
his condition improves by two steps per day (a -3 penalty becomes -1 in a single day) until he is recovered.
<alt: original=weakened>

A malnourished (dehydrated) character continues to incur the penalties for being
weakened, and those penalties will continue to worsen if the
character does not eat. In +addition+, he can perform strenuous activity
for no more than two<2> turns before needing to make a CONCheck, <>
and if he fails this check, he becomes automatically
exhausted (instead of merely fatigued). If a distressed character
receives nourishment and makes a successful CON  Check
after the meal, he becomes weakened and then continues
to recover thereafter in the same way that a hungry character
does.
<alt: original=distressed>

A starving (incapacitated) character is, in effect, permanently exhausted.
He retains any accumulated penalties from being hungry
(or has them worsened to -4 if they were not that low
already). He is incapable of performing any voluntary physical activity,
and cannot recover from his condition until and unless he
takes solid nourishment for at least 2 consecutive days. If he
eats for 2 days (at least two full meals, spaced one day apart)
and immediately thereafter makes a successful CON Check || STR Check (whichever score is higher),
he is considered weakened and continues to recover afterward in the
same way that a weakened character does. If this check is failed
and he continues to eat at least one full meal a day, subsequent
daily checks are made at a cumulative -4 modifier to the die roll
until one of them succeeds.

An starving character who does not eat within 12 hours of
acquiring this condition will begin to lose HPs at the rate of
1d6 per hour thereafter, and will die if his HP total reaches
zero. He takes an additional - 1 penalty on attack rolls and saving
throws for each hour that he loses HP, above and beyond
the penalties he had already incurred from lack of food. If he
begins to take nourishment while he is still alive, HP lost
from lack of food are regained at the rate of 1d4 per hour and the
combat and saving-throw penalty mentioned above is lessened
by 1 for each hour thereafter until it reaches its normal level (as
for a weakened character).
<alt: original=incapacitated>

Minimum Daily Requirement of Food

SUMMARY
* 1 to 2 pounds per day (0.75 to 1.5 pounds if elf) (0.5 to 1 pounds if gnome or hobbit)
    * 2 pounds of standard rations per day (1.5 if elf) (1 if gnome or hobbit) (standard rations weigh 20#) (assume 14# of weight, 6# of bulk)
    * 1 pound of iron rations (0.75 if elf) (0.5 if gnome or hobbit) (iron rations weigh 7.5#) (assume 7# of weight, 0.5# of bulk)
    * 1 pound of meat = 2 pounds of vegetables

* 2 meals are required per day
    * optional: assign a -1 to hit, +1 to Str checks, +1 to Con checks

* (restrict) diet : a character can consume half-portions at meals. this can be kept up for DR, measured in days. (DR = TL(1.5), round down) (DR = dieting resistance)
    * after DR has passed, the character becomes weakened
    * to cure DR-exceeded weakness, a full ration (the minimum daily requirement) is needed
    * a character who does not engage in significant physical activity (strenuous, etc.) can diet indefinitely

    A human, dwarf, half-orc, or half-elf character needs to consume
from one to two pounds of solid nourishment every day in
order to maintain full strength and vitality. An elf needs three-fourths
of a human-sized ration, while a gnome or a halfling can
get along on half the amount of food that a human needs.

    The variability in this weight requirement accounts for the fact
that some foodstuffs have more mass than others, and some edible
substances are relatively more nourishing than others. As an
illustration of this point, consider a prominent example from the
game rules: A pack of standard rations, designed to feed one human
for one week, has an encumbrance value of 200 gp. Assume
that the actual weight of the package is 14 pounds (140 gp), and
the other 60 gp of its encumbrance value accounts for its bulkiness.
Thus, the min. daily req. of standard rations is
two pounds. Compare this with a pack of iron rations, having an
ENC value of 75 gp. Of this amount, perhaps as little as
5 gp accounts for the bulk of the package (since the food is more
concentrated and occupies much less space). The other 70 gp, or
7 pounds, is the actual weight of the pacakge, and therefore the
min. daily req. of iron rations is one pound.

    In general, meat and other foodstuffs containing animal protein
are more nourishing than fruits, vegetables, and greenery, so
that 1 pound of meat will provide the same degree of sustenance
as 2 pounds of vegetables. When determining whether
characters are maintaining a proper intake of food, the DM
should consider what they consume as well as how much
they eat.

