Following shoutbox discussion - a subsystem proposal, sort of as an extension of the new crafting mechanics. Canning food. Several elements:
Cans: Now come in sealed and open/broken. A sealed can of food will never rot, but you also can't consume the contents. An open can will rot, but you can eat out of it. Most cans found in game will still be sealed.
Opening cans: Now requires the use of something capable of dealing slashing or piercing damage, OR a new tool (can opener). Using a can opener is totally safe. Using weapons has a chance (low (maybe 10%?) for slashing, about double for piercing) of contaminating the contents. Contamination is usually generic poison varying from weak to pretty strong, but rarely will give a worse condition (leprosy? parasite? ...tetanus?) as well.
Filling cans: You can fill cans with lumps of food, which can be produced by applying a slashing weapon on a corpse or severed limb. Bananas and other fruits can be canned without needing to be chopped up; bananas become "un-peeled" in the process, so you get a banana peel out of it.
Sealing cans: Mellis will still trade open, empty cans for sealed, full cans. There might be a cannery in Attnam or another city which will seal your cans for a fee, or a rare dungeon fixture which can be used to seal cans. Dungeon canneries might require that you input some consumable fuel (sticks? wooden stuff? coal? vacuum corn? idk...) or might just have limited uses. Also, there might be a very rare Wand of Sealing which will seal cans. (Also lock doors and chests. Maybe other effects, like sealing away demons/undead/magic?)
Cans: Now come in sealed and open/broken. A sealed can of food will never rot, but you also can't consume the contents. An open can will rot, but you can eat out of it. Most cans found in game will still be sealed.
Opening cans: Now requires the use of something capable of dealing slashing or piercing damage, OR a new tool (can opener). Using a can opener is totally safe. Using weapons has a chance (low (maybe 10%?) for slashing, about double for piercing) of contaminating the contents. Contamination is usually generic poison varying from weak to pretty strong, but rarely will give a worse condition (leprosy? parasite? ...tetanus?) as well.
Filling cans: You can fill cans with lumps of food, which can be produced by applying a slashing weapon on a corpse or severed limb. Bananas and other fruits can be canned without needing to be chopped up; bananas become "un-peeled" in the process, so you get a banana peel out of it.
Sealing cans: Mellis will still trade open, empty cans for sealed, full cans. There might be a cannery in Attnam or another city which will seal your cans for a fee, or a rare dungeon fixture which can be used to seal cans. Dungeon canneries might require that you input some consumable fuel (sticks? wooden stuff? coal? vacuum corn? idk...) or might just have limited uses. Also, there might be a very rare Wand of Sealing which will seal cans. (Also lock doors and chests. Maybe other effects, like sealing away demons/undead/magic?)