Are all monsters edible?

[Erkenbard the Eyeful]

The players in my group often try and eat monsters/creatures they have killed. This is not an issue with things such as wild boars or even owlbears, but last session they ran out of rations in the wilderness and chopped up a basilisk they had just killed. Fresh basilisk blood has certain unique properties such as returning a creature from stone to flesh if applied soon after the basilisk's death. Would it be edible? They also have xill eggs? Are xill eggs edible? Or would they get diarrhea? I usually use common sense as a DM but the basilisk steaks got me thinking.

[graystone]

Everything is edible to something... What we're missing is what are your players? A goblin monkey is likely to have different dietary needs from an elf, human or Green Martian [yes, it's a pathfinder race]. And even normally inedible creatures may be made edible with the right cooking techniques [think puffer fish].

Myself, a good enough craft snacks/profession cook/ect will result in a safe meal. If it fails, determine how dangerous something could be. For instance xill have poison so I'd say failing the check results in a fort save or be Nauseated [or poisoned if they failed REAL bad]. The basilisk? Nothing dangerous in the details so maybe sickened if they fail?

diarrhea: that's either nauseated/sickened depending how bad...

[Lady-J]

if they are ok with some minor side effects like being poisoned or dying then sure they can go ahead and eat all the monsters

[Pun-Pun]

Purple worms give me gas... Also black puddings make great desert.

[graystone]

Lady-J wrote:

if they are ok with some minor side effects like being poisoned or dying then sure they can go ahead and eat all the monsters

LOL This is pathfinder, where we're shown that eating/drinking monsters isn't just expected but encouraged. For instance, you can drink or roll around in dragon blood [raw] for healing.

PS: Even the worst stuff can be eaten with Purify Food and Drink... ;)

"This spell makes spoiled, rotten, diseased, poisonous, or otherwise contaminated food and water pure and suitable for eating and drinking."

[Pun-Pun]

If you purify it it loses that gamey taste. I like the gamey taste.

[graystone]

Pun-Pun wrote:

If you purify it it loses that gamey taste. I like the gamey taste.

I curious what/how a protoplasmic blob [oozemorh shifter]... It can't be pretty. :P

PS: mummies taste like jerky if you can get rid of the disease.

[Albatoonoe]

I wouldn't recommend eating a plasma ooze.

[Lady-J]

graystone wrote:

Lady-J wrote:

if they are ok with some minor side effects like being poisoned or dying then sure they can go ahead and eat all the monsters

LOL This is pathfinder, where we're shown that eating/drinking monsters isn't just expected but encouraged. For instance, you can drink or roll around in dragon blood [raw] for healing.

PS: Even the worst stuff can be eaten with Purify Food and Drink... ;)

"This spell makes spoiled, rotten, diseased, poisonous, or otherwise contaminated food and water pure and suitable for eating and drinking."

some monsters yes but other monsters it will actually be a detriment to do so just imagin the poor sap who eats the beholders disitigrating eye or the person who wants to nibble on a dread lich arm or eat a hydra

[Pun-Pun]

Albatoonoe wrote:

I wouldn't recommend eating a plasma ooze.

What you don't like spicy food?

[My Life Is In Ruins]

Erkenbard the Eyeful wrote:

The players in my group often try and eat monsters/creatures they have killed. This is not an issue with things such as wild boars or even owlbears, but last session they ran out of rations in the wilderness and chopped up a basilisk they had just killed. Fresh basilisk blood has certain unique properties such as returning a creature from stone to flesh if applied soon after the basilisk's death. Would it be edible? They also have xill eggs? Are xill eggs edible? Or would they get diarrhea? I usually use common sense as a DM but the basilisk steaks got me thinking.

yes and no.

everything organic in the real world is made up of DNA and your digestive system can break most of it down. Some critters produce toxins that are inconvenient, repulsive, to lethal. Some creatures harbor bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and symbiotes that you do not want to host.

I'd do some research on wikipedia and what not before announcing any decisions. Basilisks are the epitome of deadly poison, so much so even their gaze is poisonous. Yep... just let your PCs go on and don't inform them that they've died and are now on the outer planes... Adventure On!

