Regneration and Starvation/Dehydration effects

[Steve]

If a character has the Regeneration power, what would be a reasonable Limitation value so that it did not affect damage caused by starvation or dehydration?

[ghost-angel]

I'd personally place this at -0 at best.

But if those conditions arise with any kind of frequency in a game, match the value to the frequency...

[Beast]

I would just go with moving the time scale up for each time the character would have died

if the time period for it is every 6hrs and the character has 10 body
after 120 hrs go to every hr for 20 hrs
then every 20 min for 400 min
then every 5 min for 100 min
every min for 20 min
then every turn for 20 turns
once toy get to phases they will be a goner
maybe even segments
if they have that much regen have them spend a level or 2 life support no need to eat

[phookz]

If a character has the Regeneration power, what would be a reasonable Limitation value so that it did not affect damage caused by starvation or dehydration?

Wouldn't that do the same thing as Life Support: Diminished Eating?


6E2 p143: Unless the GM rules otherwise, Regeneration has no effect on starvation damage, nor do Healing powers, Paramedics, or the like. (However, a character could easily buy a “starvation healing” power with Transform defined as “I create food so the victim can eat it.”)
I'd probably go with that. If you want to keep from starving, buy Life Support.

[prestidigitator]

Yeah, I'd let Regeneration heal the damage done after the character gets food/water, but not before. Also, as (default) Regeneration only heals Body (though I'm probably going to house rule that Regeneration can be bought for other Characteristics/Powers using a method like any other Adjustment Power), it wouldn't restore the lost Characteristics; that would take a different form of Healing. If you didn't want the Regeneration to be able to heal the Body damage after the character gets food/water, that might be worth a very small (-1/4) Limitation, though I'd suggest thinking first about how often it is really likely to come up in your campaign before giving it anything larger than -0.

"Regeneration" that heals the damage of starving/dehydration quickly enough that the character doesn't suffer is just a SFX of Life Support, probably in a Unified Power with the character's normal Regeneration.

[Ice9]

Even if, in a given campaign, Regeneration normally prevented starvation, I wouldn't exactly call this a limitation. I'd call it effectively "selling back" the LS - so, -3 points.

[pinecone]

I'd personally place this at -0 at best.

But if those conditions arise with any kind of frequency in a game, match the value to the frequency...

Yeah, I personally would not consider it a limit, because Not needing to eat or drink is a Life support power. So I would not consider Regen to be of much help....

[phookz]

Even if, in a given campaign, Regeneration normally prevented starvation, I wouldn't exactly call this a limitation. I'd call it effectively "selling back" the LS - so, -3 points.

Each GM can do what they like, but I'd think twice about allowing Regeneration to prevent starvation. That's what the LS is for, so just add LS to characters that have Regeneration if that's how you see it working.

[phookz]

though I'm probably going to house rule that Regeneration can be bought for other Characteristics/Powers using a method like any other Adjustment Power

This is an interesting idea that I've never really considered before. I don't think there's any way in the rules to do the effect of regenerating other characteristics. I like this idea, I'll have to think on it more.

[Sean Waters]

Well if I recall correctly, regeneration doesn't officially heal damage from dehydration, starvation or, for that matter, suffocation.

Personally I think it should.

If it definitely doesn't, well -0, obviously.

If it does, well - how often does it come up? Probably less that 1 in 4 sources of damage. Actually, definitely, so, again -0.

So -0 any way you calculte it, unless you have a supermodel campaign, in which case -2.

[Ki-rin]

I don't think there's any way in the rules to do the effect of regenerating other characteristics. I like this idea, I'll have to think on it more.
Buy Regeneration as standard, then add this Power

Regenerative Self Healing
Aid (or Transform)
Self Only
Only works when at Full BODY
Only works when resting
Only to starting values
Powered by Own BODY dice
Applies to any characteristic except BODY

When character is at full BODY but has other stats that are at less than full values, this power drains enough BODY in CP to improve a different chosen less than full value stat by +1.
Character must then wait to recover the lost BODY. (hence the need for Regeneration)

As long as the character has a stat at less than full values, this process will repeat whenever the character is at full BODY and resting for whatever stat the character chooses until all stats are at their full starting values.

