Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DorsetDas 08-13-05, 07:57 PM	One of my characters has had a mad but cool idea of making his character a cook using profession skills and feat from a book he has. Have checked it out feat allows him to make all food taste fantastic so i don't mind him using a feat slot up for it. Now he is talking about making food with special proporties like healing and bonus's to certain saves, before or after eating food. He wants to make stuff for the party. Now he has not started yet and I have enough to be doing with work and campaigns to sort this out so I have told him to write up the rules for what he is propossing and bring it back to me. I have been waiting for 2 months and no sign but we haven't done my campaign for various reasons, soon we will pick it up again. What I am wondering is can people give me any advice or suggestions about this. I like the idea in principle and think it could work but not sure if there should be any limitations or rule for COOKING up his food. 1. Does it need an xp use. If you make a benifical potion etc it does so shouldn't that be the same for food? 2. Does the food go off, i.e. shelf life, gets less effective after a few days and maybe minus effects after .... days? 3. Should I be looking at adapting the Eberron Articificer for him and say he can more into that class where he xp to spend on crafting. Anyway one for the melting pot so to speak any advice???? Dave
Tusz 08-13-05, 08:10 PM	For foods with actual benefits, I'd treat it like Craft for making things, and then use Alchemy as a guideline for what he could make and what it could do vs. how much it would cost and how hard it would be to make.
kliate 08-13-05, 08:20 PM	It's certainly an interesting idea. Here's my take on the situation: -Class should be bard. -Intelligence (for crafting) Wisdom (for profession) and Charisma (for selling) are going to be your most important ability scores. -Ingested items at low levels are probably best as alchemical in nature. There's no rule I know that says Antitoxin can't go down with the taste of honey (or whiskey, or milk, or powdered coal...) At these levels, the flavor is merely flavor. Invest heavily in Craft (alchemy) and profession (chef). Craft (food) might not be a bad idea, either. -An excellent cantrip to pick up would be Prestidigitation. -At higher levels, take the Brew Potion feat. Complete Arcane has several suggestions on how potions can be different from liquid in a vial, including food items. -For the adventurous DM, tweak the bard's bardic music ability into something involving profession (chef). Rather than singing his followers into battle, pass around some liquid courage with unique finishes that the character has been making a career out of studying, then give the same bonuses. If rewriting this particular ability to keep it balanced or even similar isn't your cup of tea, though, have the character invest in perform (sing) and get them going with a good drinking song -Diplomacy is this character's best friend. Consider adding a +2 bonus for the relaxing setting of a perfectly prepared meal.
clarkvalentine 08-13-05, 08:28 PM	This is a really cool idea. A few ideas for mundane things he could do: - Cook up a wonderful 3-course meal (if time and resources allow), which adds a +2 (as the Aid Another action) to Diplomacy and Gather Information checks made by his allies against NPCs while eating the meal - Allows him to find work in palace kitchens, which will allow him to spy and help his friends infiltrate the building - Know how to "spike the punch" in such a way that he can match the taste of the drug (poison?) and the food/drink, so it's undetectable except by (including by?) magic - Gives him a synergy bonus to Knowledge: Nature or Survival checks to determine if plants are diseased or blighted ("These leeks are inedible! Look at this fungus.") - Gives him a synergy bonus to Appraise checks related to fine wines and spirits (whiskey, not ghosts). If the player is interestd, consider tossing him a side quest or subplot involving someone illegally smuggling counterfeit wine. I'd recommend being as flexible as possible with things like food shelf life. Don't make him keep track of how fresh his lettuce is. If he's actually going to replicate magical effects, the Artificer would be a good class to consider mirroring, or make him take a feat (a la Brew Potion) and a level or two of a casting class. If you have access to it, you might want to look at the Master base class in the War Of The Lance sourcebook for Dragonlance 3.5 (it came out about a year ago). This base class is like a heroic Expert, it has rules for being useful with your Profession and Craft skills.
BadCatMan 08-13-05, 09:03 PM	And if the Cook finds that he prefers the wine/beer/spirits too much... Drunken Master. You might also be able to adapt Candle Caster (Tome & Blood) into Cake Caster or something.
