Cythera uses a single-byte stat to monitor a character's hunger. Eating adds a certain amount to the stat, while it reduces by 1 every hour. The character is marked as hungry when the stat is 0 (3+ hours hungry), 1 (2 hours hungry), or 2 (1 hour hungry). Any value of 3 to 255 marks the character as not hungry.
Different foods have different filling values, which are recorded in the table below according to information gathered by BreadWorldMercy453 on the Cythera Web Board. Interestingly, these findings show that the Tree of Life in Cythera does actually have a purpose: it maximizes the character's hunger stat so that they will not be hungry for a full 252 hours. You could play the whole game eating nothing but Tree of Life apples (note there are only three)!
While every food on the list adds to the current hunger stat, up to 255, meals at inns and restaurants behave differently. These do not add; instead the maximum value is taken between the value of the current hunger stat and the number of points given by the meal. So, if you've just eaten a steak and then eat at the Study Hall in Pnyx, nothing will happen except you'll waste your money. You'll still be hungry again in 17 hours from the steak. If you eat another steak, it would add so that you would not be hungry again for 37 hours.
| Graphic | Food | Filling Value |
|---|---|---|
 |
Bread | 10 |
 |
Cheese | 8 |
 |
Fish | 10 |
 |
Flatbread | 6 |
 |
Fowl | 6 |
 |
Grapes | 6 |
|
Hand-Baked Flatbread | 16 |
 |
Kabobs | 10 |
 |
Meatpie | 16 |
 |
Mushroom Steak | 10 |
 |
Pomegranate | 4 |
 |
Ribs | 16 |
 |
Sausage | 14 |
 |
Steak | 20 |
 |
Titan Leg | 12 |
| Nutrient Spell | 10 | |
| Tree of Life Apple | 255 |
| Location | Filling Value |
|---|---|
| Dares' Eatery | 24 |
| Green Goat | 20 |
| Study Hall | 15 |
| Titan's Head | 20 |
| Two-Tailed Rat | 20 |
Thirst doesn't exist in Cythera like hunger. Characters are not affected by being "thirsty", and there is no need to quench one's thirst at any point in the game. However, it is possible to purchase drinks at most of the inns and restaraunts. These are accompanied by gossip from the bartender and mostly exists in the game as a small hint-like mechanism since most of the gossip relates to quests or secrets.
The most interesting aspect of being able to drink in Cythera is the fountains from which you obtain water. There are several types of fountains in the game, and many of them have different effects on the character. BreadWorldMercy453 created a list of the fountain types by their taste and the resulting effects, which is included below for reference.
| Taste | Location | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Ack! The water tastes poisonous! | Fountain in Cult of Scylla; chance of getting this message from the large fountain in Catamarca before curing the plague |
Poisons the player |
| Cool and tasty | All four-tile, square pools which are found in many locations | No apparent effect |
| Cold and brisk, quite revitalizing | Spring under citadel in Catamarca; chance of getting this message from the large fountain in Catamarca after curing the plague |
Heals 1-4 hit points per drink |
| Hm - the water tastes odd and tingling | Wishing spring underneath Pnyx | No apparent effect but will speak to you after several drinks |
| Tasty and refreshing | Large fountain in Catamarca, typical response after curing the plague; fountain in Eioneus' cave; fountain at the Headwater ruins |
+1 to hunger stat, up to 100 |
| Very cold, with a heavy taste of minerals, but very refreshing | Spring under Cademia's sewers | Heals 1-4 hit points per drink; cures poison |
| Warm and brackish | Large fountain in Catamarca, typical response before curing the plague | No apparent effect |
| Yuck! It's salt water! | Spring in Kosha grotto | No apparent effect |
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