Cooking

Eating is a huge part of the Dragon Universe. It sustains life, and I think we can all remember the great banquets that Goku has eaten by himself. As such, this Optional Rule hinges on the idea of letting you cook, gain benefits from eating, and suffer from a lack.

These meals are not meant to represent every single meal you have, but rather those important meals found before entering combat. Most meals Characters would have are generally assumed to occur outside of sessions, but meals created through these Optional Rules are directly related to special meals before combat.

While Unnatural Characters cannot always eat, they should still gain the bonuses as if they did. This can be explained as a motivational bonus from the time spent relaxing with friends or whatever other reason you can think of.

Hunger

After each Combat Encounter, all Characters (except those who are Unnatural) gain 1 Hunger. For every stack of Hunger you possess, reduce your Combat Rolls by 1(bT) and your Stress Bonus by 1.

Preparing a Meal

If you will be spending more than an hour outside of a Combat Encounter, you can prepare a Meal. Each Meal should be enough to feed all Player Characters and their Minions. To prepare a Meal, select the Ingredients you will be using, and then make a Cooking Skill Check. If you succeed, every member of the intended party can consume the Meal and gain its benefits. The Ingredients are used up and lost if you succeed or fail.

Cooking Difficulty. The Difficulty Category of your Skill Check begins at Apprentice with 1 Ingredient and increases by 1 Difficulty Category for every additional Ingredient.

Meal Benefits. Consuming a Meal grants certain benefits during your next Combat Encounter. You gain the effects of each Ingredient consumed, one of the Ingredient Qualities used in a Meal, and any Recipe Bonuses that apply.

You can only benefit from one Meal at a time.

Dealing with Hunger. When you and your Allies consume a Meal, reduce your Hunger by 1/2 (rounded up) of the number of Ingredients used in that Meal. You can consume multiple Meals to reduce your Hunger, but if you do, you can still only possess the Meal Benefits of one of those Meals (you decide which).

Stacking Food Groups. If you use multiple Ingredients that share the same Food Group, you do not benefit from their effects multiple times. Instead, select the Ingredient with the highest Food Grade among the Ingredients of that Food Group and increase the Food Grade of that Ingredient by 1 for each other Ingredient of that Food Group in the Meal. You always use the highest Food Grade among any Ingredients in a Meal when applying their effects.

Skill

Cooking: You whip up a tasty meal for your companions.
–Attribute: Personality or Scholarship (you decide)
–Combat Maneuver: You gain access to the Snack Maneuver.
–ARC Tips: While Cooking is predominantly used outside of combat to prepare meals using the rules below, you can also use it to assess the potential of various ingredients and to know what is inside of other people’s cooking.

Ingredients

You can’t cook without something to cook. Ingredients can be gained through any means decided by your ARC; you could buy them, forage for them, or your ARC could simply allow you to already have a selection of Ingredients. It all depends on the campaign and what kind of story you wish to tell. Each Ingredient doesn’t represent a single item, but rather enough of that Ingredient to feed the whole intended group.

Each Ingredient is separated into a Food Grade and a Food Group.

Food Grade. Ingredients can be of varying qualities, with each quality having a Grade Value, a number between 1 and 3 that represents their degree of quality. Effects that use Grade Value refer to it as F. F cannot exceed 4 through any means.

Food Groups. Each Ingredient is separated into a Food Group, each of which applies a different benefit to a Meal:

• Protein: Increase your Wound Rolls by 1/2 (rounded up) of F(bT).
• Fruit/Vegetables: Increase your Maximum Life Points by F for every Power Level reached.
• Carbohydrates: Increase your Maximum Ki Points by F for every Power Level reached.
• Dairy: Increase your Soak Value by 1/2 (rounded up) of F(bT).
• Fats, Oils and Sweets: Increase your Saving Throws by 1/2 (rounded up) of F(bT).
• Beverage: Increase the amount of Life and Ki Points regained through Surge Maneuvers by F(bT).

Ingredient Qualities

Some Ingredients, decided by your ARC, possess special qualities that make them particularly valuable and worth searching for. These Ingredient Qualities are meant to be rare, as they either allow the Ingredient to be used in various ways, or apply special effects to Meals.

Below is a list of Ingredient Qualities:

Dynamic: Create your own Ingredient Quality!
–Effects: Whatever you wish! It’s highly encouraged to make dynamic Ingredient Qualities to fit your campaign, with those below mostly being examples and to help give a vague guideline.

Big Portions: This Ingredient is so large, there’s more than enough of it for a meal.
–Effects: This Ingredient can be used 3 times when preparing a Meal(s).