[Duke Bushido]

Is there anything in the Long Term Endurance rules that may be applicable to this?

[prestidigitator]

Is there anything in the Long Term Endurance rules that may be applicable to this?

Not explicitly, but you only Recover LTE after a full 5 hours of rest, or once per day if you don't rest. How restful can your time be if you are starving or dehydrated? I'd also say it would be a reasonable house rule to drain LTE along with Str, Dex, and Con for starvation....

[bigbywolfe]

Well if I recall correctly, regeneration doesn't officially heal damage from dehydration, starvation or, for that matter, suffocation.

Personally I think it should.

If it definitely doesn't, well -0, obviously.

If it does, well - how often does it come up? Probably less that 1 in 4 sources of damage. Actually, definitely, so, again -0.

So -0 any way you calculte it, unless you have a supermodel campaign, in which case -2.

I think there’s a problem lumping suffocation in with the starvation/dehydration. If you buy LS: Doesn’t breathe, then the character has no penalties when in a situation where they can’t breathe. This doesn’t really fit the source material where a Wolverine type character can basically drown to unconsciousness, seem dead, then simply cough up the water and be at almost full fighting strength in mere moments after being pulled from the water. Granted Wolverine has more Regeneration then we’re likely to ever see on a character and Resurrection to boot, but I think the point remains. If you can Regen Body taken from drowning/suffocation it still won’t keep you conscious since you lose all of your Stun before you start to lose Body and you lose Body fast enough that you’d need a fair amount of Regeneration to make a difference anyway.
Then again, I guess this is kind of like those saying they would allow Regen to heal damage from starving, but only after they found something to eat. You could only Regen Body lost from suffocation after you stop drowning. Either way I don’t see why you wouldn’t Regen body lost to suffocation/drowning at some point, whether during or after.

[Duke Bushido]

I'd also say it would be a reasonable house rule to drain LTE along with Str, Dex, and Con for starvation....

That's where I was headed. It's just that I didn't want to jump in assuming it would work because I don't have 6e and wasn't sure if LTE was the same or if it had been expanded / modified.

I would think dealing with it as LTE that can't be recovered until food / water / rest. It would require tracking yet another END expenditure (END, LTE, and "Starvation END"), but if you're in a situation appropriate, you've probably got the time. Under END rules (as far as 5e, anyway), when you run out of END, you start in with STUN, etc...

Though the Drain idea works well, too.

[Sean Waters]

I think there’s a problem lumping suffocation in with the starvation/dehydration. If you buy LS: Doesn’t breathe, then the character has no penalties when in a situation where they can’t breathe. This doesn’t really fit the source material where a Wolverine type character can basically drown to unconsciousness, seem dead, then simply cough up the water and be at almost full fighting strength in mere moments after being pulled from the water. Granted Wolverine has more Regeneration then we’re likely to ever see on a character and Resurrection to boot, but I think the point remains. If you can Regen Body taken from drowning/suffocation it still won’t keep you conscious since you lose all of your Stun before you start to lose Body and you lose Body fast enough that you’d need a fair amount of Regeneration to make a difference anyway.
Then again, I guess this is kind of like those saying they would allow Regen to heal damage from starving, but only after they found something to eat. You could only Regen Body lost from suffocation after you stop drowning. Either way I don’t see why you wouldn’t Regen body lost to suffocation/drowning at some point, whether during or after.

As Regen in Hero does not prevent STUN or END loss, you'd still pass out, maybe even seem dead, but not actually die.

So LS: Breathe underwater is much more useful in that situation that regen, but regen should still work.

[bigbywolfe]

As Regen in Hero does not prevent STUN or END loss, you'd still pass out, maybe even seem dead, but not actually die.

So LS: Breathe underwater is much more useful in that situation that regen, but regen should still work.
Err, yeah. That's what I was trying to say.

[Sean Waters]

Err, yeah. That's what I was trying to say.

Sorry :)

I'd probably deal with dehydration/starvation in a similar way though: you'd pass out but not die so long as the ergen could cover any body damage. It wouldn't be pleasant...

[Steve]

I'd probably go with that. If you want to keep from starving, buy Life Support.

Thank you for the 6E rules quote. I missed it on my read through looking for an answer to my question.