Wizardry: Food Spells II
I've been neglecting one of my favorite GURPS Magic colleges, and that is the College of Food. It may seem silly to many, but in my opinion, this is an extremely welcome addition and the most unD&D things that Magic has. It does provide genuine utility both in downtime and in adventuring situations, and I definitely can see why some wizards would like to learn some of these spells from the in-universe standpoint. From a point of view of an actual player, I will try to make these spells cheap enough to be used with normal improvisation.
I do not recall any such spells in D&D books, but if I'm mistaken, feel free to call me a midwit in the comments.
Cook is a spell that lets you save time and effort with cooking. I'd love to know this spell.
Decay is a spell for jerks.
Distill concentrates a liquid, just in case you want a stronger alcoholic beverage.
Far-Smelling was decoupled from Far-Tasting. *snifffffffffffffffffff* Quite pungent indeed! Technically speaking, this should have been an Indefinite spell, but I made it instantaneous because I can. The most important thing here is to spell this spell's name correctly.
Far-Tasting can be used to identify potions and poisons without actually drinking the liquid in question or even without opening the container.
Hunger is a fatigue attack spell. Its Thirst counterpart is not present as it's covered by Horrid Wilting.
Know Recipe can be a useful spell not only for chefs, but also for alchemists.
Mature gave me a lot of food for thought, pun unindended. Back in the day, I made this spell as an expensive Affliction that afflicts Unaging with Age Control. Now, at first I thought I'd do it via Control as per GURPS Powers: The Weird, but that would be way too expensive. Instead, I went with the simplest option available - Create. Now, you simply transform food/drink into matured food/drink. Simple, cheap, and exactly what the original spell in GURPS Magic does.
Monk's Banquet lets you circumvent the need for sustenance entirely.
Poison Food is a rather expensive delayed damage spell.
Prepare Game can be quite useful, carefully separating a slain animal into meat, bones, skin, etc. for cooking and crafting. In addition, the spell does it 60 times faster than you'd be able to do it manually.
Preserve Food has shorter duration than its GURPS Magic counterpart. Since I'm making these spells for my games, this one incorporates a houserule that makes Unaging cost 5 points instead of 15. If you're not using this rule, increase the cost by 9 points, or pretend that this is Immunity to Rot [5].
Season can enhance (or worsen) an existing meal's flavor.
Seek Food is much more expensive, but it can be very useful even in adventuring situations. Even more useful to predatory casters.
Test Food is a crucial spell for court wizards.
Water to Wine does exactly that - turns water to wine.
Cook
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 4 seconds.
Range: 20 yards.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Turns raw ingredients into a finished meal. Produces only simple fare (stews, etc.), which is only as wholesome as the ingredients. No cooking-fire is necessary; the spell provides the heat. Each casting produces up to 2 pounds of food, which is enough for up to 2 meals for a human-sized creature.
Statistics: Create 0.45 (Accessibility, Only to transform into simple meals, -20%; Transmute Food to Food, +50%; Transmutation Only, -100%; Magical, -10%; Ranged, +40%; Reduced Range, 1/5, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [1].
Decay
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 3 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 2 FP.
Casting Time: 4 seconds.
Range: 10 yards.
Duration: Instantaneous.
This spell makes food rot away immediately and become worthless. It can be saved if Dispel Magic or Purify Food is cast within a minute. Each casting ruins up to 2 pounds of food.
Statistics: Create Food 0.45 (Destruction Only, +0%; Magical, -10%; Nuisance Effect, Can be saved, -10%; Ranged, +40%; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [3].
Distill
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 2 points.
Casting Roll: Skill. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim and Professional Skill (Distiller) to determine quality.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 2 seconds.
Range: 10 yards.
Duration: 10 seconds or permanent; see text.
This spell concentrates a liquid by removing water from it. This spell is mostly used to make strong alcoholic beverages, but alchemists also employ it for other purposes. Each use of the spell halves the volume of the liquid, doubling its concentration. One casting turns wine into fortified wine, two turns it into brandy, and three leaves a distillate of almost pure alcohol. Distill does not work on living subjects. The quality of the result depends on the caster’s Professional Skill (Distiller) roll and the quality of the starting liquid. Each casting transforms up to one quart of original liquid (about 2 pounds).
Created distilled liquid is unstable. It reverts back in 10 seconds unless you use character points to “stabilize” it. Each point spent stabilizes a quantity worth 10% of the campaign’s average starting wealth. Alternatively, you can use Permanency Points.
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 3 points for level 1 + 2 points/additional level.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 second.
Range: Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
You can smell something that you see with your unaided eyes, receiving no range penalties. You can do so even through solid objects totaling no more than 6” of thickness per spell level. This can be especially useful for sniffing out poisons, since the effects of a poison do not transfer via their odors.