DM-Vigilance 08-13-05, 10:23 PM	You might try the Complete Arcane variant: Potions with a different name. Let the character take the brew potion feat, but apply it to foods rather than vials. A few pros and cons would end up being that party members can't scarf down a plate of "cure moderate wounds" in one round, but then again a cook might be able to slip various magical foodstuffs into a noble's banquet.
Fixxxer 08-13-05, 10:44 PM	You might try the Complete Arcane variant: Potions with a different name. Let the character take the brew potion feat, but apply it to foods rather than vials. A few pros and cons would end up being that party members can't scarf down a plate of "cure moderate wounds" in one round, but then again a cook might be able to slip various magical foodstuffs into a noble's banquet. This is what I was going to suggest as well. Edit: I was going to give basic guidelines for a PrC this could be related to. in retrospect, I think I'll probably spend an hour working it out on paper before saying anything, just to see if it's worth the possibility of sticking my foot in my mouth. We'll see.
AntiDjinn 08-13-05, 11:51 PM	As far as XP for alchemical type effects, if it requires a profession roll and is dependent on special ingredients then it shouldn't cost any. A stew that gives a d4+1 enhancement to Con that requires black dragon liver is not going to be served up often enough to cause balance issue. If, on the other hand, he can make a gourmet meal out of anything and have it act like a potion, then he is basically doing Brew Potion with different special effects. I wouldn't impose heavy penalties on this because it sounds like an enjoyable character to have in the game. You will have other PCs clammoring for +6 weapons and this one is only trying to be Martha Stewart (though I doubt he will have her conviction). btw: I allow clerics using Create Food and Water who make a Profession (cook) roll to produce tastey food instead of tasteless goo. I also introduced a 3.0 psionic power that let shapers produce food that tasted like something the subject would want to eat (or like warm dung if the psion didn't care for the diner).
Shaken, not Stunned 08-14-05, 12:39 AM	I'm brash and uncaring, so I will make a prestige class here and now, moments after reading the first post and Fixxer's response. The Prodigal Chef HD: d6 Skills: 4+int/level Craft, Knowledge (all, taken individually), Profession, Sense motives, Spot. Requirements: Craft (alchemy) 8 ranks, Profession (cook) 8 ranks, Sense Motives 4 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks, Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Imbue Spell I 2nd +0 +3 +0 +2 Wonderous Tolerance 3rd +1 +3 +1 +3 Imbue Spell II Imbue Spell I: At first level, the prodigal chef may spend one hour to prepare a sit-down-and-eat meal for up himself and up to three of his friends. At the end of this one hour, the character my expend fifty exp and make a profession (cook) check to imbue the meal he prepared with a single zero, first, or second level spell with a range of self. The caster level is equal to half the result of the profession (cook) check, and the key ability is the character's highest mental stat. A result of a level incapable of casting the spell indicates a failure. The exp cost is still incured. Anyone who takes the time to sit down and eat (a process which takes 2d4 minutes) will gain the benefits of the spell immediately and until the duration of the spell expires. Wonderous Tolerance: At second level, a Prodigal Chef has experimented with so many different "seasonings" that he or she has become immune to both poisons and diseases which are aquired through inhalation or ingestion. This ability does not protect the character against poisons or diseases caused by magic, nor does it help against injury-transfered poisons or diseases. Furthermore, this character can get by eating what ever is available, regardless of what that is. The character is simply that good a cook. Imbue Spell II: At third level, the character gains the ability to imbue a meal with a spell which has a range of touch. This ability is subject to all of the rules of Imbue Spell I, accepting that the exp cost is one hundred and fifty, and the caster level is equal to one-third the profession (cook) check.
