What's in rations?

[LudicSavant]

Rations for a day cost 5sp, but what might said rations actually consist of, realistically? Of course, the book says jerky, hard tack, dried fruit, and nuts. Curious to hear what other adventurers are eating.

[Keltest]

Dried fruit, cured meat, potentially some breads or biscuits of some kind. Basically, food that's easy to carry and keeps for a long time. Its boring, but it keeps you alive.

[Man_Over_Game]

Dried fruit, cured meat, potentially some breads or biscuits of some kind. Basically, food that's easy to carry and keeps for a long time. Its boring, but it keeps you alive.

Beat me to it. Salted meat (probably fish) and bread are the most common forms of rations. I'd say dried fruit would only be an option if it came from a particularly wealthy or farming location.

More than likely, though, you'd be eating stew. Rations are notorious for making you constipated and dehydrated (both somewhat intentional, so you aren't needing to use the bathroom in a war zone), so you want something to help it go down. Stew is really easy to make, is healthy, and it even works fine on somewhat spoiled food, so that's what you'll eat most days, with the rations being something like a tough cracker you dip into it.

Your dried fish end up spoiled anyway? Keep the biscuit and throw it in the pot! We used seasonings to try and cover up the taste of spoiled food, but DnD characters have Prestidigitation that does the same thing.

[JNAProductions]

Food. Nourishing, if not the tastiest.

May I ask why this is came up, and why it matters?

[Cicciograna]

McDonald hamburgers. They're said to last months without spoiling.

More seriously, what other users said, to which I'd like to add the good ol' pemmican.

[Sigreid]

I would expect it to very by culture. That said, salted meat, bread and cheese would probably be coming. Other options might be barley, oatmeal, and other easily preserved but not fantastic foods.

[LudicSavant]

May I ask why this is came up, and why it matters?

Because I didn't know what pemmican was until I made this thread.

Curious about various ideas from varying cultures, especially things that might have been used historically.

[Tawmis]

May I ask why this is came up, and why it matters?

I believe - since it has the "Roleplaying" tag - they may want to get into character (when they're doing a short/long rest) to describe what their characters are eating?

Admittedly, it's more exciting than just assuming a ration is used during a short/long rest, by saying:

"Talyrs sits on the log, peering in the shadows that dance, thanks to the flickering flames of the campfire. He pulls out a piece of bread, that's gone hard from the days exposed to the air. He bits into it and forcibly chews, and forces the tough bread down. As he sits there chewing, he's also checking for any unusual sounds he might hear... other than the grating of his teeth trying to gnash the bread in his mouth."

[JNAProductions]

Because I didn't know what pemmican was until I made this thread.

Curious about various ideas from varying cultures, especially things that might have been used historically.

That's fair. I generally don't bother tracking rations and other small things, but if you enjoy that part of gaming, more power to you.

[Tawmis]

That's fair. I generally don't bother tracking rations and other small things, but if you enjoy that part of gaming, more power to you.

I enjoy tracking rations when I DM... Because I enable characters do to "Nature" checks to find food (whether that be animals or plants). Gives something to do during "short/long rest." And potentially puts a character away from the party during their hunt - if a random encounter happens to come along. So adds a bit of tension.

[Evaar]

I’ll just leave this here:
https://m.imgur.com/gallery/BWnHF

[nickl_2000]

I always imagine hardtack (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardtack) and dried meats/fruits.

[Âmesang]

My current character is still in a surface town (Saltmarsh) and so is carrying dried fruits, nuts, and smoked fish; my previous character obtained some rations from some drow, so I cracked open an Underdark book and listed them as dried ripplebark, smoked fish, and rothé jerky.

This concept is a big reason why I enjoyed playing Ultima VI: The False Prophet, 'cause instead of merely displaying food as a numerical value, the game actually made it into a set of items based on jerky, chicken, ham, cakes, wines, ale, &c.; so as my characters gained wealth it felt rather "rewarding" to buy better food for them.

EDIT: I've also played as a minotaur who's first set of rations were man flesh. :smalltongue:

[Bjarkmundur]

Nuts
Harðfiskur
Butter or some other kind of fat
Oats (you can leave in water while you clean up your camp in the morning, and by the time you're done you'll have self-cooked porridge)
Biscuits
The fantasy equivalent of coffee beans or tea-leaves (If you've ever worked construction, you know how long you can last on just 'rations' and coffee..)

[Aett_Thorn]

In one of my campaigns, our party ended up with a couple of tons of pemmican because we made it a running joke.

[Maelynn]

I’ll just leave this here:
https://m.imgur.com/gallery/BWnHF

I was going to link this image gallery, but was beaten to it.

It's quite inspirational, been thinking of doing this as little handouts for my party some day.... well, after I've done an evening with some of the dishes off this menu (http://www.geekyhostess.com/an-easy-dnd-style-tavern-menu/). I'm thinking the Fancyman's Feast and the stew. Or maybe the roast goose. Goose is tasty...

[Laserlight]

It varies, obviously, but a typical evening meal while we're out adventuring is going to be something simple and easy--for example, an aperitif, potage dubarry garnished with chorizo, coq au vin, gratin dauphinois, a cheese plate, peach melba with raspberry coulis, and brandy.

[Contrast]

It varies, obviously, but a typical evening meal while we're out adventuring is going to be something simple and easy--for example, an aperitif, potage dubarry garnished with chorizo, coq au vin, gratin dauphinois, a cheese plate, peach melba with raspberry coulis, and brandy.

My glamour bard has his unseen servant set up camp while Prestidigitating his rations (usually a goodberry from the druid or whatever the ranger rustled up) into something actually edible. Imagine actually tasting hard tack rations :smallbiggrin:

[Man_Over_Game]

OP: What do you eat when you're starving?

Everyone else: Redwall has some good ideas, if you're a peasant.

[Aprender]

A good YouTube video on how Roman soldiers ate. These aren't hard rations, but it seemed like something that you'd be interested in. https://youtu.be/4-l_EbXE3LU

Rations would be dried/salted and reconstituted at dinner time or eaten as is.

An army marches on its stomach, and I believe it was Francisco Pizarro who was amazed at how the Inca could march great lengths without food only by chewing the Coca plant leaves.

[Laserlight]

My glamour bard has his unseen servant set up camp while Prestidigitating his rations (usually a goodberry from the druid or whatever the ranger rustled up) into something actually edible. Imagine actually tasting hard tack rations :smallbiggrin:

The Exalted Ledaal Yuyeh--Countess of the Second Rank, Cloud Wing Magistrate, Shrine Guardian of Three Waters, etc--travels with her personal cook.

