It is possible to purchase brown sustenance potions from those skilled in Elixirs. These remove the need for food, thereby saving you the price of solid food (which can become quite considerable). However, sustenance potions sometimes bring nasty side effects. They have been known to give headaches or mild stomach upsets. If you are very unlucky, you might find that not eating solid food can make you susceptible to the plague - a nasty disease, difficult to cure, and eventually fatal. There is an ability in the skill of Survival which enhances the sustenance value of food. As you rise in experience level, your food requirement will also increase - so early development of Survival sufficient to sustain yourself more efficiently can save your hard-earned gold.