Breakfast? Beans. Lunch? Beans. Dinner? Beans.

[ColonelMidas]

So I'm currently running book one of the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path, "Souls for Smuggler's Shiv." To avoid unnecessary spoilers, I'll just say that wilderness survival is a major theme of the book, and finding sufficient food is one of the things the party needs to worry about. One of the characters is looking at taking the spell Climbing Beanstalk from the ACG.

Advanced Class Guide wrote:

CLIMBING BEANSTALK

School conjuration (creation); Level druid 2, witch 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect 5-ft. square of climbable beanstalks
Duration instantaneous

You cause a thick, sturdy beanstalk to sprout from the ground and grow upward to a height of 10 feet + 5 feet per 2 caster levels. The growing stalk anchors itself to sturdy objects such as walls or ceilings, and grows around objects that do not fully obstruct its square (such as tree branches), but is stopped by solid obstacles. The beanstalk provides numerous hand- and footholds; its climb DC 5. The beanstalk can support up to 200 pounds plus 50 pounds per caster level, or double that amount if anchored on its upper end. If it anchors itself to a sturdy mobile object (such as a ship or a siege engine), breaking the object free requires a DC 23 Strength check or cutting through the beanstalk (hardness 2, 40 hp).

If the ground is capable of supporting plant life, the beanstalk continues to live as a normal plant, and it produces nutritious (if unappetizing) beans. Otherwise, the plant dies after 1d6 hours; its husk remains as durable as a small tree.

The adventure is on a vibrant jungle island, so there's no question of whether or not the ground can support plant life. It mentions that it produces beans, and even that the beans are nutritious, but doesn't provide any statistic on how these beans count as food rations (enough food for X creatures per day per Y feet of height, etc). The beanstalk itself (while gigantic) is non-magical after it's created, should I just rule that it doesn't produce beans fast enough to provide a statistical difference for the party's rations?

It's worth noting that other than a 2nd level slot, the spell has no cost and is effectively permanent. The character in question is a witch, not a druid, so it does cost one of his 2nd level spells known.

[Milo v3]

Each person would need 1 pound of beans a day to avoid starvation (half as much for small characters).

Also... now I have a daffy duck episode stuck in my head @_@

[SmiloDan]

Can you cast goodberry on the beans?

[Silent Saturn]

I would rule that the beanstalks reduce the Survival DC to find food, but don't eliminate it entirely. Beans provide some nutrients, but not all of what a person needs, so the PCs can't live on just beans regardless of how many stalks they can summon.

Still, clever secondary use of a spell, so I'd let the PC who thought of it get some benefit out of it.

(Now I've got the Daffy Duck cartoon stuck in my head too.)

[Mysterious Stranger]

A single bean stalk may not be enough to feed the party. On the other hand since there is no cost to cast the spell there is no reason it could not be cast multiple times. Once the witch has created her bean garden the party should be able to avoid starvation. Since it says it lives as a normal plant it may take some time for the beans to mature. Long term this will work, but the party will still need to feed itself until the garden is ready.

[blackbloodtroll]

Eventually, they will have enough beans.

[alexd1976]

They should gain a limited use gas attack as well...

[Entryhazard]

alexd1976 wrote:

They should gain a limited use gas attack as well...

Stinking Cloud as a Spell-like Ability

[alexd1976]

You can't live on beans alone, btw, it isn't a complete protein. They would still need rice or (I think) mushrooms.

And water, of course.

I would give them a very hefty bonus on Survival, but they still need more to live healthy, long term.

[Ascalaphus]

As a GM you have to milk the wilderness survival theme in the very first few levels, because there are lots of spells that circumvent it. Goodberry, Purify Food & Drink on poisonous plants, and Create Water are all available to level 1 druids. Create Food & Drink completely shuts down food challenges at level 5 for clerics. I guess this spell does it at level 3 for witches.

[Cevah]

Entryhazard wrote:

alexd1976 wrote:

They should gain a limited use gas attack as well...

Stinking Cloud as a Spell-like Ability

Nah. Nauseating Trail

/cevah