And after the incident with the boiled okra and snake-on-a-stick, we never, ever let the Ranger cook for us again.

[DarkKnightJin]

For my Soldier Cleric: Whatever he gets, he's used to the Soldier lifestyle, even if he's tried to leave it behind.

For my Sorcerer: Probably something of a combo of Elven and Dwarven style rations, simce he grew up between both.

For my Naga Paladin: Mostly whatever he makes out of the meat he collects from slain beasts. Just last session he made some rabbit stew for breakfast, and even managed to make a few coins by selling the 'leftovers' to passersby. Then again, he's a skilled cook, and he wants to try as many different kinds of food as he can. Preferably cooked by him, as well. (Side note: He's made 'bacon' out of some Giff/hippofolk that attacked the camp during a long rest. He was the only one that had some. And no, he's not Evil. He's Chaotic Good. His moral compass just doesn't have quite the same North as most of the rest of the 'civilized' world.)

[Willie the Duck]

Because I didn't know what pemmican was until I made this thread.

Curious about various ideas from varying cultures, especially things that might have been used historically.

Well, it is going to matter how historically you think your D&D game is supposed to be.
As many have stated before, the standard adventuring party doesn't have a lot of historical analogs (although there were plenty of people travelling in the late middle ages that D&D vaguely resembles, from military folks to merchants and pilgrims). But, beyond that, there are issues with whether your D&D world is pseudo-medieval Europe, or whether there are new world plants (https://www.britannica.com/list/18-food-crops-developed-in-the-americas) and the like. Even beyond that, one has to know that lots of different foodstuffs looked wildly different (https://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-573-22-foods-you-didnt-know-used-to-be-completely-different/) even 3-400 years ago (or even 50-100 (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/future-of-food/poultry-food-production-agriculture-mckenna/), if you count changing breeds to make various types of meat less expensive).

Regardless, if your characters act like real-world late-medieval European travelers (who likely travelled with pack animals and carts or the like that could carry things like pots and pans), you probably ate a lot of the same stuff as you would eat on the farm -- lots of grains and cereals, be it milled and baked into bread or boiled like porridge/oatmeal/grits/etc., some dried fruits and air/salt-cured meat (both of which are great for the road, but also fairly expensive), various fat-preservation recipes like pemmican, and whatever game can be caught along the way.

[Max_Killjoy]

Depends on the culture and tech level.

One of the cultures I'm working on over here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?549226-Cultures-Multiple-Pan-Asian-sources-in-a-WELL-DONE-quot-mashup-quot) does a lot with pickled vegetables and fruits, candied fruits, chemically dried/preserved meats, etc... but they're pretty damn hard to poison so I wouldn't recommend anyone not from the same species eat the chemically dried meats, or eat the pickled stuff without rinsing it first...

Being able to mass produce glass jars with sealing lids, heavy wax paper, etc, would open up preservation and transportation techniques that other / earlier cultures don't have.

[Zetakya]

Historical methods of keeping perishables include Smoking, Drying, Salting, Pateing, Brining, Pickling, and Preserving (with either sugar or alcohol - this is where we get the term Preservation from).

Certain foods take better to different methods. Traditionally Smoking, Drying and Salting (the "Dry" methods) are best for travel rations, while Brining and Pickling use a lot of liquid and so are hard to carry if you want to travel light. Pateing (and similar techniques like Pemmican, Rilettes etc) is preservation in fat, and Preserving in Sugar (usually honey) or Alcohol are fairly light-weight.

The dry methods and pateing are mostly good for meats, and red meat at that.

Don't forget things like Boiled Sweets, which are a great way to carry quick energy giving food along.

Incidentally if you are travelling without the ability to find clean water along the way expect to be drinking wine at the start of the journey, and vinegar by the end of it - plain water does not keep.

[LibraryOgre]

Regardless, if your characters act like real-world late-medieval European travelers (who likely travelled with pack animals and carts or the like that could carry things like pots and pans), you probably ate a lot of the same stuff as you would eat on the farm -- lots of grains and cereals, be it milled and baked into bread or boiled like porridge/oatmeal/grits/etc., some dried fruits and air/salt-cured meat (both of which are great for the road, but also fairly expensive), various fat-preservation recipes like pemmican, and whatever game can be caught along the way.

So, Hackmaster has two different kinds of rations; trail or standard.

Trail rations are dried fruits, hard breads, salted or smoked meats... preserved foods that require no preparation.
Standard rations require preparation (and the Cooking/Baking skill), and have a lot of things like pulses, beans, and cereals.

Standard rations are about 1/10th the cost, but twice the weight.

[Kane0]

Some wackier ideas:

- Stones/crystals (either mined or cultivated). Suck on, boil, crush and mix, etc to obtain nutrients.
- Alchemically treated/preserved food. In some ways you could consider candying, salting, pickling, etc in this category already but there might be all sorts of new ways to preserve food without changing the taste, texture or moisture content.
- Edible slimes/jellies (especially if they encase other food that would spoil)
- Cockatrice or Rust monster eggs (their special properties and make them last aaaaages)
- Whatever fungi Mycanoids and Vegepygmys consider good eating
- If you're super game, using some toxins could potentially be a viable alternative to alcohol in preservation (not recommended for non Dwarves/stout halflings)

[Tawmis]

Some wackier ideas:
- Rust monster eggs


9 out of 10 Clerics agree - this is not a good idea.
Consuming these eggs destroys the iron in your blood.........

[Kane0]

9 out of 10 Clerics agree - this is not a good idea.
Consuming these eggs destroys the iron in your blood.........

But the literal jawbreakers are fine :smallamused:

[Rynjin]

I would expect it to very by culture. That said, salted meat, bread and cheese would probably be coming. Other options might be barley, oatmeal, and other easily preserved but not fantastic foods.

Pathfinder quite nicely describes different race's rations and it's a neat insight into their culinary culture for certain ones. The table is here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment/goods-and-services/hunting-camping-survival-geaR/#table-food-drink).

While they only do ones for a few races, it gets you in the right mindset. A quick breakdown for those not wanting to click the link:

Human (standard trail rations): Jerky and dried fruit.

Dwarven: Smoked sausages and other salted meat, hard biscuits, and dried vegetables. Apparently optimized for Dwarven metabolism because it helps them march a little longer than other races.

Elven: Soft bread with a mix of grain, berries, and nuts (basically a Nutrigrain Bar). Supplemented by foraged berries and nuts. Similar to Dwarf rations in effect.