Xill eggs... hmm... would you eat an egg from an Alien (from the movie of the same name?)... they share certain similarities.

Cooking denatures things and is used to clean up some foods such as rhubarb (which will make you sick due to the oxalic acid in it if you do not cook it first).

[UnArcaneElection]

Some monsters aren't even made of organic matter -- they are probably edible to something, but not to us, even if treated with Purify Food and Drink (the spell won't find anything edible to purify in there).

[My Life Is In Ruins]

UnArcaneElection wrote:

Some monsters aren't even made of organic matter -- they are probably edible to something, but not to us, even if treated with Purify Food and Drink (the spell won't find anything edible to purify in there).

I can only address real world things sensibly as that is a common experience upon which the game is based.

Imaginary things rely on some historical research, paizo's idea, and the GM's ideas... it's a lot of imagination. It's a matter of taste.

[Pun-Pun]

Yeah golems are a bit to crunchy for my liking.

[My Life Is In Ruins]

the game does not have the discrimination to determine if an egg is a creature or an object, especially if it is fertilized and developing. At some point there's a transition. There are obvious moral implications so I'm going to say that it is in the GM's hands. There are a lot of corner cases and things you'll have to adjudicate with clever or wily players...

think about how this can be turned into drama or lead into more roleplaying. Actions have consequences.

[graystone]

Lady-J wrote:

some monsters yes but other monsters it will actually be a detriment to do so just imagin the poor sap who eats the beholders disitigrating eye or the person who wants to nibble on a dread lich arm or eat a hydra

I've done at least one of those as a player and was fine afterwards. ;)

beholders: hard to say a there aren't any pathfinder ones, but I don't recall that the eyes of a dead one held any magic effects after death without being enchanted. As such, they should be as edible as any other eye.

dread lich arm: Not a pathfinder monster [3rd party], but a simple cantrip makes it fine to eat. Nothing suggests the curse touch lingers after death. The worst effect if going to be a sore jaw from chewing on that jerky-like flesh.

Hydra: ??? The description SAYS people find them yummy and want to eat them. "Thanks to their size and the juicy tenderness of their fat and flesh, humans and other bipedal creatures-especially stocky ones such as dwarves-are a highly sought after meal for Hydras, which will go to great lengths to devour such beings if given the opportunity."

SO you brought 2 non-pathfinder monsters and a tasty one...

My Life Is In Ruins: Are you thinking of pathfinder Basilisk? There isn't anything poisonous listed here in pathfinder.

[graystone]

Pun-Pun wrote:

Yeah golems are a bit to crunchy for my liking.

I suggest flesh ones. ;)

[Jeraa]

graystone wrote:

Hydra: ??? The description SAYS people find them yummy and want to eat them. "Thanks to their size and the juicy tenderness of their fat and flesh, humans and other bipedal creatures-especially stocky ones such as dwarves-are a highly sought after meal for Hydras, which will go to great lengths to devour such beings if given the opportunity."

SO you brought 2 non-pathfinder monsters and a tasty one...

I think you need to reread the hydra one. It isn't saying hydras are tasty. It says hydras find those certain humanoids tasty.

[Pun-Pun]

Hydra's are the snack that keeps on giving.

[Adjoint]

You eat gray goo, gray goo eats you.

[Erkenbard the Eyeful]

Hydras have acidic bile, so just like with puffer fish, you'd need a certificated experienced chef to slice it up. Same as a black pudding, full of acid. Not a good idea to bite into it. And a gelatinous cube would not taste like jellyfish.

[Klorox]

Pun-Pun wrote:

Yeah golems are a bit to crunchy for my liking.

Flesh golems DO have the gamey taste, though ;)

[Pun-Pun]

Klorox wrote:

Pun-Pun wrote:

Yeah golems are a bit to crunchy for my liking.

