Hearth & Home: Cooking System
Beyond the battles and mysteries, life in Narasato often revolves around shared meals, thoughtful gifts, and the simple comforts of home. Whether you're preparing a bento for lunch, baking sweets for a friend, or trying a complex recipe in Home Economics class, the Cooking System lets your character express themselves through the culinary arts.
This system allows you to create food items that can be used for personal enjoyment, as impactful gifts, or as part of slice-of-life scenes. Success isn't just about following steps; it requires skill, care, and sometimes, a bit of luck!
Core Concepts
Crafting (Cooking) Skill: Your character's proficiency in cooking is represented by this Slice-of-Life Skill, using the standard Mythic Rank scale.
Recipes: Instructions detailing ingredients, difficulty, and the type of dish. Characters need recipes to cook specific items.
Ingredients: The necessary components for a recipe. Assumed to be available for simple dishes; complex ones may require a shopping trip.
Skill Check: Cooking involves making a Crafting (Cooking) check against the Recipe's Difficulty Rank using the Mythic d20 system.
Dish Quality: The outcome of your cooking attempt, ranging from Botched to Perfect, determining the food's effects and suitability as a gift.
The Crafting (Cooking) Skill
This skill reflects your character's talent and experience in the kitchen. Like other Slice-of-Life Skills, it uses Mythic Ranks (Weak → Incredible) and improves by accumulating Skill Checks.
Gain 3 Skill Checks in Crafting (Cooking) to increase its Rank by one step.
Most characters start at Below Average or Average unless their background suggests otherwise (e.g., grew up helping in a family restaurant).
Skill Checks are primarily earned by successfully cooking dishes.
Recipes: Your Culinary Guide
You can't just whip up anything! To cook a specific dish, your character needs to know the Recipe.
Acquiring Recipes:
Starting Knowledge: Assume characters know a few very basic recipes (e.g., simple rice balls, toast, scrambled eggs).
Home Economics Class: Attending and focusing (#gakuen-classrooms) can teach new recipes.
Cookbooks: Purchased from the bookstore (#bookstore-pages) or found/gifted.
NPCs: Friends or family might share recipes (strengthens Relationships!). Maybe the Outcast Café owner gives you a tip?
Finding Them: Occasionally found as notes or in old books during exploration/investigation.
Recipe Information: Each Recipe typically includes:
Name: E.g., "Fluffy Strawberry Shortcake," "Hearty Beef Curry," "Onigiri Trio."
Description: A brief overview of the dish.
Required Ingredients: Lists key components. Basic staples (salt, sugar, oil) are assumed; anything specific (specialty spices, fresh seafood, rare fruit) might require a dedicated shopping trip action during a relevant Time Block.
Difficulty Rank: The Mythic Rank you must overcome with your Crafting (Cooking) check (e.g., Average, Above Average, High).
Potential Tags: Descriptive words like Sweet, Savory, Spicy, Comfort Food, Healthy, Traditional, Snack, Meal, Dessert. These help determine gifting suitability and roleplaying flavour.
Ingredients: The Building Blocks
Availability: For common recipes (Difficulty Average or Below), assume your character has basic ingredients at home or in the dorm kitchen unless circumstances suggest otherwise (e.g., just moved in, haven't gone shopping in weeks).
Shopping: For recipes requiring specific or uncommon ingredients (Difficulty Above Average+ or specific components listed), your character will need to perform a "Go Shopping" action, usually during an After School or Weekend Block, visiting the #shopping-district or a specialty store. This is handled narratively – spend some time, maybe some allowance money.
The Cooking Process: Step-by-Step
When your character decides to cook, follow these steps:
Choose Recipe & Time: Select a known Recipe. Cooking takes time, so decide which Time Block you're using (e.g., preparing lunch during the Morning Block, cooking dinner in the Evening Block, baking during the After School Block or Weekend). Some complex recipes might take longer (GM discretion).
Check Ingredients: Confirm you have the necessary ingredients (narratively for common items, or confirm you went shopping for special ones).