Gnome: Weird ****ing grab bag designed specifically to prevent any Gnome from eating the same meal two days in a row. PF Gnomes are weird. Improves spellcasting, because Fey are weird.

Halfling: Sweet dried fruit, aged sausage, hard sharp cheese, honey cakes, and a mix of grains/nuts/molasses. Lots of sweets, and it comes in larger portions than other races to be saved for snacking later in the day. Reduces penalties for fear, because Halflings are already basically fearless and as long as they're not hungry they can power through whatever.
---Wandermeal: Tough, dried cake that makes you sick if you eat it for too long, probably because it has no protein or other nutritional value in it of any kind, it's just flour, water, and "spices".

Orc: Black bread, thin, dried sausages (designed kind of like jerky, need to be chewed slowly to moisten them), other dried meat ("of uncertain origin", meaning generously to be "whatever they find"), and peppers. Increases Intimidate check bonuses, because it makes your breath stink I assume.

Of these I appreciate the Orc rations and Wandermeal the most, because of the insights. Everything else is pretty standard or fits with the usual view of the race well. Orcs liking spicy foods though (to the point they'll just munch peppers like a snack while marching) is a really interesting insight to what Orcish cuisine would be like. Wandermeal is similarly interesting because it kind of reinforces the stereotype of Halflings as being Hobbit-alikes...and shows the consequences of that. They really have no concept of nutrition, all they care is that their belly feels full.

Keeping a similar mindset for other races can bear interesting fruit. For 5e particularly I would assume Aasimar/Tieflings eat the same as humans or whatever their parent race is (can Aasimar/Tieflings be non-humans in 5e, actually?) and Dragonborn probably are strict carnivores, which means they would probably carry a variety of different meats in different flavors.

[Coffee_Dragon]

It's people! Rations are people!



Someone had to say it

[Greywander]

some dried fruits and air/salt-cured meat (both of which are great for the road, but also fairly expensive)
This would explain why rations cost 5 sp, the same as eating comfortably for a day (at an inn, I assume), while a loaf of bread is a mere 2 cp and hunk of cheese is 1 sp.

I imagine a 5 sp ration, which is preserved for traveling, might be comparable to about 2 sp worth of daily meals, served fresh. You're not literally eating stale baguettes, there's definitely a mix of things like jerky and dried fruits, but you do have to pay for the convenience of preservation, and it's still not as good as a modest meal at an inn.

[GlenSmash!]

Beat me to it. Salted meat (probably fish) and bread are the most common forms of rations. I'd say dried fruit would only be an option if it came from a particularly wealthy or farming location.

More than likely, though, you'd be eating stew. Rations are notorious for making you constipated and dehydrated (both somewhat intentional, so you aren't needing to use the bathroom in a war zone), so you want something to help it go down. Stew is really easy to make, is healthy, and it even works fine on somewhat spoiled food, so that's what you'll eat most days, with the rations being something like a tough cracker you dip into it.

Your dried fish end up spoiled anyway? Keep the biscuit and throw it in the pot! We used seasonings to try and cover up the taste of spoiled food, but DnD characters have Prestidigitation that does the same thing.

Stews are also an excellent way of getting every bit of nutrition out of your food. Very useful if you are adventuring on a tight belt.


It's people! Rations are people!

Soylent Rations are the tastiest.

[Sigreid]

I googled what military rations were and they were mostly pretty gross. The Spartans in particular apparently has people of the time speculating that they weren't afraid to die because their food was so bad.

[Imbalance]

Sahaugin tongue in aspic.

[Honest Tiefling]

I googled what military rations were and they were mostly pretty gross. The Spartans in particular apparently has people of the time speculating that they weren't afraid to die because their food was so bad.

That's what happens when your enemies get to write your history for you. Or they go total fan-boy, one of the two.

Through I imagine where the rations come from would be important. I imagine that millet flours and dried beans could easily make their way into rations, especially since wheat can be expensive and hard to come by in certain climates.


The fantasy equivalent of coffee beans or tea-leaves (If you've ever worked construction, you know how long you can last on just 'rations' and coffee..)

People love their jitter juice. Also, caffeine is an appetite suppressant, which could make a difference in terms of dramatic tension.

Through another thing that would be in rations is salt, especially in hotter climates. There's a reason salt used to be very expensive.

[tyckspoon]

I googled what military rations were and they were mostly pretty gross. The Spartans in particular apparently has people of the time speculating that they weren't afraid to die because their food was so bad.

Yeah, this has been a pretty steady thing, especially in military/desperation survival foods. When you can cook normally, your priorities include things like 'is this a satisfying meal', 'does it taste good', 'does it cover a variety of nutrition needs.' Military food turns more to 'does it have enough calories to keep a warrior going', 'will it stay good or at least not actively poisonous under harsh conditions for an extended period of time', 'can we easily and affordably make 500 servings of it at the same time.' "Does it taste good" often falls waaayyyy off the list, at least until you hit the time of volunteer armies where you have to at least pretend to care in order to keep your soldiers showing up.

[Willie the Duck]

This would explain why rations cost 5 sp, the same as eating comfortably for a day (at an inn, I assume), while a loaf of bread is a mere 2 cp and hunk of cheese is 1 sp.

I imagine a 5 sp ration, which is preserved for traveling, might be comparable to about 2 sp worth of daily meals, served fresh. You're not literally eating stale baguettes, there's definitely a mix of things like jerky and dried fruits, but you do have to pay for the convenience of preservation, and it's still not as good as a modest meal at an inn.

Well, rations would be roughly the same as today's MREs, which are decidedly expensive, a technical marvel in terms of calories (and nutrition mostly) per unit weight, and no one would consider them better than a home-cooked meal.

[Aett_Thorn]

It's people! Rations are people!



Someone had to say it

Okay, I’ll admit that this gave me a good chuckle.

[JackPhoenix]

It's people! Rations are people!

Since when do trolls (and/or hydras) count as people?

[Greywander]

Since when do trolls (and/or hydras) count as people?
Hmm, would troll meat regenerate if you only ate half of it? Have we just discovered an infinite food glitch?

[LudicSavant]

Hmm, would troll meat regenerate if you only ate half of it? Have we just discovered an infinite food glitch?

https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/2rtwn3/the_city_built_around_the_tarrasque/

[Spriteless]

A giant bag of sunflower seeds, just like when I go for a drive irl.

Or, you know, hardtack and water.

[HouseRules]

Calorie Count is first post Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?591012-Minimum-Food-Rules).

[Ravens_cry]

Soylent Rations are the tastiest.
I find it varies from person to person.

[Kane0]

I find it varies from person to person.

Just like Slurm.

