Would this Epic Spell count as cannibalism?

[Sims]

Say you were like Majin Buu. and you had a pink ray that turned people or other creatures into candy, or any kind of food for that matter.

So lets say you zap a murderer, and he turns into a Twix bar. Then you eat it.

So since you ate that guy, are you a cannibal? XD Lmfao

[SilverLeaf167]

Uh... why wouldn't it? You're eating a person. It doesn't matter that you turned him into food first: for example, if you Baleful Polymorph someone into a duck before killing them, you're still committing murder, right?

[Divide by Zero]

you ate that guy

Answered your own question here.

[Ryu_Bonkosi]

It all depends. If you were a human doing this to another human then yes. If you were a human doing this to a creature that isn't of your race then no.

[Sims]

Uh... why wouldn't it? You're eating a person. It doesn't matter that you turned him into food first: for example, if you Baleful Polymorph someone into a duck before killing them, you're still committing murder, right?

Well in any case, I will enjoy feasting upon the weak and absorbing their powah! (Just like buu :D)

[mootoall]

For Cell-like funsies, by the way, there's the psionic power Assimilate.

[Divide by Zero]

It all depends. If you were a human doing this to another human then yes. If you were a human doing this to a creature that isn't of your race then no.

Well, the RL definition of cannibalism assumes that elves et al don't exist, so the in-game definition would likely include all Int 3+ races, but I think that discussion is beyond the scope of this thread. The OP seems to be asking whether polymorphing someone first makes a difference, in which case the answer is clearly that it doesn't matter.

[Epsilon Rose]

I'd argue that if you knew it was a person than yes, it's still cannibalism, but if you pass the candy bar off to some random schlub on the street who has no idea that the candy was the mayor up till 10 minutes ago then no, he didn't commit cannibalism.

[Re'ozul]

I'd argue that if you knew it was a person than yes, it's still cannibalism, but if you pass the candy bar off to some random schlub on the street who has no idea that the candy was the mayor up till 10 minutes ago then no, he didn't commit cannibalism.

This, very much this. Especially since everyone who has ever died rotted away and entered the food chain via being carbon that plants use to grow.

[ericgrau]

Nah it's still technically cannibalism either way, but either way it's not as gross yet equally eating something that was a person from an ethics POV. Especially if the candy is still alive like it was in DBZ. That's where the confusion comes from IMO, the 3 different considerations: ethics (not usually a problem for adventurers, but possibly), psychological (knowing it even if it doesn't matter) and grossness (candy is tastier than flesh).

[Analytica]

One of my characters (who was on a slippery slope towards evil which culminated in Velsharoon worship) came upon a village full of animals transformed into humans. Since he considered them to "actually" be animals and hence not properly "people", he secretly killed some of them to make jerky, which on the other hand appealed to him mainly because it allowed him to experience what it was like to break the taboo against cannibalism. Some measure of double-think there, really... :smallsmile:

In any case, your character does not get to know what human flesh tastes like, but they do get to know what it's like to kill a sentient and sapient being for the purpose of eating them. Both are cannibalism enough for my sensibilities...

[Chess435]

A double post, but 22 minutes apart.... how does that work? :smalleek:

[Analytica]

Weird. Can I remove one? I'll try that. :smallredface:

[Bhaakon]

you Baleful Polymorph someone into a duck before killing them, you're still committing murder, right?

But what if you baleful polymorph a duck into a person and then eat it?

[Kalim]

Flesh to Salt somebody and put them on your food.

Is that strictly cannibalism? I mean, they're no longer a person. They're just salt now.

[ericgrau]

Weird, other than the psychological implications, and only if you know about it, that seems totally fine. Well, other than killing something with a spell.

Reminds me of another topic that basically went "It's ok b/c it's not real, so don't ask about it. If you find out anyway and it bothers you then, fine, don't do it simply b/c it bothers you; it isn't wrong otherwise."

[Andraste]

It depends on whether they keep their sentience in candy form. If so, then in a way it is; if not, then you essentially removed them from existence and the brought the candy into existence.

