Onions has been wondering about magic food for a little bit, so I thought I'd see what people thought about designing some rules for such things.
I managed to find a few things from a very early Pathfinder suppliment (Before they'd even released the core rulebook) called Elves of Golarion. They have it with Brew Potion as a requirement and 5 ranks in Profession(Cook) [2 ranks in modern Pathfinder] to be able to make things. Eating a meal is a full-round action, and only one person gets the benefit. They cost as much as a potion to make and take just as long. Typically their effects last an hour.
But, I'm not actually so impressed with those rules. So, here's something I might suggest:
Meals take much, much longer than 6 seconds to eat in reality. A meal that would actually fill you up enough to count as a meal would probably take closer to 5 minutes to eat. Likewise, sharing a meal should probably provide benefits to everyone who eats it, not just the first person.
So, let's say it takes 6 minutes (60 rounds) for one person to eat a meal, so it divides evenly for up to 6 people.
Because of the greatly extended time it takes to eat a meal, the effects need to last a lot longer. A duration of 1 round/level should be increased to 6 mins/level. 1 minute/level should change to 1 hour/level. 10 minutes/level to 6 hours/level, and an hour/level or greater until the food has left the body in some way or another (3 days maximum).
Because it is food and has an extended duration, there should probably be a limit on how much you can actually eat and whether the effects stack. You can eat up to 3 magical meals per day, and cannot benefit from more than one meal at a time.
Also, sharing food changes the duration in proportion to the number of people eating it. One person can, of course, eat more than another to gain a longer duration.
I am uncertain as to what to do for durations of instantaneous. Suggestions are welcome...
I managed to find a few things from a very early Pathfinder suppliment (Before they'd even released the core rulebook) called Elves of Golarion. They have it with Brew Potion as a requirement and 5 ranks in Profession(Cook) [2 ranks in modern Pathfinder] to be able to make things. Eating a meal is a full-round action, and only one person gets the benefit. They cost as much as a potion to make and take just as long. Typically their effects last an hour.
But, I'm not actually so impressed with those rules. So, here's something I might suggest:
Meals take much, much longer than 6 seconds to eat in reality. A meal that would actually fill you up enough to count as a meal would probably take closer to 5 minutes to eat. Likewise, sharing a meal should probably provide benefits to everyone who eats it, not just the first person.
So, let's say it takes 6 minutes (60 rounds) for one person to eat a meal, so it divides evenly for up to 6 people.
Because of the greatly extended time it takes to eat a meal, the effects need to last a lot longer. A duration of 1 round/level should be increased to 6 mins/level. 1 minute/level should change to 1 hour/level. 10 minutes/level to 6 hours/level, and an hour/level or greater until the food has left the body in some way or another (3 days maximum).
Because it is food and has an extended duration, there should probably be a limit on how much you can actually eat and whether the effects stack. You can eat up to 3 magical meals per day, and cannot benefit from more than one meal at a time.
Also, sharing food changes the duration in proportion to the number of people eating it. One person can, of course, eat more than another to gain a longer duration.
I am uncertain as to what to do for durations of instantaneous. Suggestions are welcome...