In the Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus adventure, all food and drink tastes horrible to our characters when it is consumed in Avernus. If we eat or drink anything, we must roll to not vomit. Would there be a way around this, like destroying our taste buds? Is there a better way?
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2\$\begingroup\$ Is there any more information you have on what specifically causes this or what game-elements it involves? I assume the roll made is a constitution saving throw? Additionally, are you a player o1r GM? That said, welcome to the site! Take the tour if you haven't already and you can visit the help center for some further guidance as well. Good luck and happy gaming! \$\endgroup\$– Exempt-MedicJan 29, 2020 at 21:07
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4\$\begingroup\$ For those of us unfamiliar with the adventure, is this a published part of the adventure or is this something your DM has chosen to include? Also, what kind of save do you make? Is it Constitution? Otherwise, welcome! Please take the tour and get to know us! \$\endgroup\$– Lauren MoylanJan 29, 2020 at 21:09
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8\$\begingroup\$ From looking at the adventure intro and Chapter 3: Avernus, it looks like the "all food/water tastes bad when consumed in Avernus" part is from the book, but I see nothing about "rolling to not vomit". (It does not list any mechanical consequences that I saw.) \$\endgroup\$– V2BlastJan 29, 2020 at 23:37
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2\$\begingroup\$ This sounds like the outermost round of some versions of Hell -- Anhedonia. The name means, roughly, "no pleasure". I suspect more than just food and drink is affected... \$\endgroup\$– Zeiss IkonJan 30, 2020 at 12:52
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2\$\begingroup\$ @ZeissIkon Avernus is the first of the Nine Hells in the standard D&D5e cosmology \$\endgroup\$– CalethJan 30, 2020 at 13:37
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6 Answers
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Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion
Why eat in Avernus when you can eat in your very own pocket dimension?
The description of Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion says:
You conjure an extradimensional dwelling in range that lasts for the duration. You choose where its one entrance is located. The entrance shimmers faintly and is 5 feet wide and 10 feet tall. You and any creature you designate when you cast the spell can enter the extradimensional dwelling as long as the portal remains open. You can open or close the portal if you are within 30 feet of it. While closed, the portal is invisible.
Beyond the portal is a magnificent foyer with numerous chambers beyond. The atmosphere is clean, fresh, and warm.
[...] The place is furnished and decorated as you choose. It contains sufficient food to serve a nine course banquet for up to 100 people. [...]
This also means you don't have to scavenge for food as well.
Timeless Body
15th level monks don't need to eat food.
At 15th level, your ki sustains you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, you no longer need food or water.
Ioun Stone of Sustenance
This requires some cooperation on the part of your DM, but you could simply not need need to eat.
(DMG p.176-177)
You don't need to eat or drink while this clear spindle orbits your head.
answered Jan 30, 2020 at 1:13
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2\$\begingroup\$ By this logic would putting your head in a bag of holding and eating something count as not being in Avernus? \$\endgroup\$– AnketamJan 30, 2020 at 14:24
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1\$\begingroup\$ Possibly, however no air so it doesn't really matter. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 14:54
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2\$\begingroup\$ by 15th level, the adventure has likely been over for a few levels. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 19:58
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1\$\begingroup\$ @CertainlyNot: The text specifically says "extradimensional". That means "outside your current dimension". Given that "plane" and "dimension" are regularly used interchangably (e.g. a Demiplane is also an extradimensional space), wherever the mansion is, it's not on the plane you were on when you cast it. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 31, 2020 at 16:30
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1\$\begingroup\$ @CertainlyNot The the fact the Ravenica/Shadowfell explicity states that spells such MMM don't bypass the planar restrictions seems suggest that \$\endgroup\$ Jan 31, 2020 at 16:42
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Goodberry
As long as you have someone who can cast Goodberry, you can swallow them like a pill. Since it seems to be a Planar level enchantment, the bad taste to food and drink would apply to everything, and probably overwrite any attempts to reflavor food, and even add negative flavor to "bland, summoned food".
It also would make the Goodberry taste awful, however as long as you can dry swallow, no problem, since you're not eating it and the spell doesn't specify that it must be chewed.
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3\$\begingroup\$ @Orc'sPlunder My point is that even if the goodberry tastes foul, you don't have to taste it. Most medication I take tastes pretty awful if I accidentally chew it even a little bit, but if i just swallow it I don't taste anything. \$\endgroup\$– aslumJan 30, 2020 at 15:43
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\$\begingroup\$ no worries just wanted to point that out as you had mentioned specifically Goodberry will delete and add separately :) \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 15:45
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3\$\begingroup\$ I like the "treat it as medicine" approach. The DM might rule that the taste is wretched even if you just pop in your mouth and swallow it, but you might be able to get around that by wrapping the Goodberry in a non-food but edible item like a leaf or some paper, which presumably would not have the terrible taste of "food and drink", and would keep the actual food from touching your tongue. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 15:55
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9\$\begingroup\$ Here lies Galfang. Rolled a one for dry swallow check. \$\endgroup\$– MazuraJan 30, 2020 at 20:38
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2\$\begingroup\$ For something as small as a goodberry, even if the taste was utterly foul, keeping it down would be relatively easy. Source: I have taken some abominably awful-tasting medications. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 31, 2020 at 21:48
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Prestidigitation
The prestidigitation cantrip can be used to flavor your food. One of the effects it allows is as below:
You chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour
This may or may not help, though, as it sounds like food is meant to taste bad no matter what you do.
