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Eating Monsters (D&D 3.5)

   
I would ask the players, since one person wants to eat everything, if their going to allow it. Most people would balk at eating something that just tired to eat them. Only one person I have ever gamed with ever wanted to eat anything that they killed in a dungeon. Ask the person wanting to eat it, why. Some things I can under stand, a big bird just died after fighting the party, looks like roast chicken to me.

Ikul specified that the players had "gone through most of their rations," so I presume the answer to 'why?' would be 'because I'm hungry.' If the players are running low on food, it makes sense to turn to what is provided to them for sustennance. Eating insects is nasty by Western tastes, but in other parts of the world, not so much. Furthermore, if you're facing starvation, it's perfectly reasonable to allow one's standards to slip a bit.

As for the ostrich things (I still have no idea what we're actually talking about here, but the details aren't important) make perfect sense to eat if one disregards the whole sentience thing--which the players don't know about. I mean, really, we eat fowl of all sorts. Chicken, turkey, duck, quail, so on--I have no idea what ostrich tastes like, but if I were really hungry and there was nothing else available, I'd endeavor to find out.

In the end, given what we know of the situation, I think the players are behaving well within reason here. Perhaps even smartly, depending on how dire their food situation may be. Now, if they start eating things that are inherently and obviously magical in nature? I retract that assessment.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsentWizard View Post
No, since acid beats troll regeneration.

It's surprisingly chewy, though.
Right, thus the caveat. After it leaves your stomach the troll will start regrowing because there is no more acid.

The stomach acid should destroy the troll part, though. Stomach acid deals damage (at least the stomach acids of all monsters with a devour attack do), and it deals acid damage, which overcomes the troll's regeneration. Gastric acid contains enzymes which break proteins into nice little digestible molecules. I don't see a troll regenerating from the pile of excrement left after it as been voided of everything that the eater's body could find a use for.

Fair point, but even a single troll cell that somehow survived would be problematic given how fast they regenerate

Quote:
Originally Posted by Proven Paradox View Post
Ikul specified that the players had "gone through most of their rations," so I presume the answer to 'why?' would be 'because I'm hungry.' If the players are running low on food, it makes sense to turn to what is provided to them for sustennance. Eating insects is nasty by Western tastes, but in other parts of the world, not so much. Furthermore, if you're facing starvation, it's perfectly reasonable to allow one's standards to slip a bit.
To be exact, they hadn't eaten in a day when they ate the spider. I don't remember anything like that happening with the ostriches.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Proven Paradox View Post
As for the ostrich things (I still have no idea what we're actually talking about here, but the details aren't important) make perfect sense to eat if one disregards the whole sentience thing--which the players don't know about. I mean, really, we eat fowl of all sorts. Chicken, turkey, duck, quail, so on--I have no idea what ostrich tastes like, but if I were really hungry and there was nothing else available, I'd endeavor to find out.
It was a small hunting flock of Abrians (first thing in the Fiend Folio), who were supposed to be doing business with nearby nomads through magical portal yadda yadda side story.
I've heard ostrich isn't that bad, by the way. Now, ostrichlike Magical Beasts on the other hand...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Proven Paradox View Post
Now, if they start eating things that are inherently and obviously magical in nature? I retract that assessment.
That's a good idea. Thank you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ikul View Post
If I'm not mistaken, one of the books on the Hells mentions that devils, after dying, turn into a puddle of goo, (and their soul returns to their native Hell, where their body reforms) which require Fort saves if you try to eat them. I'd suspect the same applies to all kinds of Outsiders.
Outsiders summoned to the material plane return to their native plane when dismissed or destroyed. In that case, you did not kill them, they were not in any way harmed, nor do you even have a body to eat.

However, outsiders called to the material plane, or who are currently on their native plane, die the same as anything else, just with that whole body=soul thing going on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by weishan View Post
Right, thus the caveat. After it leaves your stomach the troll will start regrowing because there is no more acid.
Acid doesn't suppress troll regeneration; it negates it. Any damage inflicted by acid or fire does not regenerate, period; it only heals naturally, and troll meat is as subject to natural healing as your steak is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Viletta Vadim View Post
Outsiders summoned to the material plane return to their native plane when dismissed or destroyed. In that case, you did not kill them, they were not in any way harmed, nor do you even have a body to eat.

However, outsiders called to the material plane, or who are currently on their native plane, die the same as anything else, just with that whole body=soul thing going on.
"A devil slain in the Nine Hells stays dead. A devil slain outside Baator devolves into a puddle of foamy, slinking ooze, over a period of 3 to 9 minutes. This residual soul essence registers as both magical and evil. Any mortal ingesting it must make a successful DC 20 fortitude save or become sickened for 2d4 hours.
Whether or not its residue is disturbed, a slain devil returns to Baator 99 years later, in its original form, at full hit points."
- Fiendish Codex II, Tyrants of the Nine Hells.

So they don't die exactly as everything else... Though a quick eater could eat their bodies in those 3 to 9 minutes, I suppose... but then it'd still become ooze before they start digesting it well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ikul View Post
I send a giant spider at my players, who at that point have gone through most of their rations. And then one of the player announces, "we eat the spider". What do you think, should eating monsters be allowed, or should it require some kind of survival, or craft: cooking check or something similar?

To add to the predicament, I have a werewolf. Wolves are known to eat raw meat and survive. It seems to me that werewolves can do so, too. Or else their Bite attack would be problematic. So, should that werewolf be allowed to just devour anything they kill, except maybe for acidic oozes?
Should eating monsters be allowed? Yes; why should a character be prevented from eating whatever he is physically capable of eating?

The question is whether what they eat is nutritious, digestible, and whether they can keep it down.

You can call for skill checks (Profession: Chef, or Knowledge: Nature, or Survival -- it doesn't really matter) to allow players to determine how best to cook something, whether it is nutritious, how to make it taste good/better, etc.

I would call for a Fortitude save against vomiting up most "monster-like" creatures. Eating an ostrich is one thing -- eating a Beholder is something else entirely. It's ultimately up to the DM to determine whether something is edible, but I would vary the DC of the Fort save based on how "unnatural" the creature is. Just the psychological effect of eating something "unnatural" could prevent someone from not throwing up.

Does anyone remember the TV show Fear Factor? Buffalo testicles!

Peace
-Darakonis




 

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