Nutrition
Hunger Rules
On a dim night in a clearing in the forest, a party sits around a warm, softly crackling fire. A human bard lifts the pot's iron lid, revealing a thick yellow stew with potatoes and pan-fried bacon cuts of griffon meat. As a peppery aroma wafts gently outwards, bowlfuls of the stuff are passed around, and chatter ceases as the party begins to chow.
The orc fighter wolfs down her bowl before the elf wizard finishes his half-portion. She asks for seconds a third time.
The half-elf ranger clears his throat. He tells her to savor it. That was the last of the fresh meat. No small game to be seen tonight, or any of the previous nights.
These rules are meant to carve a space for dining in a fantasy world. Done well, these quiet moments can be great vehicles for story and roleplay, and can be intensely satisfying.
Appetite
Your appetite represents how much food you need to satiate your hunger, and it's determined by your muscularity, mass, size, condition, and environment.
Appetite = your Strength score + your Constitution score
The Appetite Multiplier table shows the factors that modify your appetite. These factors multiply. For example, a young red dragon with 5 levels of exhaustion has an appetite of 704.
Appetite Multiplier
| Factor | Appetite Multiplier |
|---|---|
| size: small | ½ |
| size: medium | 1 |
| size: large | 4 |
| racial: powerful build | 2 |
| weather: extreme cold | 2 |
| condition: poisoned | √-1 or i |
| condition: exhaustion | 2 per two exhaustion levels |
You cant roll diet dice with an imaginary appetite. You might roleplay this by vomiting, unable to hold down your food.
Diet Dice
Each time you eat, roll the meal's diet dice, which represents the degree that food can satiate hunger.
Food with high caloric density has a larger die size, and its healthiness governs its modifier. The Healthiness table lists these values, and the Sample Menu table lists sample dishes with their diet dice.
Healthiness
| Degree | Modifier |
|---|---|
| indulgent | -4 |
| unhealthy | -2 |
| Degree | Modifier |
|---|---|
| balanced | 0 |
| healthy | 2 |
| Degree | Modifier |
|---|---|
| nutritious | 4 |
| superfood | 6 |
Hunger
All living creatures have hunger, and it fluctuates naturally over time. The Hunger table shows the effects of the various levels of this condition.
Hunger
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| sated | +1 Con score while sated |
| fasted | adv. on Int checks while fasted |
| hungry | adv. on Survival checks while hungry |
| starving | +2 levels of exhaustion |
At noon each day, tally all your diet dice rolls since noon of the previous day. Adjust your hunger level by consulting the Diet vs Appetite table. Your diet dice total resets to 0 after these adjustments are complete.
Diet vs Appetite
| Dice vs Appetite | Hunger Adjustment |
|---|---|
| half or less | incr. hunger level |
| more than half but not equal | — |
| equal or more but not twice | you're sated |
| twice or more | decr. prov. die; you're sated |
So, if the bard has a diet of 8 and appetite of 22, their diet is less half their appetite. If they used to be sated, now they are fasted. They suffer -1 to Con but get advantage on Int checks.
The Party's Designated Chef
Just as a party healer tracks HP and damage, a party may designate a chef to manage their hunger and supplies. This can be very meaningful as the chef becomes key to keeping everyone buffed and fed.
Supply Rules
Stocks and Provisions
Before a chef can work, they must have the materials at hand. These simplified rules are for tracking a party's supplies.
Provision Die
The party's supplies is described by the provision die, which is a d12 initially. It represents all the provisions carried by the group, replacing rations and waterskins.
At the start of each short or long rest, decrement the provi-sion die, as follows: d12 → d10 → d8 → d6 → d4 → 0. A size of 0 means the party has no supplies and cant eat.
Supplies
| Die Size | Supplies | Party Buff |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | fresh meat, vegetables, soft bread, milk | +1d4 initiative |
| 10 | cured meat, beans, eggs, honey, sugar | +1 initiative |
| 8 | butter, salt, coffee, tea, flour, cooking oil | +1 initiative |
| 6 | oats, grains, potatoes, hardtack, cheese | — |
| 4 | water, nuts, fungi, weeds, berries, roots | — |
The provision die grants benefits listed in the Supplies table. You have access to items with a rank less than or equal to the provision die. So, with a d8 provision die, the party can have coffee and hardtack, but not fresh meat or eggs.
The supplies are enough to cover the party's appetite while the provision die is not 0, though it does not stop them from eating more. The DM can decrement the provision die if the party uses too many supplies too quickly.
