D&D 5E Would a Goodberry satisfy a Giant?

[Nevvur]

The problem I have with this spell is its over powered for its level. Compare the 3rd level create food and drink, it creates enough food to feed 15 humanoid sized creatures. While goodberry, a first level spell, can feed 10 gargantuan creatures.

Ya, magic is weird, huh? I'd be quicker to say Create Food and Drink is under-powered, if the distinction matters, but you make a valid point.

Class themes and class spell lists suffice as explanation for the differential, as far as I'm concerned. Admittedly, I'm not that concerned, because tracking food resources is rarely a part of my games, but to elaborate, I look at it the same way as how wizards get better damaging spells than clerics. Goodberry is OP compared to Create Food and Water the same way Fireball is OP compared to Flame Strike. It's about occupying certain niches in game space, and with food consumption already a relatively unimportant (in my games) aspect of adventuring, the level difference between the two spells barely registers on my list of things wrong with balance issues.

 

[Yardiff]

The only difference between flame strike and fireball is area of effect and damage types.

My mistake, if cast at the same level fireball will do 2 dice more damage.

 

[Racing Breca]

I love the tangents on this forum.

Goodberry OP or Not?

The background is that the party has just mopped the floor with a couple giants, bugbears, and a horde of goblins. The druid/ monk tracked them into the woods by himself. Rather than send them back to the boss empty handed, the character wanted to give them something to take back, along with a message.

 

[jaelis]

I didn't know so many people liked the idea of Goodberry not taking care of the recipient's hunger. I always thought the spirit of the spell was that a creature consumes a berry, and for that day was good to go for food.

So to actually answer though, I would have the berry satisfy the giant for a day just like any other creature.

I don't like the idea of playing it strictly as written because in principle it opens all kinds of abuse. If Galactus shows up, we can just give him a goodberry every day and save the universe? Seems to me the writers were thinking of humanoids, and that makes more sense to me.

 

[schnee]

If I were to give it to a Hill giant it would be stuffed inside a raw chunk of meat.

Like giving a dog a pill.

 

[thethain]

I don't like the idea of playing it strictly as written because in principle it opens all kinds of abuse. If Galactus shows up, we can just give him a goodberry every day and save the universe? Seems to me the writers were thinking of humanoids, and that makes more sense to me.

Pretty sure you could grant Galactus immunity to 5th level and lower spells, which would include Goodberries.

Magic is magic, and druids are especially able to provide sustenance. It is worth noting that the create food and water spell specifically creates permanent 30 gallons of water, which has uses beyond food.

 

[Gardens & Goblins]

Pretty sure you could grant Galactus immunity to 5th level and lower spells, which would include Goodberries.

Magic is magic, and druids are especially able to provide sustenance. It is worth noting that the create food and water spell specifically creates permanent 30 gallons of water, which has uses beyond food.

GALACTUS SUSPENDS HIS IMMUNITY FOR TASTY BERRY TREATS. AND NEW FRIENDS.

 

[tomBitonti]

Hmm, is it restricted to living creatures?

Would it work for a Vampire?

Thx!
TomB

 

[steeldragons]

A hill giant is not going to note a berry in the hand of a halfling.

He's going to think the halfling is simply offering up itself and pop the whole halfling in his mouth, like a cheetoh or milk dud.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Since the spell does is not specific on it, I house rule that one berry only gives it's nourishment benefits to a medium-size or smaller creature. A large creature can still receive the healing magic, though. Also, you could give more than one to a large, or larger, creature for it to gain the nourishment benefit, with the larger the creature, the more berries it would take. A hill giant would probably take three berries in my game for full spell effect.

As for nourishment versus feeling full, I would say the berry does not make you feel full because you are not putting anything more than a single berry into your stomach. Then it comes down to level of intelligence for how a creature would react to that. The lower the intelligence, the more likely the creature would still try to eat because they can still feel their stomach is empty, even though they do not feel hungry. Then there is the issue of having real food in front of a lower intelligence creature even after eating the berry. Look at dogs, for example. If there is food in front of them, they will eat themselves sick instead of stopping when they are full. So a really dumb hill giant would probably eat the berries and the halfling, while a more intelligent giant would take the berries and maybe take the halfling prisoner, in order to keep a supply of the berries coming.