Cooking is a subcategory of crafting that allows players to use their downtime to prepare for the conflict ahead in a whole new way. This section explores cooking magical food. It first describes the rules for cooking food, then details the 22 staple recipes and 10 boss-monster-specific recipes, before finishing by diving into the myriad different effects of edible monster components.

Like crafting, cooking uses harvested monster components to impart magical effects on food, known as magical meals. When consumed and digested, magical meals have long-lasting magical effects. These effects vary based on two factors: the type of component (for example, eye vs blood), and the creature type that the component came from (an aberration’s eye has different properties to a dragon’s eye). Different recipes call for different types of ingredients; a black pudding requires just blood, while offal stew needs a liver, heart, and brain. The more ingredients a magical meal calls for, the more effects it imparts simultaneously, and the harder it is to cook.

A magical meal takes 1 hour to cook and 10 minutes to consume and digest. A magical meal must be fully consumed within 1 hour of being cooked; if it is eaten after this hour, it imparts no magical effects. The effects last 8 hours, or until dispelled by dispel magic or similar magic. A creature that eats a magical meal while already under the effects of another loses the effects of the previous meal at the end of the 10 minutes required to consume the new meal.

Portions. A magical meal is typically large enough to feed one Large creature or up to four Medium or smaller creatures. If you have more than four players at your table, consider allowing a
single meal to have enough portions to feed the entire party; it can be more fun that way. Checks. Making a magical meal requires five things:

Helping Hands. Too many cooks spoil the broth, but a decent sous chef can pay dividends. For this reason, in place of using the Help action to grant advantage (a mechanic avoided in harvesting and crafting), one creature can help with the meal if it spends the entire hour helping the cook. If the creature has proficiency with cook’s utensils, it adds its proficiency bonus to the result of the Constitution (cook’s utensils) check. If it doesn’t have this proficiency, it adds half of its proficiency bonus to the result of the check instead.

For the purposes of the dispel magic spell, all of a meal’s effects count as one single spell of a level based on the meal’s rarity: uncommon, 2nd-level; rare, 4th-level; very rare, 6th-level; legendary, 8th level.

This book presents two types of recipes: staple ones which can be cooked with monster components of any type, and ‘boss recipes’ which require components specific to the boss monsters in the hunts in this book. It is up to the GM whether player characters know these recipes, or must discover them. You could introduce recipes in ancient tomes, give them to a character whose grandfather was a famous chef, or make them purchasable from magical restaurants or culinary schools. Discuss this with your table before you introduce this ruleset.

Potency and Essence. Essence is required for every magical meal; it is the factor that decides how powerful the meal’s effects will be. As with crafting, essence dictates the rarity of the magical meal, from uncommon to legendary. Rarity’s effect on magical meals is described in on pages 142 through 146.

Edible Components. The components in the harvesting chapter marked with a superscript ‘E’ (E)
are edible—they all have magical effects if properly prepared. There are 10 types of edible components: blood, bone, brain, egg, eye, fat, flesh, heart, liver, and spice. Not all creature types supply every type of edible component. For a breakdown of each component type’s effects, see pages 142 to 146. Any unlisted nonmagical ingredients are supplied from a player character’s normal rations, and don’t require detailing.

Difficulty. The more ingredients a recipe has, the more magical effects it imparts to those who consume it, and the higher the DC is to craft it. There are four tiers of difficulty:

*No heat source required.

Omitting Ingredients. A cook can replace a magical ingredient with a nonmagical one. If they choose to do so, they don’t get the associated magical effect of the nonmagical component, but can still attempt to craft the meal. For example, if a creature wants to make a scarlet eye flan, but has no magical blood, they can use the blood of any creature (provided it hasn’t spoiled) to complete the recipe. The DC for the recipe doesn’t change, and the magical meal only imparts the effects of the three magical components used: brain, eye, and fat.

Boss Monster recipes confer unique effects in addition to the effects of the components that make up the recipes. For example, aboleth ramen gives you the effect of aboleth flesh (bonus psychic damage) and the additional effect granted from consuming the boss dish (increased reach).

For the duration of the magical meal’s effects, a creature that consumes and digests the meal gains
the following additional effect, with a value shown in the Boss Monster Effect Scaling table:

When you make a melee weapon attack on your turn, your reach with it is greater than normal. This distance increases with rarity.

Immediately after you take damage, you gain resistance to that damage type for the next 1 minute. The number of resistances you can have from this effect simultaneously increases with rarity. If you are at your maximum number of resistances, you can’t gain more.

You know the direction and distance of all corpses within a certain radius of you. This radius increases with rarity. The effect can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

You can’t be affected or detected by spells of a certain spell level or lower unless you wish to be. The level of spells affected increases with rarity.

Your power of self-belief is so strong that, at the start of each of your turns, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). The number of temporary hit points gained increases with rarity.

You can use an action to transform into a piece of furniture equal to your size, or back to your normal form. While transformed, you have a walking speed of 5 feet, can’t take any action other than the Dash action or the action to change back into your normal form, and otherwise retain your game statistics.