    A character should eat at least twice a day -- 1 meal after a
night's REST and before undertaking any strenuous activity, and
another meal at the end of a day of work and/or travel. For any
character who misses a meal, the DM may see fit to assign a
small but appro. penalty (-1 "to hit", +1 modifier on
STR checks or CON checks) to apply from the time
the meal should have been eaten until the next time the character
takes nourishment. A character with below-average STR or
CON is esp. susceptible to this temporary weakness
caused by failing to maintain a consistent intake of food.

    Of course, it is possible to consume more than the min.
daily req. of food, either all in one meal or in more than
one meal spaced throughout the day. However, overeating does
not offer any significant benefits in game terms; a character's
physical condition does not improve, nor can he go for a longer
time before eating again, just because he has stuffed himself.

    It is also possible to conserve food by not always eating the
min. daily req.. A character can "cheat" by as much
as half of the recommended amount (eating only one-half pound
of meat or one pound of vegetables or greenery per day) without
immediately suffering adverse effects. However, he can only remain
on this restricted diet and still perform normal activities for a
number of days =equal= to 1 1/2 times his tolerance level (rounded
down). After that much time has passed, the character will become
weakened and will remain in that condition as long as he
stays on half rations. All it takes to offset this condition is the consumption
of a full ration during any single day, after which the
character is back at full strength. A character who does not engage
in any significant physical activity (strenuous or otherwise)
can subsist on half rations indefinitely.

Consuming && Carrying Food

...he was just sitting down to a nice little second-breakfast in the dining room... - The Hobbit
 

(These figures, esp. for the
larger animals, assume that the characters do not have the
knowledge or the desire to skin and butcher their kills with expertise.
In reality, carcass of a size L animal could well contain
enough meat for at least twenty full rations -- but characters can
only get this much out of it if someone spends a full day butchering,
slicing, and packaging the carcass. This is a lot of trouble to
go to, esp. for a character who probably has much more
pressing demands on his time.) Of course, a character can consume
more food than he actually needs, but these rules do not
account for gluttony or indigestion; perhaps the DM
has some ideas along those lines.

    If the adventuring party contains a druid, that character will
strongly disapprove if hunters or fishermen intentionally kill more
food than they can conceivably eat in one sitting. Of course, an
overkill cannot always be helped; if one character goes out hunting
and kills one size L animal to feed himself and two others, he
should not be held responsible for the leftovers.

    Excess food certainly need not be left behind when characters
break camp -- they can carry it along, and thereby carry themselves
through another meal, or two, or more. The only two significant
factors to consider when transporting fresh meat or recently
picked plants are encumbrance (which the DM
must rule on) and the possibility of spoilage.

Table 33: Chance of Food Spoilage

                                    . . . . . . . . . . . . . Effective Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Type of Food	Below 30	31-50	51-70	71-90	Above 90
Green plants	-- / --	6 / 20	4 / 30	1 / 50	1 / 50
Fruits or vegetables	-- / --	5 / 30	3 / 40	1 / 60	1 / 60
Cooked meat	-- / --	3 / 20	2 / 50	1 / 80	1 / 80
Raw meat	-- / --	2 / 50	1 / 70	1 / 90	1 / 90

Each entry on the table consists of two numbers.
The number
to the left of the slash is the max. number of days that the
food can be kept before a check for spoilage is required.
The
number to the right of the slash is the percentage chance on each
subsequent day that the food will be spoiled and not safely edible
thereafter.
An entry of "--" indicates that spoilage will not
occur as long as the effective temperature remains within this
range; food that is kept continually frozen will be good to eat no
matter how long it is carried or stored.

When determining effective temperature for this purpose, the
DM should use the warmest temperature that applies,
as long as the effective temperature on any given day was
in this category for at least one hour. Once a temperature
category is used for one spoilage check, this same category (or a
warmer one, if the temperature rises even more) should be used
for all subsequent checks.
If frozen food is thawed,
it is subject to spoilage beginning on the day that it was thawed (counting that day as day 1) even if it is promptly re-frozen after being exposed to the higher temperature.

