How to fix a famine?

[jakon]

So i'm currently playing a 3.5 game with a bunch of guys at school and in the campaign we're facing a famine, we're locked in a small area with 120 people to feed and due to an undead horde that recently attacked us all of the crops have burnt down and we only have food enough to feed our people for 3 days. Does anyone know if there are magical items that provide food in that quantity? Also a thing to note is that the DM has disallowed magic in the world due to some curse on the land.

[Tanuki Tales]

How can you have magic items if there's no magic? :smallconfused:

[jakon]

Sorry, let me rephrase that, there's no spells.

[atemu1234]

That, my friend, is the question.

Is cannibalism an option?

[TypoNinja]

Sorry, let me rephrase that, there's no spells.

Does crafting magic items still work?

If it does you want wondrous architecture, from the SHBG, its essentially wondrous items that come extra cheap for being location based, and some extra effects by being location based.

In this case you want to set up an eating room with tables, that casts Hero's Feast on a pre-determined condition, like a command word, or just sitting at a table that doesn't already have a feast on it.

Either that or something silly in bulk. A bottomless ration tin will feed 1 person forever and costs 350gp. Buy/make a hundred or so.

[Renen]

So... how do you propose getting said magic items if no one has the spells to make them?
Because if the local vendor just happened to have a decanter of endless water he would have probably shared by now.
Same if he had am item that can cast Create Food and Water at will.

Though I suggest finding a chicken infested commoner. Suddenly, infinite chickens and eggs.
Or find a troll and start cutting him to pieces as he regenerates.

[atemu1234]

So... how do you propose getting said magic items if no one has the spells to make them?
Because if the local vendor just happened to have a decanter of endless water he would have probably shared by now.
Same if he had am item that can cast Create Food and Water at will.

Though I suggest finding a chicken infested commoner. Suddenly, infinite chickens and eggs.
Or find a troll and start cutting him to pieces as he regenerates.

I fail to see how cannibalism fails to fix this.

[Tanuki Tales]

I fail to see how cannibalism fails to fix this.

Cannibalism isn't infinite. Chicken Infested and Trolls are.

[jakon]

Some more things to add, our DM has screwed us over with money at this point, I got 50 gp last session and it was like a miracle. However he's told us that there's a magic item vendor headed to the city currently.

[Jack_Simth]

So i'm currently playing a 3.5 game with a bunch of guys at school and in the campaign we're facing a famine, we're locked in a small area with 120 people to feed and due to an undead horde that recently attacked us all of the crops have burnt down and we only have food enough to feed our people for 3 days. Does anyone know if there are magical items that provide food in that quantity?Yes. Stronghold Builder's Guide, Everfull Larder, page 76, 15k.

[heavyfuel]

Creatures with Regeneration are your best bet. Troll is a simple one, but its meat probably doesn't taste very good and it might not be entirely edible. Here's a list of creatures from the SRD that have it: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?79887-Regenerating-Monsters&p=1412412&viewfull=1#post1412412

[Tanuki Tales]

Some more things to add, our DM has screwed us over with money at this point, I got 50 gp last session and it was like a miracle. However he's told us that there's a magic item vendor headed to the city currently.

What level are you?

Because if you guys can subdue a troll(s), famine problem solved.

[jakon]

What level are you?

Because if you guys can subdue a troll(s), famine problem solved.

2, because our DM is screwing us.

[Tanuki Tales]

2, because our DM is screwing us.

Is there any paladins in your group?

Because let me tell you about Uncle Pazuzu....

Seriously, you guys sound hosed. A level 2 group fixing a famine is either some kind of rail road bread crumb quest starter or is going to require TO to fix.

[jakon]

Is there any paladins in your group?

Because let me tell you about Uncle Pazuzu....

Seriously, you guys sound hosed. A level 2 group fixing a famine is either some kind of rail road bread crumb quest starter or is going to require TO to fix.

Lol, yes, there is one, but he's only been allowed one spell.

