“Check the shelves, see if there’s anything. It’s almost never what you need, though.”
Six things cover hunger and thirst in the levels. They aren’t rare, but they are almost never where you look. Wanderers call them “the shelf stuff,” because that is where they are found, and sometimes in a vending machine someone broke open earlier.
The six
| Item | Hunger | Thirst |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | 17.5 | 7.5 |
| Cooked meat | 45 | |
| Energy bar | 27.5 | |
| Large can | 57.5 | 12.5 |
| Small can | 35 | 7.5 |
| Water bottle | 45 |
How to read the table
- The large can is the best food (57.5) and also removes some thirst.
- The water bottle is the only thirst-only item. Almond Water beats it (60), but almost nobody has any.
- Cooked meat removes no thirst. The sensible thing is to carry it along with a bottle.
- The bar weighs little and fills little, so it suits the bottom of a pocket and not a long trip. Work it out with Backpacks and Weight.
What happens if you don’t eat
With hunger below 20, your pace drops to seven tenths of its rate. Before any warning shows up, you notice that running takes more effort. In Level 0 that is dangerous, because a Watcher or a Skinstealer doesn’t need to be fast, only faster than you.
Where they are found
Cans and bottles turn up on shelves and vending machines, with the distribution of a rationed world, that is, little per room and more scattered than concentrated. The cans have torn text and no brand, and there is more in Consumables.
The water dispenser is set dressing and not a source, so don’t stop to wait.
How to use them
- Eat while your hunger hasn’t yet dropped below 20. After that you are already slow.
- Save the bottles for when thirst bites and don’t use them on the wound.
- Share with your group. A large can split between two is a meal for each.
What is said
- Two who went down together say certain shelves refill their cans after a Displacement.