Chosen of the Dark Sun 08-14-05, 01:27 AM	I'm brash and uncaring, so I will make a prestige class here and now, moments after reading the first post and Fixxer's response. The Prodigal Chef HD: d6 Skills: 4+int/level Craft, Knowledge (all, taken individually), Profession, Sense motives, Spot. Requirements: Craft (alchemy) 8 ranks, Profession (cook) 8 ranks, Sense Motives 4 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks, Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Imbue Spell I 2nd +0 +3 +0 +2 Wonderous Tolerance 3rd +1 +3 +1 +3 Imbue Spell II Imbue Spell I: At first level, the prodigal chef may spend one hour to prepare a sit-down-and-eat meal for up himself and up to three of his friends. At the end of this one hour, the character my expend fifty exp and make a profession (cook) check to imbue the meal he prepared with a single zero, first, or second level spell with a range of self. The caster level is equal to half the result of the profession (cook) check, and the key ability is the character's highest mental stat. A result of a level incapable of casting the spell indicates a failure. The exp cost is still incured. Anyone who takes the time to sit down and eat (a process which takes 2d4 minutes) will gain the benefits of the spell immediately and until the duration of the spell expires. Wonderous Tolerance: At second level, a Prodigal Chef has experimented with so many different "seasonings" that he or she has become immune to both poisons and diseases which are aquired through inhalation or ingestion. This ability does not protect the character against poisons or diseases caused by magic, nor does it help against injury-transfered poisons or diseases. Furthermore, this character can get by eating what ever is available, regardless of what that is. The character is simply that good a cook. Imbue Spell II: At third level, the character gains the ability to imbue a meal with a spell which has a range of touch. This ability is subject to all of the rules of Imbue Spell I, accepting that the exp cost is one hundred and fifty, and the caster level is equal to one-third the profession (cook) check. Actually, that's not bad.
Cymraegmorgan 08-14-05, 02:10 AM	You could borrow a page from the old Norse religion and have edible familiars. Both Thor and Andhrimnir have animal companions, goats and a boar respectively, that can be eaten, then brought back to life so long as the bones and skin are not lost. Throw in some minor healing properties and BAM, a good time will be had by all.
Antioch 08-14-05, 03:13 AM	Wow, interesting ideas for materials here. An Edible Familiar would be strange, in that the wizard or sorcerer could consume it, regain hitpoints, but lose access to it for a period of time as it slowly regrows. Or, upon eating it, it reamins alive for a number of rounds equal to 3 + your Int modifier or whatnot, dying unless restored to a positive hit point balance. For the chef idea, I would remove the cost, allowing the chef to emulate certain curing spells (like the effect of a healing circle) by spending time and making a nice Cooking check to complete the effect. It would be similar to a very limited, ritual-timed healing spell, so wouldnt be terribly overbalanced considering the level that you make it available at. Perhaps a Cooking feat tree?
DorsetDas 08-14-05, 05:27 AM	Cheers for all the ideas. Not so sure about the not being too strict as it a good idea. I like the idea but if he can start produce biscuits of curing on demand and store them for as long as he wants then why is he adventuring he has a gold mine that he is sitting on. He also claims the mark on potions is so huge that he can produce the items for cheep cheep cheep!!! I know D&D ecomonies are a bit broke but don't want the situation oh he got a poision oh well I have a Vegtable Soup of Cure Poision it won't take long and you'll be ok, give me 20 minutes to warm it up. That what I am worried about and why I thought the xp cost as in brew potion would be good, as well as the shelf life idea. Like the idea of the bonus's for getting job and gather information have already got that side for him in the game. At the moment he is a Rouge/Ranger/Bard Lvl 1 in all. Anyway thanks for the ideas. Dave