Our DM is a cruel SOB right now, we've tried literally everything we can find in the books and more, thats why i've turned to the internet

[ktccd]

Level 2? Townguards should be more powerful than that, why is he expecting you to fix a famine with no magic?
(Even *with* magic, level 2 magic is probably not enough).

If you really gotta do it, I agree with the above posters. Take a dozen people, arm them with simple crossbows or something, then find a troll. Deal it enough subdual damage to knock it out, then keep cutting off pieces of meat from it, fry it and serve it to the starving populous.

Other solutions:
Kill one of the players, have him re-roll as a snow barbarian with regeneration 1, use him as you would the troll.

Cannibalise the people. Eventually you'll reach the point where there's few enough of you that you can sustain them.

Re-roll as characters with Vow-of-poverty. Use commoners as combat experience by fighting them. Reach level 5 and never have to eat again.

Magic items could solve it, but at lvl 2 you're dirt-poor, even without your DM screwing you, so unless the item seller gives them away at around 99% sale, you won't get any that matter.

Convince some Elans to turn the humans in your population into Elans, giving them free sustenance forever, as well as no aging.

Re-roll as an artificer, use a ton of cheese to make items dirt-cheap. Since artifiers are NOT arcane nor Divine, you could make a case for your DM's curse not affecting him.
Since you'll be an artificer, you might as well become an omnificer and win the campaign. DM expects TO level of character creation, he gets TO level of character creation.
If you need to be higher level for omnificer than you are right now, fight some of the commoners. You're still low enough to actually get XP for killing them.

[Tanuki Tales]

Lol, yes, there is one, but he's only been allowed one spell.

Our DM is a cruel SOB right now, we've tried literally everything we can find in the books and more, thats why i've turned to the internet

He'll probably shoot it down...but go with Pazuzu.

Pazuzu always answers Paladins and always gives away junk for free the first time since he wants to corrupt the Paladins. This is how one of the Pun Pun builds gets started.

[Renen]

Organize townfolk.
Rob merchant.
???
Profit

[OracleofWuffing]

Some more things to add, our DM has screwed us over with money at this point, I got 50 gp last session and it was like a miracle. However he's told us that there's a magic item vendor headed to the city currently.
Let the undead horde kill the Magic Item Vendor, then loot the remains. Okay, your DM probably wants you to militia the town up to secure safe passage for the vendor to enter the town, thus kind of leaving the vendor in debt to the town. Let's be honest here, a magic item vendor in a low-gold environment has very little business sense to visit a small zombie riddled village with no secure food storage. :smallwink: Okay, maybe he has family or something that he's visiting, whatever.

You're in such a bind here that direct-from-the-book advice is going to be of little help. At level 2 WBL- which you've indicated you do not have- the only real affordable food Magic Item I can think of is a Bag of Tricks, which would cost the whole thing and feed maybe one person a day. Your DM does not want a typical solution.

[Tanuki Tales]

Your DM does not want a typical solution.

Thus my suggestion of Pazuzu since they have a paladin. :smallamused:

[frogglesmash]

You could see if your DM would let you perform a ritual of some sort in order to call up a Harvester Demon and make a Faustian Pact. I prefer this method to the proposed Pazuzu idea as it isn't quite so extreme, the downside is that it would require your DM to be rather lenient which seems unlikely.

[Inevitability]

I recommend abusing a Spell Component Pouch. Just sustain the people on tiny tarts or pork rind. It's silly, but hey, it works.

[Abd al-Azrad]

I can't really address the possible magical means of addressing this problem, but I can speak to more mundane methods if it will be at all helpful.

First off, I doubt your situation is as dire as you indicate. People don't take days to starve to death, they take weeks. Folks will certainly be miserable as heck, but a tight ration of your three days of food could stretch the survival of your group out for quite some time.

You are inevitably doomed of course, if you can't get out of that trap and find at least a decent source of water. By what means is your magic item vendor traveling? Because I think you are asking the wrong question.

