By RAW, character cannot die of thirst or starvation? [Archive] - Wizards Community

By RAW, character cannot die of thirst or starvation? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RecycledDM
06-30-06, 10:20 PM Here's the SRD RAW for thirst and starvation:

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.

So let's say your character is stripped of all possessions, chained, manacled, locked in a cell--or whatever it takes to render him unable to escape--never given any food or water, and no one comes to rescue him...ever.

EVENTUALLY the character will succumb to nonlethal damage, fatigue, and eventually unconsciousness (once nonlethal damage exceeds hp)...but by RAW, the character will simply remain fatigued and unconscious until he dies from old age.

So how long should someone take to die from thirst or starvation?
Bob_The_Wizard
06-30-06, 10:31 PM No, that's not correct. Also according to the SRD, once a character becomes unconcious, nonlethal damage becomes lethal damage, so they would eventually die.
RecycledDM
06-30-06, 10:59 PM No, that's not correct. Also according to the SRD, once a character becomes unconcious, nonlethal damage becomes lethal damage, so they would eventually die.

Where does the RAW say this? Can you quote it?
was_fired
06-30-06, 11:13 PM Heh your right I couldn't find it how odd.
Bob_The_Wizard
06-30-06, 11:15 PM Oops, sorry. I looked in the version saved on my computer, which I modify to reflect how the game is played by my group. In my campaign, that's how nonlethal damage works. You could probably houserule that way. My DM did.
Elessar
06-30-06, 11:38 PM So how long should someone take to die from thirst or starvation?

Good catch. So weird that the SRD fails in such an obvious way. Maybe rule that a character dies from starvation or thirst if his nonlethal damage exceeds his maximum hit points. (Obviously this would only be true while he was starving.) I'm too lazy to look the rules up in the actual DMG. Maybe the web version of the SRD is just missing a line and nobody bothered to correct it.
Morbid
07-01-06, 12:28 AM Depends I guess... I think you can go like 7 days without food and water if you're in perfect shape, and not doing anything (as in shackled to someones wall) but it'll be agony the whole time. But it may just be 7 days without food, with water, or the other way around. Or I may be totally confused...
ArcTan
07-01-06, 12:51 AM You can live a lot longer than 7 days with no food but with water. As long as you're hydrated it takes over a month to die of starvation.

No water, though, and you'll be lucky to last a week.
Sikyanakotik
07-01-06, 02:09 AM You see, this is why the DM's judgement call is important over simply following the letter of the law. Then again, how many PCs are actually in a position to die from starvation or dehydration as opposed to, say, a sword through the gut?
celtredleg
07-01-06, 10:16 AM In high heat, only a couple of days without water.

It may come up if a PC is staked out in the desert sun, and the party is under the time limit to make the rescue.
Raven Dark
07-01-06, 12:47 PM No, that's not correct. Also according to the SRD, once a character becomes unconcious, nonlethal damage becomes lethal damage, so they would eventually die.

I'm pretty certain Bob has it right on this one. I've seen that rule myself in the past. I will see if I can find it.

EDIT: Found it. Sort of. I think Bob and I were thinking about the Cold and Heat Danger rules found in the DMG (page 302-303) where it says "if the nonlethal damage from the extreme cold/heat causes you to fall unconscious, the cold/heat then starts dealing lethal damage."

As is, there doesn't seem to be a rule that covers nonlethal damage in general, but I would still reccomend houseruling it in for the purposes of starvation and slow suffocation (both of which don't seem to be able to kill you).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RecycledDM 06-30-06, 10:20 PM	Here's the SRD RAW for thirst and starvation: 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. So let's say your character is stripped of all possessions, chained, manacled, locked in a cell--or whatever it takes to render him unable to escape--never given any food or water, and no one comes to rescue him...ever. EVENTUALLY the character will succumb to nonlethal damage, fatigue, and eventually unconsciousness (once nonlethal damage exceeds hp)...but by RAW, the character will simply remain fatigued and unconscious until he dies from old age. So how long should someone take to die from thirst or starvation?
Bob_The_Wizard 06-30-06, 10:31 PM	No, that's not correct. Also according to the SRD, once a character becomes unconcious, nonlethal damage becomes lethal damage, so they would eventually die.
RecycledDM 06-30-06, 10:59 PM	No, that's not correct. Also according to the SRD, once a character becomes unconcious, nonlethal damage becomes lethal damage, so they would eventually die. Where does the RAW say this? Can you quote it?
was_fired 06-30-06, 11:13 PM	Heh your right I couldn't find it how odd.
Bob_The_Wizard 06-30-06, 11:15 PM	Oops, sorry. I looked in the version saved on my computer, which I modify to reflect how the game is played by my group. In my campaign, that's how nonlethal damage works. You could probably houserule that way. My DM did.
Elessar 06-30-06, 11:38 PM	So how long should someone take to die from thirst or starvation? Good catch. So weird that the SRD fails in such an obvious way. Maybe rule that a character dies from starvation or thirst if his nonlethal damage exceeds his maximum hit points. (Obviously this would only be true while he was starving.) I'm too lazy to look the rules up in the actual DMG. Maybe the web version of the SRD is just missing a line and nobody bothered to correct it.
Morbid 07-01-06, 12:28 AM	Depends I guess... I think you can go like 7 days without food and water if you're in perfect shape, and not doing anything (as in shackled to someones wall) but it'll be agony the whole time. But it may just be 7 days without food, with water, or the other way around. Or I may be totally confused...
ArcTan 07-01-06, 12:51 AM	You can live a lot longer than 7 days with no food but with water. As long as you're hydrated it takes over a month to die of starvation. No water, though, and you'll be lucky to last a week.
Sikyanakotik 07-01-06, 02:09 AM	You see, this is why the DM's judgement call is important over simply following the letter of the law. Then again, how many PCs are actually in a position to die from starvation or dehydration as opposed to, say, a sword through the gut?
celtredleg 07-01-06, 10:16 AM	In high heat, only a couple of days without water. It may come up if a PC is staked out in the desert sun, and the party is under the time limit to make the rescue.
Raven Dark 07-01-06, 12:47 PM	No, that's not correct. Also according to the SRD, once a character becomes unconcious, nonlethal damage becomes lethal damage, so they would eventually die. I'm pretty certain Bob has it right on this one. I've seen that rule myself in the past. I will see if I can find it. EDIT: Found it. Sort of. I think Bob and I were thinking about the Cold and Heat Danger rules found in the DMG (page 302-303) where it says "if the nonlethal damage from the extreme cold/heat causes you to fall unconscious, the cold/heat then starts dealing lethal damage." As is, there doesn't seem to be a rule that covers nonlethal damage in general, but I would still reccomend houseruling it in for the purposes of starvation and slow suffocation (both of which don't seem to be able to kill you).