As part of a short or long rest, you can fish, forage or hunt. The whole party can make a group Wisdom (Survival) check. Consult the Foraging and Hunting Difficulty table for the DC. On a success, the provision die does not decrement for that short or long rest. A natural 20 increments the provision die instead, as follows: 0 → d4 → d6 → d8 → d10 → d12.
Foraging and Hunting Difficulty
| Resource Availability | Areas or Biomes | DC |
|---|---|---|
| abundant | forests, coasts, foothills | 10 |
| limited | swamps, grasslands, mountains | 15 |
| scarce | arctic, deserts, Underdark | 20 |
| not applicable | cities, astral / ethereal plane | — |
Restocking
If you are in a suitable marketplace, or have access to a good supplier, you can replenish your stores. Roll the provision die until you roll its highest value, then increment it. The cost of each roll is 2 gp (this can be haggled).
Masterwork Dishes
Most food, like fried eggs or a hearty venison, gives no extra mechanical benefits, and while tasty, only staves off hunger. Food that can confer charms is not easy to make.
Great chefs achieve this by elevating a dish's flavor profile, which is possible by manipulating its taste and mouthfeel.
Flavor Elements
| Taste |
|---|
| sweet |
| sour |
| salty |
| savory |
| pungent |
| bitter |
| astringent |
Mouthfeel
| dry | dirty |
| wet | clean |
| rough | crunchy |
| smooth | gummy |
| heavy | hot |
| light | cold |
| warm | chilled |
The Flavor Elements table lists all tastes and some possible mouthfeels. These govern the flavor profile as follows:
Taste Index
= Number of tastesMouthfeel Index
= Number of opposite pairs(e.g., dry-wet, hard-soft, hot-cold, etc.)
Flavor Profile
= Taste Index + Mouthfeel IndexYou can pair opposite mouthfeels because a dish has discrete parts. For example, s'mores is hard and soft at the same time due to its cracker and marshmallow components.
Crafting a Masterwork Dish
At the end of a long rest, make a check with cook's utensils (DC = 5 plus twice the dish's flavor profile). On a success, you craft one serving of a masterwork dish with the desired flavor profile. If you have access to a well-stocked kitchen, you have advantage on this check. The dish must be eaten within one minute or it loses its masterwork property.
The Masterwork Dish table shows the charms granted by a masterwork dish. You may gain each charm only once over a 24-hour period, but never again from the same dish.
Masterwork Dish
| Flavor Profile | Charms |
|---|---|
| 5 or more | You are under the effects of an 8-hour sanctuary spell (DC = 8 + dish flavor profile) |
| 10 or more | For 24 hours, increase your max hit points by an amount equal to the dish's flavor profile |
Never Waste Good Food
With UA, XGtE, TCoE, & PHB5.24, a chef can make special food regardless of flavor profile. The Chef and Gourmand feats grant healing, temp HP, and protection from diseases. Your food is eligible for these effects whether or not you succeed on the check to craft a masterwork dish.
Regional Cuisines
A rabbit stew with wild mushrooms and fresh moss grounds you in a temperate forest, a frozen ice cream in an arid desert spells the pinnacle of decadence, and watered-down ale tells you about that tavern's usual clientele.
Cuisine is an expression of history, geography, wealth, and the people that inhabit it. More than a sense of "realism," the existence of divergent food cultures hints at a living dynamic world built through small details. Invoking the senses by the use of food can deepen the lore and engage the players.
Bones of a Cuisine
Climate and biome are major factors of a region's cuisine, as locals are forced to adapt to the food that nature provides.
Staples by Biome and Climate
| Biome & Climate | Culinary Traits | Staples |
|---|---|---|
| desert | dry, salty, oily | cacti, flatbread |
| grassland | hearty, gamey | game, legumes |
| temperate forest | seasonal, varied | bread, dairy, poultry |
| wetlands | fresh, clean | rice, fish, duck |
| mediterranean | light, healthy | seafood, olives |
| tropical | rich, fermented | fruits, rice, spices |
| coastal | salty, raw, fresh | seafood, seaweed |
| alpine | simple, warming | tubers, dairy |
| subarctic / taiga | smoked, hearty | game, berries |
| arctic / tundra | fatty, carnivore | seals, whales, fish |
A region's political and economic reality can mix and striate cuisine, inducing it to change, adapt, and evolve.
Food by Economic and Political State
| Economic or Political State | Culinary Traits | Food |
|---|---|---|
| trade / political center | multicultural, lavish | ice cream, butter |
| industrialized | processed, refined | sausage, sugar |
| illegal trade | varied, expensive | alcohol, foie gras |
| impoverished | local, preserved | tamales, polenta |
| enslaved | communal, fusion | feijoada, jollof |
| isolated / remote | local, seasonal | potato, cheese |
| military encampment | dense, rich | pork, oil, cheese |
| war-ravaged | subsistence | — |
| post-colonial | blended, adopted | ceviche, gumbo |
| occupied / colonized | festive, orthodox | thanksgiving meal ANZAC biscuits |
Time, religion, law, education, and urbanism can all exert a pressure on cuisine as well, both by adding to and removing from existing culinary knowledge and traditions.
