Art of Cooking

We all want to cook amazing things, but not everyone meets the requirements to do so.

Of course, the first step is having good ingredients, but we can’t limit ourselves to that since having the right equipment and skills also matters, doesn’t it?

Below, you’ll find the rules for cooking, from acquiring ingredients to savoring the dish.

Ingredient Spoilage by Day

When a cook encounters a spoiled ingredient, they must make a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check or they will not notice that the ingredient is spoiled. The cook will use it as a regular ingredient, performing the check from the "Cooking" section as usual, but this will only determine its flavor, as the outcome will be considered a toxic meal.

Cooking

To cook, you need to have Cooking Utensils and proficiency with them. You should use the amount of ingredient portions based on the number of people you are preparing the meal for. If different qualities of ingredients are used, the lowest quality used is considered.

A Wisdom or Intelligence check should be made to determine the outcome, which can be found in the "Cooking Outcomes" table. Don't forget to consider the modifier for the quality of the ingredients used.

Cooking Outcomes

DC	Outcome
1	Toxic
2	Edible
8	Acceptable
14	Tasty
18	Delicious
24	Exquisite

Optionally, if a critical roll is achieved, the outcome "Exquisite" can be granted.

The details of each outcome are as follows:

• Toxic. After consuming it, all who do must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 poison damage and be poisoned for 2d4 hours.
• Edible. Provides no additional effects other than increasing satiety.
• Acceptable. If done during a short rest, grants an additional hit die to recover hit points.
• Tasty. In addition to the "Acceptable" outcome effect, allows rolling 1d20 to determine if an additional effect is applied when the roll is 15 or higher. The effect will always be of the "Mediocre" category.
• Delicious. In addition to the "Acceptable" outcome effect, grants an additional effect.
• Exquisite. In addition to the "Acceptable" outcome effect, allows choosing one of the following effects: select an effect without rolling or have the effect be of the "Supreme" category.

Additional Effects

Occasionally, when excellent results are achieved when cooking, additional effects can be obtained by those who consume it, either because it revitalizes them or due to a hidden property of one of its ingredients. These effects are a mechanic to emphasize the importance of the cooking process, but it is essential to consider their possibilities to avoid causing imbalance when using them.

To limit this, you can restrict the application of effects to no more than once per day, leaving it up to the player to decide if the effect will be applied if they cook multiple times in the same day. This decision should be made before the cooking check, to avoid deciding based on convenience.

You can also choose to omit this mechanic entirely, which would also discard some elements of the optional rules in the following sections.

In either case, when the effect is applied, it is recommended to value the player's effort by granting an extra hit die of recovery during the short rest for each outcome above "Acceptable."

Each effect is categorized by the power it provides. This category depends on the quality of the ingredients as detailed in the "Ingredient Quality" table, although this outcome can be altered by the cooking skill check, as detailed in the outcomes from the previous section.

The duration of the effect, by default, is 4 hours. In some cases, this duration can last the entire day, while in others, there may be a number of uses within the following 4 hours; once these uses are exhausted, the effect will end, even if the hours have not yet passed.

The effect to be applied is random unless an trait modifies this behavior, as shown in the "Additional Effects" table. This table also includes the effect’s category, slightly varying the effect according to the achieved power, and details the duration.

Recipe Book of Effects

This is an optional rule that allows cooks to have a recipe book for learning effects.

Initially, the cook does not know any effects and will always use the "Additional Effects" table. However, after learning at least six effects, the cook can create their own recipe book of effects. This way, when applying an effect, they can decide whether to use the "Additional Effects" table or their own recipe book using 1d6.

The player can spend one hour at the start of the day to change their recipe book of effects; otherwise, they will keep the same recipe book indefinitely.

A cook learns an effect by using it at least twice, meaning they must roll the "Additional Effects" table this number of times.

Players can learn some of these effects through an NPC in a settlement or another PC also on their cooking adventure. Just note that this process should not be immediate but may take several days and attempts.

Additionally, at the start of their journey, the cook can be allowed to know a number of effects equal to their ability modifier used for cooking (Intelligence or Wisdom). After that, they may roll a d20 equal to their modifier, thereby learning those effects from the start.

Cook Profession

A cook does not start out knowing their profession but acquires it through effort, constant practice, and a bit of ingenuity.

This optional rule adds a cook profession. This profession levels up and grants traits that modify some of the base mechanics. Additionally, at certain levels, a specialization can be chosen, which adds additional traits as well as some extra effects to include in the recipe book.

To provide a mechanical cost, this profession can replace the "Chef" feat as it will offer greater mechanical effects by integrating with the base mechanics proposed in this supplement.