Flesh golems DO have the gamey taste, though ;)

mmmmm

[Lady-J]

graystone wrote:

Lady-J wrote:

some monsters yes but other monsters it will actually be a detriment to do so just imagin the poor sap who eats the beholders disitigrating eye or the person who wants to nibble on a dread lich arm or eat a hydra

I've done at least one of those as a player and was fine afterwards. ;)

beholders: hard to say a there aren't any pathfinder ones, but I don't recall that the eyes of a dead one held any magic effects after death without being enchanted. As such, they should be as edible as any other eye.

dread lich arm: Not a pathfinder monster [3rd party], but a simple cantrip makes it fine to eat. Nothing suggests the curse touch lingers after death. The worst effect if going to be a sore jaw from chewing on that jerky-like flesh.

Hydra: ??? The description SAYS people find them yummy and want to eat them. "Thanks to their size and the juicy tenderness of their fat and flesh, humans and other bipedal creatures-especially stocky ones such as dwarves-are a highly sought after meal for Hydras, which will go to great lengths to devour such beings if given the opportunity."

SO you brought 2 non-pathfinder monsters and a tasty one...

My Life Is In Ruins: Are you thinking of pathfinder Basilisk? There isn't anything poisonous listed here in pathfinder.

as far as i know even when dead beholder eyes retain their magic(which is why zombie beholders are just as if not more dangerous), the lich arm even touching part of the lich touches some one they are cursed, and most if not all hydras are poisonous some even secrete stuff that causes con damage

[UnArcaneElection]

Pun-Pun wrote:

Klorox wrote:

Pun-Pun wrote:

Yeah golems are a bit to crunchy for my liking.

Flesh golems DO have the gamey taste, though ;)

mmmmm

Could be worse. At least they don't have metagamey taste.

[Erkenbard the Eyeful]

The body parts of dead monsters surely retain magic or have intrinsic chemical properties otherwise they would not be so prized by alchemists and wizards and the like, and used as material spell components. I recently decided that the dwarf fighter in our party will receive 30 gold pieces for each Xill egg he has been carrying since they were surgically removed from his stomach a few months ago. If he had sold them fresh he would have got a lot more.

[qaplawjw]

Incorporeal monsters may not be edible; it would probably be quite a chore just to physically interact with their corpse.

[Adjoint]

qaplawjw wrote:

Incorporeal monsters may not be edible; it would probably be quite a chore just to physically interact with their corpse.

Is there a way to enhance bite attack with ghost touch?

[Potato disciple]

Adjoint wrote:

qaplawjw wrote:

Incorporeal monsters may not be edible; it would probably be quite a chore just to physically interact with their corpse.

Is there a way to enhance bite attack with ghost touch?

an amulet of mighty fists perhaps?

[Vidmaster7]

I think that works^

[avr]

graystone wrote:

PS: mummies taste like jerky if you can get rid of the disease.

You reckon? They're absolutely packed with spices and/or honey. IRL all those spices made them a target for medieval doctors seeking ingredients for their medicines.

[Lady-J]

qaplawjw wrote:

Incorporeal monsters may not be edible; it would probably be quite a chore just to physically interact with their corpse.

actually incorporeals are one of the main things umberal dragons eat

[Pun-Pun]

Lady-J wrote:

qaplawjw wrote:

Incorporeal monsters may not be edible; it would probably be quite a chore just to physically interact with their corpse.

actually incorporeals are one of the main things umberal dragons eat

I consider them diet food.

[graystone]

Lady-J wrote:

as far as i know even when dead beholder eyes retain their magic(which is why zombie beholders are just as if not more dangerous), the lich arm even touching part of the lich touches some one they are cursed, and most if not all hydras are poisonous some even secrete stuff that causes con damage

All take ALL of those as house rules. Nothing in 3.5 that I know allows magic/SU affects from those monsters to continue after death: there are some enchants/magic items that allow the effects to continue but that requires outside influences. As to hydra, an actual pathfinder one has NO, poison/con damage anything. Hydra

avr wrote:

graystone wrote:

PS: mummies taste like jerky if you can get rid of the disease.

You reckon? They're absolutely packed with spices and/or honey. IRL all those spices made them a target for medieval doctors seeking ingredients for their medicines.