Culinary Evolution Factors
| Evolution Factors | Effects on Cuisine | Images / Products |
|---|---|---|
| time | mixed classic/modern | pasta, bread, tofu |
| religion, law | dietary restrictions | paneer, mocktail |
| tradition | unchanged dishes | matzo, teff injera |
| population density | cheap & fast food | waffle, taco, falafel |
| education, tech | tools, info, experts | sous-vide, tempering |
| magic + gastronomy | accelerated changes | — |
Meat of a Cuisine
The most impactful aspect of a meal is who made it and who you eat it with. The social connection and context is at the forefront of the dining experience.
Self-cooked meals can take a deeper meaning based on who taught you and where you learned it from—ie, your roots.
Personal Cooking Roots
| family kitchen |
| community events |
| social activity |
| roommates |
| cultural exchange |
| literature, media |
| own experimentation |
| culinary school |
| professional kitchen |
| training, apprentice |
| survival / hunting |
| for romantic partner |
Sample Cuisine: Dragonhill
Dragonhill is a landlocked military town built on a hilly trade road. It's a grassland close to a temperate forest, so its staples are starchy crops, legumes, and game. Though not large, as a merchant's stop, it's a trade center and military encampment that receives tax support, so butter and meat are common. As a preindustrial rural town, it lacks chefs and street food.
Dragonhill Cuisine
| Dish | Description |
|---|---|
| venison pie | shredded venison, chestnuts, herbs, buttered crust |
| butter cakes | barley flour & egg cooked in a pan, served w/ butter |
| soldier stew | stew of carrots, lentils, pork, herbs, and salt |
| parmesan | hard cheese aged for 12 months |
| common gruel | barley gruels with beans |
Racial Divisions in Food Culture
Are people drawn to certain foods just due to race? There arent common racial stereotypes for fantasy food, so it's easier not to have any at all.
It's likely that people behave like people and sort themselves by appearance, freely or not. Mostly ra-cially homogenous cultures are born. For example, a dwarf who grew up with non-drinkers might not hold down his ale, even if dwarves generally can.
Butchery, Slaughter Rules
When a monster is slain, a very narrow window opens up to process it or it becomes unsafe for consumption. The blood, internal organs, and skin have to be properly removed, if any, before it's butchered, and it must be stored properly at the correct temperature. The way to process various monsters is also different and requires its own unique expertise. This can be hard to simulate and lead to much bookkeeping.
This section presents simplified rules for slaughtering and butchering a fresh kill.
Processing and Yield
A creature's processing time and yield depend on the size of that creature, as shown in the Butchering Time table. To be eligible for processing, the creature must have been slain for no more than 5 minutes.
Butchering Time
| Size | Animals | Monsters | Time | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| small | lamb, pig | cockatrice, flupmh | 1 hour | 1 |
| medium | calf, sheep | guard drake, blink dog | 3 hours | 4 |
| large | deer, cow | ochre jelly, pegasus | 12 hours | 9 |
Yield
| Part | Elements | CR | Charms |
|---|---|---|---|
| blood & hide | blood, hide, hair, fur, skin | 9+ | +1 Cha score |
| white offal | intestines, stomach, lung | 5+ | acid resist. |
| red offal | liver, heart, spleen, kidney | 5+ | poison resist. |
| fifth quarters | eyes, brain, tongue, feet | 9+ | +1 Int score |
| prime cuts | loin, belly, breast, back, leg | 9+ | +1 Str score |
Butchery requires you to be proficient with butcher's tools, to spend the required time working, and to have a provision die size of d10 or higher. Afterwards, you gain the carcass's yield, which is made of the parts listed in the Usable Parts table.
Spoilage, Depletion
When the provision die size reaches a d8 or smaller, all meat in your inventory drops to 0 because of consumption.
If decay is not prevented, such as by keeping the meat in a cold place (max 41°F), there is a 90% chance all of the yield spoils at the end of each hour. A bag of colding is a common means of storage for processed meat.
Bag of Colding
Wonderous item, common
A heavy bag, its internal temperature is always 32°F. It can hold 4 units of yield from a butchered creature.
Fortified Dishes
Food that has been incorporated with parts from the yield of a butchered creature is fortified. To fortify a dish, spend one unit of yield from your inventory for each incorporated part—e.g., red offal or prime cuts.