tharivol266 08-14-05, 10:19 AM	head chef. pre req.s skill: profession cooking 8 ranks, craft alchemy 8 ranks. spells: ability to cast 3rd level spells class skills: profession, craft, survival, sense motive, spot, search. level..bab..fort..ref..will....special 1..........0......2.....0....0.....impro ved forager 2..........1......3.....1...1......plate of cure light wounds 3..........1......3.....1...1......exper t forager 4..........2......4.....2...2......plate of cure moderate wounds 5..........3......5.....3...3......maste r forager 6..........3......5.....3...3.....cookin g proficiency, plate of cure serious wounds 7..........4......6.....4...4......mask poison 8..........5......7.....5...5......plate of cure critical wounds 9..........5......7.....5...5......impro ved mask poison 10........6......8.....6...6.......pot of cure moderate wounds improved forager: head chefs know how to find food and gain a +2 bonus of survival checks to find food and know imediatly whether the food has been spoiled or not plate of cure light wounds: once/class level per day a head chef can spend an hour preparing a meal and when eaten gives the benifits of a cure light wounds spell. the head chef can prepare meals like this for multiple people at once but a single person can only benifit from the effects once per day. the meals go bad an hour after preperation is complete and can no longer be consumed. the head chef uses he class level as his caster level. expert forager: the bonus goes up to +4 and the head chef now have a +2 bonus versus ingested or inhaled poisons. plate of cure moderate wounds: as plate of cure light wounds except one once/2 class levels per day and the effect is that of a cure moderate wounds spell. master forager the bonus of survival checks increases to +6 and the head chef is now immune to ingested and inhaled poison and has a +2 bonus versus all other poisons. cooking proficiency: the head chef can now use all cooking tools as weapons without penalty for non-proficiency or improvised weapons. plate of cure serious wounds:as plate of cure minor wounds except the effect is that of a cure serious wounds spell and is only usable once/3 class levels per day. mask poison if the head chef spends an hour prepareing a meal he can add a poison so perfectly that it cant be detected by any non-magical means. plate of cure critical wounds as plate of cure minor wounds except the effect is that of a cure critical wounds spell and only usable twice per day improved mask poison as mask poison except the poison can not be detected by any means. pot of cure moderate wounds once per day the head chef can spend an hour prepairing a large dish(like a pot of soup) and for the nect hour after completion anyone who ingests some of this dish becomes effected by the spell cure moderate wounds. the caster level is equal to the head chef's class level.
DorsetDas 08-14-05, 05:14 PM	Cheers for the class idea. Not bad but only really focuses on the healing side of the food thing the guy doing the ooking is basically looking for a character that can produce the effects of many of the potions from the DMG, which is why I'm worried about him, don't want to upset his cool idea but also don't want him becomeing more effective than a wizard and it. Origionally thought it a cool aside, now worried it might go further. Dave
Shaken, not Stunned 08-14-05, 06:54 PM	I would love to answer the comments in your second post, but it is impenetrable. What where you trying to say?
tharivol266 08-14-05, 07:11 PM	im a cook in real life and everything thats good enough to carry an effect doesnt really last more than a few hours before it degrades somewhat. and u can forget about it lasting more than a day especially w/o refridgeration. so the shelf life of potion foods would be extremly limited
DorsetDas 08-14-05, 07:19 PM	Sorry have a small with grammer and spelling there is a name for it but it not thick lol. What I'm saying is that the template looks a lot like someone who produces healing and I know my friend wants to do more, like produce food that has the effects of many potions from the DMG and also maybe bonus's for saving throws on things. Now I think that a cool idea and want to know how to run it. Don't want it to basically get rid of the need for potions or make it so easy to do that the cook would say "wait a sec I can make loads of money doing this why adventure?" Was thinking of articificer type character who gets xp to produce things and has craft alchemy, cooking and profession cooking in his skill tree. But not sure what else I need to do. What i'm looking for is other ideas I may not have thought of. The above class doesn't really do more than a bit of healing and posion stuff, it is a good idea not knocking in and thanks for his effort. Really just looking for how people might deal with the problem and what I and the player could use to help as I'd like to have his ideas in the process. Does that explain it any better I hope sorry for the mad rabblings lol.
tharivol266 08-14-05, 07:23 PM	u could just use the brew potion feat and have it work in a different way too but i really think u should watch how long he has the stuff. a month old chicken broth of speed cannot still be good without refridgeration.