I've had jerky with honey and spices on it.

Honey pepper jerky: honey, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, garlic clove, pepper and salt... Darn it, now I want jerky!

Erkenbard the Eyeful wrote:

The body parts of dead monsters surely retain magic or have intrinsic chemical properties otherwise they would not be so prized by alchemists and wizards and the like, and used as material spell components.

If that's so then how often does bat guano explode? Spell components have a thematic link, not a magic one.

[graystone]

Pun-Pun wrote:

Lady-J wrote:

qaplawjw wrote:

Incorporeal monsters may not be edible; it would probably be quite a chore just to physically interact with their corpse.

actually incorporeals are one of the main things umberal dragons eat

I consider them diet food.

But all those empty calories!!! Think of your waistline!

[Pun-Pun]

SEE this IS the thing that confuses me about diets this right here^

[Lady-J]

graystone wrote:

Lady-J wrote:

as far as i know even when dead beholder eyes retain their magic(which is why zombie beholders are just as if not more dangerous), the lich arm even touching part of the lich touches some one they are cursed, and most if not all hydras are poisonous some even secrete stuff that causes con damage

All take ALL of those as house rules. Nothing in 3.5 that I know allows magic/SU affects from those monsters to continue after death: there are some enchants/magic items that allow the effects to continue but that requires outside influences. As to hydra, an actual pathfinder one has NO, poison/con damage anything. Hydra

avr wrote:

graystone wrote:

PS: mummies taste like jerky if you can get rid of the disease.

You reckon? They're absolutely packed with spices and/or honey. IRL all those spices made them a target for medieval doctors seeking ingredients for their medicines.

I've had jerky with honey and spices on it.

Honey pepper jerky: honey, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, garlic clove, pepper and salt... Darn it, now I want jerky!

Erkenbard the Eyeful wrote:

The body parts of dead monsters surely retain magic or have intrinsic chemical properties otherwise they would not be so prized by alchemists and wizards and the like, and used as material spell components.

If that's so then how often does bat guano explode? Spell components have a thematic link, not a magic one.

there is more then just one type of hydra, miasma hydra for example is poisonous

[Hannibal Lecture]

Fava beans... and a nice Chianti...

[graystone]

Lady-J wrote:

there is more then just one type of hydra, miasma hydra for example is poisonous

Yes, and IF we were talking about THAT specific one, you'd have a point. We weren't though. ONE type isn't "most if not all hydras".

That's like saying because the Plagued Beast template exists, no living creature is safe to eat because some might be diseased and point to the template.

[Pun-Pun]

Well actually I would just make my fort save.

[mellowgoth]

Heh... In my home campaign, lizardfolk are a playable race. If the follow the main racial deity, it's actually a religious obligation to eat a little piece of a defeated foe. It has lead to a few fort saves here and there...as well as a vigorous debate as to whether a subdued or surrendered foe counts as 'defeated' for religious purposes...

(No, our lizard-dude does not eat bits of live opponents, but our interrogating bard loves to point out that THEY don't know that...nice +2 circumstance bonus to intimidate...)

[Lucy_Valentine]

qaplawjw wrote:

Incorporeal monsters may not be edible; it would probably be quite a chore just to physically interact with their corpse.

Give yourself a bite attack and find a way to make it magical (pretty easy) or ghost touch (harder)?

[Saldiven]

My Life Is In Ruins wrote:

everything organic in the real world is made up of DNA and your digestive system can break most of it down. Some critters produce toxins that are inconvenient, repulsive, to lethal. Some creatures harbor bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and symbiotes that you do not want to host.

Um. No.

A literally microscopic amount of the mass of animals, plants and fungi is made up of DNA. If you take an average sized human and extract all the DNA from his/her body, you'd get something like 60 grams of material (or well less than 1% of the total mass).

There are huge amounts of organic material that a human body cannot break down in any fashion. Chitin, like what crab shells are made of. Cellulose, which is what makes up the majority of trees and grasses. Humans cannot digest hair. Humans can break down bone, if in small enough quantities, but cannot extract much nutrition from it.