Incredibly Fresh: Fresh-picked and oh-so-delicious!
–Effects: If this Ingredient is used for a Meal within an hour after obtaining it, set F to 4 for this Ingredient.

Versatile Ingredient: This Ingredient can substitute for other kinds of food.
–Effects: This Ingredient can be treated as a different Food Group (decided by your ARC upon applying this Ingredient Quality) for the sake of a Recipe’s requirements (you still apply the effects of its usual Food Group).

Empowering: This Ingredient is imbued with excess life energy.
–Effects: Upon entering your next Combat Encounter, gain a stack of Power until the end of the Combat Encounter.

Health Recovery: After eating this Ingredient, you feel especially hearty!
–Effects: At the start of each Combat Round in your next Combat Encounter, regain 3(bT) Life Points.

Stamina Recovery: This Ingredient leaves you bursting with energy.
–Effects: At the start of each Combat Round in your next Combat Encounter, regain 2(bT) Ki Points.

Extremely Spicy: After eating this Ingredient, your whole body feels like it’s on fire!
–Effects: For the duration of your next Combat Encounter, ignore the effects of the Smouldering Battle Weather and reduce the Damage you receive from Attacking Maneuvers made with the Elemental (Fire) Profile by 2(bT).

High Alcohol Content: This Ingredient has dulled your mind and left you staggering.
–Effects: Enter the Drunk Special State for the duration of your next Combat Encounter. While in the Drunk Special State, increase your Dodge Rolls by 2(T).

Power Protein: This Ingredient is packed so full of protein that you feel stronger just for eating it!
–Effects: For the duration of your next Combat Encounter, increase your Might and Wound Rolls by 1(T) and 2(T) respectively. This Ingredient must be from the Protein Food Group.

Delicious Danger: This Ingredient is deadly, and yet amazingly delicious.
–Effects: For the duration of your next Combat Encounter, reduce your Maximum Life Points by 1/4 but increase your Combat Rolls by 2(T) and your Stress Bonus by 1.

Full Recovery: This Ingredient seems to restore you to full vitality.
–Effects: Immediately regain all Life and Ki Points. For the duration of your next Combat Encounter, increase the Dice Score of your Steadfast Checks by 1.

Awakening Quality: This Ingredient unleashes your hidden potential.
–Effects: Those who consume a Meal with this Ingredient gain a stack of Unlocked Potential. Each character can only gain a stack of Unlocked Potential through this effect once.

Recipes

A Recipe is a certain combination of Ingredients used by Characters to create a particularly impactful Meal. Upon gaining a Skill Rank in the Cooking Skill, you may create a new Recipe.

Creating a Recipe. When you create a Recipe, select a number of Food Groups (you may select the same Food Group multiple times) up to your ranks in the Cooking Skill and a Recipe Bonus (detailed below). When you make a Meal using the Ingredients listed on your Recipe, that Meal gains the Recipe Bonus listed.

Recipe Bonus. A Recipe Bonus is an effect that is applied to a Meal that meets the requirements of a Recipe. Some may require repeats of Food Groups, which will be listed by the Recipe Bonus itself. As with all effects from a Meal, Recipe Bonuses only last for the duration of your next Combat Encounter.

Below is a list of Recipe Bonuses:

Dynamic: Work with your ARC to create your own Recipe Bonus!
–Prerequisites: ???
–Effects: Whatever you wish! It’s highly encouraged to make dynamic Recipe Bonuses with your ARC, with those below mostly being examples and to help give a vague guideline.

Healthy: This Meal seems to make it easier to recover from attacks.
–Prerequisites: N/A
–Effects: Increase the amount of Life Points you regain through Healing Surge Maneuvers by 1d6(bT).

Local Recipe: This Meal is beloved by people from a certain place.
–Prerequisites: N/A
–Effects: Select a Race upon creating this Recipe. Members of that Race treat all Ingredients in this Recipe as if their Food Grade was 1 higher when gaining their benefits.

Visually Appealing: This Meal warms your body and your soul!
–Prerequisites: N/A
–Effects: Increase your Corporeal and Morale Saves by 1(bT).

Simplicity at its Finest: This Meal is almost impossible to prepare incorrectly.
–Prerequisites: No Ingredients with a Food Grade higher than 1
–Effects: Choose an Ingredient. Treat F as 3 for that Ingredient.

Gourmet: This Meal is of the finest quality, emboldening you in battle.
–Prerequisites: An Ingredient with a Food Grade of 3
–Effects: Gain 3 Gourmet stacks for the duration of your next Combat Encounter. When making an Attacking Maneuver, you can spend 1 Gourmet stack to apply Greater Dice for the duration of that Attacking Maneuver.

