Chef

A Chef is a specialized support artisan who bridges the gap between survival and restorative magic. While often overlooked in favor of the sword or the spell, a Chef ensures that a party is not just fed, but physically and mentally bolstered for the rigors of adventuring.

Through the mastery of Cook’s Utensils, a Chef transforms raw, often monster-derived ingredients into culinary masterpieces that provide mechanical benefits beyond simple nourishment.

Relevant D&D Mechanics

If you are building a Chef character, keep these "crunchy" details in mind:

• The Chef Feat (Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything): This is the definitive way to play this profession. It increases your Constitution or Wisdom and lets you cook treats that grant Temporary Hit Points equal to your proficiency bonus.

• Prestige Dishes: A Chef might quest specifically for a Hero's Feast (6th-level Conjuration spell), attempting to recreate its effects through mundane culinary mastery.

• Survival Skill: Often used in tandem with Cook's Utensils to find edible flora and fauna in the wild.

Career

Qualifications

In Janji

Server

• No Prior experience

Prep Cook

• No Prior experience

Line Cook

• A Seedling Bond as a Server or Prep Cook

• For a hireling, at least one year of experience

• Ability to cut meats and vegetables into the cuts and sizes requested by a cook

Cook

• An Anchor Bond as a Line Cook

• For a hireling, at least three years of experience

• Ability to use various cooking modalities:

• Open Flame, Spit, Oven, Stovetop

• Ability to use various cooking methods:

• Bake, Steam, Sautee, Roast, Toast

• Ability to hault cooking for different "doneness":

• Meat: Rare, Medium-Rare, Medium, Medium-Well, Welldone

• Aldente

Chef

• An Iron Bond as a Cook

• For a hireling, at least five years of experience

• Ability to follow a recipe and recreate a dish consistently over and over

Career Progression

Seedling Bond (1 Year)

• Server

• Prep Cook

• Leaves knowing to cut meats and vegetables into the cuts and sizes requested by a cook.

Anchor Bond (3 Years)

• Line Cook

• Leaves knowing to use all cooking modalities, cooking methods, and cook to all "donenesses."

Iron Bond (5 Years)

• Cook

• Leaves knowing how to follow a recipe and recreate a dish consistently over and over.

Pillar Bond

• Chef

• Leaves knowing how to create brand new recipes from scratch.

Payment & Reimbursement

• Normal stipends for the Bonded

• Hirelings:

• Server / Prep Cook: 8cp - 1 sp/day

• Line Cook: 1.5-2sp/day

• Cook: 3-4sp/day

• Chef: 6-8sp/day

Other Benefits

• Often the best quality (and variety) of food.

• Great survival skill.

• Very marketable skill, cooks & chefs are always in demand since they can work in refectories, taverns, restaurants, inns, Master's Estates, and private dwellings.

Perception

Purpose

The primary role of a Chef is party sustainability. Beyond preventing starvation, a skilled Chef uses their knowledge of ingredients to provide mechanical advantages:

• Restorative Meals: During a short rest, a Chef can prepare special food that allows allies to regain extra hit points (often an additional 1d8 if using the Chef feat).

• Treats for Temp HP: They can craft "snacks" that provide Temporary Hit Points, representing a surge of morale and energy.

• Magical Infusion: High-level Chefs (often Alchemists or bards) may infuse food with effects similar to potions, such as resistance to poison or enhanced strength.

Operations

Tools

• Cook’s Utensils: A metal pot, cutlery, a cutting board, ladles, and basic spices.

• Portable Spit: For roasting game over a campfire.

• Iron Rations: The "emergency backup" that a Chef strives to avoid using.

Materials

• Common: Salt, dried herbs, flour, local livestock meats, local catch, gathered fruits and vegetables.

• Exotic: Monster parts (e.g., Owlbear flank, Hydra neck), bioluminescent fungi from the Underdark, or Fire Elemental essence for "spicy" seasoning.

Dangers & Hazards

Cooking in a dungeon or the wilderness is a high-risk occupation:

• Attracting Predators: The smell of a roasting boar can draw Owlbears, Goblins, or Displacer Beasts from miles away.

• Toxic Misidentification: Mistaking a Shrieker fungus for a common mushroom can lead to an early grave (or a very loud kitchen).

• Elemental Mishaps: Using magic to flash-fry food can lead to unintended explosions or "over-seasoning" with magical residue.

Cooking in a tavern/bar/restaurant carries different risks/hazards:

• Unhappy Customers: The ungrateful, the rude, etc.

• Untrustworthy Suppliers: Is that really chicken? How fresh is that "herb mix?"

• Tools: Sharp tools, hot fire, hot oil, hot oven, hot stovetop, etc.