DorsetDas 08-14-05, 07:26 PM	Yeah did post that earlier in this link and someone said I was been to tough and let the idea roll. I was thinking the Brew Potion feat myself with a twist but character hasn't got any levels of wizard YET. Would get around a lot of probs. Do think there has to be a time limit or shelf life to the food, or maybe even a side effect if it has gone of lol. Dave
tharivol266 08-14-05, 08:14 PM	wait u want to make a way for him to make potions without casting the spells? why not just let the group barbarion start making gaunlets of ogres strength
Shaken, not Stunned 08-14-05, 08:24 PM	See, my three level prestige class gets all sorts of neat effects from all the spell-casters in the game. You actually wouldn't be able to use healing spells until the third level, though. Of course at that level you get something much neater than poison: negative energy muffins! Inflict minor wounds pancake! Ray of frost french fries! Ham sandwich of hammer! A level one prodigal cook would be looking at spells like mage armor, true strike, sheild, and the like. I think an added stipulation of a shelf life of three hours would be appropriate, but unnecessary. It balances pretty well as compared to other prestige classes with less than ten levels. Your grammer is not real good, but you get the point across. That is the important part. Oh, and Tharival, have you play tested it yet? I didn't think so. Taking a multi-level dip is not the same thing as saying "Sure, buddy, go 'head and manufacture items the pre-requisits for which you do not meet." Many prestige classes grant unusual or special abilities. There are also numerous feats which grant peculiar abilities balanced by pre-requisits, and sometimes not even that. Look at the spell-feats from CA, or whirlwind attack. "How can you just give the level four fighter (and yes, you can get that feat by level four) 7 extra attacks!?!?! That is crazy!" So, you know, be careful about those knee-jerk reactions.
DorsetDas 08-14-05, 08:32 PM	No I don't want him to he wants to!!!!! That what I keep saying as in origional post. He wants to make stuff with no levels of Magic-user. My last post says he has not levels and the in capitals I added YET!!! Thought that might give you the clue I expect he will have to. Only an idiot would think you can do any of this without magic and I am not that! I want some advice how you would treat the suggestion. I like the idea in principle but con't see anyway to produce food with magical effects without magic and am not trying to. Just looking for ideas and if any catch my eye use them if they don't then thanks for the advice. He might go down the route of only small bonus's only for things like fort saves as he has mentioned this as well, would that need magic or just alchemy stuff. Short duration stuff so this would not need magic. Healing as I have said would. Hope that clears that up for you. Dave Oh and barbarian couldn't craft gauntlets of orge power he would need the craft wonderous item feat!
Cymraegmorgan 08-14-05, 10:06 PM	im a cook in real life and everything thats good enough to carry an effect doesnt really last more than a few hours before it degrades somewhat. and u can forget about it lasting more than a day especially w/o refridgeration. so the shelf life of potion foods would be extremly limited That is what preservation and adjunct spells are for.
AntiDjinn 08-14-05, 10:08 PM	Not so sure about the not being too strict as it a good idea. I like the idea but if he can start produce biscuits of curing on demand and store them for as long as he wants then why is he adventuring he has a gold mine that he is sitting on. If you enforce the need for special ingredients then you basically control how often he can produce a batch of whatever. If biscuits of curing require wheat grown in celestia or a teaspoon of zest of the fruit of the tree of life then he isn't going to be turning out more batches than you as the DM give him the ingredients. If you are not going to require special ingredients -- if any biscuits he happens to bake can cure wounds -- then enforce an XP requirement and/or require that the skill check indicate a masterwork batch in order for the special properties to manifest.
Fixxxer 08-14-05, 10:16 PM	wait u want to make a way for him to make potions without casting the spells? why not just let the group barbarion start making gaunlets of ogres strength An alchemist can make a sunrod without needing to know the light spell. I don't see much of a difference. The idea here is to allow a non-spellcaster to create foods that mimick the effects of healing spells, not produce the spells themselves.
