How do you talk to a hippogriff?

[thalmin]

What spell would a druid (or ANYONE) use to communicate with a hippogriff?

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Comprehend Languages, page 212, 3.5 PHB

 

[Darkness]

Speak with dead.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Comprehend Languages, page 212, 3.5 PHB

"You can understand the spoken words of creatures..."

Do you allow CL to work on a dog or a bear, for example? Or do you require Speak With Animals? There are no 'spoken words' to understand.

And besides, CL only allow you to understand, not the subject creature to understand you.

"Tongues does not enable the subject to speak with creatures who don’t speak."

So Tongues is no good either.

Your best bet is perhaps Fox's Cunning followed by Rary's Telepathic Bond.

(Note that the Fox's Cunning by itself will allow the Hippogriff to understand you... its Intelligence will now be 6. "Any creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher understands at least one language (Common, unless noted otherwise)." ... and the hippogriff entry does not 'not otherwise', so as a creature with an Int score of 3 or higher, your Cunning Hippogriff understands Common.)

-Hyp.

 

[Shin Okada]

AFAIK no spells in the core rules allow it. A Hippogriff don't speak (int 2). So neither Comprehend Languages or Tongues work. And a Hippogriff is not an animal. Thus Speak with Animals don't work. You cannot awaken it, too.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

"You can understand the spoken words of creatures..."

Nuts somehow I missed that.

AFAIK no spells in the core rules allow it.

You're right. However, at the 17th level a Monk gains the ability Tongue of the Sun and Moon. It allows them to speak with any living creature.

 

[Darkness]

Baleful polymorph (or polymorph on yourself and, optimally, fox's cunning on the critter) would help - or not? (I.e., not sure if the issue of language is even addressed.)

 

[Hypersmurf]

Baleful polymorph (or polymorph on yourself and, optimally, fox's cunning on the critter) would help - or not? (I.e., not sure if the issue of language is even addressed.)

You mean Baleful Polymorph the 'griff into a bunny, and then use Speak with Animals?

-Hyp.

 

[Saeviomagy]

You mean Baleful Polymorph the 'griff into a bunny, and then use Speak with Animals?

-Hyp.

My suggestion? Get your DM to houserule Speak with Animals to talk with anything that has an intelligence of 1 or 2. Argue that unless this is done, there are large swathes of creatures that you simply cannot communicate with.

Either that, or get him to make spells identical to SWA for every creature type...

 

[Starglim]

Cast tongues on the hippogriff.

edit: Bah. Let's not start with fox's cunning again.