Actually, totally going to make slurm an underdark beverage in-game now.

[Zetakya]

Hmm, would troll meat regenerate if you only ate half of it? Have we just discovered an infinite food glitch?

You are Grom The Paunch and I claim my five pounds.

[Evaar]

Hmm, would troll meat regenerate if you only ate half of it? Have we just discovered an infinite food glitch?

In Eberron, this is how they feed the largely carnivorous populace of Droaam: Troll sausage from the grist mills.

[Ravens_cry]

Just like Slurm.

Actually, totally going to make slurm an underdark beverage in-game now.
No, that was Soylent Cola.

[Angelmaker]

Rye bread, especially stuff like pumpernickel easily takes a week before spoiling, even thoug the corners can become so hard to bite, you'll want to soften it before biting. But it takes a looong time for it to spoil.

However, since we are talking d&d i'd assume there are actually tons of ways preventing food from spoiling. Things like "gentle repose" or "chill touch" could be infused by a crafty artificer into food preservation items.

A bag of holding does not store air, as far as I am aware. Air being necessary for most bacteria and fungus to grow, so it serves as a natural preservation item.

I also can't imagine spoiled food actually being a big problem overall in d&d - 5th edition purify food and water being a level 1 cleric ritual, so almost every acolythe out there will know this ritual.

So in this context: if I was an adventurer, i would for sure blow some of my party's resources on good food stuff (and I actually, come to think of it). Hiring a chef, having a secure non spoiling location to keep food, etc. And for sure: who doesn't have left all their food in town at the local orphanage, because tonigt we'll dine at the top of that volcanoe - there will be red dragon steaks!?

[qube]

Because I didn't know what pemmican was until I made this thread.

Curious about various ideas from varying cultures, especially things that might have been used historically.From a historical point of view, I would like to note something - in that the idea of diverse food & fruit being healthy is something relative new. There are stories about trappers dying of malnutrition, because it was a great rabbit season and they ate rabbit every day.

Hence, I'd say rations are made of a single substance (the cheapest/easiest to get by, depending on where you buy it) that will sustain you. From a medival european historical standpoint, this is an interesting vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeVcey0Ng-w

I'd stay away from meat, as I think would have been more expensive to buy. Without mass consumption, it stands to reason you're not going to raise an animal, in the hopes you can sell it. Maybe aged sheep?

[Laserlight]

I'd stay away from meat, as I think would have been more expensive to buy. Without mass consumption, it stands to reason you're not going to raise an animal, in the hopes you can sell it. Maybe aged sheep?

My son the economist said that historically, Brits used to eat beef because it was so cheap.
On a possibly related note, you can raise animals on land that's not worth plowing.

[Maan]

At the time when national armies were fully developed (let's think napoleonic wars) the rations each soldier carried were mostly composed of dried meat, rice and other grains, with biscuits/hard bread.
Those weren't actually eaten like they were but put in a pot with water to make a kind of soup, together with anything the troops could manage to forage locally; even just a few aromatic herbs to improve the taste.
Also, boiling everything in a watery soup was a way to avoid having to drink directly from possibly contaminated water sources (that was also why people usually drank light beer rather than water, it was safer for your health).

[Maelynn]

This would explain why rations cost 5 sp, the same as eating comfortably for a day (at an inn, I assume), while a loaf of bread is a mere 2 cp and hunk of cheese is 1 sp.

I imagine a 5 sp ration, which is preserved for traveling, might be comparable to about 2 sp worth of daily meals, served fresh. You're not literally eating stale baguettes, there's definitely a mix of things like jerky and dried fruits, but you do have to pay for the convenience of preservation, and it's still not as good as a modest meal at an inn.

It's partly the cost of having to preserve the meat, yes. Both the labour and the amount of end product count - when I make beef jerky, I end up with about 1/3 of the weight of the original meat. What also plays a part is that while the nutrition value stays more or less the same, it does far less to satisfy the appetite. I can eat 100g of beef jerky easily as an afternoon snack, whereas 300g of meat would be a meal on its own. So you'd need more of the end product than you would in original ingredients.

[DarkKnightJin]

It's people! Rations are people!



Someone had to say it
Depending on how your PCs moral compass is aligned, they very well could be.
My Naga Paladin made bacon/jerky out of the Giff that attacked during the night.


Just like Slurm.

Actually, totally going to make slurm an underdark beverage in-game now.

And now, I will do something similar..

[T.G. Oskar]

Keeping a similar mindset for other races can bear interesting fruit. For 5e particularly I would assume Aasimar/Tieflings eat the same as humans or whatever their parent race is (can Aasimar/Tieflings be non-humans in 5e, actually?) and Dragonborn probably are strict carnivores, which means they would probably carry a variety of different meats in different flavors.

Considering where most of the Aasimar and Tieflings exist in Faerun (Mulhorand, which is basically fantasy Egypt pulled via a Stargate), they'd be used to rations fit for a desert. I would figure that dried figs would be a big part of it. Tieflings are also outcasts, so they'd find every chance to enjoy some great food a must, and their rations could reflect that.

IMO, I could say Aasimar rations would be quite a bit like a Passover meal. Based on the current Passover seder (maror, chazeret, charoset, karpas, zeroa, beltzah), which has a fair link to Egyptian and Jewish traditions, you could make Aasimar cuisine consist of unleavened bread, greens, fruits, eggs, nuts and meats. A ration would consist of a variant of matzo (easy to carry, and they could just turn into a ball and use herbs to make a stew), ground bean and meat pate (probably pigeon peas, walnuts and so forth), honey, dried figs and raisins, some herbs (for a stew; maybe an equivalent to coca that they could use to chew for longer travels?), and maybe boiled eggs. Dried lamb meat would be interesting, but I could figure some Aasimar would end up being vegans (which would leave the eggs behind). You'd have a sweet, yet fulfilling ration that wouldn't spoil from the excessive heat.

Tieflings, on the other hand, would prefer some exotic delicacies. I'd figure they'd go straight to Maztica and master the art of making xocolatl bars, which they could mix with some milk; they could then use it for xocolatl biscuits (probably with nuts?), for outright consumption, or to mix with water and/or fresh milk for a nice drink. Probably peppers (much like orcs; I bet they'd also mix it with hard xocolatl as a coating), jerky, dried meat or fish (I'd say Cajun style, with some spice and smoke-dried with all the spices forming a blackened crust), pickled vegetables, among others. I would say Tieflings wouldn't choose hardtack or any kind of bread, since it'd remind them of hardships; in fact, it'd be a very varied diet with some weird tastes, but nothing that would seem common or easy to access, because of that.

