Oh gosh if they use crafting to make food even more powerful than it is, ooph
Yeah, not being able to drink water bothered me too
I would love for time to be a concept in the game, but I don't think it'll happen. Sometimes only part of the group is in combat so that can fuddle with a time mechanic and I think they'll stay away from timers on quests to keep the game casual.
Something they could do with exhaustion is have a 0-100 meter that goes up, say by 5 with taking a short rest and 20 with a long rest. Consuming food and drink would bring the meter back down. Have penalties build up as the meter gets filled. Such as reduced carry weight at 25, reduced movement at 50, penalty to saving throws at 75, and penalty to attack at 100. It's clean and casters won't be SOL if you have no spell slots and no food.