Profession Specializations

Upon reaching level 2 in the profession, you can choose a specialization that determines the cook’s focus. This specialization determines the traits for levels 2 and 4, as well as provides additional effects for the recipe book of effects. These effects are acquired upon reaching the level according to the "Specialization Effects" table within each specialization and will always be available in the recipe book of effects.

Pastry Chef

You have learned to sweeten the lives of others with your food. A master of the sweet, despite the scarcity of materials, you make wonders with what you find.

Unexpected Delight

Pastry Chef Level 4 Trait

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You have learned to make everything taste better with just a few small adjustments.

The skill check to determine the cooking result is modified as shown in the "Unexpected Delight Outcomes" table.

Unexpected Delight Outcomes

DC	Outcome
1	Toxic
2	Edible
6	Acceptable
10	Tasty
14	Delicious
22	Exquisite

Pastry Chef Specialization Effects

Level	Effect	Duration	Mediocre	Regular	Supreme
2	Bonus to Persuasion Checks	-	+1	+2	+3
3	Spell Charm Person	1 use	CD 8	CD 10	CD 12
5	Psychic Damage Resistance	-	1	2	3

Consider the following for some of these effects:

• Psychic Damage Resistance. When receiving psychic damage, you can use up to the total uses indicated by the category before losing the effect.

Wild Cook

You have learned to survive in the wild, making wonders with what you gather. You might have found simple berries, but you can turn them into a dish worthy of a high-end restaurant in a big city. Survival and resilience define you.

Poison Taster

Wild Cook Level 4 Trait

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You have learned to identify spoiled, decomposed, or toxic food more easily. You gain advantage on all checks to determine if food is spoiled, as well as on saving throws against poisoning from toxic prepared foods.

Wild Cook Specialization Effects

Level	Effect	Duration	Mediocre	Regular	Supreme
2	Bonus to Survival Checks	-	+1	+2	+3
3	Spell Locate Animals or Plants	1 use	120 ft.	240 ft.	480 ft.
5	Bonus against Beasts	-	1d4	1d6	1d8

Consider the following for some of these effects:

• Bonus against Beasts. When making an attack roll, you can roll an additional die as indicated by the effect category against creatures of the "Beast" type.

Special Ingredients

In the world, there are a number of ingredients highly sought after by all culinary enthusiasts. These ingredients, in addition to being interesting, exotic, or unusual, can produce incredible effects in those who consume them.

This optional rule adds a list of ingredients that can be obtained throughout the world, either by searching in the wild or purchasing them directly.

Each portion of these ingredients allows you to cook for up to four people. Additionally, the corresponding portions of basic ingredients are required. For example, if you want to use one of these ingredients to cook for a group of 3, you need the special ingredient and 3 portions of basic ingredients. If you want to cook for a group of 6, you will need two portions of the special ingredient and 6 portions of basic ingredients.

The check to determine the cooking result will be done as standard, but unless the result is toxic, it will only determine the taste. Cooking with these ingredients does not produce the effects listed in the special effects table; instead, each ingredient produces its own effects.

However, to produce the effects of the special ingredient, the result must be at least "Tasty". Additionally, those who consume it must roll a d20 to obtain the effect, achieving 12 or higher to succeed. If the result is "Delicious," they will receive a +1 bonus to the roll. If the result is "Exquisite," they will receive a +2 bonus to the roll.

The complete list of ingredients, as well as a suggested price for each, can be found in the "Special Ingredients" table.

Special Ingredients

Ingrediente	Costo
Crystal Alstroemeria	75 gp
Deep Blue Stones	75 gp
Dune Jerky	75 gp
Eternal Nectar Pearls	50 gp
Fruit of the Ancients	150 gp
Igneous Salamander Egg	100 gp
Lunar Truffle	50 gp
Roinshaka	25 gp
Shadow Lizard Meat	100 gp
Zaracara	25 gp

Crystal Alstroemeria

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• Adventuring gear (ingredient)

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A crystal flower with three thin, heart-shaped petals. Some mistake it for a craft item, as once cut, it does not change appearance.

When subjected to heat, it melts into a gelatinous liquid used as an ingredient.

Consuming it in a dish grants the ability to cast Levitate twice within an 8-hour period after consumption.

Deep Blue Stones

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• Adventuring gear (ingredient)

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Rocks extracted by aquatic peoples from the depths of certain reefs, valued for their saline flavor that evokes the sea waves.

They are crushed into small particles to be used as a spice or seasoning.

Consuming them in a dish grants the ability to breathe underwater for the next 8 hours.