answered Jan 29, 2020 at 21:45
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1\$\begingroup\$ While this was my first thought, I think this counts as preparation, and so wouldn't work. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 9:23
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6\$\begingroup\$ More to the point, no matter what flavor the food has, it will still taste bad. Cotton candy would taste bad. Chocolate would taste bad. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 13:21
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Finding food and water
Try using purify food and drink on the water (although it will be up to the GM whether purifying the water will make it taste any less foul). There isn't much you can do for the food. The module's text is very specific about how food and drink behaves. If you are playing through the module, though, your characters might try a number of different things. I've quoted the relevant section, but it could serve as a spoiler:
Wisdom (Survival) checks to forage in Avernus are made at disadvantage. Water exists, but it tastes foul and is hard to find. Food can likewise be scrounged, but the flora and fauna taste revolting no matter the manner of preparation. Even rations brought to Avernus taste bitter and ashen.
Outside of Avernus, you could try:
- purify food and drink
- using cooking supplies with spices (reference to spices can be found in the text on Heward's handy spice pouch)
Creating food and water
All that being said, nothing in the text dictates what happens when food/water is conjured in Avernus. As far as I can tell, the food/water conjured would taste the same as normal.
Some spells that do this include:
You create up to 10 gallons of clean water within range in an open container.
The food is bland but nourishing, and spoils if uneaten after 24 hours. The water is clean and doesn't go bad.
Up to ten berries appear in your hand... Eating a berry... provides enough nourishment to sustain a creature for one day.
You bring forth a great feast, including magnificent food and drink.
answered Jan 29, 2020 at 21:11
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6\$\begingroup\$ The "brought to" language suggests it's a characteristic of the place rather than the substance. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 6:54
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GOODBERRY GALORE
Wisdom (Survival) checks to forage in Avernus are made at disadvantage. Water exists, but it tastes foul and is hard to find. Food can likewise be scrounged, but the flora and fauna taste revolting no matter the manner of preparation. Even rations brought to Avernus taste bitter and ashen.
This suggests Goodberry would work! because:
- it's not from Avernus
- it's not reflavoured
- it's not prepared in Avernus
- it's not brought to Avernus
Maybe a few druids could set up shop in Avernus and open a chain of taverns with yummy Goodberries: "Goodberry Gorge: Guaranteed not to make you Vomit!"
answered Jan 30, 2020 at 15:50
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1\$\begingroup\$ That depends on how you handle "brought to Avernus" in relation to "conjuring" said berries ... My native language would already confuse and mix both terms. And there is a high chance that it is fully intended that ALL food/drinks no matter how you get them (collect it in Avernus = bad, bring to Avernus = bad) are intended to be bad \$\endgroup\$– eagle275Jan 31, 2020 at 10:01
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Cutting your Tongue out/off
Now, if this sounds like a joke, it's not. Everyone else assumes you have casters in the party, then again, few parties don't have casters.
I played Descent into Avernus once. The Tabaxi Rogue actually asked the DM if he could cut out his own tounge to avoid rolling vomit.
How that went: The tabaxi rogue sacrificed 2d4 health and couldn't talk, but the Githzaeri cast telepathy on the Tabaxi and spoke for him. (That was fun to roleplay.) But again, if you don't have casters, there could be many other ways to talk. Sign language, perhaps?
Point is: Your taste buds are on your tongue, so cutting your tongue off means effectively destroying your taste. That means it won't taste bad, but you might still vomit. It's up to your DM whether or not you do. Of course, any of the other answers work, this is just a example of how to avoid expending spell slots. (Prestidigitation doesn't require spell slots either.)
answered Jan 30, 2020 at 11:42
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1\$\begingroup\$ or instead of cutting out the tongue you can use a flame to burn your taste buds and kill them off. \$\endgroup\$– EfialtesJan 30, 2020 at 12:01
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2\$\begingroup\$ The origin of sense of taste is not defined so we can assume it depends on the creature. For most humanoids it would be the tongue AND the nose. In humans most of our sense of taste comes from our nose, not our tongue. ...so maybe cut off tongue and burn the inside of the nose. That ought to do it! \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 15:14
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1\$\begingroup\$ OP hasn't yet, but can you cite where in the book it requires this roll to vomit? \$\endgroup\$– NotArchJan 30, 2020 at 15:55
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\$\begingroup\$ @NautArch I lost that book sadly. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 30, 2020 at 19:04
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\$\begingroup\$ I can't see any reason to downvote this, since it is from the direct experience of the poster. They were in a game where this was tried and worked. It may not be a preferred Answer, so I can see non upvoting it. But it is a valid Answer. \$\endgroup\$– trlklyJan 31, 2020 at 15:37