Awakening a familiar

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Awaken
Transmutation
Level: Drd 5
Components: V, S, DF, XP
Casting Time: 24 hours
Range: Touch
Target: Animal or tree touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You awaken a tree or animal to humanlike sentience. To succeed, you must make a Will save (DC 10 + the animal’s current HD, or the HD the tree will have once awakened).

The awakened animal or tree is friendly toward you. You have no special empathy or connection with a creature you awaken, although it serves you in specific tasks or endeavors if you communicate your desires to it.

An awakened tree has characteristics as if it were an animated object, except that it gains the plant type and its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are each 3d6. An awakened plant gains the ability to move its limbs, roots, vines, creepers, and so forth, and it has senses similar to a human’s.

An awakened animal gets 3d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and +2 HD. Its type becomes magical beast (augmented animal). An awakened animal can’t serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount.

An awakened tree or animal can speak one language that you know, plus one additional language that you know per point of Intelligence bonus (if any).
XP Cost

250 XP.

What happens if you cast this on a familiar -- does it not work, because it's a magical beast? ("Tree" isn't a category, so it seems to be written sort of sloppily. And what happens if it's an intelligent or mobile tree to begin with?)

What would be a reasonable effect for a modified awaken that only worked on the caster's familiar? (A sorcerer/wizard spell, obviously.) Should it still add additional intelligence, charisma and hit dice?

 

[Aegir]

Once an animal has this spell cast on it (or if an animal is a familiar), it ceases being an animal for purposes of the rules, and becomes a Magical beast. Thus, it doesn't meet the requirements of the spell (its not an animal or tree).

As far as the tree question goes... same thing. Trees aren't a type because, before they're awakened, they're background, little more. If a tree is awakened, it becomes a plant type creature, and ceases being a "tree" for purposes of meeting the spells requirements.

 

[Darren Ravenshaw]

As the spells states ;

"An awakened animal can’t serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount."

And in the Familiar section of the PHB it states ;

"Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar."

So even if you could cast it on a familiar(which you can't since it's a Magical Beast not a animal) the act of doing so would make the creature no longer your familiar, thus causing it to lose all the benefits it gained from being one.