Antioch 08-17-05, 04:53 AM	My own stab at a prestige class for cooking. Sorry that I didnt include the table, but what I'm looking for is feedback because I have about four pages of cooking material that I want to submit to Regdar's Repository (feats, skill useage, equipment, spells, etc) and I just wanted feedback on this. Prestige Class: Chef D'epelle Requirements To qualify to become a chef d’epelle, a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Feats: Professional Cook, Skill Focus (profession [cooking]). Skills: Profession (cooking) 10+ ranks. Class Skills The chef d’epelle’s class skills (and the key ability for each) are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Profession (any) (Wis), and Survival (Wis). Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier Class Features The following are class features of the chef d’epelle. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A chef d’epelle knows how to use any cooking utensil as a form of defense, treating such tools as either a dagger or club as appropriate. A chef d’epelle does not suffer a penalty for using them as improvised weapons. A chef d’epelle otherwise does not gain proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields. Ambrosial Cuisine (Ex): A 1st level chef d’epelle’s food is inspiring, almost magical in nature, imparting lasting benefits to those who consume it. The number of creatures that can be fed varies depending on the result of her Profession (cooking) roll, but otherwise has no limit. A chef d’epelle selects one of the cuisines below each time she gains a level in chef d’epelle. She can choose to prepare any meal as one of the ones she knows how to make, continually granting the listed bonuses. Such effects do not stack if the chef d’epelle uses the same meal more than once. A creature may gain the effects of no more than two ambrosial cuisines at a time. Creatures must be alive and able to consume the food (creatures without mouths or metabolisms, such as most oozes and undead, for example, cannot benefit from this effect), as well as creatures without Intelligence scores. Brain Food: +2 enhancement bonus to Intelligence and to Will saves for ten minutes per rank in Profession (cooking). Hearty Meal: Grants the Endurance feat for one hour per rank in Profession (cooking). If affected creature already has Endurance, the bonus is increased to +6. Fast Food: +4 enhancement bonus to Constitution but also incurs a –1 penalty to initiative checks and Reflex saves for one hour per rank in Profession (cooking). Fine Dining: +4 enhancement bonus to Charisma for ten minutes per rank in Profession (cooking). Meat Buffet: +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and to Fortitude saves for ten minutes per rank in Profession (cooking). Midnight Snack: Food must be served before sleeping. Creatures only need four hours of sleep in order to be completely resting. Each additional use requires a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1 per each additional night without full amount of sleep) if used more than one night in a row. Has no effect on creatures that do not actually sleep. Spicy Dish: Base land speed is increased by 10 feet, and when charging affected creatures gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls instead of the normal +2. Effect lasts for ten minutes per rank in Profession (cooking). The bonus to speed is an enhancement bonus. Vegetarian Platter: +2 enhancement bonus to initiative checks and Reflex saves for ten minutes per rank in Profession (cooking). Improvised Utensils (Ex): A 1st level chef d’epelle is never without tools, able to use seemingly mundane items and objects to great effect. A chef d’epelle suffers no penalties to her Profession (cooking) checks when she uses improvised tools in the process. Master Cook (Ex): A 2nd level chef d’epelle gains a +2 bonus on Profession (cooking) checks. Taste Testing (Ex): A 2nd level chef d’epelle can detect whether food is poisoned or otherwise containing harmful bacteria by simply smelling it or by consuming a tiny portion. The chef d’epelle must succeed a DC 15 Wisdom check to detect the harmful substance. If she detects a contaminant she may choose to discard the food or attempt to sanitize it. The chef d’epelle is in no danger of contracting the disease or becoming poisoned by use of this ability unless she fails to detect the harmful substance and consumes a normal amount. Medicinal Herbs (Ex): A 2nd level chef d’epelle knows which herbs and spices carry medicinal properties. She can make Heal checks to cure poison and diseases using her ranks in Profession (cooking) skill instead. Preserve Food (Ex): A 3rd level chef d’epelle knows how to properly preserve foods to prevent spoil. A successful DC 15 Profession (cooking) check allows her to prolong the shelf life of a food item for one additional day. Each +2 that her check exceeds the DC, the food lasts another day (a check of 17 means it lasts two additional days, 19 means three, etc). Each check may only be made once per food item. Fascinating Preperation (Ex): A 4th level chef d’epelle can choose to use a variety of awe-inspiring moves as she makes her food allowing her to distract those that are watching her. Creatures must be within 60 feet and be able to see the chef d’epelle. Other distractions such as combat or obvious dangers prevent this ability from working. The chef d’epelle can fascinate one creature in this fashion per three ranks in Profession (cooking) beyond the first (two at four ranks, three at seven ranks, etc). The creature is entitled to a Will save with a DC equal to the Profession (cooking) check made by the chef d’epelle. If the Will save succeeds, that creature cannot be affected by the chef d’epelle’s preparation method for 24 hours. If the Will save fails, the creature watches the chef d’epelle as she cooks, suffering a –4 penalty to skills made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot. An ally of the chef d’epelle that approaches the fascinated creature requires another skill check (and allow another Will save with a DC equal to the new skill check). Obvious dangers such as a weapon being drawn, or a spell being cast, automatically breaks the effect. Sanitization (Ex): A 4th level chef d’epelle knows of certain materials and techniques to eliminate harmful contaminations in food. Doing so takes ten minutes, after which time the chef d’epelle makes a Profession (cooking) check against the save DC of the disease or poison in the food, essentially allowing the food to make a Fortitude save using her skill as the bonus. If the check is successful, the contaminant is removed, and the food may be consumed without ill effect. The DM may rule that certain foods cannot be sanitized, such as food that has been extensively infected by mold. Exemplary Chef (Ex): A 5th level chef d’epelle has mastered the art of cooking, gaining a +5 bonus on Profession (cooking) checks. This overlaps the bonus provided by master cook at 2nd level. In addition, she also gains a +5 bonus on Knowledge (nature) checks in regards to edible herbs and spices, and to Survival checks when foraging for food.
