Empowered Awaken

[Ridley's Cohort]

I will just say I think you are exhibiting are startling lack of imagination if you do not think that the theorectical possibility of the appearance of a new race of 22 Int & 22 Wis superior brown bears who are now taking class levels may not have a long term impact on the logic of the game world.

The magic word is "imagination".

As I said before, it is not really a balance issue. It is a flavor issue for me. To put it bluntly, I keep getting told that what I think is not what I really think by people who have their heads crammed way down deep into the "Can PCs Exploit This In An Unbalanced Way" box.

Think outside of the box.

Ever read any Mary Shelley?

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

You guys aren't thinking big enough. Bust out the Epic Level Handbook and have that epic druid use Intensify Spell on it. Somewhere, there's a rosebush with 36 Int, Wis, and Cha.

You are using way too much imagination there, Wish.

LOL!

 

[KarinsDad]

I will just say I think you are exhibiting are startling lack of imagination if you do not think that the theorectical possibility of the appearance of a new race of 22 Int & 22 Wis superior brown bears who are now taking class levels may not have a long term impact on the logic of the game world.

The magic word is "imagination".

As I said before, it is not really a balance issue. It is a flavor issue for me. To put it bluntly, I keep getting told that what I think is not what I really think by people who have their heads crammed way down deep into the "Can PCs Exploit This In An Unbalanced Way" box.

Think outside of the box.

Ever read any Mary Shelley?

Ever read the Awaken spell?

It does NOT grant Wis to the creature. Only Int (and dinky Cha). In game mechanic terms, only skill points. In roleplaying terms, a smart NPC.

I have boatloads of smart NPCs with class levels in my game. Don't you???

Think outside of the box.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

It does NOT grant Wis to the creature. Only Int (and dinky Cha). In game mechanic terms, only skill points. In roleplaying terms, a smart NPC.

Trivial detail because I can get that effect on a plant. Main point still stands even if I stick to the even weirder plant territory. ("Yes, dear Fluffy, you are more charming than ever. But I find the company of Mr. Azaleia more entertaining.")

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Moreover, consider what the Awaken spell actually does.

It takes something which is perfectly natural - it must be cast on an animal (as in, a creature with the Animal type) or a tree (an otherwise untyped piece of scenery) - and transforms it into something decidedly less natural - a magical beast or a creature with the plant type.

In other words, it runs contrary to almost everything your bog-standard druid stands for. Awakening things, then, is not something a druid will be doing all the time even if they could.

Fears of druids with hordes of awakened creatures at their beck and call are dramatically overstated, IMHO.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

In other words, it runs contrary to almost everything your bog-standard druid stands for. Awakening things, then, is not something a druid will be doing all the time even if they could.

Good point. But your bog-standard druid also has a nasty streak of nature's vengeance incarnate, even if they do not usually let that out of the closet (and thankfully we are not required to play such tiresome & trite druids in 3.x).

 

[KarinsDad]

Fears of druids with hordes of awakened creatures at their beck and call are dramatically overstated, IMHO.

Agreed.

If I were playing a Druid, I doubt I would ever do it at 250 XP a pop.


Plus, the creature is an NPC under the control of the DM, not one under the control of the PC (like a Summoned or Constructed creature). That alone makes this a non-issue.

How can you abuse the situation if the DM controls it completely? You created a highly intelligent creature in a magical world. Tell it to go attack the tower and it will laugh in your face (at least if you have a decent DM).

 

[Nail]

As I said before, it is not really a balance issue.

Clear enough. The RAW says one thing, you want another. No problem!

 

[Squire James]

Um, Rule 0 is in the RAW too you know!

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Um, Rule 0 is in the RAW too you know!

If it ain't in the SRD, it ain't RAW for me!

With apologies to the late JC ...