I mean...sure, it's easy to consider that Aasimar and Tieflings would, as many other races, adapt to cultural cuisine, but if they were to create some of their own recipes, I think that'd make a lot of sense for them.

For Aasimar, the themes I went were Passover (representing a key period in Jewish culture, that represents both hardship and promise), vegetarianism (while not exactly a pious action per se, it represents a choice to abstain from certain foods out of commitment) and the desert (mostly because of Faerun being so prevalent). Aasimar don't make communities, and are often lone members in their communities, but they are riddled with a burden of responsibility out of their heritage. Being burdened with that image makes them either double down on that, or have a breakdown and rebel out of sheer spite. (The guardian spirit that follows them doesn't help.) If they were desert folk, they'd most likely look for food that would resist high temperatures, and would allow consumers to withstand those high temperatures. Probably also something that would retain liquids.

For Tieflings, the concept was otherwise. The notorious "devil's food cake" is made of several layers of chocolate, and the unusual taste of cocoa would be interesting for complete outcasts (also, it takes a dark brown hue, which only gets clearer by adding milk). Thus, chocolate bars (which can be used for hot chocolate, or eaten alone) and chocolate brownies (except, as a ration, it'd have to be more like chocolate hardtack, adding chocolate powder to the flour mix). The idea of smoke-dried spicy meat, Cajun-style, was because of the appearance (blackened crust, but full of flavor). Spicy food is associated with heat, which is a really strong theme in Tieflings. The pickled vegetables would represent an acquired taste, both to cause shock ("eww, pickled lettuce!?"), allow for hydration, AND provide a different taste profile. In the end, it's the kind of ration few people would eat because of how it looks, but would be surprised by the taste; exactly as a Tiefling would want people to judge them (by their actions, not their looks).

[leogobsin]

An army marches on its stomach, and I believe it was Francisco Pizarro who was amazed at how the Inca could march great lengths without food only by chewing the Coca plant leaves.

"What's in your rations?"

"Oh you know, just some cocaine."

[JackPhoenix]

"What's in your rations?"

"Oh you know, just some cocaine."

German soldiers in WW2 had pervitin/crystal meth pill rations to stay alert, so it's not that weird.

[Willie the Duck]

Also, boiling everything in a watery soup was a way to avoid having to drink directly from possibly contaminated water sources (that was also why people usually drank light beer rather than water, it was safer for your health).

This is a (https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-beer-was-drunk-in-medieval-times-and-earlier-because-water-was-too-unhealthy-to-drink) lot (https://history.howstuffworks.com/medieval-people-drink-beer-water.htm) less (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1yts0v/when_did_water_replace_beer_as_the_staple_drink/) true (http://zythophile.co.uk/2014/03/04/was-water-really-regarded-as-dangerous-to-drink-in-the-middle-ages/) than urban legend tends to suggest.

[Sam113097]

In my own game, I like to flavor the rations available to the players based on the economy of the settlements that they're buying supplies in! They started in a cold lakeside fishing village, so for a long time, their rations consisted of dried fish, dried berries, rough bread, and pickled/preserved produce. Now, they're in a location similar to the American Southwest, so they're packing pine nuts, cured buffalo meats, etc. It doesn't come up too much, but its a nice little detail.

[Revaros]

The cool kids have Lembas bread in their ration packs.

[bobofwestgate]

Rations for a day cost 5sp, but what might said rations actually consist of, realistically? Of course, the book says jerky, hard tack, dried fruit, and nuts. Curious to hear what other adventurers are eating.


Lembas Bread

[GlenSmash!]

Hmm, would troll meat regenerate if you only ate half of it? Have we just discovered an infinite food glitch?

The real question is would a new Troll grow in your digestive system?


I find it varies from person to person.

Bravo.

[GlenSmash!]

This is a (https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-beer-was-drunk-in-medieval-times-and-earlier-because-water-was-too-unhealthy-to-drink) lot (https://history.howstuffworks.com/medieval-people-drink-beer-water.htm) less (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1yts0v/when_did_water_replace_beer_as_the_staple_drink/) true (http://zythophile.co.uk/2014/03/04/was-water-really-regarded-as-dangerous-to-drink-in-the-middle-ages/) than urban legend tends to suggest.

True, but giardia is a terrible thing.

I was on a week long backpacking trip with my boy scout troop oh 20 years ago or so now and everyones filters broke.

We were drinking stream water the entire time. Not everyone got sick, but the ones that did had a real bad time.

Still there are lots of methods to reduce your chances of drinking bad water.

[JackPhoenix]

The real question is would a new Troll grow in your digestive system?

Not if you cook it properly.

Which is why frost giants tend to have that problem when they eat trolls.

[Man_Over_Game]

Not if you cook it properly.

Which is why frost giants tend to have that problem when they eat trolls.

Tieflings never need to eat. They eat a tiny piece of troll that expands. Then they just cast Hellish Rebuke whenever they get an upset stomach.

[nickl_2000]

Not if you cook it properly.

Which is why frost giants tend to have that problem when they eat trolls.

Not at all, the stomach dissolves things in acid. That stops all regeneration.

[Man_Over_Game]

Not at all, the stomach dissolves things in acid. That stops all regeneration.

Based on normal anatomy, though. Frost giants and other creatures might not use acid to break down nutrients. It could be some kind of specialized bacteria that breaks things down, or a magical reaction that sends all of the refuse into a pocket dimension.

[GlenSmash!]

Not at all, the stomach dissolves things in acid. That stops all regeneration.

Right. Good to know.

[JackPhoenix]

Not at all, the stomach dissolves things in acid. That stops all regeneration.

Not necessarily. Stomach acid propably isn't strong enough to cause damage. And it's not just acid, anyway... various enzymes play more role.

[No brains]

Ah, time to take out one of the weird torches I carry!

Just prepare Purify Food and Drink and the world is your rations! Obviously spoiled? Purify! Obviously poisoned?Purify! Dead on the road by the time you found it? Purify! Only source of water from a stagnant, opaque bog? Purify! Not actually food because it would get you sick? Purify! Ever wonder what those dangerous fungi taste like? Purify! Want to trounce a rot grub in a contest of eating each other? Purify! Only humans infected with ghoul fever around? Purify! Want to eat a block of lead with mercury sauce? Okay, that's pushing it, even if chronic metal poisoning can be considered a disease... Purify!

[Requilac]

Ah, time to take out one of the weird torches I carry!

