How many people can be fed with the Create Food and Water spell?












6














The spell Create Food and Water says:




You create 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water on the ground or in containers within range, enough to sustain up to fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours. The food is bland but nourishing, and spoils if uneaten after 24 hours. The water is clean and doesn’t go bad.




But from the PHB (p. 185) or basic rules (p. 69), under "Food and Water":




A character needs one pound of food per day and can make food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating half a pound of food in a day counts as half a day without food.



[...]



A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot.




Emphasis mine.



Also, from the DMG (p. 111), also under "Food and Water":




The food and water requirements noted in the Player's Handbook are for characters. Horses and other creatures require different quantities of food and water per day based on their size. Water needs are doubled if the weather is hot.




$$
begin{array}{|c|cc|}
text{Size} & text{Food} & text{Water} \hline
text{Tiny} & frac{1}{4} text{ pound} & frac{1}{4} text{ gallon} \
text{Small} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Medium} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Large} & 4 text{ pounds} & 4 text{ gallons} \
text{Huge} & 16 text{ pounds} & 16 text{ gallons} \
text{Gargantuan} & 64 text{ pounds} & 64 text{ gallons} \
end{array}
$$



So, if it produces 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water, Create Food and Water should be able to feed up to 45 PCs / Medium Creatures and give drink to 30 PCs / Medium Creatures.



Even more, if we take into account that a ration of food weighs 2 pounds (PHB, p. 150), it should be able to feed 22.5 PC, not 15. Also, if my English isn't bad, steeds are horses, which are large, so it should be able to feed up to 11.25 and give drink up to 7.5, not 5 steeds.



So, finally: How much PCs can be fed with Create Food and Water? Maybe that bland food has fewer calories than typical food?










share|improve this question
























  • @T.J.L. sorry, fixed!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago










  • Steeds are animals that are ridden. Horses, camels, etc.
    – Tim Grant
    6 hours ago










  • @TimGrant oh, great!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago
















6














The spell Create Food and Water says:




You create 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water on the ground or in containers within range, enough to sustain up to fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours. The food is bland but nourishing, and spoils if uneaten after 24 hours. The water is clean and doesn’t go bad.




But from the PHB (p. 185) or basic rules (p. 69), under "Food and Water":




A character needs one pound of food per day and can make food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating half a pound of food in a day counts as half a day without food.



[...]



A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot.




Emphasis mine.



Also, from the DMG (p. 111), also under "Food and Water":




The food and water requirements noted in the Player's Handbook are for characters. Horses and other creatures require different quantities of food and water per day based on their size. Water needs are doubled if the weather is hot.




$$
begin{array}{|c|cc|}
text{Size} & text{Food} & text{Water} \hline
text{Tiny} & frac{1}{4} text{ pound} & frac{1}{4} text{ gallon} \
text{Small} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Medium} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Large} & 4 text{ pounds} & 4 text{ gallons} \
text{Huge} & 16 text{ pounds} & 16 text{ gallons} \
text{Gargantuan} & 64 text{ pounds} & 64 text{ gallons} \
end{array}
$$



So, if it produces 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water, Create Food and Water should be able to feed up to 45 PCs / Medium Creatures and give drink to 30 PCs / Medium Creatures.



Even more, if we take into account that a ration of food weighs 2 pounds (PHB, p. 150), it should be able to feed 22.5 PC, not 15. Also, if my English isn't bad, steeds are horses, which are large, so it should be able to feed up to 11.25 and give drink up to 7.5, not 5 steeds.



So, finally: How much PCs can be fed with Create Food and Water? Maybe that bland food has fewer calories than typical food?










share|improve this question
























  • @T.J.L. sorry, fixed!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago










  • Steeds are animals that are ridden. Horses, camels, etc.
    – Tim Grant
    6 hours ago










  • @TimGrant oh, great!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago














6












6








6


1





The spell Create Food and Water says:




You create 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water on the ground or in containers within range, enough to sustain up to fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours. The food is bland but nourishing, and spoils if uneaten after 24 hours. The water is clean and doesn’t go bad.




But from the PHB (p. 185) or basic rules (p. 69), under "Food and Water":




A character needs one pound of food per day and can make food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating half a pound of food in a day counts as half a day without food.



[...]



A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot.




Emphasis mine.



