D&D 5E (2014) RAW: Using Purify Food and Drink to cure a party member?

[Vaalingrade]

Haha, RAW nothing happens. Lactose isn't a poison if you are lactose intolerant.

If we want to go this route, everything is a poison in the correct proportions.

 

[GMMichael]

Fun fact: Purify Food and Drink destroys Happy Meals.

Or,

My first thought is, "what did the wizard who created the spell have in mind?" One answer, " well, it sure wasn't remove poison from anything and everything. "

 

[Vaalingrade]

If the wizard was a dragon, it would still do that by default given the extreme omnivore nature of D&D dragons.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The spell can neutralize infectious pathogens, and poisons when these can causa damage by ingestion.

Some times I think some magical buildings, for example sacred temples, could create metamagic effects like some magic items. This shouldn't break the balance of the game because these can be used by PCs only in one place.

If it really necessary a low-level to create medicines is possible, but the effect would need more time, like in the real life, and the spellcaster should know what is the right medicine, or at least what strain/disease or poison is. If the wrong antidote was used, it could cause more damage.

 

[GMMichael]

If the wizard was a dragon, it would still do that by default given the extreme omnivore nature of D&D dragons.

Fair. Unless the dragon-wizard was writing the spell  for human wizards to cast.

I find that dragon handwriting is generally pretty poor, so I tend to avoid their scrolls.

 

[Voadam]

Its a cleric spell, not a wizard spell. So think of food from the perspective of Zehir, god of the Yuan-Ti.

 

[Oofta]

Fair. Unless the dragon-wizard was writing the spell  for human wizards to cast.

I find that dragon handwriting is generally pretty poor, so I tend to avoid their scrolls.

I rather doubt TSR had any dragons on staff.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

A shaman gnoll could use it with a rabbit, or a pig, but we could find unexpected effects. For example the stomach couldn't produce more gastric juices (these are acid), and then it couldn't digest until new juices are produced by the stomach again.

Some deities could feel offended if the cleric used it at a sentient creature because the intentions could be misunderstood.

My suggestion is allowing the option of spending the spell to "load" a drink to work as potion (medicine or antidote).

Or the spell could change the state, from "poisoned" toward a softer "intoxicated".

I have just reviews the 3.5 healer class (I bought the book, nothing of pirate download) and any states aren't easy to be removed in the lowest levels. The game has been designed the PCs need a minimal level to use magic to remove those states.

 

[abirdcall]

While this whole discussion is rather silly, one point is that spells in D&D are very specific and set.

This is unlike a lot of other systems where magic is up to the player to use their imagination.

Wizards research and create specific spells. They set that spell to memory and it does exactly what it is designed to do regardless of the caster.

The spell doesn't care about what the caster regards as food. And how does it know what is assumed to be food or not? It's magic. It knows.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Said with other words, the D&D spells haven't been designed to work in other way as if your PC was the magical version of McGyver.