Here is something I wrote in a previous thread.
So what do you think? Can a relatively low level Psion survive permanently without food or water, or is he pushing his luck if he tries?
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Let’s approach it mechanically, because that is what I do.
The Sustenance power says: THIS.
Thus one can go without solid or liquid nutrition requirements for one day. If you have enough power points each day, then you can keep going until you die from some other cause, such as death, disease, or disaster.
But note what it does NOT say… it says nothing about the sensations of hunger or thirst.
Therefore, you suffer from hunger and thirst as normal, each day, every day, every hour, minute… As anyone who has undertaken a serious period of fasting is likely aware, this is not easy. Even patients on IVs who are supposedly getting their nutrients, have reported suffering from this effect.
One might even suffer from the equivalent of snow madness, where one runs screaming into the night… but instead from hunger and thirst.
Some considerations:
Given the nature of Athas, and the level of the Photosynthesis power, it would seem that Sustenance might possible need a level adjustment to better fit in with the setting, perhaps 4th? This would also push the ability into the provenance of the more dedicated sorts and ot of commoner hands.
This also ties in with previous posts that I’ve made regarding evolutionary pressure and psionics; Sustenance being one of the most likely talents that almost all Athasian creatures and plants would develop simply to survive. Except for those pampered city dwellers.
Note again that Sustenance only provides for oneself… a creature or plant producing offspring would not be able to sustain the life of an offspring with it, unless an augmented version became available via mutation or something.
The context strongly suggests otherwise.
Each time you manifest this power, your body manufactures sufficient solid and liquid nourishment to satisfy your needs for that time.
The clincher is the word “satisfy”.
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Permit me to propose a contrary opinion.
The clincher is actually “needs”.
Humanoids want satiation, but they don’t need it. Feeling full is not required to survive, thus it is not a need.
It’s vague, period. The wording does imply that your hunger is satiated, but does not say it.
I’d personally leave it up to a DM unless hinging a plot point on it someplace.
@nijineko is right that folks on iv fliuds still get ‘hungry’, that’s whybtheybeat ice chips, but that does go away with time (the same way after a week of puking, you don’t miss a full stomach anymore). A creature that evolved a constantly active sustenance power would like never experience hunger or fullness, and so its offspring would (if they had the same power) be completely fine.
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Makes sense on the evolutionary adaption, nice points.
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