Also, from the DMG (p. 111), also under "Food and Water":




The food and water requirements noted in the Player's Handbook are for characters. Horses and other creatures require different quantities of food and water per day based on their size. Water needs are doubled if the weather is hot.




$$
begin{array}{|c|cc|}
text{Size} & text{Food} & text{Water} \hline
text{Tiny} & frac{1}{4} text{ pound} & frac{1}{4} text{ gallon} \
text{Small} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Medium} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Large} & 4 text{ pounds} & 4 text{ gallons} \
text{Huge} & 16 text{ pounds} & 16 text{ gallons} \
text{Gargantuan} & 64 text{ pounds} & 64 text{ gallons} \
end{array}
$$



So, if it produces 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water, Create Food and Water should be able to feed up to 45 PCs / Medium Creatures and give drink to 30 PCs / Medium Creatures.



Even more, if we take into account that a ration of food weighs 2 pounds (PHB, p. 150), it should be able to feed 22.5 PC, not 15. Also, if my English isn't bad, steeds are horses, which are large, so it should be able to feed up to 11.25 and give drink up to 7.5, not 5 steeds.



So, finally: How much PCs can be fed with Create Food and Water? Maybe that bland food has fewer calories than typical food?










share|improve this question















The spell Create Food and Water says:




You create 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water on the ground or in containers within range, enough to sustain up to fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours. The food is bland but nourishing, and spoils if uneaten after 24 hours. The water is clean and doesn’t go bad.




But from the PHB (p. 185) or basic rules (p. 69), under "Food and Water":




A character needs one pound of food per day and can make food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating half a pound of food in a day counts as half a day without food.



[...]



A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot.




Emphasis mine.



Also, from the DMG (p. 111), also under "Food and Water":




The food and water requirements noted in the Player's Handbook are for characters. Horses and other creatures require different quantities of food and water per day based on their size. Water needs are doubled if the weather is hot.




$$
begin{array}{|c|cc|}
text{Size} & text{Food} & text{Water} \hline
text{Tiny} & frac{1}{4} text{ pound} & frac{1}{4} text{ gallon} \
text{Small} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Medium} & 1 text{ pound} & 1 text{ gallon} \
text{Large} & 4 text{ pounds} & 4 text{ gallons} \
text{Huge} & 16 text{ pounds} & 16 text{ gallons} \
text{Gargantuan} & 64 text{ pounds} & 64 text{ gallons} \
end{array}
$$



So, if it produces 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water, Create Food and Water should be able to feed up to 45 PCs / Medium Creatures and give drink to 30 PCs / Medium Creatures.



Even more, if we take into account that a ration of food weighs 2 pounds (PHB, p. 150), it should be able to feed 22.5 PC, not 15. Also, if my English isn't bad, steeds are horses, which are large, so it should be able to feed up to 11.25 and give drink up to 7.5, not 5 steeds.



So, finally: How much PCs can be fed with Create Food and Water? Maybe that bland food has fewer calories than typical food?







dnd-5e spells






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 6 hours ago









V2Blast

19.9k357123




19.9k357123










asked 7 hours ago









Ender LookEnder Look

5471422




5471422












  • @T.J.L. sorry, fixed!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago










  • Steeds are animals that are ridden. Horses, camels, etc.
    – Tim Grant
    6 hours ago










  • @TimGrant oh, great!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago


















  • @T.J.L. sorry, fixed!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago










  • Steeds are animals that are ridden. Horses, camels, etc.
    – Tim Grant
    6 hours ago










  • @TimGrant oh, great!
    – Ender Look
    6 hours ago
















@T.J.L. sorry, fixed!
– Ender Look
6 hours ago




@T.J.L. sorry, fixed!
– Ender Look
6 hours ago












Steeds are animals that are ridden. Horses, camels, etc.
– Tim Grant
6 hours ago




Steeds are animals that are ridden. Horses, camels, etc.
– Tim Grant
6 hours ago












@TimGrant oh, great!
– Ender Look
6 hours ago




@TimGrant oh, great!
– Ender Look
6 hours ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















7














Spells do what they say they do and specific beats general



There is a general rule about food. There is a specific rule about rations. And there is a really specific rule about the spell - it says its enough for "fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours". Maybe magic food isn't as nourishing as real food.






share|improve this answer





























    2














    The spell specifically feeds 15 people.



    Most likely this is simply an error, but if we try to take it literally, then the food is one-third as nutritious as normal food. My preference would be to assume all the food is individually wrapped, because I like the possible side effects of leaving a giant trail of garbage wherever you go.



    Another possibility is that it produces 45 pounds of celery.



    The water is harder to deal with, since a gallon of water should be a gallon of water. Water consumption is doubled in hot weather, so perhaps it should be read as supplying 15 people minimum, with water to spare in most cases.






    share|improve this answer





























      0














      Rules like this I usually tend to lean towards the exact language used in the spell/ability. In this case a few things could be said about how the food weight could be increased without adding any additional nourishment to the PCs. Thicker or heavier food, waste with the food (example would be like bones in the meat) you might add that weight but your players wont be eating it (.... probably).