Fortification only grants charms if the dish is a masterwork dish. The Yield table lists the charm granted by each part of a creature and its required CR to be able to do so. A dish that's fortified several times grants only one of the charms when it's consumed (diner's choice). The charm lasts for 24 hours.
The resources spent to fortify it are not recouped even if the crafting check to make a masterwork dish fails.
If a game effect such as a class feature uses fortification to impart extra effects, the parts must meet any requirements of that feature, such as creature type or CR, to apply its effect.
Replacement Rules
Some game features can trivialize the hunger or supply rules, which is not good for the exploration pillar. Use these instead.
Goodberry
1st level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: V S M (food worth 1gp, consumed)
- Duration: 24 hours
A magical berry appears in your hand, which a creature can eat as an action. Eating it halves their appetite.
Purify Food and Drink
1st level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V S M (spoiled food, consumed)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You can eat rotten food safely as a last-ditch survival effort. If the provision die size is 0, it is now a d4.
Create or Destroy Water
1st level conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V S M
- Duration: Instantaneous
You either create or destroy water. If the provision die is 0, it is now a d4. If instead it is a d4, it is now 0.
Create Food and Water
3rd level conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: V S M (food worth 1gp, consumed)
- Duration: 1 hour
You conjure culinary indulgences and delicacies from thin air. The provision die is d12 for 1 hour, then reverts to its former value.
Encumberance
This rule does not apply to provisions. It still applies to cargo, vehicles, mounts, treasures, grapples, and so on.
Outlander Background: Wanderer
In a land with abundant or limited resources, the provision die cannot fall to a size of 0.
Ranger Class: Natural Explorer
When you forage, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to prevent the provision die from decrementing.
In a land with abundant or limited resources, the provision die cannot fall to a size of 0.
Magic Item: Alchemy Jug
Wondrous item, uncommon
This jug produces condiments of the exact flavor profile the user wants, though the condiments does not form a dish by itself.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device.
New Items
Butcher's Tools (100 gp)
Adventuring has a lot of monster slaying. The meat they leave behind tends to be wasted if you dont have a butcher on call.
Components. Includes knives, an oilstone, meat hooks, a honing steel, leather gloves, and a bag of colding.
Caviar Machine
Arcane machinery, very rare
This device can magically extract the essential flavors of food and form them into bead-sized liquid spheres. They burst in the diner's mouth, releasing a surprising deluge of flavor.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Food Sculpture Extruder
Arcane machinery, very rare
This machine takes soft foods such as pastes, powders, gels, chocolates, or doughs, and magically solidifies them into any intricate shape the user wants, allowing complex sculptures to be quickly made from different materials.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Lesser Flame Gun
Arcane machinery, rare
This gun produces searing heat (4600°F) for short periods, creating caramelization and char. Though hot, its safe design prevents the flame from dealing any damage.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Liquid Air Flask
Arcane machinery, rare
This flask produces extremely cold liquified air (-320°F) that can instantly freeze delicate food items. Though cold, its safe design prevents the liquid air from dealing any damage.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Magic Centrifuge
Arcane machinery, very rare
The interior of this Small chest has a circular metal rack that can hold 4 vials. When activated, the rack magically spins at extreme speeds, forcing the liquids in the vials to separate by parts, such as by separating the jus from the fiber layer.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Micro Blender and Emulsifier
Arcane machinery, very rare
This device magically pulverizes food into a purée or mixes them into emulsions, allowing the user to create any texture in their ice cream, purée, or sauces.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Powderizer
Arcane machinery, very rare
This Small chest removes water from solid and liquid foods and finely powderizes them, concentrating its original flavors into dust. This allows the user to, for example, sprinkle bacon over muffins to yield bacon-flavored muffins.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Rotating Reduction Flask
Arcane machinery, very rare
A magical flask that uses rotation and a vacuum on liquids, it enables th reduction of botanical solutions, like coffee, at low temperatures that preserve their delicate aromatics.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Salamander's Suitcase of Succulence
Wonderous item, legendary (attunement by artificer)
The suitcase is a door to a 10 foot tall 4000 square foot area demiplane. It hides a well-stocked magic kitchen and food lab that is ready to be equipped with arcane machinery.
Due to its infinite pantry, the provision die cant decrement below a d12 while you possess this device.
Scented Wood Smoking Gun
Arcane machinery, uncommon
A device that magically spews out wood-flavored smoke of the user's choice from its nozzle, it can impart a smoky flavor into any ingredient without heating it.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Sous-vide Machine
Arcane machinery, very rare
This water bath allows the user to magically manipulate its temperature. When food inside a special bag is placed into the bath, it is evenly cooked, and any marinades are quickly infused in the ingredient.
