Too often, a wilderness adventure is reduced to abstracts.  Travelling
from one point to another is accomplished with ease and, except
for an occasional wandering monster, few hardships.  But a character
is not superhuman; he is affected by weather, natural obstacles,
disease, and a hundred other details that conspire to make his life
miserable.  A little realism adds interest to the campaign, and instills
in players a healthy respect for the dangers involved in wilderness
expeditions.

This article addresses an aspect of the Game that tends to be ignored
by DMs and players alike.  In many cases, the need for food
and water is dispesed with altogether.  Yet the rules on the subject
are extensively developed: a section of the price table in the Players
Handbook is reserved for provisions, and spells like create food and
water or purify water, as well as the psionic discipline mind over
body were clearly intended to have useful applications.  Besides, it
stands to reason that the greatest danger to travelers in the desert is
not the monsters they might meet.

In game terms, then, these guidelines fill a gap in the rules.  In
terms of playability, they introduce a new dimension of danger to the
most mundane adventure.  How tiresome it would be if monsters and
traps were the, only dangers to be faced!  Much more terrible fates
can await the incautious adventurer. . . .

Far from being an arbitrary system of damage, this is a Game
interpretation of medical facts.  As such, it is as accurate as possible
while preserving simplicity and playability.  It is not, by any means,
a medical dissertation, and it should not be treated as such.

The damage system
Using HP for damage from hunger and thirst proves unsatisfactory.
Why should a Necromancer, for example, be able
to survive without food and water longer than a Veteran?
Isn't the fighter the most physically powerful and resistant character
class?  For that matter, how would experience with fighting or spell
use help one survive physical deprivations?  Evidently, another factor
must be used, one which quantifies physical endurance.  The CON
score is ideal for this purpose.

Food
There are no detrimental effects for going 1 full day without
food, provided that the character concerned has been well nourished
for at least 2 weeks beforehand.  After he has spent 1 day without
eating, consult the following rules.

A character may survive without food for a number of days equal
to his CON score tripled.  This period of time is modified as
follows:
 

Condition	Modifier
Little physical activity (resting)	+8 days
Hard exertion*	-8 days
Extreme heat (above 100°F)	-3 days
Cold conditions (below 0° F)	-4 days
Extreme cold (below 0° F)	-6 days
Starvation rations**	Special

* -- Forced marches, mountain-climbing, or any constant, daily activity requiring considerable exertion.
** -- See note 4 below on rations.

The resulting number of days is divided into 3 equal parts, or
"phases" (for simplicity's sake, round fractions to the nearest whole
number).  Under no circumstances may each phase be less than 2
days in length.

For example, say the subject's CON score is 12.  Tripled,
this becomes 36.  This is modified for hard exertion (-8 days) in
extreme heat (-3 days), for a total reduction of 11 days.  The result
is 25 days.  Each phase, then, is 8 1/3 (rounded to 8) days long.

Starvation effects table

Phase	Str	Dex	To  hit	AC	Chance  of spell failure	HP	Move
1	-2	Normal	-1	0	None	x 3/4	Normal
2	-3	-1	-2	-1	10%	x 1/2	x 3/4
3	-4	-2	-3	-2	20%	x 1/4	x 1/2

Notes
1. STR or DEX scores of 0 or lower result in death.
When the STR score falls below 3, movement is reduced to 1",
no more than 15# of equipment and armor may be carried, and
fighting is at -4 to hit and -3 to damage (cumulative with the
modifiers on the table).

A DEX score lower than 3 precludes missile combat attacks or
spell casting with somatic or material components.  The defensive
adjustment remains, at +4 and the reaction/attacking adjustment
(for the purpose of surprise situations) remains at -3.

2. Note that a low DEX score affects AC, in addition
to the modifiers on the table.  In the same manner, a drop in the
STR score will often affect "to hit" probability.

3. The process of starvation is reversed if one resumes eating.  For
example, a character who began to eat after progressing 4 days
into the 2nd phase would slowly begin to recover, spending 4
more days in the 2nd phase before reaching the 1st phase again
-- and so on.  Of course, if he ran out of food, the process of deterioration would resume.

4. Rations are, by their very nature, the lowest possible quantities
which will sustain a character without harmful effects.  However,
consumption of starvation rations (as low as 1/2 the normal ration)
will stave off starvation for some Time.  While the character is living
on these rations, he is considered to be on the 1st day of th e1st
phase.  Although he will NOT progress past this point while on starvation
rations, he is subject to all the annoying effects of the 1st
phase.  A character may survive in this manner for up to 2
months, after which starvation rations have no effect; to be able to
USE them again, he must recover (that is, be well nourished for at
least 3 weeks thereafter).

Water
On any expedition, water is the key to survival.  Getting lost in a
desert or dungeon can have terrible consequences.  Much more so
than hunger, thirst can bring an adventurer to his knees in a matter
of days.  Thirst effects are immediate; there is no day of reprieve, as
with hunger.

Under conditions of little physical activity, a water ration is approximately
1 quart per day; this is doubled under conditions of
extreme heat (above 100 <degrees> F).  A character may survive without water
for a #number# of days =equal= to 1/2 of his CON score.
(round to the nearest whole number).  This is modified as follows:
 

Condition	Modifier
Exreme heat (above 100 <degrees> F	-2 days
Hard exertion	-1 day
Dry conditions (below 25% humidity)	-1 day

Again, the result is divided into three equal phases. Due to the
relatively small period of time involved, do not round off fractions.
Each phase may never be less than 1/3 day (eight hours) in length.

