There’s many unusual themes in Delicious in Dungeon even if we put aside the culinary one. There’s a strong sense of a biophysical verisimilitude applied to this D&D-like world, something that is definitely against the current zeitgeist both in gaming and in the real world. I personally find this refreshing.

• the book start with Laios’s party members being subjected to the Changeling Mushrooms spores and thus all of them are transformed into another race/species
• after the initial shock, the character are each able to see the benefits brought by their new body but soon enough what new limitations they now have
• this come into effect with much clarity when the party gets into a fight against gargoyles, their usual effectiveness is completely gone
• Laios, who’s a fighter type, enjoys the strength of his new dwarven body but finds that all this muscle density is consuming a lot more energy and it takes a real toll on his endurance (Dwarves need to eat more often)
• Marcille the Half-Elf magic-user is impressed by her new heightened senses from her halfling body but finds out that she can’t cast strong spells without suffering from magic fatigue, halflings are just not suited for magic
• Senshi the Dwarf, now a beautiful elf (always depicted with roses around him, it’s hilarious), doesn’t even try to fight as his weapons are now too heavy for him
• As usual it’s more clever in the book than in my snippets but you get the idea I think. They eventually manage to cancel the effect of the changeling spores and get back to their own racial integrity
• Laios’ Guild manages to open the magic-locked door and enter into a dwarven-made section full of pipes (steampunk technology). Soon after they get on an elevator and descends (it takes a while) to what should be 7th Level, an ancient, abandonned dwarven city.
• Meanwhile, on the 1st Level, with the investigation of the Canaries, we see a first sign that a Dungeon, which is pretty much an actor of its own in this universe, thrives on disturbance. The more people try to meddle with the Dungeon the more it gains power until it can’t be managed anymore and it spills out on the countryside and does great damage.
• Walking Mushrooms are pretty much the basic « starting » monster of the dungeon, numerous but almost inoffensive to anyone but the greenest of adventurers. But now we see that they can attain great size and can release spores with a mind-numbing effect.
• In the 7th Level, Laios’ guild encounter a Bicorn. Unlike the virtuous-loving Licorn, the Bicorn is attracted to depravity. It also like to eat virtuous husbands.
• Virtuous husbands taste good, of course!

Book 9 Here