[Sims]

After I turn a Tarrasque into chocolate and feed it to a village of starving halflings, I'd like to see him come back from that! >:D

[mootoall]

After I turn a Tarrasque into chocolate and feed it to a village of starving halflings, I'd like to see him come back from that! >:D

By RAW it will. Regrowing in the Halflings' stomachs.

[LOTRfan]

By RAW it will. Regrowing in the Halflings' stomachs.

But its chocolate now. Not the tarrasque. If you could find a way to permanently polymorph it into chocolate, shouldn't it stay dead?

[ClockShock]

But what if you baleful polymorph a duck into a person and then eat it?

That. Sounds tasty.

It would seem that it would also be cannibalism. Being human is one of those things that kind of sticks to you, however it might turn up or go away.

[Dusk Eclipse]

For some reason this reminds me of the make-sure-this-BBEG-won't-return-to-harass-you- again methods, my favourite being this one:


Cast Flesh to Stone
Cast Stone to Mud
Mix the mud with water from a canteen or cojured or however you want (bonus point for doing this with holy water)
Cast purify Food and Drinks on the mud.
Drink the now clean water
Take a leak in the nearest ocean, lake, river, big water body)
?????
Profit:smallbiggrin:


Technically, just technically the guy isn't dead

[tyckspoon]

That. Sounds tasty.

It would seem that it would also be cannibalism. Being human is one of those things that kind of sticks to you, however it might turn up or go away.

Depends, really (mind, you can't Baleful something into a human, it's too capable a form.) If you just use Polymorph, it's creepy, but not cannibalism if you use the broader definition of 'consuming an intelligent being'- Polymorph doesn't replace your mental scores, so you just have a human body that thinks its a duck. Polymorph Any Object, it's cannibalism, because POA does also replace the mental scores- you're taking that duck and converting into a brand-new sentient human. You could go dead duck -> human corpse, tho, and just be back to creepy; that one is just a slab of meat that happens to resemble intelligent life.

[holywhippet]

By RAW it will. Regrowing in the Halflings' stomachs.

That doesn't sound right - unlike trolls in 2nd edition (or at least I think that is how they worked) cutting a piece off of a tarrasque won't result in a second one growing from the piece (especially since for most settings there can only ever be one tarrasque).

Back to Buu's flesh to candy power. I don't think it counts as cannibalism since you aren't consuming the flesh of a creature of your species. You are just eating candy. On top of that, Buu wasn't actually "eating" the person. Anyone who Buu "ate" as candy became part of him, he gained power from them an in some cases part of their personality.

[Sims]

That doesn't sound right - unlike trolls in 2nd edition (or at least I think that is how they worked) cutting a piece off of a tarrasque won't result in a second one growing from the piece (especially since for most settings there can only ever be one tarrasque).

Back to Buu's flesh to candy power. I don't think it counts as cannibalism since you aren't consuming the flesh of a creature of your species. You are just eating candy. On top of that, Buu wasn't actually "eating" the person. Anyone who Buu "ate" as candy became part of him, he gained power from them an in some cases part of their personality.

Hey this guy knows his stuff hahaha!

[elonin]

This thread got me thinking. If Flesh to stone weren't an instantaneous spell what would happen if you cast it on a wall then ate it?

There is a consideration that has been missed so far. Would a human eating an elf be considered a cannibal? Normally it is only cannibalism if you eat someone of your own race but that doesn't account for a world with multiple intelligent races.

[Dusk Eclipse]

FWIW BoVD mentions, what while normally cannibalism is just eating your own species, sometimes it can be argued that eating any intelligent (Int > 3 ) creature counts as it.

[Boci]

FWIW BoVD mentions, what while normally cannibalism is just eating your own species, sometimes it can be argued that eating any intelligent (Int > 3 ) creature counts as it.

Wasn't it a preference for such meat?

[Dusk Eclipse]

"In the broader sense, cannibals may be
defined as creatures that eat other intelligent creatures for
whatever perverted pleasure they gain from it."

Emphasis mine; but it does says that a dragon might prefer human flesh even though he doesn't get more nourishment from a man than say... a cow