      In any case I would stick to the ruling laid out by the spell.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.


















      • Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already.
        – V2Blast
        33 mins ago



















      -1














      Rations contain all the food needed for 1 person for one day, but they do not define how much food a person needs. The chart does. Rations may contain extra food, or packaging and preservatives that account for the extra weight. Packing something in salt is a lot less efficient than modern preservatives. The spell feeds 45 people.






      share|improve this answer





















      • I think a typo snuck in there - you wrote "The spell feeds 45 people", while it should be 15 people.
        – PixelMaster
        3 hours ago











      Your Answer





      StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
      return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
      StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
      StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
      });
      });
      }, "mathjax-editing");

      StackExchange.ready(function() {
      var channelOptions = {
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "122"
      };
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
      createEditor();
      });
      }
      else {
      createEditor();
      }
      });

      function createEditor() {
      StackExchange.prepareEditor({
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
      convertImagesToLinks: false,
      noModals: true,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: null,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      imageUploader: {
      brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
      contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
      allowUrls: true
      },
      noCode: true, onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      });


      }
      });














      draft saved

      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function () {
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f138826%2fhow-many-people-can-be-fed-with-the-create-food-and-water-spell%23new-answer', 'question_page');
      }
      );

      Post as a guest















      Required, but never shown

























      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes








      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      7














      Spells do what they say they do and specific beats general



      There is a general rule about food. There is a specific rule about rations. And there is a really specific rule about the spell - it says its enough for "fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours". Maybe magic food isn't as nourishing as real food.






      share|improve this answer


























        7














        Spells do what they say they do and specific beats general



        There is a general rule about food. There is a specific rule about rations. And there is a really specific rule about the spell - it says its enough for "fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours". Maybe magic food isn't as nourishing as real food.






        share|improve this answer
























          7












          7








          7






          Spells do what they say they do and specific beats general



          There is a general rule about food. There is a specific rule about rations. And there is a really specific rule about the spell - it says its enough for "fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours". Maybe magic food isn't as nourishing as real food.






          share|improve this answer












          Spells do what they say they do and specific beats general



          There is a general rule about food. There is a specific rule about rations. And there is a really specific rule about the spell - it says its enough for "fifteen humanoids or five steeds for 24 hours". Maybe magic food isn't as nourishing as real food.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 5 hours ago









          Dale MDale M

          103k21265454




          103k21265454

























              2














              The spell specifically feeds 15 people.



              Most likely this is simply an error, but if we try to take it literally, then the food is one-third as nutritious as normal food. My preference would be to assume all the food is individually wrapped, because I like the possible side effects of leaving a giant trail of garbage wherever you go.



              Another possibility is that it produces 45 pounds of celery.



              The water is harder to deal with, since a gallon of water should be a gallon of water. Water consumption is doubled in hot weather, so perhaps it should be read as supplying 15 people minimum, with water to spare in most cases.






              share|improve this answer


























                2














                The spell specifically feeds 15 people.



                Most likely this is simply an error, but if we try to take it literally, then the food is one-third as nutritious as normal food. My preference would be to assume all the food is individually wrapped, because I like the possible side effects of leaving a giant trail of garbage wherever you go.



                Another possibility is that it produces 45 pounds of celery.



                The water is harder to deal with, since a gallon of water should be a gallon of water. Water consumption is doubled in hot weather, so perhaps it should be read as supplying 15 people minimum, with water to spare in most cases.






                share|improve this answer
























                  2












                  2








                  2






                  The spell specifically feeds 15 people.



                  Most likely this is simply an error, but if we try to take it literally, then the food is one-third as nutritious as normal food. My preference would be to assume all the food is individually wrapped, because I like the possible side effects of leaving a giant trail of garbage wherever you go.



                  Another possibility is that it produces 45 pounds of celery.



                  The water is harder to deal with, since a gallon of water should be a gallon of water. Water consumption is doubled in hot weather, so perhaps it should be read as supplying 15 people minimum, with water to spare in most cases.






                  share|improve this answer












                  The spell specifically feeds 15 people.



                  Most likely this is simply an error, but if we try to take it literally, then the food is one-third as nutritious as normal food. My preference would be to assume all the food is individually wrapped, because I like the possible side effects of leaving a giant trail of garbage wherever you go.



                  Another possibility is that it produces 45 pounds of celery.



                  The water is harder to deal with, since a gallon of water should be a gallon of water. Water consumption is doubled in hot weather, so perhaps it should be read as supplying 15 people minimum, with water to spare in most cases.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered 2 hours ago









                  Mark WellsMark Wells

                  5,1491436




                  5,1491436























                      0














                      Rules like this I usually tend to lean towards the exact language used in the spell/ability. In this case a few things could be said about how the food weight could be increased without adding any additional nourishment to the PCs. Thicker or heavier food, waste with the food (example would be like bones in the meat) you might add that weight but your players wont be eating it (.... probably).