Just prepare Purify Food and Drink and the world is your rations! Obviously spoiled? Purify! Obviously poisoned?Purify! Dead on the road by the time you found it? Purify! Only source of water from a stagnant, opaque bog? Purify! Not actually food because it would get you sick? Purify! Ever wonder what those dangerous fungi taste like? Purify! Want to trounce a rot grub in a contest of eating each other? Purify! Only humans infected with ghoul fever around? Purify! Want to eat a block of lead with mercury sauce? Okay, that's pushing it, even if chronic metal poisoning can be considered a disease... Purify!

Keep in mind that Purify Food and Drink specifies that it only works on “nonmagical food and drink”. Some of the substances you proposed could be eaten really don’t seem to fit the definition of food to me. I don’t know of any definition of “food” presented in the Rules which contradicts the definition of “food” in real life, so we should probably use a real life definition. Food is defined by Merriam-Webster as...

“material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy”

I don’t believe that something which is “not actually good because it would get you sick” or “a block of lead with mercury sauce” would fit this definition, and potentially the “dangerous fungi” may also not be considered food depending on its nutritional value.

Also, I am pretty sure that eating a ghoul would be harmful to the consumer even if it is Purified. I don’t know this for sure, but I am fairly certain that the necromantic energy which keeps undead functioning may be... unsanitary. Negative Energy doesn’t seem like it would really be considered a “disease or poison” in the literal sense, but I don’t think a living creature would be able to eat something infused in it without harm. I highly doubt that Purify would be able to remove Negative Energy, as that seems to be a little more complex than a natural disease or poison.

Though I do have to admit, part of me would think it would be very cool and thematically appropriate if anything related to Negative Energy would register as a poison on Mystra’s radar.

[Beleriphon]

I believe - since it has the "Roleplaying" tag - they may want to get into character (when they're doing a short/long rest) to describe what their characters are eating?

Admittedly, it's more exciting than just assuming a ration is used during a short/long rest, by saying:

"Talyrs sits on the log, peering in the shadows that dance, thanks to the flickering flames of the campfire. He pulls out a piece of bread, that's gone hard from the days exposed to the air. He bits into it and forcibly chews, and forces the tough bread down. As he sits there chewing, he's also checking for any unusual sounds he might hear... other than the grating of his teeth trying to gnash the bread in his mouth."

Pfft, clearly not a proper dwarven bread. Talyrs can still chew it, rather than it instantly shattering his teeth just by looking at it.

[Christian]

Hmm, would troll meat regenerate if you only ate half of it? Have we just discovered an infinite food glitch?

I'm afraid that Goblin Dan (well, really the Giant) beat you to the punch(line) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html) on this one.

[Waterdeep Merch]

I like to get specific about what food my characters are eating. It's more fun to roleplay.

* My current character, a fairy, is a glutton for cheese. She also eats a lot of tree nuts and fruit cake, and enjoys fruit teas.
* I had a human eldritch knight that preferred the utilitarian approach, keeping boiled water, flavorless hard tack, and jerky so hard that it had to be cooked to soften it first. However, he used prestidigitation to change the flavor and temperature to match his preferences. He actually hated bread.
* A halfling that preferred only eating what she could forage fresh. She disliked carrying rations in general, even in places where you couldn't find normal food. A druid was responsible for her survival when she got stubborn about it.
* A human death cleric that, despite dressing as the grim reaper, had a great fondness for honey. He carried pots of it, dipped bread in it, made his own candy and sweet drinks, and shared them with passing children.
* A human mystic that outright refused to dine on lesser cuisine, carried boxes worth of fine tea and rare spices, had an extra dimensional space with thoroughbred livestock and vegetables, and kept a chef hireling around to prepare appropriate meals in the field rather than rely on rations. His highest praise was to call something 'adequate'.
* A halfling that was secretly a plant, and couldn't digest meat properly, strictly ate nuts and raw grain while in the party's presence. When they weren't around, he'd eat grass and leaves, too.

[Âmesang]

The cool kids have Lembas bread in their ration packs.

Lembas Bread
Fortunately my referee allowed me to bring back "journeybread" from 4e.

[No brains]

Keep in mind that Purify Food and Drink specifies that it only works on “nonmagical food and drink”. Some of the substances you proposed could be eaten really don’t seem to fit the definition of food to me. I don’t know of any definition of “food” presented in the Rules which contradicts the definition of “food” in real life, so we should probably use a real life definition. Food is defined by Merriam-Webster as...

“material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy”

I don’t believe that something which is “not actually good because it would get you sick” or “a block of lead with mercury sauce” would fit this definition, and potentially the “dangerous fungi” may also not be considered food depending on its nutritional value.

Also, I am pretty sure that eating a ghoul would be harmful to the consumer even if it is Purified. I don’t know this for sure, but I am fairly certain that the necromantic energy which keeps undead functioning may be... unsanitary. Negative Energy doesn’t seem like it would really be considered a “disease or poison” in the literal sense, but I don’t think a living creature would be able to eat something infused in it without harm. I highly doubt that Purify would be able to remove Negative Energy, as that seems to be a little more complex than a natural disease or poison.

Though I do have to admit, part of me would think it would be very cool and thematically appropriate if anything related to Negative Energy would register as a poison on Mystra’s radar.

In theory, rattlesnake venom contains protein, but any cuts or sores from your mouth to your stomach are going to complicate breaking it down. It has the parts of food, but the creature that carries it isn't called a 'Protein Shnake" because you could get sick from drinking it.

Also, yellow mold eats me to live. That means what's in me is in yellow mold. Yellow mold is ravaging my body through a parasitic process, so it's biologically a disease. Lesser Restoration treats it like a disease, just like a slaad embryo. I am going to turn the tables on this stupid spore-spurting sponge and eat the original bloom that poisoned me in the first place!

Not to mention, in any 5-area of common topsoil, there's certain to be protein, fats, and carbohydrates in there somewhere. In fact, most of it is probably in the fresh dirt right on top. Thanks animals!

Eating ghouls comes down to campaign lore. Sometimes ghouls come about not just from magic, but also a disease that can be survived or cured just like any other. It's also hilarious that under other lore, eating humanoids is punishable by becoming a ghoul, magic, disease, or not. So Purify Food and Drink on a guy who died of ghoul fever will keep you from becoming a ghoul... for a little bit. At least until the gods in charge of this stop scratching their heads.

As for straight minerals, salt is edible by normal healthy creatures. So there are inorganic compounds that can count as food. To say nothing of charcoal which could be eaten to absorb other poisons itself, or to add delicious flavor. Hell, some radioactive heavy metals are especially dangerous because they preferentially bond over calcium in your bones! If it weren't for the fact that it blasts me with spare electrons, I could be punching badguys with fists of uranium! Those guys who sold uranium pills for health weren't snake oil salesmen, they were just misguided dolts without magic!

