[RPG] Can the Creation spell create food

dnd-5efood-and-drinkspells

I looked for any duplicates and didn't find any, but if there is please let me know.

The spell creation states:

You pull wisps of shadow material from the Shadowfell to create a nonliving object of vegetable matter within range: soft goods, rope, wood, or something similar. You can also use this spell to create mineral objects such as stone, crystal, or metal. The object created must be no larger than a 5-foot cube, and the object must be of a form and material that you have seen before.

Can food be considered a "soft goods" object made from vegetable matter?

(I realize the create food and water spell exists; I just want to know if creation can create food.)

Best Answer

Yes, no, maybe

I think a DM will need to rule this for you, but I would say that create a nonliving object of vegetable matter suggests that it could be of plants origin. For instance a chunk of a tree that you could use as a foot stool, would be a perfectly acceptable use of the spell. It's not alive.

So it could be plant-based, but the nonliving part of the spell is what needs a ruling on. Let's suppose you create a large a fruit: a watermelon. That is alive still even when it is separated from the original plant. It has living seeds that will grow into new plants. Many fruits and vegetables are still alive in this respect.

I guess at a push, you could create prunes or raisins with no seeds in them - just the pulp. They are vegetable matter, do not contain a living thing (the seed) and are also food. The question then is, does it have nutrients if it is created from shadow material from Shadowfell? If so, that's fine, but will these nutrients also vanish from your PC's body when the spell ends? Quite possibly!

I think the spell at best could create Ersatz-Food, which could seem like food for intents and purposes but but not serve as food when it comes to surviving. Those who eat it will feel full and satisfied for a day's time and after 24 hours they might suddenly find themselves ravenously hungry.

It is a clever twist on the Creation spell though, so I might be tempted to allow it for "rule of cool" - if it came up all of a sudden in my campaign.

As a general rule though, I would say: NO. Mainly, because it steps on the toes of the class-specific 3rd-level spell Create Food and Water which is only available to a Cleric and Paladin (or an Artificer).

Creation is 5th-level spell and you don't want to be wasting this on creating Ersatz-food. Why not create some gold instead to buy a feast and make sure you do a runner and are nowhere to be found when the 1 hour is up and the gold vanishes into thin air.

As an alternative, take 1 level as a Druid or the Magic Initiate feat and get Goodberry. You and your party will never need to worry about where your next meal is going to come from! :)

Hope this helps.

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