Small Characters and Food & Water

[Diarmuid]

The SRD has this to say about food and water:



WILDERNESS, WEATHER, & ENVIRONMENT

STARVATION AND THIRST
Characters might find themselves without food or water and with no means to obtain them. In normal climates, Medium characters need at least a gallon of fluids and about a pound of decent food per day to avoid starvation. (Small characters need half as much.) In very hot climates, characters need two or three times as much water to avoid dehydration.
A character can go without water for 1 day plus a number of hours equal to his Constitution score. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
A character can go without food for 3 days, in growing discomfort. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each day (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
Characters who have taken nonlethal damage from lack of food or water are fatigued. Nonlethal damage from thirst or starvation cannot be recovered until the character gets food or water, as needed—not even magic that restores hit points heals this damage.

The SRD also says this about Rations:



Rations, trail (per day) 5 sp 1 lb.1


With that trailing 1 after the weight referring to this:



1 These items weigh one-quarter this amount when made for Small characters. Containers for Small characters also carry one-quarter the normal amount.

So this would seem to me to contradict itself. Does food for a halfling/gnome/etc weigh 0.25 lbs and is thus not sufficient for sustain them for a day?

[Zaq]

Obviously, that's why they're Small. They don't get enough nutrition, so their growth is stunted.

[StoneCipher]

Well, if it's 1/4 of the cost as well, then it doesn't matter.

If you carry around 5 trail rations weighing 1/10lb each or one trail ration weighing 1/2lb it's the same effect. As long is pricing is the same, you could easily say that it comes in 1/2 lb servings.

[Hazrond]

The SRD has this to say about food and water:



The SRD also says this about Rations:



With that trailing 1 after the weight referring to this:



So this would seem to me to contradict itself. Does food for a halfling/gnome/etc weigh 0.25 lbs and is thus not sufficient for sustain them for a day?

I believe that means that small creatures only need 1/4 of the food a medium creature needs

[Diarmuid]

Haz, that's what one of the rules cited would lead you to believe. Unfortunately, the other cited rule states something completely different, hence the confusion.

In talking with my group about this, there are basically 2 options:

1) Small creatures require 1/4 the food/water of mediums
or
2) Small creatures require 1/2 the food/water of mediums

I feel like 1 makes more sense considering the actual size/weight differences. The problem then becomes what to do for large creatures. Do they require twice as much as a medium, or 4 times as much? If 4, that means someone with a horse, who isnt foraging needs to carry 8 waterskins per day for their horse, which seems like a lot.

[KillianHawkeye]

I usually house-rule that Halflings eat as much as Medium-size creatures because even though they are Small they're accustomed to eating like 10 times a day. :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

[Dalebert]

Obviously, that's why they're Small. They don't get enough nutrition, so their growth is stunted.

No, that's from drinking coffee.

[torrasque666]

I usually house-rule that Halflings eat as much as Medium-size creatures because even though they are Small they're accustomed to eating like 10 times a day. :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

I think I must just be a very tall Halfling then. My feet are even kinda hairy!

[KillianHawkeye]

I think I must just be a very tall Halfling then. My feet are even kinda hairy!

Congratulations on discovering your true heritage! Or on having a very active metabolism! Either way.......... :smallcool:

[Dalebert]

I usually house-rule that Halflings eat as much as Medium-size creatures because even though they are Small they're accustomed to eating like 10 times a day. :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

How very Tolkien of you. Would suck to be a halfling in your game though--having the reduced carrying capacity but still need to carry medium-sized food. Frankly, I don't understand why their food isn't cheaper as well as lighter. It would only be a slight benefit that makes sense. Wouldn't be game-breaking or anything.

[KillianHawkeye]

How very Tolkien of you.

What? :smallconfused:

Is that supposed to be some kind of insult? Or maybe you just couldn't tell that I was joking. Didn't I use enough smiley faces?

[Dalebert]

I wasn't sure if you were joking but it wasn't an insult. I like Tolkien hobbits.

[Sith_Happens]

As far as I can tell it works out like this:

1. Small characters need half as much food as Medium characters.

2. Small trail rations weigh a quarter as much as Medium trail rations for the same price.

3. Therefore, Small characters have to pay twice as much for trail rations as Medium characters. Unless, you know, they just buy Medium-sized trail rations, in which case they're paying half as much.

[holywhippet]

How very Tolkien of you. Would suck to be a halfling in your game though--having the reduced carrying capacity but still need to carry medium-sized food. Frankly, I don't understand why their food isn't cheaper as well as lighter. It would only be a slight benefit that makes sense. Wouldn't be game-breaking or anything.

I'm pretty sure on of the OotS strips answers this. Belkar is carrying around premium grade-A rations as halflings have a refined palate.

[atemu1234]

Better question: would a large character eat 4x as much food as a medium one?

[Diarmuid]

This is actually the very next phase of the thought process. More specifically dealing with daily water intake of horses. Horses can generally graze, and a day's worth of feed for them is already 10lbs so that aspect is covered. But how much water does a Horse need per day before it starts taking penalties.

[Lord Vukodlak]

This is actually the very next phase of the thought process. More specifically dealing with daily water intake of horses. Horses can generally graze, and a day's worth of feed for them is already 10lbs so that aspect is covered. But how much water does a Horse need per day before it starts taking penalties.

5 to 10 gallons, possibly a little less if they graze in a lush pasture.

[Diarmuid]

I'm going to assume that's simply an opinion, possibly based on real-life experience. Is this actually defined in any way within the 3.5 ruleset?

[KillianHawkeye]

5 to 10 Galleons, possibly a little less if they graze in a lush pasture.

5 to 10 galleons full of water??? That's insane! No horse would ever be able to stray from their native body of water without dying of thirst within hours!







j/k, I know you meant gallons. The typo was just too good to resist! :smallwink::smallbiggrin: