Cooking
While adventuring in the wilderness, more often than not, adventurers will completely forget about all those rations they've been eating for the past week when they stop to take inventory. Which is perfectly fine! Rations aren't the tastiest of things and can become even blander when eaten every day.
A healthy and varied diet though, with fresh vegetables and meats can make quite the difference in an adventurer's lifestyle. What they say is true; you are what you eat. So be interesting and colorful, instead of just being nutritive.
Cook's Utensils
XGtE gives you a single mechanical use for cook's utensils (1 extra hit point per hit die rolled on a short rest), but along with that, meals can also give other beneficial lingering effects to a party with a decent enough cook.
Whenever a survival check is made within the past 24 hours to scavenge and hunt for food, a cook's utensils check can be made using Wisdom or Intelligence to prepare a meal. Usually this is done at the end of a long rest, as other party members are preparing spells, armor is being donned and weapons are being repaired.
If game and vegetation is ample (and bodies of water are nearby), the main cook can take their pick of ingredients, otherwise, they have to make do with what's available.
After finishing a long rest, make a Cook's Utensil check using Wisdom or Intelligence.
Compare the roll's result with the table below, then roll a d4 to see which effect your meal will grant the party for the next 16 hours (usually until the next long rest).
You can attempt to prepare one specific meal you have done before, choosing a specific effect and making the test with disadvantage.
The Difficulty class for this test has a base number the cook has to beat, and for every person other than the cook that benefits from this meal, a modifier is added to the DC. The following examples assume a party of 5 characters.
Meats (Hunting)
| d4 | DC 12 (8+1 per person) | DC 18 (10 + 2 per person) | DC 24 (12 + 3 per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +5 movement speed | +10 movement speed | +15 movement speed |
| 2 | +1 to initiative | +2 to initiative | +3 to initiative |
| 3 | Crit. deal one extra weapon damage die | Crit. deals two extra weapon damage dice | Crit. deals three extra weapon damage die |
| 4 | Your carrying capacity increases by 10 lbs. | Your carrying capacity increases by 20 lbs. | Your carrying capacity increases by 30 lbs. |
Fish (Fishing)
| d4 | DC 12 (8+1 per person) | DC 18 (10 + 2 per person) | DC 24 (12 + 3 per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You can add a d4 to your next d20 roll | You can add a d6 to your next d20 roll | You can add a d8 to your next d20 roll |
| 2 | Recover 1 hit die | Recover 2 hit die | Recover 3 hit die |
| 3 | Maximize next hit dice rolled | Maximize next 2 hit dice rolled | Maximize next 3 hit dice rolled |
| 4 | +1 to Death Save Throws | +2 to Death Save Throws | +3 to Death Save Throws |
Vegetables (Gathering)
| d4 | DC 12 (8+1 per person) | DC 18 (10 + 2 per person) | DC 24 (12 + 3 per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 on Saving Throws | +2 on Saving Throws | +3 on Saving Throws |
| 2 | Advantage on saves against Poison | Resistance to poison + advantage on saves | Immunity to Poison |
| 3 | +1 to passive perception | +2 to passive perception | +3 to passive perception |
| 4 | Heal hit points equal to cook's prof. bonus + level | Heal hit points equal to cook's prof. bonus + level. Doubled | Heal hit points equal to cook's prof. bonus + level. Tripled |
Secret Recipes
Aside from the examples above, some recipes are more unique, granting specific benefits, and using ingredients that aren't readily available. A cook can find these recipes by traveling the world. Here are some exemples of how different proficiencies might give you new secret recipes.
- Proficiency in Nature might allow a cook to discover recipes that use certain vegetables with magical properties.
- Proficiency in History might allow a cook to discover recipes by visiting different cities and cultures.
- Proficiency in Medicine might allow a cook to discover recipes to bolster someone's health.
- Proficiency in Sleight of Hand might allow a cook to discover recipes with ingredients that are hard or dangerous to handle.
Royal Jelly Quiche
Prequisites: History discovery DC 18
- Ingredients Northern Blue Honey (100 gp/meal)
- Cook DC 14 + 2 per person
- Benefit Advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws
Tea Brewing
In a world without mass-produced beverages, adventurer's will relish in drinking a refreshing fruit juice, or an aromatic herbal tea, or whatever else you fancy dilluting in water as you travel.
By having another character brew tea or prepare beverages, the party can gain small, momentary benefits that makes their journey easier.
During a Short or Long rest, make a Herbalism Kit test using Wisdom.
Compare the roll result with the table below, then roll a d4 to see which effect your beverages will have until they are used or the next short or long rest.
The Difficulty class for this test has a base number the Brewer have to beat. Then, a modifier for every person beyond the brewer. The following examples assume a party of 5 characters.
Juices (Cool Drinks)
All effects are one use only. You can forfeit this effect to instead halve the next fire damage you suffer or endure 1 more hour of extremely hot environments.
| d4 | DC 10 (6+1 per person) | DC 16 (8 + 2 per person) | DC 22 (10 + 3 per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Add a d6 to your next d20 roll | Add a d8 to your next d20 roll | Add a d10 to your next d20 roll |
| 2 | Advantage on next persuassion or deception roll | Advantage and +5 to next persuassion or deception roll | Automatically succeed next persuasion or deception roll |
| 3 | Reduce one damage you suffer by a d8 | Halve one damage you suffer | Ignore one damage you suffer |
| 4 | Hold you breath for 1 extra minute | Hold your breath for 5 extra minutes | Hold your breath for 10 extra minutes |
Teas (Hot Drinks)
All effects are one use only. You can forfeit this effect to instead halve the next cold damage you suffer or endure 1 more hour of extremely cold environments.
| d4 | DC 10 (6+1 per person) | DC 16 (8 + 2 per person) | DC 22 (10 + 3 per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gain one extra bonus action | Gain one extra action | Have two turns in a row |
| 2 | Reroll one damage, use higher | Maximize one damage die | Roll one extra damage die |
| 3 | +1 to next Intelligence skill check | +2 to next Intelligence skill check | +2 and Advantage to next Intelligence skill check |
| 4 | +1 AC until next turn | +2 AC until next turn | +3 AC until next turn |
Tart Rolls
Prequisites: Sleight of Hand discovery DC 16
- Ingredients Refined Pufferfish Poison (25 gp/meal)
- Cook DC 10 + 1 per person
- Benefit 60 ft of Darkvision
Steamed Algae
Prequisites: Nature discovery DC 18
- Ingredients Fey Seaweed (30 gp/meal)
- Cook DC 10 + 1 per person
- Benefit Can breathe underwater
Eldritch Mead
Prequisites: Arcana discovery DC 24
- Ingredients Illithid Milk (250 gp/brew)
- Brew DC 16 + 3 per person
- Benefit Teleport back to the place where you brewed this drink.
Salty Beer
Prequisites: Medicine discovery DC 14 or Persuasion discovery DC 22 (vs. Onell Clarken)
- Ingredients Briney Hops (10 gp/brew)
- Brew DC 12 + 2 per person
- Benefit The next cantrip you cast deals extra 1d6 psychic damage. If the affected creature succeeds their saving throw, they suffer half damage for the cantrip.