Ring of Sustenance for big creatures

[redking]

I can see a ring of sustenance working for a creature of up to large size for example, but how about a creature that is of colossal size? I realize that the ring of sustenance, RAW, should operate for these massive creatures with no issue, but a Great Wyrm dragon wearing a ring of sustenance and no longer hunting cattle and other animals for food? It lacks "flavor" to say the least.

Any thoughts?

[Bronk]

I can see a ring of sustenance working for a creature of up to large size for example, but how about a creature that is of colossal size? I realize that the ring of sustenance, RAW, should operate for these massive creatures with no issue, but a Great Wyrm dragon wearing a ring of sustenance and no longer hunting cattle and other animals for food? It lacks "flavor" to say the least.

Any thoughts?

Well, it would be much bigger when worn by a colossal creature, so everything would stay proportional. A dragon could just use it when he wants to hoard his gems instead of eating them...

[tyckspoon]

I can see a ring of sustenance working for a creature of up to large size for example, but how about a creature that is of colossal size? I realize that the ring of sustenance, RAW, should operate for these massive creatures with no issue, but a Great Wyrm dragon wearing a ring of sustenance and no longer hunting cattle and other animals for food? It lacks "flavor" to say the least.

Any thoughts?

It's magic, it don't gotta explain itself to you

Just because you don't *need* to eat doesn't mean you *won't* eat. But you can be pickier about when, what, and how you eat, because you aren't obligated to do it just for basic sustenance. You can be a gourmet and concentrate only on the food and drinks you really enjoy. Dragons might still hunt and eat because they really really enjoy the shriek of primal fear from their prey just before they snap their necks, and they think the adrenaline-marinated meat is tastiest. Or maybe they'll concentrate on sampling only the finest rare ores, or find out what fine art tastes like (Draconomicon indicates dragons can eat pretty much anything and some develop a taste for certain gemstones and precious metals) or just devote themselves to arcane studies now that they aren't distracted by puny mortal things like needing food.

(Draconomicon also indicates dragons are largely sustained by their magical natures anyways, and mostly eat because they like to rather than because they need to.)

[Kelb_Panthera]

The need to eat and the desire to eat are not entirely intertwined. Just because an old red doesn't have to eat while wearing a ring of sustenance doesn't mean it won't choose to for the simple pleasure of the flavor of cattle of the terror of the knight. It just means that he can nap as long as he pleases between meals.

[Falontani]

I know a few people that eat because of boredom, anxiety, and loneliness. Usually these are different people. But in all three cases, it isn't necessarily because they are hungry or need sustenance. Who's to say the storm giant didn't undergo an anxiety attack and gorge himself on food even though he wears a magic ring that makes him not hungry?

[Jazath]

I can see a ring of sustenance working for a creature of up to large size for example, but how about a creature that is of colossal size? I realize that the ring of sustenance, RAW, should operate for these massive creatures with no issue, but a Great Wyrm dragon wearing a ring of sustenance and no longer hunting cattle and other animals for food? It lacks "flavor" to say the least.

Any thoughts?

Lacks flavor? I mean as long as it's functional to say the least and powerful enough to accommodate the creature....

[Celestia]

Question; what would happen if you put a ring of sustenance on the tarrasque? Would it just continue hibernating forever?

[Jazath]

Question; what would happen if you put a ring of sustenance on the tarrasque? Would it just continue hibernating forever?

Ya know....... Why don't you go try to put it on one and find out!

But i think that's a maybe

[Jazath]

Question; what would happen if you put a ring of sustenance on the tarrasque? Would it just continue hibernating forever?

But i think that would be the case. As the ring keeps giving it nutrition for its body it will continue to slumber till some moron decides to wake it up.

[Yxylu]

But i think that would be the case. As the ring keeps giving it nutrition for its body it will continue to slumber till some moron decides to wake it up.

Maybe, except now it only needs to sleep for two hours. Does that negate the hibernation?

[Celestia]

Maybe, except now it only needs to sleep for two hours. Does that negate the hibernation?

I guess that depends on why the tarrasque hibernates. I imagine hibernation as being the sort of "default state" that the tarrasque stays in until it runs out of food and needs to wake up. That would certainly explain its behavior of sleeping for decades or centuries, raging for a few days or weeks, then going back to sleep. Thus, with the ring, the tarrasque would just sleep forever unless woken up by an outside force. However, an argument could be made that the tarrasque simply has truly horrendous digestive capabilities and hibernates out of necessity to conserve energy, like a giant, murderous koala. In that case, the ring would absolutely negate the need for hibernation, and the tarrasque would be nearly always active.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Celestia, because of you I shall evermore think of the tarrasque as "a giant, murderous koala." That is my head-canon now.

[Yxylu]

In that case, the ring would absolutely negate the need for hibernation, and the tarrasque would be nearly always active.