Statistics: Long-Range Smell 3 (No Penalties; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Reduced Duration, 1/180, -40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Vision-Based, Reversed, -20%) [1] + Penetrating Smell 1 (Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Reduced Duration, 1/180, -40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Vision-Based, Reversed, -20%) [2/level]. Note: Penetrating Smell is a smell-based variant of Penetrating Vision (p. B74).
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 3 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 second.
Range: Self.
Duration: Instantaneous.
You can taste something that you see with your unaided eyes, receiving no range penalties. You can do so even through solid objects totaling no more than 6” of thickness. Typically, this is used to taste things through flasks or bottles.
Statistics: Long-Range Taste 4 (No Penalties; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Reduced Duration, 1/180, -40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Vision-Based, Reversed, -20%) [1] + Penetrating Taste 1 (Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Reduced Duration, 1/180, -40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Vision-Based, Reversed, -20%) [2]. Note: Penetrating Taste is a taste-based variant of Penetrating Vision (p. B74).
Hunger
Keywords: Resisted (HT).
Full Cost (Short-Range): 27 points.
Full Cost (Ranged): 32 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 second.
Range: Touch – Unlimited (-1/yard) - Unlimited (standard).
Duration: Instantaneous.
If the victim fails to resist, he takes 1d fatigue damage. Treat FP lost to the spell identically to FP lost to starvation (p. B426).
Statistics: Fatigue Attack 1d (Based on HT, +20%; Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; No Signature, +20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Starvation, +40%) [24]. The Short-Range version removes Melee Attack, Reach C, -30% [+3]. The Ranged version replaces Malediction 1, +100% with Malediction 2, +150% [+5].
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 9 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 minute.
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
When cast on any item of food, this spell lets the caster determine its recipe. This spell may be used on alchemical and chemical compounds, but at a -2 penalty. On a failure, you do not learn anything, and cannot attempt to learn that recipe again for 24 hours. A critical failure means that you cannot attempt casting this spell on this object ever again.
Statistics: Psychometry (Accessibility, Food and Chemicals Only, -30%; Accessibility, Only to learn recipe, -20%; Active Only, -20%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Directed, +50%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Magical, -10%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sensitive, +30%) [9].
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 4 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 minute.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: One minute or hour (see text), but the food remains mature permanently.
Causes any foodstuff that must age and mature as part of its production to do so more quickly. This is most often used with beer and wine, but it can also be used to accelerate cheese, yogurt, bread dough, or even meat. Aging processes that normally take days or weeks (beer, wine, aged cheese, pickles, dry-aged meats) take only an hour with this spell. Processes that normally take hours (bread dough, yogurt, fresh cheese) take only a minute. Processes which take years (vintage wines, thousand-year eggs) accelerate a year for every casting of the spell. Each casting affects up to 10 lbs. of food or drink.
Statistics: Create 1 (Accessibility, Only to transform into aged food/drink, -20%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Nuisance Effect, Gradual effect, -5%; Ranged, +40%; Transmute Food/Drink to Food/Drink, +50%; Transmutation Only, -100%; Magical, -10%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [4].
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost (Self): 18 points.
Full Cost (Touch): 33 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 2 FP.
Casting Time: 1 minute.
Range: Self – Touch.
Duration: 1 day.
Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Self Only, -50%; Advantage, Monk’s Banquet, +90%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP, -10%; Extended Duration, 1,000x, +120%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Magical, -10%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [18]. Note: “Monk’s Banquet” is Doesn’t Eat or Drink (Magical, -10%) [9]. The Touch version removes Accessibility, Self Only, -50% and Requires IQ Roll, -10% and adds Accessibility, Only nonvolitional or non-resisting subjects, -20%, Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Malediction 1, +100%, Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%, and No Signature, +20% [+15].
Poison Food
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost: 38 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 minute.
Range: Touch.
Duration: Permanent.
Introduces a physical poison into food. This poison remains indefinitely, but can be detected by Test Food. Anyone eating the poisoned food must make a HT-1 roll 1 minute later. On a failed roll, he is seized by painful stomach cramps, taking 2d toxic damage. If he loses 1/3 HP to this poison, he begins to experience moderate pain (p. B428) until he heals above this threshold. Poison Food affects one pound of food per casting.
Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Can only be cast into food, -30%; Advantage, Poison Food, +110%; Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; No Signature, +20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [38]. Note: “Poison Food” is Toxic Attack 2d (Aura, +80%; Blood Agent, -40%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Onset, 1 minute, -10%; Resistible, HT-1, -25%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, Moderate Pain, +60%) [11].
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 8 points.
Casting Roll: Skill. Use Professional Skill (Butcher) to determine the yields.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 1 minute.
Range: Touch.
Duration: 90 minutes.
