The Adamantine Chef

The Adamantine Chef is a joke class I started but never really finished. I got it fleshed out, but never playtested any of it. Its intended to play like an alchemist who gathers recipes and uses them to build meals, which work kind of like group potions. Ideally, this was for use as a companion class to tag along with the party.

One note before you get into the class. A lot of fantasy creatures are sentient. Dragons will object to eating them, and you may find some of this content a little distasteful if you dig too deep into it.

If you didn’t turn back, you’ll be proud of me for deleting the “in poor taste” joke I had written.

The Adamantine Chef

Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great. An Adamantine Chef feeds the most foolhardy of them all. The Adventurer. Adamantine Chef’s use their extreme, some say magical, talent for cooking to travel the world and beyond. They work in some of the most hostile environments across the planes, just for a chance to find and use the freshest and rarest of ingredients. Anyone (wealthy enough) can buy Dragon Steaks, but only an Adamantine Chef is bold enough to be present when the dragon is slain. 

• HD: D6
• Skills – 6+Int – Appraise, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Info, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (all), Move Silently, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Survival. 
• Prof: None.
• BAB: None.
• Saves: All Good

Features

• Level 1: Essence of Flavor: You can craft Meals. Not just meals, anyone can do that, but Meals. You learn a number of Recipes equal to your Profession Chef ranks (increasing as you add ranks) which you can use to serve Meals. You store your recipes in a Recipe Book, and generally reference it while creating Meals. Preparing a Meal for your guests takes at least an hour, but you may determine certain dishes take longer, if you feel its approperiate. A Meal lasts for 5 hours for those who partake. You must actually have the ingredients for a Meal, because no one wants to eat rocks or gold coins or whatever. Your Meals can feed 5 medium sized humanoids +1 per level of Adamantine Chef. A Meal made without a Recipe Book is made from memory, and as such, you cannot add an Essential Taste to it, if you would otherwise be eligible. You can learn additional recipes, much like a wizard learns spells, by studying with another Adamantine Chef. You simply have to make the dish once alongside them, and can add it to your book. An Adamantine Chef can also learn a Side Dish in place of a recipe if they wish.
• Level 1: Careful Prep: You gain the poison use feature. Serve that urchin. 
• Level 1: You Can Eat That: You can take 10 on knowledge checks to identify a monster, and can identify any edible parts with a DC 10+CR of the monster. If you keep a book and write them down between sessions, you don’t need to roll every time you see a Troll to know its tendons make a killer pho. If you don’t want to keep track, just roll every time. You can extract and prepare the ingredients with a DC 10+CR of the monster Profession Chef check.
• Level 2: Five Essential Tastes. When you make a meal, you can choose which taste to add to it. Each of the 5 Tastes has a different modifier as outlined below which lasts for the duration of the meal.
  • Salty – Creatures who eat a Salty meal can take 10 on any skill check made outside of combat.
  • Bitter – Creatures who eat a Bitter meal can choose to reroll a single die roll made by any creature, after they know the results. (once per meal)
  • Sweet – Creatures who eat a Sweet meal gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your ranks in Profession Chef. These temporary hit points last for the duration of the meals benefits, or until they are expended.
  • Sour – Creatures who eat a Sour meal gain DR/- equal to your ranks in Profession Chef/4.
  • Umami – Creatures who eat an Umami meal gain a +1 competence bonus to their saving throw DCs.
• Level 3: Iron Stomach: You are immune to ingested poison. 
• Level 4: Sous Chef: You gain the leadership feat, and can retain a staff of folks with class levels restricted to Adamantine Chef and Expert Levels. The experts don’t need to be chefs, someone has to wash dishes or take orders. 
• Level 5: From this point, the class does not grant class features. Most Adamantine Chef’s tend to put ranks in expert, but nothing stops them from deciding to become a bard or prestige classing. They can also keep putting levels here if they like the saving throw progression, skills and D6 hit die for some reason.

Recipes

A Recipe is a list of ingredients that can be combined to serve something good. Or Bad. An Adamantine Chef learns how to cook a specific creature type, and notes it in their Recipe Book. They may also learn some Side Dishes at their discretion.