Make the Skill Check: Perform a Crafting (Cooking) skill check. This involves comparing your character's Crafting (Cooking) Rank against the Recipe's Difficulty Rank using the Mythic d20 resolution system.
Determine Outcome: Based on the success level of your check, consult the Dish Quality & Effects table below to find out how well the dish turned out.
Describe the Result: Roleplay the outcome! Did smoke fill the kitchen? Does it smell delicious? Describe the finished dish based on its Quality.
Dish Quality & Effects
The result of your Crafting (Cooking) check determines the quality of the food, which impacts its effects when eaten or gifted.
| Check Result vs Difficulty | Dish Quality | Description | Effect (Personal Consumption) | Effect (Gifting - Base Potential)* | Skill Check Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Failure (Rank Below) | Botched/Inedible | Burnt, raw, wrong ingredients, tastes terrible. A culinary disaster. | Likely inedible. Attempting to eat might cause minor negative RP effect (disgust) or even +1 Stress Level. | Hated (regardless of preference). Gifting this is insulting. | None |
| Tie / Bare Success | Decent / Okay | Edible, recognizable, but maybe slightly bland, overcooked, or presentation is messy. | Basic nourishment. No significant positive or negative effect. Fills the belly. | Neutral (at best). Might be Liked only if it's their absolute favorite food type AND they are forgiving. | +1 Check |
| Good Success (Rank Above) | Good / Tasty | Well-prepared, tastes good, looks appealing. A solid home-cooked meal or treat. | Provides a small comfort. May allow a reroll on a failed Mood check later, OR prevents 1 minor Stress gain soon after eating. | Liked (if the recipient generally likes this type of food). | +1 Check |
| Exceptional Success (Rank Well Above) | Excellent / Delicious | Tastes amazing, perfect texture, beautifully presented. Clearly made with skill and care. | Genuinely enjoyable. Reduces current Stress Level by 1 (if Level 1+). May provide a narrative boost to a positive Mood. | Loved (if the recipient likes this type of food at all). Can impress even picky eaters. | +2 Checks |
| Incredible Success (Rank Far Above) | Perfect / Masterpiece | Transcendent flavour, flawless execution. A dish worthy of high praise, potentially unforgettable. | Deeply satisfying and comforting. Reduces current Stress Level by 1 AND grants a +1 Rank Shift to the next Emotional Resilience check. | Loved (even if they are neutral to the food type, the sheer quality wins them over). Might unlock unique dialogue/scenes. | +2 Checks |
*Gifting Potential Notes:
Preference is King: Remember, even a "Perfect" quality dish will likely be treated as Disliked or Hated if the recipient hates the core ingredients (e.g., allergic to strawberries in a perfect strawberry cake, despises fish in a perfect fish dish).
Matching Tastes: An "Excellent" or "Perfect" dish that also perfectly matches the recipient's known Loved preferences is the ultimate gift, virtually guaranteeing a +1 Relationship Rank boost.
Effort Counts: A "Good" quality homemade gift of something the recipient Likes often means more than a store-bought Neutral gift.
Cooking & Other Systems
Gifting System: Cooked food is a primary type of gift. Use the Quality table above combined with the recipient's preferences to determine the impact on Relationship Ranks.
Relationship System: Cooking for someone (especially their favorite food) is a strong positive relationship action. Cooking together can be a great bonding scene.
Stress & Mood: Eating good quality food you cooked yourself (or received as a gift) can provide minor Stress relief or Mood boosts. Botched attempts can be frustrating and might slightly increase Stress. The act of cooking itself, if successful and enjoyable for the character, might count as a relaxing hobby scene for Stress reduction.
Time Blocks: Cooking takes time. Decide which block is most appropriate. Simple prep might fit in the Morning Block; complex meals or baking usually take an After School, Evening, or Weekend Block.
School Clubs: The Home Economics club is a prime place to learn recipes and gain Skill Checks for Crafting (Cooking).
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