A creature can use its action to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check to inspect you, realizing you are a transformed creature on a success. The DC increases with rarity.

When you are hit by a nonmagical, ferrous weapon, the damage you take is reduced. The value of this damage reduction increases with rarity. This reduction occurs before resistance is calculated.

You can cast the daydream spell (see page 501) once, without requiring any components, and regain the ability to cast it this way after 1 hour has passed. The saving throw DC increases with rarity.

You regain a number of hit points at the end of each hour you spend in sunlight. The number of hit points regained increases with rarity.

If you take damage from a spell or other magical effect, you become empowered. The next attack you make within the next 1 minute that hits a target deals additional necrotic damage. This damage increases with rarity.

You can choose to make these boss monster recipes available as staple recipes as well. If you do so, the boss monster ingredient can be replaced with another ingredient of the same type (for example, a different flesh instead of the broodmother tentacle).

If this replacement occurs, the additional effect of the dish (the one based on the boss monster ingredient) is not conferred to a creature that eats the meal.

This section lists the ten types of edible components alphabetically, breaking down the effects by creature type. If a creature type isn’t listed for an edible component, that component isn’t magical for that creature. For example, humanoid flesh has no magical effects, and thus isn’t listed as a harvestable component, but could still be acquired as a non-magical foodstuff.
The effects are worded as addressing the creature that has consumed and digested the magical meal. If an effect puts the creature ‘under the effect of a spell’, this spell does not require concentration, but can be dispelled. The Edible Monster Component Summary table on the next page describes the types of edible magical components available from each creature type.

Blood gives its ingester a taste for certain creature types. For the duration, the first time each turn that you hit a creature whose type matches the creature type of the blood you consumed, the attack deals bonus damage to the target. The damage is of the same type as the attack and increases with rarity: uncommon, 1d4; rare, 1d6; very rare, 1d8; legendary, 1d10.

The vitality stored within bones reinforces a creature’s resilience to certain types of effects. Except for celestial and undead bones, the effects don’t change with rarity. For the duration, you:

Aberration
Have advantage on saving throws against the stunned condition.

Beast
Have advantage on saving throws against the blinded condition.

Celestial
Gain temporary hit points at the start of each minute, which increases with rarity.

Construct
Have advantage on saving throws against gaining levels of exhaustion.

Dragon
Have advantage on saving throws against the frightened condition.

Elemental
Have advantage on saving throws against extreme weather and temperature.

Fey
Have advantage on saving throws against the charmed condition.

Fiend
Have advantage on saving throws against the poisoned condition.

Giant
Have advantage on saving throws against the restrained condition.

Humanoid
Have advantage on saving throws against diseases.

Monstrosity
Have advantage on saving throws against the paralysed condition.

Plant
Can’t be put to sleep by magic.

Undead
Have advantage on saving throws against diseases. Additionally, you immediately regain a number of hit points, which increases with rarity.

Digesting brains imparts enhanced mental faculties. Of the edible brains, aberrations and humanoids have particularly unique abilities. For the duration, you:

Aberration
You must be able to see the creature and share a language to communicate in this way.
Can communicate telepathically with creatures within a certain radius of you, which increases with rarity. In addition, higher rarities grant you advantage on Insight checks (very rare and legendary) and put you under the effects of the detect thoughts spell (legendary).

Celestial
Gain a bonus to Charisma checks, which increases with rarity.

Construct
Gain a bonus to Intelligence checks, which increases with rarity.

Fey
Gain a bonus to Wisdom checks, which increases with rarity.

Fiend
Gain a bonus to Charisma checks, which increases with rarity.

Humanoid
Gain a bonus to ability checks using a single randomly determined skill (see the Random Skill table on page 120). The bonus increases with rarity.

Eggs contain the primed biomantic material for creatures of the component’s type. When you ingest a meal that contains egg, your body undergoes interesting morphological changes that last for the effect’s duration.

Aberration
You grow a tentacle that can be used to hold non-armour items, or to grapple a creature, but not to make other attacks. You use the tentacle’s Strength modifier instead of your own when grappling with it. The Strength modifier of the tentacle increases with rarity.

Beast
Your morphology changes to adapt to the current environment. You have advantage on saving throws against environmental effects of the GM’s discretion. For example, if you are in a cold biome, you might grow fur and have advantage on saving throws against the effects of the cold.

Dragon
You grow a fanged maw, a natural weapon which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to a value that increases with rarity + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Fey
You shimmer while standing still, becoming hard to see. You are under the effects of the chameleon skin spell.

Monstrosity
You grow scales that grant you a new way to calculate your AC. The calculation increases with rarity. You can use the calculation to determine your AC if the armour you wear would leave you with a lower AC.

Eyes are strong receptacles of divination magic, and they tend to impart effects that help with perception and detection. For the duration, you:

Aberration
Are under the effects of the detect magic spell. The radius of the sense increases with rarity.