Each use costs the wielder one 1st level spell slot or higher, and grants a +1 bonus to checks made to craft a masterwork dish using this device. The spell slot cost does not need to be paid if it is used in a magic kitchen.
Subclasses & Feats
Artificer: Gastronomic Scientist
A gastronomic scientist is an artist of innovating dishes with scientific and arcane methods. They blend modern gourmet arts with a deep respect for nature, ecology, and the wilds.
Level 3: Tool Proficiency
You are proficient in cook's utensils.
Level 3: Culinary Science
You can fortify dishes using creatures of various types. The Culinary Science table shows the creature types required of the parts used to fortify the dish, and what charm it imparts. The charm lasts for 24 hours.
You can fortify the same dish multiple times as long as you expend the required materials. A creature can benefit from multiple charms from this feature at the same time.
Culinary Science
| Artificer Level | Creature Types | Charms |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | beast, plant, monstrosity | 10 temp HP |
| 5th | aberration, undead, ooze | +1d8 initiative |
| 9th | dragon, giant | become large |
| 13th | celestial, fiend, fey | +1 AC |
| 17th | construct, elemental | +50 max HP |
Level 3: Arcane Vivarium
You craft an arcane vivarium, a crystal orb that holds a sustai-nable extraplanar garden. It gives free CR 1 plants to fortify your dishes, and is an arcane focus for your artificer spells. It becomes a +1 focus at 9th level.
You can expend a spell slot to create a new vivarium, which causes your previous one to disappear.
Level 5: Molecular Gastronomy
You can concentrate the flavors of ingredients in a bite-sized caramel candy shell. The Molecular Gastronomy table shows the required CR of the part to use to fortify the candy and the dessert filling that it goes with, and what spell is stored in the bite.
A creature can use an action to eat the candy or feed it to another creature. When eaten, the diner is placed under the spell's effect, lasting its full duration without concentration.
Molecular Gastronomy
| Artificer Level | CR | Spell | Dessert Filling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 1+ | bless | granita with cream |
| 6th | 1+ | blur | coulis with foam |
| 9th | 4+ | haste | mousse with gel core |
| 9th | 4+ | revivify | custard with spice powder |
| 13th | 9+ | dream | panna cotta with pearls |
You can make one candy at the end of a long rest. This goes up to two assorted ones at 9th level, and three at 13th level.
Level 15: Nouvelle Cuisine
You can extract pure flavors with elegant minimalism. Over a short rest, you can attempt to craft a masterwork dish. When you do, if you fortify it with parts from creatures that meet the requirements in the Nouvelle Cuisine table, the diner gains immunity to the condition and damage type related to that part for 7 days.
Nouvelle Cuisine
| Part | CR | Immune |
|---|---|---|
| prime cuts | 13+ | paralysis |
| fifth quarters | 14+ | blindness |
| blood & hide | 16+ | disease |
| Part | CR | Immune |
|---|---|---|
| white offal | 17+ | poison |
| red offal | 19+ | fear |
| fifth quarters | 20+ | charm |
Fighter: Gourmand
A gourmand seeks out new tastes and flavors, no matter how unusual. They put themselves at the frontiers of gastronomy no matter the cost.
Level 3: Voracious Eater
If you would take damage, you can subtract twice the damage from your diet dice total instead. If this brings the diet total to 0 or less, increment your hunger level. You cannot use this feature if your hunger level is not sated.
You have 4 uses of this ability. When you use 10 minutes to eat a meal and roll diet dice, you regain 1 use of this feature for every 25 points rolled on the diet dice.
Level 3: Stout Strength
Your form bellies great power. When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can add 1d8 to the attack's damage roll. If the target is at most one size larger than you, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you push the target up to 15 feet away from you.
DC
= 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Strength modifierYou have 4 uses of this feature. When you use 10 minutes to eat a meal and roll diet dice, you regain 1 use of this feature for every 25 points rolled on the diet dice.
The size of the die increases as you gain more levels in this class. At 10th level, it becomes a d10. At 18th level, it is a d12.
Level 7: Food for Thought
When you make an Intelligence check, you can scarf down an unhealthy food item that has a high caloric density. When you do, roll the meal's diet dice, which is 1d12 - 4. Whatever the result, add this number to your roll.
When you use this feature, you must describe what you are eating and how it is helping you think.
Level 7: Discerning Palate
You can pry apart the individual components of a substance by taste. You know what plants, meats, spices, sugars, metals, animal products, alcohols, oils, or poisons are in an ounce of stuff by tasting them.
