Preserve (spell)

Preserve affects organic edibles of every kind, causing them to remain fresh and whole as though just harvested, cooked or baked. Affected food won't rot or be touched by insects — and though it won't improve or ferment over time, it maintains whatever quality it had when the spell was cast.

Preserve

Range	touch
Duration	one month
Area of Effect	1 cub.ft. per level
Casting Time	1 round
Saving Throw	none
Level	mage (2nd)

Additionally, hot or cold foods retain their temperature after the spell is cast, so that tea continues to steam, a pot of soup goes on simmering, a block of ice remains frozen and so on. Foods also retain their smell. Such items won't give out their heat, however, so they can be handled easily as if their temperature matched the ambient circumstances. Individuals who eat the food will feel its warming or cooling effects.

The spell may be cast upon food each day, so that even a mid-level caster may preserve hundreds of cubic feet of food over the space of a month. Several casters may potentially feed a small army.

However, while the spell preserves food, it won't preserve things that are non-foods, such as a severed limb or a dead body, the products of firewater or grease, or alchemical concoctions.