                      In any case I would stick to the ruling laid out by the spell.






                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.


















                      • Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already.
                        – V2Blast
                        33 mins ago
















                      0














                      Rules like this I usually tend to lean towards the exact language used in the spell/ability. In this case a few things could be said about how the food weight could be increased without adding any additional nourishment to the PCs. Thicker or heavier food, waste with the food (example would be like bones in the meat) you might add that weight but your players wont be eating it (.... probably).



                      In any case I would stick to the ruling laid out by the spell.






                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.


















                      • Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already.
                        – V2Blast
                        33 mins ago














                      0












                      0








                      0






                      Rules like this I usually tend to lean towards the exact language used in the spell/ability. In this case a few things could be said about how the food weight could be increased without adding any additional nourishment to the PCs. Thicker or heavier food, waste with the food (example would be like bones in the meat) you might add that weight but your players wont be eating it (.... probably).



                      In any case I would stick to the ruling laid out by the spell.






                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      Rules like this I usually tend to lean towards the exact language used in the spell/ability. In this case a few things could be said about how the food weight could be increased without adding any additional nourishment to the PCs. Thicker or heavier food, waste with the food (example would be like bones in the meat) you might add that weight but your players wont be eating it (.... probably).



                      In any case I would stick to the ruling laid out by the spell.







                      share|improve this answer








                      New contributor




                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer






                      New contributor




                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                      answered 1 hour ago









                      ZarthroZarthro

                      11




                      11




                      New contributor




                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





                      New contributor





                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                      Zarthro is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                      Check out our Code of Conduct.












                      • Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already.
                        – V2Blast
                        33 mins ago


















                      • Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already.
                        – V2Blast
                        33 mins ago
















                      Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already.
                      – V2Blast
                      33 mins ago




                      Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already.
                      – V2Blast
                      33 mins ago











                      -1














                      Rations contain all the food needed for 1 person for one day, but they do not define how much food a person needs. The chart does. Rations may contain extra food, or packaging and preservatives that account for the extra weight. Packing something in salt is a lot less efficient than modern preservatives. The spell feeds 45 people.






                      share|improve this answer





















                      • I think a typo snuck in there - you wrote "The spell feeds 45 people", while it should be 15 people.
                        – PixelMaster
                        3 hours ago
















                      -1














                      Rations contain all the food needed for 1 person for one day, but they do not define how much food a person needs. The chart does. Rations may contain extra food, or packaging and preservatives that account for the extra weight. Packing something in salt is a lot less efficient than modern preservatives. The spell feeds 45 people.






                      share|improve this answer





















                      • I think a typo snuck in there - you wrote "The spell feeds 45 people", while it should be 15 people.
                        – PixelMaster
                        3 hours ago














                      -1












                      -1








                      -1






                      Rations contain all the food needed for 1 person for one day, but they do not define how much food a person needs. The chart does. Rations may contain extra food, or packaging and preservatives that account for the extra weight. Packing something in salt is a lot less efficient than modern preservatives. The spell feeds 45 people.






                      share|improve this answer












                      Rations contain all the food needed for 1 person for one day, but they do not define how much food a person needs. The chart does. Rations may contain extra food, or packaging and preservatives that account for the extra weight. Packing something in salt is a lot less efficient than modern preservatives. The spell feeds 45 people.







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered 6 hours ago









                      Derek StuckiDerek Stucki

                      20.9k767108




                      20.9k767108












                      • I think a typo snuck in there - you wrote "The spell feeds 45 people", while it should be 15 people.
                        – PixelMaster
                        3 hours ago


















                      • I think a typo snuck in there - you wrote "The spell feeds 45 people", while it should be 15 people.
                        – PixelMaster
                        3 hours ago
















                      I think a typo snuck in there - you wrote "The spell feeds 45 people", while it should be 15 people.
                      – PixelMaster
                      3 hours ago




                      I think a typo snuck in there - you wrote "The spell feeds 45 people", while it should be 15 people.
                      – PixelMaster
                      3 hours ago


















                      draft saved

                      draft discarded




















































                      Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!


                      • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                      But avoid



                      • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                      • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                      Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


                      To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function () {
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f138826%2fhow-many-people-can-be-fed-with-the-create-food-and-water-spell%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                      }
                      );

                      Post as a guest















                      Required, but never shown





















































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown

































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown







                      Popular posts from this blog

                      Bundesstraße 106

                      Verónica Boquete

                      Ida-Boy-Ed-Garten