Originally posted on the official website on November 22nd, 2019

Adding Meat to your Dishes Core v2.01

When we initially set out to create Reclaim the Wild‘s food-crafting system, we weren’t intending to create a wholly vegetarian list of Ingredients. But when we got done transcribing the Ingredients found in Breath of the Wild, we found we were already there – and we decided to see how far we could push it. (Turns out – pretty far! Excepting a few kinds of honey, all Food Ingredients listed in the Core Rulebook’s Appendix are some type of plant or fungus.)

While this led to having a list of Ingredients that should be amenable to a wide variety of diets, it also meant we excluded a staple substance: meat! So today, in honor of American Thanksgiving coming up soon, we’re going to present some notions for finding and harvesting sources of meat. Check it out below!

Sources of Meat

There are a few types of animals that one might seek out for meat: namely, Birds, Mammals, and Fish. (While one could absolutely eat a lizard or even an insect for protein in real life, in Reclaim the Wild, such animals would be Critters – more useful in an Elixir than in a Dish.)

Below, you’ll find some suggested names for Meat materials, based on its Rank and the type of animal it comes from. Of course, feel free to vary it up and use your own!

Surveying for Meat

Surveying for Meat sources is a Nature check, rather than the usual Civilization check. This represents not only finding the source of the Meat (such as a deer in the woods, or a good fishing spot by a river), but also the act of successfully catching and incapacitating the animal(s) in question (snaring a rabbit, spearing a fish, netting a bird).

This might be different if you’re specifically searching in a civilized environment, such as hunting for pigeons to eat in a city – but such scavenging is typically frowned upon by town guards, and seen as uncouth by other hunters. It may even be illegal, such as if you rustle someone else’s cattle with the intent to turn them into your next steak dinner.

Once the Meat source is scavenged, it is usually incapacitated – the animal is either already dead, or so incapacitated that you need but deliver the final blow. However, at GM discretion, the animals you’re hunting might not be so easily slaughtered, and a fight might break out. Remember: the most dangerous animal is a cornered animal. We would encourage the GM to only do this if the fight might be interesting in any way, or if its results might have other consequences – such as if the Heroes have caught some dangerous, magical creatures; or their fight might alert patrolling soldiers that the Heroes would prefer remain unaware of their presence. In most cases, it’s simply more fun to move directly to harvesting the Meat, so that the proper adventure can continue.

Harvesting Meat

Generally speaking, you may use the same Harvesting Tool as other food sources (the Sickle) for harvesting Meat. As a Master Mode rule, however, GMs may instead require a different Tool, the Butcher’s Knife, for better carving up of meat sources. This Tool is created from Metal materials, just like other Food Harvesting Tools.

At GM’s discretion, some creatures might grant other Materials (such as Monster Parts or Cloth) in addition to their Meat. Treat these as Dual-Use Resources – a double-dip bonus for the Heroes! For instance, snagging a full-grown buck might grant not only Meat, but the antlers (as Monster Parts); slaughtering a sheep would grant Meat and Cloth (in the form of its wool).

Effects of Meat

By default, Meat is nutritious, but does not carry special effects. Rather, the benefit of hunting for Meat is that it is ubiquitous – except in the most harsh or desolate environments, you can always obtain Meat to fill your belly. This makes hunting Meat especially useful when using Hunger rules from Master Mode.

Of course, more fantastical creatures might have additional effects tied to their Meat. For instance, the quick-footed Blupee’s Meat might grant the Hasty effect, while a Helmaroc’s Meat might prove exceptionally Tough.

However, you may want to include a variety of different Fish and Game for your players to fish up! To that end, we have community member The Real DarkStar to thank, who compiled a list of seafood for both freshwater and saltwater sources. (Their work also helped with this article in total, so be sure to hop into our Discord and give them a hearty ‘hurrah’!)

Quest Ideas

While fine meats are well and good on their own, Heroes are in the business of adventure. Below, we have three ideas to incorporate Meat into your campaign in more than just a flavorful manner.

When a war hero’s statue is destroyed in the middle of the night, the town of Westshrine finds their luck has turned sour: their milk curdles, their crops fail to bloom, and locusts rise from the earth to eat whatever’s left. The townspeople believe they have but one recourse: to create the war hero’s favorite dish, based on notes in his journal, and offer it in sacrifice. Unfortunately, not only does the recipe require several herbs and spices, it calls for that most dangerous game: Cucco.

In an effort to forge a peace with a clan of Lizalfos, the leaders of Goponga Village have organized a large feast in the Lizalfos style, complete with lots of meat for their carnivorous guests. However, the cattle that the village set aside for slaughter have gone missing! The town is now desperate to obtain a large quantity of meat, fast, to ensure the feast’s success – and to discover who sabotaged the original cattle drive.

The town of Shutoy holds an epic fish-fry competition every year. Famed for its fish-laden waters, cooks and chefs travel from all over to compete in the famous contest. The fish used in the contest must come from Shutoy Lake, but may be prepared with any other spices, meats, fruits, or vegetables – the more exotic and rare the foreign ingredients, the better. The competition is fierce, and can even turn deadly while out on the water. Not only are the winners crowned Champion of Shutoy, but they receive a cooking implement or harvesting tool said to be blessed by the lake’s guardian spirit.

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