Thesen 08-17-05, 08:21 AM	I don't think you have to go as far as making a prestige class for this. Just keep it simple. I had a ranger make the request to be an herbalist, so now she rolls survival checks to find the appropiate herbs (she made a master list of what temp/climate they're found in) and profession herbalist checks to make them. As for their effects, they do minor things like heal an extra hp per lvl for a night's sleep, or grant a +1 bonus to saving throws against poisons, or even add a +2 synergy to healing checks. You can work along the same lines and have the character use rare spices or herbs in his cooking to have similar effects to the ones listed above. Maybe magical creatures like displacer beasts can give some sort of "minor displacement" when ingested, or allow PCs to resist such magic. You can even make it like the elven bread from Lord of the Rings. Perhaps a few bites of your cook's meal can keep a man satisfied for an entire day of travel and combat. You could make certain recipes help resist cold or fire effects. I suggest to keep it simple and minor and have it planned out from the beginning (i.e. what animals / magic beasts recipes can do what) so you don't run into problems like, "Well...what if I use the dead paladin's carcass for a meal. Can we all get his lay on hands ability for a day?" It could be disastrous.
tharivol266 08-17-05, 09:36 AM	An alchemist can make a sunrod without needing to know the light spell. I don't see much of a difference. The idea here is to allow a non-spellcaster to create foods that mimick the effects of healing spells, not produce the spells themselves. the sunrod doesnt mimick the spell. its completly different. alchemists fires dont mimick fireballs they're two different things. i could see if the food gave a +1 caster level on healing spells of Xamount of time, or +2 on heal checks but not do the actual healing without the maker needing to have spells.
Fixxxer 08-17-05, 11:22 AM	the sunrod doesnt mimick the spell. its completly different. alchemists fires dont mimick fireballs they're two different things. i could see if the food gave a +1 caster level on healing spells of Xamount of time, or +2 on heal checks but not do the actual healing without the maker needing to have spells. Alright, then completely forget that I said "mimick." The food this guy produces just happens to be able to heal 1d8 points of damage to whoever eats it. It's not magical at all, it just happens by luck of the draw to be able to heal the same amount of damage as a low-level healing spell (minus the bonuses a spellcaster gets for his level). Doesn't seem so hard to accept. As a side note, I did design that PrC, I just forgot to post about it. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you....THE HOLISTIC CHEF (http://www.dndarchive.com/class_holistic_chef.html)!
Antioch 08-18-05, 12:14 AM	The goal of my chef was to allow buffs that are non-magical in nature, as so many prestige classes are heavily reliant on, or otherwise use, magical effects.
UltimateReality 08-18-05, 12:32 AM	Pages 137 and 138 of the Complete Arcane have a section called "Alternate Item Types". Among these item types is: Potions - magic fruit, and Potions - spell wafers. It's not much of a stretch to come up with magic drinks or other food from this. In order to make alternate potions, according to the CA rules, a caster must have both Brew Potion and Craft Wondrous Item. (It also includes rules for alternate scrolls, btw.) Problem solved, no PrC, wacky feat, or weird rulestwisting needed.
High Octane 08-18-05, 12:55 AM	Quina: Cook good food! I find frogs now!
DorsetDas 08-18-05, 06:37 AM	Hi all and thanks for all the discussion and information relating to this topic. Like some of the idea and am most likely going with the craft potion etc.. idea as it involves less work from me. So very cool ideas and suggestions from everyone and thanks again for all your work and imput. Dave