Recipes

Recipies grant bonuses to various effects based on the HD of the ingredients used. If rounding is required, round down, to a minimum of 1.

• Aberration: Aberrations are difficult to cook. They make great pasta, pho, and other noodle dishes. They give a competence bonus on will saves equal to the ingredients HD/5, and immunity to confusion.
• Animal – Animals are some of the most straight forward meals, and in fact people have been cooking them for quite a bit now. Animal Meals give a competence bonus to saves vs exhaustion equal to the ingredients HD/5, and remove any ongoing exhaustion effects actively affecting the guest. Lastly, after consumption, an additional save can be made against any ongoing diseases, ability score damage, ability score drain, or poison effect.
• Dragon – Dragons are a hearty Meal, and generally work best as steaks, roasts, and Bar-B-Que. When a draconic Meal is consumed, they grant elemental resistance 10 in accordance with the dragon’s breath weapon (if it has has one). They also grant a bonus to reflex saves equal to the ingredients HD/5
• Elemental – Elementals make the best desserts. Iced cream, jello, flambe, and cakes abound. An Elemental meal grants elemental resistance 10 in accordance with the elemental types (if multiple pick one during preparation). This elemental resistance improved to 20 if the ingredients have more than 5 HD, and immunity if they have more than 10.
• Fey – Fey meals are usually little more than snacks. Lollipops, rock candy, gummies, and of course, pixie sticks. Fey meals grant increased movement speed based on the HD of the fey.
  • Under 5 HD: +10ft move speed to walking speeds.
  • Under 10HD: Gain the amphibious (EX) special quality, and a swim speed of 40ft.
  • Under 15HD: Fly speed 40ft (or increase by 1 maneuverability if you already have one)
  • Under 20HD: 1/meal you can use dimension door with a CL equal to the HD of the meal.
  • 20+: You are under the effects of freedom of movement for the duration.
• Giant – Giants are a little less off putting to prepare than humanoids for most, but not by much. Giants are generally too big to prepare whole like most other foods, and giant meals are usually made of pastes and spreads. Marmalades, jams, jellies, and butters abound, traditionally spread on toasts. Giants meals grant bonuses to size and strength based on the HD of the giant.
  • Under 5HD: +2 enhancement bonus to strength
  • Under 10HD: +4 enhancement bonus to strength, and X4 carrying capacity.
  • Under 15HD: +6 bonus to strength, replacing the enhancement bonus.
  • Under 20HD: +6 bonus to strength, and an increase in size. (not stacking with the previous benefit to strength)
  • 20+ HD: +8 bonus to strength and two size increases. (not stacking with the previous benefit to strength or size increases)
• Humanoid and Monstrous Humanoid – Humanoids are considered the most taboo ingredients by most society, but hey, the bad guys need to feed their armies too. Infernal armies often employ evil Adamantine Chefs to set up outside battles, and provide a feast for the surviving troops. Humanoids tend to make the best stews, gumbos, goulashes, and jambalays, which goes a long way to feed an army. Humanoid meals grant a bonus to initiative equal to the HD of the ingredients/5.
• Magical Beast – Magical beasts encompass a wide variety of creatures. Most are prepared like animals, but some are more like humanoids, and others still, like elementals. When preparing a magical beast, a DM should make a judgement call and grant the benefits of the closest creature type available. those benefits should be cut in half, to reflect the adaptability and utility of this type of ingredient, but also the general uninspired nature of its cuisine.
• Ooze – Meals made from oozes are generally ooze like. Soups, but also jellies, puddings, and gelatins. Sometimes the preparation sounds straightforward, an ocher jelly is already a jelly after all. Just jar it and spread it. The trick with an ooze is to make it in such a way as to not kill the consumer. Ooze meals grant a competence bonus to all saving throws based on the Oozes HD/5.
• Outsider – Outsiders live in hostile environments, and as such their food is intense. It is the extremes of flavors, like a spicy chili, or a sour tart. Outsider meals grant SR equal to the HD of the outsider consumed.
• Plant – Creatures have been eating plants since before even animals. Nowadays, plants are served raw, cooked, and mixed into various salads, but also breads and doughs. Plant meals grant resistance to saving throws made to resist disease and poison equal to the plants HD/5, and immunity to mind affecting abilities.
• Vermin – Vermin are generally not the first choice for a lot of diners, but they often forget about things like crabs and other invertebrates. Most vermin prepared for meals is steamed, but mammalian vermin are usually roasted as kebabs. Vermin meals grant a reduction in size as noted.
  • Under 5HD: Reduce size by one category.
  • Under 10HD: +4 enhancement bonus to dexterity.
  • Under 15HD: Reduce size by an additional category.
  • Under 20HD: Gain evasion
  • 20+ HD: Reduce size by another additional category.