Beast
Gain a bonus to your Perception checks. The bonus increases with rarity.

Celestial
Are under the effects of the detect evil and good spell. The radius of the sense increases with rarity.

Dragon
Gain a bonus to your Intimidation checks. The bonus increases with rarity.

Elemental
Know the location of any elemental within a radius around you that isn’t protected from divination magic. The radius increases with rarity.

Fey
Are under the effects of the see invisibility spell, out to a certain range. The range of the vision increases with rarity.

Fiend
Can see normally in dim light and darkness, both magical and nonmagical. The radius of the vision increases with rarity.

Monstrosity
Gain darkvision or, if you already have darkvision, its range is increased. The range of the vision increases with rarity.

Undead
Know the location of any undead within a radius around you that isn’t protected from divination magic. The radius increases with rarity.

Fat inures creatures to particular types of damage, decreasing the trauma caused when a creature takes damage of that type. Whenever you take damage of the type associated with the creature type whose fat you ingested, roll a die and subtract the result from that damage. The die is determined by the rarity: uncommon, 1d4; rare, 1d6; very rare, 1d8; legendary, 1d10. This damage reduction occurs before resistance is calculated.

Aberration
Psychic

Beast
Cold

Celestial
Radiant

Construct
Lightning

Dragon
Meta; the same as the damage type of the dragon’s Breath Weapon. If a dragon possesses Breath Weapons that deal multiple damage types, the damage type is randomly determined from among the available options. If it doesn’t have a breath weapon, its fat has no effect.

Fey
Poison

Fiend
Fire

Giant
Meta; the same as the damage type with which the giant is associated (GM’s discretion). If a giant is associated with more than one damage type, the damage type is randomly determined from among the available options. If a giant possesses no additional damage type, its fat has no effect.

Monstrosity
Thunder

Ooze
Acid

Plant
Poison

Undead
Necrotic

Flesh fortifies the body with power. The first attack you make each turn that hits deals bonus damage of a type associated with the creature type of the flesh you ingested. The damage increases with rarity: uncommon, 1; rare, 2; very rare, 3; legendary, 4.

Aberration
Psychic

Beast
Cold

Celestial
Radiant

Construct
Lightning

Dragon
Meta; the same as the damage type of the dragon’s Breath Weapon. If a dragon possesses Breath Weapons that deal multiple damage types, the damage type is randomly determined from among the available options. If it doesn’t have a breath weapon, its flesh has no effect.

Fey
Poison

Fiend
Fire

Giant
Meta; the same as the damage type with which the giant is associated (GM’s discretion). If a giant is associated with more than one damage type, the damage type is randomly determined from among the available options. If a giant possesses no additional damage type, its flesh has no effect.

Monstrosity
Thunder

Plant
Acid

Undead
Necrotic

Eating the magical heart of a creature lets you detect the presence of other hearts of that creature type. You know the direction (but not distance) of living (or, in the case of undead, unliving) hearts belonging to that creature type within a certain radius, which increases with rarity. This effect can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

Spice incorporates everything from celestial and fiend dust to the primordial remains of elementals, ethereal ichor, and the pollen and spores of plants. The effects of spice are disparate, and last for the duration.

Celestial
At uncommon rarity, you are continuously under the effects of the feather fall spell. At rare and higher rarities, you also gain a flying speed, which increases with rarity.

Fiend
You gain temporary hit points at the start of each minute. The number of temporary hit points increases with rarity.

Elemental
You can cast a random elemental cantrip at will. Roll on the Random Cantrip table to determine which cantrip. The caster level at which the cantrip is cast increases with rarity.

Ingesting the magically-preserved liver of a creature repulses creatures of that creature type. When a creature of the same type as the liver you ingested hits you with a melee attack, that creature takes necrotic damage. This necrotic damage increases with rarity: uncommon, 1d4; rare, 1d6; very rare, 1d8; legendary, 1d10. Once a creature takes this damage, the effect can’t occur again until the start of your next turn.

Plant
You are under the effects of the speak with plants spell.

Undead
Your maximum and current hit points increase. This value increases with rarity.

As with other crafting checks, there are degrees of success and failure. A well or badly made magical meal can end up with quirks—properties that grant additional favourable or detrimental effects. Unhelpful quirks are known as flaws, while advantageous ones are referred to as boons. The greater the margin by which a crafting check is failed or succeeded, the greater the number of quirks acquired. The number of boons a magical meal can gain is limited by the power of the essence used to craft it: the rarer the essence, the more boons it can sustain. A food’s quirks are rolled by the GM and aren’t known by those who consume the food until they become apparent. Cooking quirks are described later in this section (page 148).

Repeated Results
Cooking quirks don’t stack; if you roll the same quirk more than once, re-roll until you get a different result.

To determine which flaws the meal has, roll on the Cooking Flaws table Unless otherwise stated, any effects last for the duration of the magical meal’s effects.

To determine which boons the meal has, roll on the Cooking Boons table Unless otherwise stated, any effects last for the duration of the magical meal’s effects.