This review has been sponsored by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

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Designed by: Daniel Kahn, Dana Floberg, Ashton Duncan, Charles Parkins, Charlie Branson, Dylan Bockelman, Isaac Minarik, Patrick Rehse, Purple Bog Press, Spencer Hibnick, Xhango Games

A Gourmand’s Guide to Gastromancy is an all-in-one D&D book of adventures, subclasses, magic items, and more, wrapped inside an obvious theme: food!

The theme is beautifully realized and pairs well with D&D, from beneficial cooking powers to cheese wheel shields, fey-touched produce, and a fun adventure inspired by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Like a complex dish at a restaurant, the book has a little bit of everything: three mini-adventures with over 20 original monster statblocks, three new backgrounds, ancestries (races), and subclasses, 20 spells, over a dozen magic items, and even a few legit recipes!

The adventures are the créme de la créme. Ranging from levels 1 – 5, they use food and cooking-based monsters, situations, and areas to wonderfully creative effect.

“The Carrot Incident” is the most traditional. The party is called to rescue a home under attack by evil carrot monsters known as veggie blights. A recently awakened evil spirit beneath the house has been raising them for an army, all because the daughter of the house has been secretly throwing her carrots away!

In “The Biggest Brunch,” the party helps a cloud giant chef complete her signature dish in time for the prince’s arrival. They’ll steal eggs from a giant chicken, battle bedeviled eggs, chase a spice devil around the house, and convince her family to help her achieve her dream. I love the cooking competition theme, and the perfect balance of combat, skill checks, and social opportunities.

“The Great Sugar Strike” takes the party into a magical candy factory. It’s the obvious reference, yet it also goes in some new and interesting places, such as a worker’s strike, a gummyfolk resistance, and a unique saccharine medusa for final boss.

gourmand carrot

All three adventures are further enhanced with jaw-droppingly gorgeous maps from artist Saga MacKenzie, and colorful monster art that perfectly encapsulates the theme.

The adventures alone are worth the bill, but the book injects every other food-based thing you could think of. Pastry chef background? Veggie-people and gummyfolk? A Can of Many-Eyed Peas? Bigby’s mighty belch!?

The spells are a major win; it’s funny to realize how perfect food and cooking translates to a D&D battlefield, with cooking, broiling, chili spray, candy coating, swirling knives, and gastrointestinal distress!

The new subclasses are probably the weakest link, which isn’t to say they’re bad, but a bit bland compared to everything else. My favorite is the Feast domain for Clerics. They can target food with healing spells to store them for later, and gradually debuff enemies using a unique version of the cantrip, create bonfire.

The only weird quirk in the entire book is the lack of in-universe personality or foreword to bring it all together. “A Gourmand” is never identified as any particular person. It’s not wholly necessary (and not enough to make my Cons list) but it feels like a missed opportunity to riff on some celebrity chefs.

Update: The final version of the book does include a proper foreword and introduction! My early review copy did not.

If you’re looking for some D&D content that’s a bit less than serious, yet fully satisfying, you’ll find something to like.

Pros:

  • Perfectly paced, well-written, fun adventures that wholly embrace the food-theme.
  • Incredibly detailed, gorgeous maps.
  • Over a dozen cute and clever magic items.
  • 20 new food-themed spells, for three new subclasses (Bard, Cleric, Wizard).

Cons:

  • None!

The Verdict: Full of incredible artwork, clever monsters and magic items, interesting spells, and several well-written, fun adventures, A Gourmand’s Guide to Gastromancy has something for everyone who enjoys the lighter side of D&D.

A review copy of “A Gourmand’s Guide to Gastromancy” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.