You should not be looking for an item that provides food for 120 people, you should be looking for an item that provides escape. A Carpet of Flying, a Swan Boat token, a scroll of Teleport... heck, a Lesser Planar Binding or Ally could get you access to a creature which could ferry in food from elsewhere, or at least relay a message to someone who might be able to break through and provide rescue and access to the outside world. Teleport: Self plus 50 pounds of gear, at will, can bring a LOT of food.

[atemu1234]

I recommend abusing a Spell Component Pouch. Just sustain the people on tiny tarts or pork rind. It's silly, but hey, it works.

Give this man a tart from the expensive material components table.

[Inevitability]

Also, Protection From Evil's material component is 'a little powdered silver'. Take that out infinite times, then buy everything that magic item vendor has to sell.


And something that seemed possible to me, maybe the 'Magic Item Vendor' will actually turn out to be a DMPC who saves everyone's behinds and becomes the main focus of the story? Hey, given what I've heard about this DM it's possible.

[Tanuki Tales]

You could see if your DM would let you perform a ritual of some sort in order to call up a Harvester Demon and make a Faustian Pact. I prefer this method to the proposed Pazuzu idea as it isn't quite so extreme, the downside is that it would require your DM to be rather lenient which seems unlikely.

Harvester Devils are more likely to screw you over and gives the DM more leeway, while Pazuzu at least is known to give it up, no strings attached.

[Ferronach]

You said that the undead burnt all of the crops. What about livestock? A cow has a whole lotta meat on it, so does a horse.

Have the undead got you surrounded? If not, organize hunter/gatherer mobs. If yes, who/what is controlling them and getting them to attack you and why? Are you the target or is the village or one of the villagers? If you are the target and leave, the undead will leave the villagers alone and they can rebuild. If the village is the target, sneak the people out a few at a time. If one villager is the target, send them out/kill them/hand them over.

If the magic item vendor is coming to the town, how will he get past the undead? Will he even have anything useful/affordable?

Undead are generally rather unintelligent so you can probably use the villagers to help you build "traps" for the undead which will help you break them into manageable chunkc of XP.
You can always get your diplomonster to diplo the villagers into an undead crushing mob.

Try looking for rats/pests/vermin in food/grain storage areas.

If the village has a well (it should), try sending someone down to see if there is a tunnel above the water or if it is possible to swim out somehow.

If you ration the food you will be able to last for quite some time. Albeit everyone will always be hungry and grouchy but they will be alive.

Talk to the villagers, see if any of them have adventuring experience (you never know where a higher level adventurer may have retired to).

Is the "no magic" clause applied to divine magic too or just arcane? Lesser restoration, good berry, etc. can be very helpful. (sorry away from book and no longer able to access online stuffs at work so the spells are just off the top of my head so may not be viable)

See if any of the villagers have tunnels under their houses, orchards/fruit trees/berry bushes etc. in their yards.

Send a few people on fast horses for help. There should be another village/town/city nearby.


Hopefully some of these give you an idea that may work :)

[Ruethgar]

As to magic items, Wondrous Architecture of a 5ft Rune Circle of a Trap of Create Food and Water is very cheap(maybe not in your price range though). If you can manage to kill a few undead(or commoners if you're evil) and get to level three, take Create Device(Craft Wondrous Item) and circumvent the anti-magic field with science! Rotten meat is still edible most of the time if you cook it well enough and it wouldn't be quite as morally reprehensible as cannibalism. Also note that technically speaking, Prestidigitation creation clause is not limited to the 1hr duration since it did not modify an item and although the initial material is frail if you make it a seed that material will dissipate, it also doesn't have to be a normal seed so a scroll of Prestidigitation may be of some assistance. A little more cheesy would be a Scroll of War Prestidigitation with the Grass Growth side effect and instantly grow something edible like bamboo shoots in addition to your magic mutant seeds. Pazuzu is your best bet in my mind though, unless the DM used the Commoner Handbook to make the village.