Level 10: Metabolic Overdrive
Food is not only your fuel, but also your power. As a bonus action on your turn, you can wolf down a tasty snack to gain an ability. The Metabolic Overdrive table shows the abilities that are granted by which snacks according to their taste.
Metabolic Overdrive
| Taste | Examples | Ability |
|---|---|---|
| salty | olives | +1 to AC & all saving throws |
| sour | pickles | suspend frightened condition |
| bitter | coffee beans | suspend charmed condition |
| sugary | raisins | your base speed is doubled |
| savory | mushrooms | make a melee weapon attack |
You can only activate one of these abilities at a time. These abilities last until the start of your next turn. You always have access to a snack while the provision die is a d10 or d12.
Level 15: Iron Stomach
After having eaten many unique meals, you gain immunity to acid, poison and disease. Also, your base appetite is twice the sum of your Strength score and Constitution score.
Level 18: Armor of Adipose
You gain resistance to bludgeoning damage. In addition, if the provision die is a d12, you can use your action to decrement it to a d10. If your hunger level was not sated before, it is sated now. Also, your diet dice total immediately becomes equal to twice your appetite, and you regain all uses of your Voracious Eater and Stout Strength features.
Once you use this feature, you must wait until you finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Feat: Butcher of Titans
Prerequisite: Str 13, butcher's tools proficiency
No carcass is too big for you. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20
- The time required for you to butcher Large or smaller creatures is halved
- You can butcher Huge and Gargantuan creatures, taking 8 and 12 hours, and yielding 24 and 36 units, respectively
- Once per long rest, when you deal slashing damage to a creature with a melee attack, you can add an extra 2d8 damage to the roll
Sorcerer: Confectionery Sorcery
Confectionery sorcerers express their magic with treats and desserts, yet notoriously stay skinny despite their voracious sweet tooth. Their innate understanding of sugar lets them produce indulgent confections, with or without magic.
Level 3: Expert Pâtissier
When you craft a dessert from the Expert Pâtissier table as a masterwork dish, add twice your proficiency bonus to the roll. On a success, the dish grants 1 extra charm that corresponds to that dessert, which lasts 24 hours. You must have reached the listed Sorcerer level to use this feature for that dessert.
Expert Pâtissier
| Sorcerer Level | Desserts | Charms |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | pastry, eg, éclair, mille-feuille | 10 temp HP |
| 3 | molecular candy confections | +15 ft spd. |
| 5 | pastry-filled chocolate bites | gain Cha 19 |
| 7 | cold treats, eg, bombe glacée | +2 Con score |
| 9 | dessert dégustation menu | +3 Sorc. pt |
Level 3: Pastry Defense
You can turn a deadly weapon to a harmless, delicious pastry. When you are hit by an attack from a nonmagical weapon you can see, you can use your reaction to reduce that damage by 1d10 + your Charisma modifier + your Sorcerer level. If this reduces the damage to 0, you can spend 1 Sorcery Point to turn the weapon into cake.
For example, a sword might crumble into a blueberry cake or an arrow might explode into a sponge cake. Describe the cake when you use this feature.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you spend 1 Sorcery Point to restore your use of it (no action required).
Level 3: Candy Armory
You can craft magical weaponry out of sugar. These weapons have a candy-like taste and appearance, possess the statistics for items of that kind, have an extra property as shown in the Candy Armory table, and last 24 hours after creation.
Candy Armory
| Candy | Item | Qty | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| butterscotch | l. sword | 2 | light, finesse |
| lollipop | maul | 1 | 2d8 weapon dice |
| candy cane | halberd | 1 | 1d12 weapon die, graze mastery |
| sugar glass | dagger | 4 | thrown (range 60/120) |
| nougat | l. bow | 2 | no disadv. to hit target @5ft |
| pastille | arrow | 40 | ignore 1/2 and 3/4 cover |
| buttercream | l. armor | 1 | +10 max HP, cant be grappled |
| rock candy | shield | 2 | 3/4 cover from ranged attacks |
| caramel | gauntlet | 4 | climb spd. equal to walk spd. |
| cotton candy | mask | 5 | can always respire, +1 Stealth |
After a long rest, you can decorate allies with items they can wield from the Candy Armory table. Pick a number of rows equal to your proficiency bonus. For each row, you craft that item with an amount equal to the Qty column's listed value.
Level 6: Chocolatier's Shell of Chagrin
You can create tombs of chocolate to encase your foes. As an action, pick a Large or smaller creature within 30 ft of you to make a Dexterity saving throw or be restrained in a chocolate sphere. It provides total cover and breathable air, has AC 15, and 15 hit points. If the shell's hit points drops to 0, it breaks, unless you spend 1 Sorcery Point to instantly repair it.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you spend 1 Sorcery Point to restore your use of it (no action required).
