[3.5] Magic-based food in D&D

[HaikenEdge]

I know that it's possible to create highly nutritious but bland food using Create Food and Water; since it doesn't specify what it is, but does specify it is "simple fare" of the caster's choice, it can be assumed that it is possible it could create meat, vegetables and what not with it, even if the flavor is poor (but that can be resolved with prestidigitation). Is this assumption correct? Because I seem to recall reading a lot of people say something about gruel.

I also know it's possible to create flesh (ie, meat) using any of the X to Flesh spells (Stone, Ice, etc).

There's also Heroes' Feast and Goodberry, both of which don't have to really be discussed, as well as the X Creation line of spells.

The question I have is, are there other ways to produce food of at least reasonable quality?

[pwykersotz]

The gruel bit probably comes from the Sustaining Spoon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#sustainingSpoon).

[Agent 451]

I'm afb, but in the DMG there is one plane that has an inhabitant who tends a grove of fruit trees. Some of these trees grow gems, while the others actually grow fruit which will give you a +2 (inherent bonus? can't remember) to one of your stats, and I believe there are varieties for each ability. I don't recall if any of these actually qualify as a ration though.

There's also the fruit Blossom Spike from A&EG, which produces a bunch of fruit when you stab it into a tree.

[Juntao112]

The question I have is, are there other ways to produce food of at least reasonable quality?

Polymorph Any Object

[Slipperychicken]

Magnificent Mansion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesMagnificentMansion.htm) (Sorc/Wiz 7) gives a nine-course banquet for 12*CL people. One presumes this food would be as luxurious as the palatial conditions inside the extra-dimensional space.


I know that it's possible to create highly nutritious but bland food using Create Food and Water; since it doesn't specify what it is, but does specify it is "simple fare" of the caster's choice, it can be assumed that it is possible it could create meat, vegetables and what not with it, even if the flavor is poor (but that can be resolved with prestidigitation). Is this assumption correct? Because I seem to recall reading a lot of people say something about gruel.


I'd expect such food to be the kind of barely-passable garbage one would find in a ration box or a high school cafeteria.

[HaikenEdge]

I'd expect such food to be the kind of barely-passable garbage one would find in a ration box or a high school cafeteria.

I attended public school and ate out of the cafeteria; I can tell you from my experiences that the food is not necessarily bland or nutritious. Elementary school fare was better, more nutritious and tasteful.

[pwykersotz]

I suppose you could also Gate in whole herds of Celestial Cattle. If you do it into a pen, you could get as many as the DM would allow, since control would be a non-issue. I think this also takes the cake for biggest waste of power ever, but it's pretty amusing.

[Ravens_cry]

I suppose you could also Gate in whole herds of Celestial Cattle. If you do it into a pen, you could get as many as the DM would allow, since control would be a non-issue. I think this also takes the cake for biggest waste of power ever, but it's pretty amusing.
I guess those would literally count as Holy Cows.:smalltongue:

[HaikenEdge]

Curses! Now you've got me wanting to have open up a Gate to the land of milk and honey.

[avr]

Fabricate (including the psionic version) might convert a lot of this magic flesh or gruel into more tasty/cooked versions of the same. Sustenance (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/sustenance.htm) lets you avoid the need to eat entirely.

[Slipperychicken]

Fabricate (including the psionic version) might convert a lot of this magic flesh or gruel into more tasty/cooked versions of the same.

Why should you blow a 5th level spell when a good cook can do the same thing?


Now I'm imagining someone optimizing a Craft(Culinary) check to produce the most delicious meals in the multiverse. Screw using Perform checks to attract extraplanar beings, have the gods come over to taste your fresh-based cookies.

[Telonius]

Programmed Image could have some interesting effects, since it has an olfactory portion. Prestidigitation just provides a spice, but a Programmed Image could make a food change taste mid-bite.

[Dr.Gara]

Programmed Image could have some interesting effects, since it has an olfactory portion. Prestidigitation just provides a spice, but a Programmed Image could make a food change taste mid-bite.

So you're saying I could play Willy Wonka, with flavor changing gum and everlasting gobstoppers? Best campaign ever.

[Psyren]

The gruel bit probably comes from the Sustaining Spoon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#sustainingSpoon).

You know, reading that, I realize that vampires are carnivorous. This could solve the Durkula problem (well, one of them) quite easily.

[rmnimoc]

You know, reading that, I realize that vampires are carnivorous. This could solve the Durkula problem (well, one of them) quite easily.

Vampires eat meat?

[Jeff the Green]

Vampires eat meat?

Well, blood is tissue. Technically connective tissue, actually, so maybe more analogous to gristle than steak.

[Psyren]

Vampires eat meat?

No, they drink it :smalltongue:

[Clistenes]

The gruel bit probably comes from the Sustaining Spoon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#sustainingSpoon).

Yup. You can rule that the spell only creates bread, or soup, or sandwiches. But it must be boring (so only one kind of food for each version of the spell) and bland (so the sandwiches only have spam meat and lettuce, without salt or mayonnaise).

[XionUnborn01]

Now I'm imagining someone optimizing a Craft(Culinary) check to produce the most delicious meals in the multiverse. Screw using Perform checks to attract extraplanar beings, have the gods come over to taste your fresh-based cookies.

In a campaign I played in that started at 8th level and went through epic, I played a barbarian with max ranks in Profession (Chef) and even bought a masterwork wooden spoon for my tool.

Then, the campaign was supposed to end at around 18th level so we all decided to draw from a deck of many things to see what we got. I drew the one that gives +6 Diplomacy and a small keep three times as well as the one where you get 50k gp in gems, so we decided that I basically got a small kingdom.

A few weeks later and the kingdom was booming because of the king's unmatched cooking ability. I made it a habit of keeping things I found on adventures to make dishes out of later. Mithril Colossus doesn't make a great stew.

[ericgrau]

MiC has related items costing 350 gp and 2,000 gp IIRC. The 2,000 gp one feeds 15 IIRC. The first one is field rations and I forget what the second one is.

I like to use wondrous pigments as my 4,000 gp catch-all to make just about anything. Often that means good food. Then I preserve leftovers with unguent of timelessness so it's as fresh as the hour it was painted.