Thirst effects table

Phase	Str	Dex	To hit	AC	Chance of spell failure	HP
1	Normal	-1	Normal	-1	10%	x 3/4
2	+3	-3	+1	-3	30%	x 1/2
3	+1	-5	Normal	-5	50%	x 1/4

Notes
1. For the effects of low dexterity scores, see the earlier notes on
the subject. Great feats of strength are often possible when one is
suffering from the ravages of thirst. When dealing with exceptional
strength, raise strength by one line on Strength Table II: Ability
Adjustments (p.9, Players Handbook), for each point of strength to
be added. For example, a character with a strength of 18/70 enters
the second phase on the Thirst Effects Table. The strength adjustment
is +3, so he rises three categories on the table, to 18/00.
Strength scores may temporarily rise higher than 18/00; for the
effects of such scores, refer to the girdle of giant strength description
(on p.145 of the DMG) for "to hit" and damage bonuses.
<STR scores higher than 18/00 are Now on the STR table>

2. During the 2nd and 3rd phases, a save of  a character's
wisdom or lower on a d20 is required to AVOID moving at
maximum SPEED toward any source of water, regardless of the danger
involved or the quality of the water itself.  Even salt water might
be consumed (see note 7 below).  During the 3rd phase, the dice
roll is modified by +5.

3. During the third phase, hallucinations and delirium are 80%
probable (check every day). Furthermore, there is a 5% (cumulative)
chance per day of a character going permanently insane. Roll a
d10; hallucinatory insanity (1-5); hebrephrenia (6-8); or catatonia
(9-10) will result. These conditions are described on p.84 of the
DMG. In all cases except catatonia, the subject will continue to
recognize the value of water ? and actively seek it.

4. A water starvation ration will not prolong the life of a character.
It will, however, allow him to preserve his mental faculties (i.e., he
will not be affected by insanity).

5. The process of thirst may be reversed as was described earlier
for hunger. However, complete recovery takes an extra ten days,
during which time the character is subject to the effects described
for phase one.

6. A waterskin holds roughly two quarts of water, and a flask
about half a quart. A seven-quart waterskin, designed to be carried
by a horse, could also be made available. This would weigh 20 gp
(empty) or 170 gp (full).

7. Wine and beer are adequate substitutes for water. Hard alcohol
or salt water, on the other hand, only increase thirst. Consumption
of these liquids results in a +3 modifier on the die roll described in
note 2, in this section.

8. Cure wounds spells do not reverse the effects of hunger and
thirst, for these effects are NOT considered wounds.  By the same
token, a cure disease spell is NOT useful in this respect.  Heal would
not prevent hallucinations, but it would cure permanent insanity.

9. A cubic foot of water (see the cleric spell create food and water)
is equivalent to one gallon, or four quarts, of water.

Demi-humans and other creatures
Due to their size or preferred environments, creatures other than
humans have widely differing food and water requirements., A few
are included in the short list given below, which can serve as a starting
point for determining figures for other creatures if they are
needed.
 

Creature	Food required	Water required	Constitution equivalent
Elf, half-arc, dwarf	As human	As human	As rolled
Hobbit, gnome	x 1/2	x 1/2	As rolled
Giant (hill)	x 3	x 3	15
Dog	x 1/3	x 1/3	5
Horse, camel*	x 3	x 2	8
Snake, lizard	x 1/20	Negligible	18
Eagle, falcon	x 1/3	x 1/3	8
Giant eagle	x 7	x 4	12

* -- A camel can go 2 weeks without water without harmful effects.

Double trouble
A creature deprived of both food and water receives the combined
effects of each deprivation. For example, a character in the second
phase on both tables would have a -4 dexterity modifier, a -1 ?to
hit,? a 4-step penalty to AC, and a 40% chance of spell failure. His
+3 strength bonus would be entirely offset by the -3 penalty. Hitpoint
penalties are not cumulative.

Bibliography
Guthrie, Helen Andrews. Introductory Nutrition. St. Louis:
    Mosby, 1975. Third ed.
Hainsworth, F. Reed. Animal Physiology: Adaptations in Function.
    Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1981.
 

LETTERS
Turning up the volume
Dear Dragon,
I beg to differ with Paul Hancock's otherwise
excellent article on "When rations run out"
tissue #107). His note 9 says that "A cubic foot of
water . . . is equivalent to one gallon."

Roughly, one cubic foot will hold about 7½
gallons. To carry this farther and out of context
with his article, a decanter of endless water
employing the geyser function will fill a 10' ×
10' × 10' room in just about 25 turns (assuming
none of the water is absorbed by the surrounding
material or otherwise drains away).

You see, I now have a flooded dungeon with a
runaway decanter. . .

Richard E. Hutson
U.S. Marines in Germany
(Dragon #112)

Right you are, Richard. We could have
avoided this mistake by simply double-checking
with a table of weights and measures . . . but we
didn?t. Incidentally, for those of you who use the
British system, a cubic foot of water is equivalent
to about 6.2gallons. -- Kim Mohan