Level 14: Glacier's Gelato Guardian
You can conjure a guardian spirit from the Plane of Candy to act as your familiar. When you first gain this ability, choose a flavor from the Gelato Guardian table, which determines the spirit's abilities when it appears. Your guardian is incarnated into a body of frozen gelato, taking a shape reminiscent of the animal that corresponds to the flavor you chose, and has the listed personality traits as well. It always wears its accent and is very attached to it.
Gelato Guardian
| Flavor | Animal | Personality Traits | Accent |
|---|---|---|---|
| amarena | fox | clever, mischievous | scarf |
| banana | marmoset | chaotic, energetic | satchel |
| stracciatella | dalmatian | forceful, protective | stick |
| tiramisu | owl | contemplative, wise | glasses |
| nocciola | bear cub | dependable, nurturing | bow tie |
The DM controls your guardian. While it is always friendly to you, it may not always obey you, like if you perform actions it disagrees with, or ask it to do things opposite its personality. It may refuse to appear before you again if, for instance, you try to kill it or steal from it. Regardless, it always acts in your best interest when it knows you're in danger.
The guardian is a real creature that dies after failing three death saving throws. Its accent disappears 1 minute after its death, after which resurrection magic cant bring it back. If this happens, a new guardian spirit will appear before you at the end of your next long rest (you choose its flavor).
Level 18: Demesne of the Confiseur
You can use your action to connect to the Plane of Candy. For one hour thereafter, you can use your bonus action to conjure an item from the Candy Vault table. You can have at most two items from this list conjured at once. If you summon an item while you have two active conjurations, one of the active ones disappears (you choose which one). You instantly attune to an item you conjure this way if it requires attunement.
Candy Vault
| Candy | Item | Magic Item Effects | Attune |
|---|---|---|---|
| amber toffee | wand | +3 arcane focus | Yes |
| crème fudge | staff | +2 arcane focus, +1 AC | Yes |
| honey nougat | rod | +1 arcane focus, +5 AC | Yes |
| mint drageé | amulet | 60 ft fly spd., 30 temp HP | No |
| ruby praline | periapt | recover 9 Sorcery Points | No |
After 1 hour, your conjurations disappear. You cant use your action this way again until you finish a long rest.
Amarena Fox
Tiny construct and ooze, chaotic good
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 3 (1d6)
- Speed 40 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 3 (-4) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 7 (-2)
- Skills Arcana +7, Investigation +9, Stealth +4
- Damage Immunities cold, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 30 ft, passive Perception 17
- Languages All
Accent. The fox wears the legendary Platinum Scarf
Gelato Form. The fox can enter the space of a willing creature and stop there. It can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing
Keen Senses. The fox has advantage on Perception checks that rely on sight or smell
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft, 1 target. Hit: 1 cold damage
Invisibility. The fox becomes invisible until it attacks. Anything it is wearing becomes invisible as well
Fairy Rain. The fox causes light rain to pour for 1 min
Banana Marmoset
Tiny construct and ooze, chaotic neutral
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 3 (1d6)
- Speed 30 ft, climb 30 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 8 (-1) 20 (+5) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 6 (-2)
- Skills Acrobatics +7, Sleight of Hand +9
- Damage Immunities cold, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
- Senses passive Perception 11
- Languages Common
Accent. The marmoset wears a Bag of Devouring
Gelato Form. The marmoset can enter the space of a willing creature and stop there. It can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing
Pack Tactics. The marmoset has adv. on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of its allies is within 5 ft of the creature and the ally isnt incapacitated
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft, 1 target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) cold damage
Stracciatella Dalmatian
Medium construct and ooze, lawful good
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
- Speed 40 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 6 (-2)
- Skills Athletics +9, Perception +5, Stealth +4
- Damage Immunities cold, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
- Senses passive Perception 20
- Languages Common
Accent. The dalmatian wields a Rod of Rulership, but its saving throw DC is 19
Keen Senses. The dalmatian has advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or smell
Gelato Form. The dalmatian can enter the space of a willing creature and stop there. It can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing
Pack Tactics. The dalmatian has adv. on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of its allies is within 5 ft of the creature and the ally isnt incapacitated
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft, 1 target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) cold damage and the target falls prone if it is Medium or smaller
