Dehydration
Dehydration is the consequence of not consuming enough water to sustain the body's natural functions, a necessity that must be met daily, especially in hot and arid conditions. The required amount of water depends on the character's weight and is further influenced by the day's peak temperature grade. While water need not be perfectly clean, even mildly impure water can cause discomfort or illness.
In cooler, northern climates, dehydration is rarely a pressing concern; temperate and sub-arctic regions provide ample access to fresh water, and humanoids require relatively little to remain healthy. However, in hot environments, the absence of an adequate water supply rapidly leads to physical deterioration, causing fatigue, confusion, and ultimately a painful death. Those traveling in deserts, savannas or other parched landscapes must take extreme care to secure enough water, as failure to do so can result in severe consequences within mere hours.
| temperature grade | fl.oz./lb. of weight, per day |
|---|---|
| pleasant and below | 0.5 |
| warm, balmy or sweaty | 0.6 |
| sweltering to feverish | 0.7 |
| baking | 0.9 |
| scorching | 1.2 |
For those unfamiliar with fluid ounces, there are 16 fl.oz. in a pint, 32 fl.oz. in a quart, 128 fl.oz. in a gallon, and 33.8 fl.oz. in a litre.
Water Requirements
The table indicates the amount of water that a character requires based on their weight and the surrounding temperature. A 100-lb. character, for example, in mild conditions (up to 69°F/21°C) would need to consume approximately 50 fluid ounces of water daily to stay hydrated, which is just over 1½ quarts. If the temperature rises to warm, balmy or sweaty conditions (70-99°F/22-37°C), that same character’s water intake would increase to 60 fluid ounces, or nearly two quarts per day.
A goatskin bag or winesack, commonly used for carrying fluids, has a capacity of two quarts, demonstrating that characters must find a reliable water source almost daily while traveling. Readily available sources include natural springs, rivers, streams, and wells, as well as rainwater collected in cisterns or barrels. This necessity makes every thorp and hamlet a crucial stopping point for replenishing water supplies.
For extended journeys where fresh water may not be immediately available, it is beneficial for a party to carry a keg, which holds five gallons. A full keg weighs more than 33 lbs., requiring a donkey or other pack animal to transport it effectively. In addition to kegs, carrying smaller, portable containers that can be easily refilled allows for greater flexibility, ensuring a consistent water supply for the party's hydration needs.
Food as Water
For simplicity, one pound of food can be judged to provide an additional 8 fl.oz. of water to the body, for the sake of hydration.
If there is a need to differentiate between food types and their water content, the following values can be used: fruits and vegetables contain 80-92% water; meat ranges from 60-75% water; breads consist of 35-40% water; and grains and dry foods, such as rice, contain only 10% water. These variations may become relevant when determining how much additional water a character must consume in environments where liquid water is scarce or when relying on specific food supplies for sustenance.
Water Loss & Health
Typically, the body loses water through respiration, perspiration, urination, defecation, and general diffusion through the skin. This combined loss determines the amount of water characters must consume each day. However, additional factors can increase water loss, the most concerning being increased perspiration due to disease, diarrhea, and vomiting. In each of these cases, the individual must drink more water to compensate for the additional depletion.
For game purposes, any one of these conditions should be treated as a 20% increase in the amount of fluid required for that day. While not always precise, it is more practical to assume that the contraction of any disease increases the body's demand for fluids, regardless of severity, with any further adjustments being specified within the disease's description.
Diarrhea and vomiting may also occur as symptoms of disease and should be treated as an additional +20% increase in water intake when they do. These effects may also arise as a quantifiable effect of eating, resulting from poorly prepared grub, chow, nosh or even, on rare occasions, savoury foods. When this occurs, the DM should note an increase in water requirements for that day, ensuring that affected characters consume enough fluids to avoid dehydration.
Surviving on Less Water
The need for water is a notoriously inflexible demand on the body, but for short periods, it is possible to reduce one's water intake by any amount up to 10%. However, symptoms of thirst, dry mouth, darker urine and decreased urine output will likely begin within 2 to 3 days. If water intake is not increased again within 6 days, the character experiences fatigue, headaches and dizziness, resulting in a -2 penalty to all ability stats, as well as an additional -2 to their attack rolls or saving throws.
Reducing water intake by 11 to 15% accelerates these effects, with symptoms appearing within 36 hours. A reduction between 15 and 20% brings on these effects much more rapidly, within 2 to 3 hours, while any further reduction is felt immediately. Each subsequent day without adequate water intake causes an additional -2 penalty to ability stats, to hit rolls and saving throws. This deterioration continues until any stat reaches zero, at which point the character dies.
If intelligence drops below 6, the character loses the ability to think rationally, becoming disoriented and wandering aimlessly in a random direction. While others who have retained their faculties may attempt to manage those affected, their ability to do so diminishes as dehydration worsens. Without a water source, this decline progresses relentlessly, eventually rendering an entire party incapable of self-preservation, leading to inevitable collapse.
See also,
Barkskin (spell)
Desert (range)
Dowse for Water (sage ability)
Foraging (sage ability)
Identify Clean Water (sage ability)
The Adventure
Travel
Water Discipline (sage ability)