Active, but not hungry. Maybe breaking it out of the ravenous-sleepy-ravenous cycle will give it a chance to pursue some interests that aren’t as murderous. Or, I suppose, more focusedly-murderous. It could take class levels, or something. Imagine encountering the tarrasque, and it suddenly starts casting sorcerer spells, or using bardic music or pulling a sneak attack or raging. Obviously, its intelligence is poor, but the other stats are all bonuses.

[Melcar]

I can see a ring of sustenance working for a creature of up to large size for example, but how about a creature that is of colossal size? I realize that the ring of sustenance, RAW, should operate for these massive creatures with no issue, but a Great Wyrm dragon wearing a ring of sustenance and no longer hunting cattle and other animals for food? It lacks "flavor" to say the least.

Any thoughts?

Well my thought is that it works fine for a creature of any size, that has any anatomy where a ring could fit! My dragons usually get horn or fang rings... so I would say it works perfectly!

[Celestia]

Active, but not hungry. Maybe breaking it out of the ravenous-sleepy-ravenous cycle will give it a chance to pursue some interests that aren’t as murderous. Or, I suppose, more focusedly-murderous. It could take class levels, or something. Imagine encountering the tarrasque, and it suddenly starts casting sorcerer spells, or using bardic music or pulling a sneak attack or raging. Obviously, its intelligence is poor, but the other stats are all bonuses.

Pursue hobbies, maybe, but it's a 48 HD creature. It's not gaining class levels. What hobbies would the tarrasque have, though? It may be (technically) sapient, but it has no manipulating limbs. I guess it could take up bird watching?

[Jazath]

Pursue hobbies, maybe, but it's a 48 HD creature. It's not gaining class levels. What hobbies would the tarrasque have, though? It may be (technically) sapient, but it has no manipulating limbs. I guess it could take up bird watching?

A tarrasques are not sentient enough to have hobbies. They are mindless animals

[Celestia]

A tarrasques are not sentient enough to have hobbies. They are mindless animals

An intelligence score of 3 says otherwise.

[Jazath]

An intelligence score of 3 says otherwise.

What kind of hobbies would 3 even GET? It's too low to do most 'Complicated' Things

Intelligence
1 (–5): Animalistic, no longer capable of logic or reason. Behavior is reduced to simple reactions to immediate stimuli

2-3 (–4): Rather animalistic. Acts on instinct but can still resort to simple planning and tactics

4-5 (–3): Very limited speech and knowledge. Often resorts to charades to express thoughts

6-7 (–2): Has trouble following trains of thought, forgets most unimportant things

8-9 (–1): Misuses and mispronounces words. May be forgetful

10-11 (0): Knows what they need to know to get by

12-13 (1): Knows a bit more than is necessary, fairly logical

14-15 (2): Fairly intelligent, able to understand new tasks quickly. Able to do math or solve logic puzzles mentally with reasonable accuracy

16-17 (3): Very intelligent, may invent new processes or uses for knowledge

18-19 (4): Highly knowledgeable, probably the smartest person many people know

20 (5): Famous as a sage and genius. Able to make Holmesian leaps of logic


Three is far too low for it to develop the thought patterns required for a "Hobby". It would require at least 4 or higher to even began!

[JNAProductions]

What kind of hobbies would 3 even GET? It's too low to do most 'Complicated' Things

Intelligence
1 (–5): Animalistic, no longer capable of logic or reason. Behavior is reduced to simple reactions to immediate stimuli

2-3 (–4): Rather animalistic. Acts on instinct but can still resort to simple planning and tactics

4-5 (–3): Very limited speech and knowledge. Often resorts to charades to express thoughts

6-7 (–2): Has trouble following trains of thought, forgets most unimportant things

8-9 (–1): Misuses and mispronounces words. May be forgetful

10-11 (0): Knows what they need to know to get by

12-13 (1): Knows a bit more than is necessary, fairly logical

14-15 (2): Fairly intelligent, able to understand new tasks quickly. Able to do math or solve logic puzzles mentally with reasonable accuracy

16-17 (3): Very intelligent, may invent new processes or uses for knowledge

18-19 (4): Highly knowledgeable, probably the smartest person many people know

20 (5): Famous as a sage and genius. Able to make Holmesian leaps of logic


Three is far too low for it to develop the thought patterns required for a "Hobby". It would require at least 4 or higher to even began!

PCs can have an Int of 3.

[Jazath]

PCs can have an Int of 3.

Then...... if that's the case (I never ran anyone below a 5) then perhaps it COULD develop a hobby.
Probably hunt for sport would be my guess at that point.

[Celestia]

1-2: Animal intelligence
3+: Fully sapient, just dumb

This is literally how the rules work.

[Jazath]

1-2: Animal intelligence
3+: Fully sapient, just dumb

This is literally how the rules work.

I'm wrong, your right.
Sorry.