FIT (Food, Intake & Thirst)
A comprehensive hunger, thirst, and rest tracking module for Dungeons & Dragons 5e in Foundry VTT.
FIT enhances survival gameplay by automating hunger, thirst, and rest mechanics, ensuring players stay aware of their needs without excessive bookkeeping. This module integrates seamlessly with Foundry’s item usage system, automatically adjusting hunger and thirst levels when rations and waterskins are consumed.
Survival mechanics in D&D are often ignored due to the hassle of manual tracking. FIT automates this process, ensuring that players face meaningful survival challenges without burdening the GM.
Whether you're running wilderness survival, dungeon delves, or resource-driven campaigns, FIT ensures food, water, and rest matter while keeping gameplay smooth.
How It Works
FIT tracks hunger, thirst, and rest based on:
- In-game time progression
- Item consumption (rations, waterskins, etc.)
- Constitution modifiers affecting metabolism
- Environmental effects (configurable in settings)
FIT updates actor states automatically, with configurable base thresholds for when hunger, thirst, and fatigue take effect. - Configured in the settings
Hunger, Thirst & Rest System
- Time-based tracking automatically increases hunger and thirst.
- Consuming food and water items resets hunger/thirst timers.
- Multi-use consumables (e.g., waterskins) are fully supported.
- Rest affects fatigue but does not remove hunger/thirst unless explicitly set.
Constitution & Survival
- Constitution modifies hunger and thirst tolerance:
- Higher Constitution scores allow characters to go longer without food/water.
- Lower Constitution scores increase depletion rates.
Environmental Effects
- Desert environments will increase the thirst and tiredness rate heat and lack of sleep at night.
- Mountain environments will increase hunger rate (for warmth) and tiredness rate.
- Swamp will will increase hunger and thirst rate due to the heat and humidity.
Hunger, Thirst & Rest Effects
FIT applies progressive effects based on a character’s deprivation level:
| Level | Hunger | Thirst | Rest | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 0 (default state) | Fully Satisfied | Fully Hydrated | Fully Rested | No effect |
| Level 1 | Peckish | Parched | Weary | Disadvantage on Ability Checks |
| Level 2 | Hungry | Dehydrated | Fatigued | Speed halved |
| Level 3 | Desperate for Food | Desperate for Water | Desperate for Sleep | Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Saving Throws |
| Level 4 | Severely Hungry | Severely Dehydrated | Severely Tired | Hit Point Maximum halved |
| Level 5 | Critically Hungry | Critically Dehydrated | Critically Tired | Speed reduced to 0 |
| Level 6 (final state) | Death | Death | Death | Death |
By default, Exhaustion levels are applied using the Foundry starvation/dehydration/Rest This maybe reviewed in the future.
Configuration Options
FIT is fully customizable to fit your campaign needs.
Base Rates for Hunger, Thirst & Rest
- Hunger Rate: Default is 1 meal per 24 hours.
- Thirst Rate: Default is 1 waterskin charge per 24 hours.
- Rest Requirement: Tracks One long rest per 24 hours.
Constitution Modifier Impact
- A higher Constitution score extends the time before hunger and thirst effects begin.
- A lower Constitution Penalties will apply after 24 hours.
Terrain Options
The terrain can be modified to provide strain on characters.
| Terrain Type | Hunger | Thirst | Rest | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert | No effect | Impacted | Impacted | x1.5 every 24 hours |
| Swamp | Impacted | Impacted | No effect | x1.5 every 24 hours |
| Mountains | Impacted | No effect | Impacted | x1.5 every 24 hours |
How to Consume Food & Water
Players can consume food and water as normal:
- Click the "Use" button in the item sheet.
- FIT detects item consumption and updates the hunger/thirst system.
- Effects are removed or adjusted accordingly.
GMs can configure which items count as food and water in the module settings.
Foundry’s Exhaustion System
FIT applies Exhaustion effects automatically when deprivation reaches certain levels. However, Foundry’s built-in Exhaustion condition only automates some effects.
| Exhaustion Level | Effect | Automatically Applied by Foundry? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disadvantage on Ability Checks | ✅ Yes |
| 2 | Speed Halved | ✅ Yes |
| 3 | Disadvantage on Attack Rolls & Saving Throws | ✅ Yes |
| 4 | Hit Point Maximum Halved | ✅ Yes |
| 5 | Speed Reduced to 0 | ✅ Yes |
| 6 | Death | ✅ Yes |
**
Acknowledgements** Thank you for the author of Burger Time https://github.com/scottburton11/burger-time, Scott Burton for the idea and smoething to aim for.