The Magic of Food
1. Intro
2. Magically Created Foods
3. Preparation
4. Presentation
5. The School of Culinancy
6. A Selection of Related Items
7. Odd recipes and Spectacles
Appendix A: Long Term Effects of consuming magically created foods
1. Introduction
Food has been the focus of most of Man’s efforts for much of our history. Should magic be available, it doubtless would be applied to the realm of food.
This submission is intended to both present some of my ideas on the subject, and as a place to gather others.
Magic can easily be directed to many aspects of food - production, preparation, preservation, etc. It can open up new ways of preparing otherwise unedible materials and can in fact create foods directly.
Additional Ideas (7)
2. Magically Created Foods
Many game systems provide magic that allows for the creation of food, though unless your intent is to eliminate this type of logistics from your campaign, there should be a serious catch. True enough that if only one person in your group can create food magically, you are one arrow1 away from having to think about it again, and so it can be a calculated risk, but I still believe there must be a tradeoff. The food should either come at some kind of price - physical or metaphysical. For food created via divine magics, the recipients had best be at the very least, openly grateful for the boon, lest the food turn to ash in their mouths. Food created by other sources should have some form of danger - odd magical effects, perhaps increasing the consumer's sensitivity to magic, or other effects which would discourage long-term use of this food source. See further down for a table for potential side effects of magically created food.3. Magic and Food Preparation & Production
With access to elemental forces, transformations and shaping spells, the opportunities to apply to food preparation are limitless.4. Magic and Presentation
Perhaps the most spectacular application, and certainly the most visible, the application of magic to the presentation of food can turn an already sumptuous feast into a spectacle worthy of an emperor! Here follows a list of ideas of magical food presentation:"For the 3rd course, servants came out bearing massive clay jars filled with near-scalding water. One was placed between each pair of guests. Each guest was then given a short, ivory fishing rod, complete with hook and line. Intrigued, I dropped my line into the steaming water and was shocked when something actually bit! I pulled back on the rod and out from the water popped a small fish, thrashing around. One of the servants came forward with a silver platter and a knife. The moment the fish touched the platter, it ceased moving. The servant then gingerly cut the line, removed the hook and deboned the fish. It was already poached and gutted! To finish the preparation, the servant added a sprinkle of fine pepper and sea salt."
5. The School of Culinancy
This school of magic concerns itself with the art of food preparation, from mundane daily meals, to lavish feasts showcasing the finest of their art. Virtually all of the Culinancer spells are highly dependant upon mundane skill, the magic used to amplify the skill of the culinancer and to save time. Some spells provide abilities no mundane chef could hope to achieve. Those that might think a mere sorcer-cook would be harmless had best remember that the only thing keeping them off the menu is morality. Many of the tools of the cook are dangerous, and this is true also for a Culinancer!6.)A Selection of Related Items
Food Golems A staple of the Spectacles created by culinancers, these golems are very weak and temporary in nature. Made of typical foodstuffs, they are animated by magic and can actually carry out fairly complex routines on command. They have no 'center' and generally remain animated so long as some portion remains uneaten and the food is still edible, at the discretion of the Culinancer. Unlike other golem types, there is no requirement that they consist entirely of one material and some could consider these as constructs as opposed to golems. The Golems can also be provided with other enchantments to add to the presentation. Spells imparting flight, illusion production, flaming breath, etc can be employed to further dazzle the diners.Magespice Lesser Magespice Weight for weight, same cost as silver. Will take up the flavour and properties of a sample of spice introduced to it. It will keep the introduced properties for years. It will not take up the flavour and properties of salt.
Endless Goblets/Tankards Not truly endless, these drinking vessels have been enchanted to contain significantly more liquid then their size might indicate. At the beginning of the evening, on can charge the vessel with sufficient beverage to see one through the night. The maximum capacity of such vessels is generally two gallons, though smaller and larger versions exist. They may appear as any type of drinking vessel. Note, if broken, the entire content of the goblet will burst forth suddenly, making these good, if rather expensive, water bombs.
7. Odd recipes and Spectacles
Roast Unicorn Actually a normal horse with a hand-crafted ivory horn fused to its head, this beast has been roasted nearly whole and through the use of metal pins has been posed Rampant. Only the front half of the beast is present on the enormous platter. To further the illusion, the horn is enchanted to radiate light and the horse's flesh has been heavily spiced.Appendix A: Long Term Effects of Consuming Magically Created Foods
| 1. | Color Change. Consumer's skin tone will gradually shift towards another color not considered normal for the being's race. Effect will reverse, but at a rate slower then acquired. Note: Eating too many carrots in real-life can make you turn orange. I know from experience! | ||||||||||||
| 2. | Aura Acquisition - Consumer begins to radiate magic, getting stronger over time. Eventually the person may begin to glow slightly. | ||||||||||||
| 3. | Magic VulnerabilityConsumer becomes more readily impacted by magic, both beneficial and hostile. | ||||||||||||
| 4. | Magic Allergy - roll on this subtable
| ||||||||||||
| 5.) Consumer develops one of the odd Allergy effects (as per 4.1 .. 4.6 above) but the effect is constant, rather then in the presence of magic. | |||||||||||||
| 6.) Subject begins to grow slightly - adding a small amount to the weight and height each week. Effect should top out at 25% greater then normal for their species and age. 7.) Subject acquires an animal-like body part, such as a tail or horns. Alternately, they could begin to grow fur or have their legs change towards animal-like forms. If the foods were of a darker nature, then possibly demonic forms may be appropriate. 8.) Subject smells strongly of a random foodstuff - this effect cannot be removed except by magical means, or by overpowering it with a different scent. |
Codex
Bacon Elemental ( Lifeforms ) Constructed - City/ RuinThe result of a disastrous summoning accident involving a fire elemental, a pig farm, and a farmer’s daughter, bacon elementals can only be described as delicious.
Zythumancy ( Systems ) Mystical - General
Beer Magic!
New Submissions



October 3, 2008, 12:52
244.
October 3, 2008, 16:25
October 3, 2008, 16:37
Food Golems! Mage Spice! Odd Recipes and Spectacles! And of course, a School of Culinancy!
A tour de force!
Food is an integral part of every game I've ever GM'd and I find this codex to be simply awesome!
October 3, 2008, 20:32
October 3, 2008, 23:34
In my own fantasy setting, I had a limitation that magical food could be produced, but while ot loked, smelled, and tasted like food, it had no nutritional value. Eating magic food was a sure way to end up dead of starvation with a full belly.
October 4, 2008, 14:37
Excellent submission! I'll be sure to steal something of it.
October 5, 2008, 13:03
March 25, 2009, 23:10
March 26, 2009, 11:53
August 20, 2010, 20:22
June 19, 2013, 10:25