If the food fails one spoilage check, it is tainted -- not as good
as fresh food, but not spoiled to such a degree that the spoilage
will always be noticed by someone intending to eat it. If a character
intends to eat something that has failed one spoilage check,
the DM should make a WIS Check for that character
in secret. Success on this check indicates that the character
has noticed something about the appearance, texture, or odor
of the food and thereby has become aware of the spoilage before
eating the food. He may choose to eat it anyway, taking a chance
that he will not be adversely affected (see below), but at least he
will know what he's getting into -- or, more precisely, what is getting
into him.
 
 

Any food that fails a second spoilage check is obviously spoiled
and will be perceived as such by anyone who intends to eat it.
Again, it may still be consumed -- spoiled food, in some circumstances,
might be better than none at all -- but the character's
chance of becoming ill is much greater than if the food was only
tainted.

<The first number is number of days food is OK. The second number is the % chance on each subsequent day that the food will be tainted. Once tainted, check this % chance every day to see if it is spoiled.>

Effects of Eating Tainted or Spoiled Food

<T3.46: It is vinegary wine,
however, now so bad that anyone sampling
it loses 1-4 points of strength for 2-12 turns,
due to nausea.>

Tainted food: A character who consumes any quantity of tainted food must
make a successful CON Check with a +4 modifier to the
die roll to avoid suffering. Failure on this check means that the
character is beset by nausea and stomach cramps within 11-20
minutes (1d10 + 10) minutes after eating the food. He must take a
- 1 penalty on all attack rolls and on any saving throw related to
dodging or maneuvering ability for the next 12 hours. At the end
of this time, he must make a CON Check (with no modifier)
to recover from the malady. Subsequent checks are allowed at
the rate of one per hour until one of them succeeds and the character
is recovered from his illness. Tainted food still provides a
normal amount of food value; that is, a full ration still counts as a
full ration for purposes of satisfying a character’s minimum daily
requirement.

Spoiled food: A character who consumes any quantity of spoiled food must
make a CONCheck with a + 10 modifier to the die roll to
avoid the illness described above. If he is stricken, the penalties
will last for at least 24 hours instead of 12. If eating the spoiled
food does not cause illness, there is a 50% chance that the food
still provides the value of a full ration (or a half-ration, if only that
much was eaten); otherwise, the food is so spoiled that it does not
serve as nourishment, and the effect on the character will be as if
he had not eaten at all.

SUMMARY
* A character who consumes any quantity of tainted food must make a successful CONCheck with a + 4 modifier to the die roll to avoid suffering.
* Failure on this check means that character is best by nausea and stomach cramps within 11-20 minutes (1d10 + 10) after eating the food.
* He must take a -1 penalty on all attack rolls and on any saving throws related to dodging or maneuvering for the next 12 hours.

* A character who consumes any quantity of spoiled food must make a CONCheck with a +10 modifier to the die roll to avoid the illness described above.
* If he is stricken, the penalties will last for 24 hours instead of 12.
* If eating the spoiled food does not cause illness, there is a 50% chacne that the food still provides the value of a full ration (or a half-ration, if only that much was eaten); otherwise, the food is so spoiled that it does not serve as nourishment, and the effect on the character will be as if he had not eaten at all.

<
DL6.6
For each day after 2 days that the PCs do not have food, subtract one point of constitution.
This loss of CON is temporary,
and a player suffering such a loss will regain 3 points of CON per day if he eats properly thereafter up to his original constitution.
Any effects of such CON change (i.e. Hit Point Adjustments, System Shock Survival, Ressurection Survival, etc.) will be in effect.
When a character reaches a CON of 0, he lapses into unconsciousness and dies.
>

<
BH2.6
Characters will be able to find adequate amounts of water,
as well as grazing for their horses, in most types of wilderness terrain.
Characters must carry food and water for themselves and their horses when
travelling in desert or badlands. Each character needs at least 1/2
canteen of water per day, as well as three pounds of meat, beans, or
hardtack per day. Each horse needs at least a gallon of water and ten
pounds of feed per day. Failure to provide adequate feed for animals
will eventually kill the animals.
>

-
From THE COMPLETE LEFTOVERS HANDBOOK.

Dinosaurs: see How To Grow A Planet 1/3 Life From Light (BBC 2012) <c. 44 min +> <youtube>
Elephant: see How To Grow A Planet 1/3 Life From Light (BBC 2012) <c. 44 min +> <youtube>