Also, petroleum is an organic compound, and is completely not digestible by a human, as are most of the compounds made from petroleum. And, petrochemicals contain zero DNA.

On Topic: It's up to you what to do. You can hand wave it and let them eat what they want, if you think that is fun for them. Alternatively, you could create a chart of random things that can happen if someone eats Creature X. Or, you could simplify it to only having interesting digestive effects for specific types of creatures like undead, outsiders, aberrations, etc. Or any combination thereof.

In Rise of the Runelords, the second book has a particularly nasty set of rules for what happens if you eat some of the stuff you find in Foxglove Manor.

[Valandil Ancalime]

Anything is edible, if you put enough Ketchup on it.

[Lairon]

*Fights a rust monster over the golem scrap, keeping distance and using rock slide*

[VC Gordd]

Aye. Most anything can be tasted. Most of the nasty little buggers makes nice sausages.

Since I got me new cloak, even more critters is tasting good.

That Garden Ooze did give me heartburn. Don't trust salads!

[GinoA]

I'd like to point out that Gordd there has been at this for quite a while. To quote the notes in his character sheet:

Quote:

Gordd has tasted most of what he's been involved in killing. This list includes: giant centipede, goblin, zombie, gray ooze, mutated goblin, dire rat, giant spider, alien skeletons, mi-go, bearded devil, cecaelia, cerebral fungus, akata, garden ooze, amphisbaena, pugwampus, gibbering mouther, adaro, anemone, giant beetle, giant scorpion, decapod, vexgit, owl, mud elemental, death trap ooze, ceustodaemon, infernal panther, xill, infernal dire wolf, annis hag (heart), lion, giralla, quosit, efreeti, behir (bones), allosaurus, cairn wight, flesh golem, penanggalen, howler*, wooden door, yeth hound, succubus lips, rat*, dread ghoul*, giant ant lion*, hyena*, morlock*, hound archon, giant scorpion*, camel*, land shark*, lacedon*, skum*, mako shark*, sin spawn*, death trap ooze*, hill giant*, stone giant*, frost giant*, roast roc, troll*, triceratops*, gelatinous cube*, spirit naga*, young blue dragon*, duergar, old duergar skeleton (mundane)*, chaos beast**, calcified carnivorous blob*, scarlet worm**, bugbear, "Animated" flesh-to-stone chunks of naga, cocyton hound**, gorilla**, lich gorilla** - Items marked with an asterisk (*) indicate that Gordd has harvested and smoked meat of this type or in the case of oozes and such, collected and used as a condiment/spice. A double-asterisk (**) indicates an intact carcass was collected via Gentle Repose.

He's quite disappointed that the fast-paced action in Eyes of the Ten prevented him from collecting a couple interesting specimens.

[Bwang]

Valandil Ancalime wrote:

Anything is edible, if you put enough Ketchup on it.

Purify food 1/2! Material component: a bottle of Ketchup

30yro joke from Dragon. RIP

[graystone]

Bwang wrote:

Valandil Ancalime wrote:

Anything is edible, if you put enough Ketchup on it.

Purify food 1/2! Material component: a bottle of Ketchup

30yro joke from Dragon. RIP

I prefer catsup. ;)

[LordKailas]

Erkenbard the Eyeful wrote:

The players in my group often try and eat monsters/creatures they have killed. This is not an issue with things such as wild boars or even owlbears, but last session they ran out of rations in the wilderness and chopped up a basilisk they had just killed. Fresh basilisk blood has certain unique properties such as returning a creature from stone to flesh if applied soon after the basilisk's death. Would it be edible? They also have xill eggs? Are xill eggs edible? Or would they get diarrhea? I usually use common sense as a DM but the basilisk steaks got me thinking.

if they have a ranger that can cast allfood then yes, everything is edible.

Otherwise, you could rule that they have to make a survival check DC 10 + the monster's CR.

Since, there is probably some part of the monster that can be eaten if it's properly prepared. Failing the check should cause the character's to gain the sickened condition for a full day at the very least.