I'm going to cop to that a block of lead with mercury sauce is probably only food to magical creatures that eat metal like the delver from 3.5. Though with those guys and rust monsters, the definition of 'food' in the general sense becomes unimaginably broad. In the end, food is in the eye of the beholder. Especially if you eat their eyes.

[JackPhoenix]

Pfft, clearly not a proper dwarven bread. Talyrs can still chew it, rather than it instantly shattering his teeth just by looking at it.

Of course it's not proper dwarven bread. If it was dwarven bread, Talyrs would find he's got a lot of things that are more edible before he gets so desperate to try to eat it, like his own boots. On the plus side, he could use it to kill whatever's making the noises. And then possibly eat it. The noisemaker, not the bread.

[Gryndle]

Rations for a day cost 5sp, but what might said rations actually consist of, realistically? Of course, the book says jerky, hard tack, dried fruit, and nuts. Curious to hear what other adventurers are eating.

If I'm making them, then the primary ingredient is ground up gnomes.


jk of course

[Honest Tiefling]

If I'm making them, then the primary ingredient is ground up gnomes.

Survival tip number one: Don't eat other PC races with ties to magic. That just isn't going to end well. Eat the non-magical races first.

One problem I could see with the whole definition of non-magical food is that a lot of cultures were happily chowing down on rather poisonous or carcinogenic stuff before the advent of modern medicine. Lead bowls were commonly used in medieval times to give sweetness to things, for instance, and plenty of tasty herbs have fallen out of use due to causing cancer like rue or pennyroyal. Techicnally, alcohol is a poison as well.

Personally, I would find it amusing that a bunch of clerics are wondering why their purify food and drink spell won't work on liquorice. What is wrong with this traditional food that our magic won't work on it!?!?

[Beleriphon]

Personally, I would find it amusing that a bunch of clerics are wondering why their purify food and drink spell won't work on liquorice. What is wrong with this traditional food that our magic won't work on it!?!?

I'm right there with you. I need to find a way to Purify Food and Drink on black liquorice. And I like fennel.

[LibraryOgre]

Survival tip number one: Don't eat other PC races with ties to magic. That just isn't going to end well. Eat the non-magical races first.


So, in 4e Hackmaster, there were the pixie-fairies, and the grunge elves who ate them.

However, grunge elves who ate too many pixie fairies might turn into grixies... pixie-fairy-grunge elf hybrids who were fairy sized and very angry about it.

[Maelynn]

Personally, I would find it amusing that a bunch of clerics are wondering why their purify food and drink spell won't work on liquorice. What is wrong with this traditional food that our magic won't work on it!?!?

Sounds like you never had the real Dutch stuff... :smallbiggrin:

[Tvtyrant]

I think it would be entirely regional and cultural. Bison fat with berries in one region, hard tack and salted pork in another.

[darknite]

[Bugs Bunny]"Lots of I-Ron!"[/Bugs Bunny]

[Dr. Cliché]

* A halfling that was secretly a plant

Any chance you could elaborate on this?

[Spiritchaser]

Rations for a day cost 5sp, but what might said rations actually consist of, realistically? Of course, the book says jerky, hard tack, dried fruit, and nuts. Curious to hear what other adventurers are eating.

Dried fava beans and some Chianti

You never know when you might have to eat someone’s liver.

Edit: yeah there’s a cost premium for the Chianti, but you simply can’t put a price on a good food pairing.

[jjordan]

So, Hackmaster has two different kinds of rations; trail or standard.

Trail rations are dried fruits, hard breads, salted or smoked meats... preserved foods that require no preparation.
Standard rations require preparation (and the Cooking/Baking skill), and have a lot of things like pulses, beans, and cereals.

Standard rations are about 1/10th the cost, but twice the weight.
This. You've got rations that are ready to eat (granola bars, dried fruit, MREs, etc...) and rations that are preserved and travel well but require preparation (whole oats, hardtack, salt pork, dried fish, etc...)

The first is used by people moving quickly. The second is used by travelers with time. Armies tend to stop for the night and prepare food. If you look up James Townsend's videos on YouTube you can see quite a bit of 18th Century cooking going on. It's about the same tech level. You can also look up the Medieval/Viking Hiking websites and videos to see people traveling in Medieval conditions.

I tend to think of rations as being crackers, dried fruit, and dried meat in various forms. I like to have local and cultural variations to the theme but they are ultimately color. Mostly. Someone pointed out the use of cocaine and meth. Khat and coca leaves can be chewed, as is, as a stimulant and appetite suppressant. Caffeine is pretty readily available once you find tea leaves or coffee or guarana. Good food packaging can be the difference between food that lasts and food that rots. Glass containers. Waxed fabric. Wax and resin containers. And so on.

[Particle_Man]

In my Egyptian campaign Ra-tions are sunflower seeds! :smallbiggrin:

[Chaelos]

Of course it's not proper dwarven bread. If it was dwarven bread, Talyrs would find he's got a lot of things that are more edible before he gets so desperate to try to eat it, like his own boots. On the plus side, he could use it to kill whatever's making the noises. And then possibly eat it. The noisemaker, not the bread.

But you can always stare longingly at that dwarven bread, and that's almost as good! (I literally just finished Witches Abroad today, so I'm having a Captain America moment here.)


Beat me to it. Salted meat (probably fish) and bread are the most common forms of rations. I'd say dried fruit would only be an option if it came from a particularly wealthy or farming location.

More than likely, though, you'd be eating stew. Rations are notorious for making you constipated and dehydrated (both somewhat intentional, so you aren't needing to use the bathroom in a war zone), so you want something to help it go down. Stew is really easy to make, is healthy, and it even works fine on somewhat spoiled food, so that's what you'll eat most days, with the rations being something like a tough cracker you dip into it.

Your dried fish end up spoiled anyway? Keep the biscuit and throw it in the pot! We used seasonings to try and cover up the taste of spoiled food, but DnD characters have Prestidigitation that does the same thing.

I like to imagine that this is the kind of insight that separates the seasoned adventurers from the greenhorns: either you learn to make stew from the crappy 5 sp rations that shady "general store" proprietor sold you back in Neverwinter, or you end up quitting the adventuring lifestyle altogether to take up a career as a disaffected town guard. There's probably a whole host of fieldcraft tricks known to the average successful adventurer, but which we completely gloss over in our haste to throw that next d20. Reminds me of a line from "The Last Unicorn":


"I am a hero. It is a trade, no more, like weaving or brewing, and like them it has its own tricks and knacks and small arts. There are ways of perceiving witches, and of knowing poison streams; there are certain weak spots that all dragons have, and certain riddles that hooded strangers tend to set you. But the true secret of being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. The swineherd cannot already be wed to the princess when he embarks on his adventures, nor can the boy knock at the witch’s door when she is away on vacation. The wicked uncle cannot be found out and foiled before he does something wicked. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story."

