Bonus given from food

[cabaiomonte]

Are there any rules for temporal advantages given from food?
I don't like having to choose between pricey or cheap meals just as a sidenote for the roleplay and i would like for it to be a meaningful choice

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by cabaiomonte

Are there any rules for temporal advantages given from food?
I don't like having to choose between pricey or cheap meals just as a sidenote for the roleplay and i would like for it to be a meaningful choice

GURPS: Dungeon Fantasy: Adventurers has a few quasi-magical food types scattered throughout it. Elven rations are expensive but light; dwarven rations are pricey, but sustained consumption of them builds up a resistance to poison.

If you'd rather avoid the fantasy angle, then, realistically, it probably doesn't matter too much- except in extreme cases, the effects of nutrition tend to matter on a slower-than-adventuring time scale (scurvy takes weeks to months to start appearing, I think most other conditions take even longer). Assuming the characters are getting enough calories, I'd probably limit the effects of nutrition to a small bonus or penalty on rolls against disease.

On the other hand, when dining with other people, being seen as a cheapskate who lives on bread and water when there's other things available might well be good for a reaction penalty. In general, if one is spending less on personal unkeep than is specified for one's status, one should usually take reactions as if one had a status appropriate for the money spent. Food is a part of this.

[cabaiomonte]

Originally Posted by ravenfish

GURPS: Dungeon Fantasy: Adventurers has a few quasi-magical food types scattered throughout it. Elven rations are expensive but light; dwarven rations are pricey, but sustained consumption of them builds up a resistance to poison.

If you'd rather avoid the fantasy angle, then, realistically, it probably doesn't matter too much- except in extreme cases, the effects of nutrition tend to matter on a slower-than-adventuring time scale (scurvy takes weeks to months to start appearing, I think most other conditions take even longer). Assuming the characters are getting enough calories, I'd probably limit the effects of nutrition to a small bonus or penalty on rolls against disease.

On the other hand, when dining with other people, being seen as a cheapskate who lives on bread and water when there's other things available might well be good for a reaction penalty. In general, if one is spending less on personal unkeep than is specified for one's status, one should usually take reactions as if one had a status appropriate for the money spent. Food is a part of this.

I was thinking of using food like a quasi alchemical potion. giving magical effects for 3 hours.
I made a list of possible effects base around Magic: Protection and warning spells.
Here are the spells i took in consideration:
Sense Danger - Rabbit
Block - Eggplant
Hardiness - Insects
Sense Observation - pizza
Armor - Sausages
Resist heat - Ice cream
Resist Cold - Curry
Resist Poison - Dwarven ale
Turn Blade - Crab
Umbrella - Cabbage
Deflect missile - Egg
Mystic mist - Polenta
Shade - Quinoa
Resist Disease - Blood
Resist sound - Bread
Resist water - Jellyfish
resist lightning - eel
Warmth - Pepper
Coolness - Ice
Iron arm - Milk
Resist pressure - Crustaceans
resist acid - Lemonade
freedom - Spaghetti

[tbone]

Originally Posted by cabaiomonte

Are there any rules for temporal advantages given from food?
I don't like having to choose between pricey or cheap meals just as a sidenote for the roleplay and i would like for it to be a meaningful choice

DF/DFRPG offers Dwarven and Elven rations, as noted. You can easily take that concept and invent more yourself.

Like this: Dungeon Dining: Exotic Eats and Remarkable Rations for Fantasy Travelers

Super-short summaries:
Cat-folk rations: Like Elven/Dwarven: Expensive, but with a benefit.
Halfling rations: Essentially just doubled rations – but stuffing themselves helps Halflings with their Gluttony. (At least until second breakfast.)
Gnome rations: All kinds of near-alchemical effects. Special-order the custom chow that's right for you.
Orc rations: Ugh. Made for an orc's purse and an orc's stomach.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by cabaiomonte

I was thinking of using food like a quasi alchemical potion. giving magical effects for 3 hours.
I made a list of possible effects base around Magic: Protection and warning spells.
Here are the spells i took in consideration:
Sense Danger - Rabbit
Block - Eggplant
Hardiness - Insects
Sense Observation - pizza
Armor - Sausages
Resist heat - Ice cream
Resist Cold - Curry
Resist Poison - Dwarven ale
Turn Blade - Crab
Umbrella - Cabbage
Deflect missile - Egg
Mystic mist - Polenta
Shade - Quinoa
Resist Disease - Blood
Resist sound - Bread
Resist water - Jellyfish
resist lightning - eel
Warmth - Pepper
Coolness - Ice
Iron arm - Milk
Resist pressure - Crustaceans
resist acid - Lemonade
freedom - Spaghetti

I think you've almost finished it there: you know what effect is imparted, and what duration it lasts. The only thing you need is to pick what level of effect to use for those that come in levels (like Armor).

I don't know that I'd reprice the food if I were taking this approach, by the way. Although I would want to pay more strict attention to things like how much it weighs (You can only carry so many bottles of milk...), shelf life (keep that milk chilled and air tight! long-life UHC milk?), and come up with a rule about how much (and how fast) you can actually eat or people will try to eat like videogame characters. [1]

Unless you want to encourage PCs to eat like video game characters... at which point don't sweat it.

A basic cant-eat-too-much food mechanic is in Minecraft - you have 20 "hunger"; hunger is depleted over time by doing things. Eating things refills your hunger (1 hunger for a cookie, 8 for a steak I think). You can't eat if your hunger is full. And that's pretty much the entirety of the rule. I don't think you need anything more complicated.

[1] My Skyrim character tends to stop mid-fight to eat everything in his backpack for the HP recovery effects. *munch munch munch* 20 wheels of cheese later, its as if the dragon never bit me - because no time passes when I'm faffing around in my inventory screen.