Perfectly Balanced: This Meal provides for all of your body’s nutritional needs.
–Prerequisites: 3+ Ingredients, each of different Food Groups
–Effects: Increase your Stress Bonus by 2.

Gym Food: This Meal is perfect for building muscle.
–Prerequisites: 2+ Protein
–Effects: Increase your Might by 1(bT) and double the bonus to your Wound Rolls from your Protein Ingredient with the highest Food Grade.

Healthy Food: This Meal strengthens your constitution!
–Prerequisites: 2+ Fruit/Vegetables
–Effects: Increase your Maximum Life Points by 1/5 and your Soak Value by 1(bT).

Rich Food: This Meal leaves you feeling very full.
–Prerequisites: 2+ Dairy
–Effects: Increase your Wound Rolls by 1(bT) and double the bonus to your Soak Value from your Dairy Ingredient with the highest Food Grade.

Running Food: This Meal gives you a ton of energy!
–Prerequisites: 2+ Carbohydrates
–Effects:  Increase your Maximum Ki Points by 1/5 and your Speed by 2(bT).

Decadent Food: This Meal appeals to your indulgent side, leaving you feeling very satisfied.
–Prerequisites: 2+ Fats, Oils and Sweets
–Effects: Reduce the Ki Point Cost of all your Maneuvers by 1(bT) and double the bonus to your Saving Throws from your Fats, Oils and Sweets Ingredients with the highest Food Grade.

Refreshing Food: This Meal gives you a relaxed sense of contentment that you can recall in battle.
–Prerequisites: 2+ Beverages
–Effects: You may use the Surge Maneuver an additional time this Combat Encounter and increase your Surgency by 1/2.

Combat Food: This Meal prepares you with the strength and energy you need to fight.
–Prerequisites: 2+ Carbohydrates, 1+ Protein, 1+ Beverage
–Effects: Increase your Combat Rolls and Damage Reduction by 1(bT).

Race Interaction

When using this set of Optional Rules, certain Races gain additional Racial Traits.

Saiyans

Warrior’s Appetite (Body): Your body requires far more food than most in order to create the huge reserves of energy you need for combat.
-[Passive]: Double the bonuses gained from the effects of Food Groups.
-[Passive]: Double the amount of Hunger gained after each Combat Encounter.

Namekians

1 Drink, hold the Food (Body): Your body subsists solely on water, creating everything else it needs.
-[Passive]: Double the bonuses gained from the Beverage Food Group.
-[Passive]: You do not gain the bonuses from the effects of Food Groups other than the Beverage Food Group, unless your Meal includes at least 1 Ingredient of the Beverage Food Group.

Androids

Unnecessary Calories (Body): You do not require food, only energy, which your body can obtain or generate in other ways.
-[Passive]: You do not gain Hunger, even if you are not Unnatural.
-[Passive]: You do not gain the bonuses from the effects of Food Groups other than the Beverage Food Group, unless your Meal includes at least 1 Ingredient of the Beverage Food Group.

Majin

Sugar Rush (Body): Your unique anatomy actually functions better when you have a lot of sugary foods.
-[Passive]: If you haven’t had a Meal since your last Combat Encounter, reduce the amount of Life Points you regain through Surge Maneuvers by 3(bT).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you make an Attacking Maneuver or are targeted by an Attacking Maneuver while you are benefiting from a Meal with 2+ Ingredients of the Fats, Oils and Sweets Food Group, apply your Tier of Power Extra Dice (min. 1d4) an additional time for the duration of that Attacking Maneuver.

Talents

Leftover Planner: You cook enough food for a small army, ensuring you always have some leftovers.
–Prerequisites: 2+ Skill Ranks in the Cooking Skill
-[Passive]: Each time you make a Meal, gain a Snack Basic Item.
-[Passive]: Increase the amount of Life and Ki Points regained from the Snack Maneuver by your Skill Bonus for the Cooking Skill.
-[1/Round]: If you haven’t used the Snack Maneuver this Combat Round, you may destroy one Snack Basic Item to use the Snack Maneuver even if you have already used it this Combat Encounter.

Special Maneuvers

Snack Maneuver [1/Encounter]: You chow down on a hidden snack you always keep on your person, granting you extra strength.
–Maneuver Type: Instant Maneuver
–Action Cost: N/A
–KP Cost: N/A
–Effect: Regain 1d10(bT) Life and Ki Points, then use the Power Up Maneuver as an Out-of-Sequence Maneuver. Using this Maneuver counts as using a Snack Basic Item for the effects of the Snack Fiend Talent.