“Dresses out” a slain animal. If cast on a deer, for instance, the hide is removed, along with all extraneous body parts and innards. If cast on a fish, it is gutted and scaled. Nothing is destroyed by the spell; all of the parts are simply appropriately separated and cleaned in such a way as to best prepare the animal for cooking. Meat, leather, and bone yields are determined by your Professional Skill (Butcher) skill as per Butchering, p. 6 of GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3: Daily Life and Economics.
The process of butchering takes one minute per 100 lbs. of whole body weight. The spell cannot butcher bodies heavier than it would be able to butcher completely during its duration. In other words, the spell can butcher bodies up to 9,000 lbs.
Statistics: Telekinesis 1 (Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Extended Duration, 30x, +60%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Independent, +40%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Nuisance Effect, Can only butcher something that can be butchered in the allowed timeframe, -10%; One Task, Butchering, -60%; Reduced Time 6, +120%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [8].
Preserve Food
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost: 25 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 10 minutes.
Range: Touch.
Duration: 2 days.
This spell keeps any food from spoiling, drying out, etc. In addition, it makes food immune to the Decay spell. Each casting affects up to 20 pounds of food in a container.
Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only on food in a container, -40%; Advantage, Preserve Food, +50%; Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Costs Fatigue, 3 FP, -15%; Extended Duration, 1,000x, +120%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Immediate Preparation Required, 10 minutes, -45%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; No Signature, +20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [25]. Note: “Preserve Food” is Unaging (Variant; Magical, -10%) [5].
Season
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 2 points.
Casting Roll: Skill. Use Cooking to determine whether the food tastes any better.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 4 seconds.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: Permanent.
Spices and seasons a single container of food to the caster’s preference. The caster’s Cooking skill determines whether the food tastes any better for it – the spell simply adds the flavors that the caster demands. Each casting affects up to 2 pounds of food, i.e. two meals for a human-sized creature.
Statistics: Control Food 0.45 (Aspected, Seasoning, -20%; Cosmetic, -80%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Magical, -10%; Ranged, +40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [2].
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost (Basic): 30 points.
Full Cost (Improved): 40 points.
Casting Roll: Skill. Use skill for analysis.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 2 FP.
Casting Time: 4 seconds.
Range: Unlimited (standard) – Unlimited (long-distance).
Duration: Instantaneous.
This spell detects sources of food. The food found will be wholesome, but not necessarily appetizing – e.g., edible insects. This spell can only find food that can be eaten safely by the caster without any cooking or other kinds of preparation involved. Thus, a human caster will not be able to detect a cow with Seek Food, but will be able to detect a steak. A carnivorous predatory caster will be able to detect a cow. The GM rolls against the caster’s skill (plus Talent), applying range penalties to the nearest source of food significant enough to provide you with at least one meal. The caster may exclude any specific food sources he wishes. Success reveals the exact location of the food source, but does not allow follow-up spells to be cast on it.
If the detection roll is successful, the GM makes a second roll against the better of the caster’s skill. Talent applies here but range penalties do not. Success reveals what the food source is, if the caster is familiar with it, or gives a more vague description, if the caster is not familiar with it.
The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
The basic (30-point) version of this spell takes standard range penalties. The improved (40-point) one uses long-distance modifiers.
Statistics: Detect (Food; Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Blockable, -20%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP, -10%; Magical, -10%; Precise, Nontargeting, +90%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Selective Effect, +20%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [30]. The improved version adds Long-Range 1 (+50%) [+10].
Test Food
Keywords: Information.
Full Cost: 7 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 4 seconds.
Range: Touch.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Identifies whether a substance is good to eat. The spell tells nothing about taste or nutrition; it detects poisons, dangerous decay, or foreign objects (razor blades in fruit). It does not check for magic or other supernatural effects on food. Each casting affects a food item or a prepared meal touched by the caster. He does not have to touch it directly – he may touch the plate it is on or other container.
Statistics: Detect (Food; Accessibility, Only to see if it’s safe to eat, -20%; Analysis Only, -50%; Analyzing, +100%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Nuisance Effect, Does not detect supernatural threats, -10%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [7].
Water to Wine
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 1 point.
Casting Roll: Skill. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim and Professional Skill (Brewer) to determine quality.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 1 FP.
Casting Time: 2 seconds.
Range: 10 yards.
Duration: 10 seconds or permanent; see text.
You transform water or other drinkable liquid into a mildly alcoholic beverage. The nature of the resulting drink depends on the starting material. Water or grape juice becomes wine; fruit juices become “coolers.” The quality of the result depends on the caster’s Professional Skill (Brewer) roll and the quality of the starting liquid. Each casting transforms up to 10 pounds of liquid (about 1.2 gallons of water).
Created beverage is unstable. It reverts back in 10 seconds unless you use character points to “stabilize” it. Each point spent stabilizes a quantity worth 10% of the campaign’s average starting wealth. Alternatively, you can use Permanency Points.
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