[KorvinStarmast]

In my Egyptian campaign Ra-tions are sunflower seeds! :smallbiggrin: You win this thread. :smallsmile:
PS: was just in Vancouver BC last week, first time there, and all I can say is ... neat place.
I think we'll come back in a few years to explore it more.

[Willie the Duck]

In my Egyptian campaign Ra-tions are sunflower seeds! :smallbiggrin:

And in my mad scientist campaign, you try to steer clear of the rat-ions. :smallbiggrin:

[PhoenixPhyre]

And in my mad scientist campaign, you try to steer clear of the rat-ions. :smallbiggrin:

Rat-ions must be a new charge state.

Because they're repelled by cat-ions but cat-ions are attracted to rat-ions. Ann-ions tend to scream and jump up on chairs when in the presence of rat-ions, unless they're non-stereotypical Ann-ions who may act in any possible manner.

Yes, I know it's anions (one n), but I couldn't help myself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to keep my ion the door for the pun police.

[Willie the Duck]

Because they're repelled by cat-ions but cat-ions are attracted to rat-ions. Ann-ions tend to scream and jump up on chairs when in the presence of rat-ions, unless they're non-stereotypical Ann-ions who may act in any possible manner.

Non-stereotypical Ann-ions must be composed of a combination of Strange and Charm quarks*. :smalltongue:
*although if they are on the chair, I suppose up quarks must be in there somewhere.

[No brains]

If we had a plant person race in 5e, it's possible that their rations might just be photons. I'm not sure what other creatures could eat subatomic particles as rations.

[JackPhoenix]

If we had a plant person race in 5e, it's possible that their rations might just be photons. I'm not sure what other creatures could eat subatomic particles as rations.

That's highly unlikely, because that's not how photosynthesis works. The nutrients have to come from somewhere, sunlight just provides energy to start the chemical reactions that happen during it.

[Waterdeep Merch]

Any chance you could elaborate on this?

It was a Greyhawk game, where my character was originally a human thief from Dimre. He was a an aspiring rebel and brigand, and thought he could make some easy money looting the battlefields by the Empire of Iuz. Doing this got him an orc arrow in the gut and a fevered flight through the Phostwood. He died by one of those trees.

Some years later, that tree produced a bud in the form of a miniature humanoid body, a receptacle for his soul. He was offered another chance at life by the lifeblood of Oerth itself, a smaller part of the goddess Beory, in exchange for service as her champion for a certain number of years. His mission was to aid in the destruction of a world-threatening cult that had eyes and ears throughout the world (a corruption of a previous group founded by a few of Johydee's Children to secretly aid Saint Benedor's quest to destroy Kargoth the Betrayer from behind the scenes), through any means possible. For this task, he was granted a sliver of Beory's power, making him an Oath of Ancients Paladin.

Shortly after making this pact, he discovered an enormous graveyard filled with the husks of plant people like him- hundreds had already died in search of their second chance.

Nor was he the only one active at that time.

As for the biology, while he mostly appeared to be a halfling, any close inspection would prove that he wasn't. His diet was the most telling, since he couldn't process certain foods. Well, and that unfortunate time involving a brothel.

[Maelynn]

If we had a plant person race in 5e, it's possible that their rations might just be photons. I'm not sure what other creatures could eat subatomic particles as rations.

That's highly unlikely, because that's not how photosynthesis works. The nutrients have to come from somewhere, sunlight just provides energy to start the chemical reactions that happen during it.

A plant-based humanoid can live off a sachet of Pokon for about a week.

[No brains]

Plant people nutrients would justify casting Purify Food and Drink on the dirt. Also unless they're on a ship or in a desert, dirt is not hard to find. Maybe the underdark would have solid stone too.

I just want the mental image of a plant person opening their bag lunch to find some Miracle Grow and a Flash Grenade.

[Dr. Cliché]

It was a Greyhawk game, where my character was originally a human thief from Dimre. He was a an aspiring rebel and brigand, and thought he could make some easy money looting the battlefields by the Empire of Iuz. Doing this got him an orc arrow in the gut and a fevered flight through the Phostwood. He died by one of those trees.

Some years later, that tree produced a bud in the form of a miniature humanoid body, a receptacle for his soul. He was offered another chance at life by the lifeblood of Oerth itself, a smaller part of the goddess Beory, in exchange for service as her champion for a certain number of years. His mission was to aid in the destruction of a world-threatening cult that had eyes and ears throughout the world (a corruption of a previous group founded by a few of Johydee's Children to secretly aid Saint Benedor's quest to destroy Kargoth the Betrayer from behind the scenes), through any means possible. For this task, he was granted a sliver of Beory's power, making him an Oath of Ancients Paladin.

Shortly after making this pact, he discovered an enormous graveyard filled with the husks of plant people like him- hundreds had already died in search of their second chance.

Nor was he the only one active at that time.

I'll be honest, stuff like this is why I love D&D. :smallbiggrin:

I applaud the creativity of this idea. It's a really fantastic concept that opens up a whole range of possibilities.

Out of interest, was he successful in his quest?



Well, and that unfortunate time involving a brothel.

Did one of the workers regret using the line 'I want your seed inside me'? :smallwink:

[Waterdeep Merch]

Did one of the workers regret using the line 'I want your seed inside me'? :smallwink:
The plant body was completely genderless, and didn't produce waste either. Anyone that saw him nekkid would've figured out something was amiss.

Out of interest, was he successful in his quest?
Partially. The campaign ended early, but the party did manage to uncover part of the sinister cult's plot (the party was actually working for them) and get the original covert operation back on its feet after locating their old members. They also helped thwart an attempt by Mephistopheles to merge Chendl with Cannia by destabilizing the world with another Greyhawk Wars, done by saving Lady Jolene from the archdevil's minions and destroying the vengeful erinyes that had engineered the entire plot for petty revenge against another party member (long story short, he's a metacognitive villain I invented in my first campaign ever, and he still hunts that player to this day for the conga line of humiliations he's suffered in his past lives).

This added up to my little plant buddy attracting the direct attention of Beory and receiving her blessing, with the implication that the plant body no longer had a strict shelf life. Since preventing the planet from circling the drain is his entire purpose.