Side Dishes

• Air: Air side dishes are light and cool. When served alongside a meal, that meal also grants an improvement to fly speed of one step in maneuverability. If the diner doesn’t have one, they gain one at 30ft clumsy.
• Angel: Angelic sides may be one of the most diabolic to be found. They are typically served with minimal preparation or cooking. When eaten, they confer resistance 10 to negative energy.
• Aquatic: Aquatic food is often served raw, and incorporated into a variety of sushi. When served as a Side, the meal also grants the water breathing quality.
• Archon: Archon’s are the militant wing of angelic forces. As such they are far too tough to serve raw, and are instead generally stored and prepared as a jerky or dried snack. Archon sides can be stored for 5 hours, and function as a potion of bless when consumed. CL is equal to the Adamantine Chef’s.
• Chaotic: Chaotic food is a mess. It tends to be served hot, and generally moves about. Popped howler spine is the iconic example, but there are countless others. Chaotic sides allow the meals beneficiary to take 10ft steps, instead of 5.
• Cold: Cold food is usually a desert, but not always. It could include a variety of soups or other meals served on ice. Cold Sides confer a to extreme temperatures and bonus to survival checks equal to the ingredients HD/5.
• Earth: Earth food is rustic and hearty. Typically baked. Earthen Sides allow the consumer to increase their strength score by the ingredients HD/5 for the purposes of carrying capacity and resisting attempts to be knocked prone.
• Evil: Evil food must be purified first, and as such, is usually boiled or steamed. Consuming sanctified evil sides grants the benefits of a protection from evil spell, with a caster level equal to the Adamantine Chef’s HD.
• Fire: Fire food is hot and spicy. Its generally served as a variety of sauces or additives that enhance the heat of whatever meal it is served alongside. A fire side increases the HD of the meal by the fire’s HD/5. (a fire 15HD elemental sauce would increase a 12HD aboleth pho by 3 to 15HD, and grant a total of +3 to will saves)
• Goblinoid: Goblinoid is generally served as a warm broth designed to spread a small meal further. It provides darkvision to those who consume it.
• Good: While Archon’s are the tough militant faction, Good food is the nice and happy side of good. This food is soft, fatty, and delicious. It takes a lot of preparation to get ready, but the results are beyond worth it. Good Sides grant protection from good to those who eat them.
• Lawful: Lawful food is ordered and strict. Its usually eaten with an elaborate ceremony or ritual, without which the meal has no value. Teas, Coffees, and certain deserts are made from Lawful food. A lawful side makes the diner immune to attempts to sense or alter emotions.
• Reptilian: Reptilian food generally blends in with the main dish, serving to supplement, and not overshadow. It grants a bonus to hide and move silently checks equal to the ingredients HD/5.
• Swarm: Swarms of things are an adventurer’s delight. Generally the side is a a collection of candied, dusted, or coated versions of the original swarm, usually recognizably so. Swarm meals grant a bonus to concentration checks equal to the HD of the ingredients/5.
• Water: Water foods are usually a beverage of some sort. When consumed, they grant an immediate saving throw against any curse, with a competence bonus equal to the HD of the ingredients/5.

Stuff you Can’t Eat

There are some creature types you can’t eat. Well, you can, but you really really shouldn’t, and more importantly, they give no magical benefits. Specifically, Undead, and Constructs cannot be used for Adamantine Chef class features. The incorporeal subtype is too hard to eat, and prevents any side dishes, while the Augmented, Native, Extraplanar, Shapechanger, and Other (unlisted) subtypes don’t change the flavor much and can’t really contribute to a good Side.