Healing Kisses. The dalmatian heals a willing creature within 5 ft of it for 1 hit point with its gentle kisses
Reactions
Protect. When a creature within 5 ft of the dalmatian is targeted by an attack roll, the dalmatian grants that creature a +2 bonus to its AC
Tiramisu Owl
Tiny construct and ooze, true neutral
- Armor Class 19
- Hit Points 1 (1d4 - 1)
- Speed 5 ft, fly 60 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 3 (-4) 13 (+1) 8 (-1) 17 (+3) 20 (+5) 7 (-2)
- Skills Insight +7, Perception +9, Stealth +5
- Damage Immunities cold, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 120 ft, passive Perception 24
- Languages All
Accent. The owl wears cute nonmagical glasses, but spells like identify think it's a legendary item
Gelato Form. The owl can enter the space of a willing creature and stop there. It can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing
Keen Senses. The owl has advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or sight
Flyby. The owl doesnt provoke opportunity attacks when it flies into or out of an enemy's reach
Innate Spellcasting. The owl's spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring only V components:
At will: guidance, foresight (self), true seeing
3/day: detect magic, hunter's mark, identify
1/day: divination, revivify, time stop
Actions
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, 1 target. Hit: 1 cold damage
Nocciola Bear Cub
Small construct and ooze, neutral good
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 8 (1d8 + 4)
- Speed 10 ft, climb 10 ft, swim 10 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 19 (+4) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 16 (+3)
- Skills Performance +9, Persuasion +7
- Damage Immunities cold, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 11
- Languages Common
Accent. The cub wears a bow tie that has the powers of an Amulet of Health
Gelato Form. The cub can enter the space of a willing creature and stop there. It can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing
Magic Cuddles. A creature cuddled by the cub is put under the effects of bless and regeneration
Actions
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) cold damage
Lend Accent. The cub adorns its bow tie on a willing creature within 5 ft of it. The creature benefits from wearing it with no need to attune
Magic Item Meals
Some dishes are rare because their ingredients are difficult to procure. Dragon flesh, beholder eyestalks, and unicorn tears—acquiring any one of these could be the subject of an adventure all by itself.
A dish with exotic ingredients is not just any regular dish—it's a consumable magic item. Cooking it obeys the crafting rules for magic items and is a downtime activity. It takes a character proficient in Arcana and cook's utensils, with the requisite materials, to craft these meals.
Crafting Magic Meals
| Rarity | CR | Gold Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| common | 1+ | 100 | 1 day |
| uncommon | 4+ | 1,000 | 3 days |
| rare | 13+ | 5,000 | 5 days |
| very rare | 18+ | 50,000 | 10 days |
The Crafting Magic Meals table shows the CR of a creature needed to make a dish of a given rarity. The listed gold covers all expenses over the time the dish is made. A magical dish becomes nonmagical if it isnt consumed within a year and a day of its creation.
Magic meals can be one serving of a dish with a strong magical effect, or many dishes with weaker magical effects. For example, a very rare meal could be a citywide feast from the eyes of a hundred Balors, or a single cocktail of a Lich's tears and a Solar's blood unwillingly taken.
The exotic ingredient can take a long time to prepare. An ice spider queen's eggs might require 24 hours of boiling, a kelpie may need to be fermented for twice as long as regular plants, and a green guard drake's tough flesh could be poiso-nous unless marinated in vinegar for two days.
Meals of Legend
Legendary meals cant be crafted. Obtaining one is an adven-ture in itself, such as stealing Ambrosia, the Mead of Poetry, the Jnana Palam, the Xiantao, and so on.
Clochtré
Tiny construct, unaligned
- Armor Class 7
- Hit Points 5 (1d4+3)
- Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 1 (-5) 14 (+2) 1 (-5)
- Senses passive Perception 12
- Languages any one language
- Challenge 0 (0 XP)
Actions
Stash. The clochtré chomps a single dish, storing it in a pocket plane where time does not pass.
Unstash. The clochtré summons the dish from its pocket plane, which appears in its own space.
HBLT Super Supreme
Dish, uncommon
A sandwich with owlbear eggs and umberhulk meat. After finishing this meal, you gain darkvision out to 60 ft. If you already have darkvision, its range extends by 60 ft instead. Also, you have tremorsense out to 30 ft while your bare feet touch the ground. The effect ends after 1 hour.
Jujutsu no Hiyashi Menrui
Dish, uncommon
Cold ramen with winter wolf meat and ice spider eggs. After finishing this dish, you can use a bonus action to exhale icy wind at a target within 30 feet of you. The target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 3d8 cold damage. The effect ends when you use this action three times or after 1 hour has passed.
Art Credits
The art used in this guide were created by the following stellar artists.
Indonesian Food by Alfeus Christie
Saving the Children's Menu by Irina Nordsol
Brenard, Ginger Sculptor by NeonLaboratory
Dinner in Dungeon by @fishfud_art