The awaken spell: playing God?

[Henry]

Ah, see, but that's the thing. Awakening doesn't grant mobility. What good to be an awakened Oak tree when you can't move? Cool to think of them defending themselves or attacking invaders, but how to they do this without musculature? "Hmm...I'll just start growing in their direction..."[/i]

(((Scream of Intelligent Wheat)))

From the SRD (and the PHB):

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.

Like I said, THEY'RE SCREWED.

I remembered this when I was reading about the most powerful NPC in all of Eberron - it's not a humanoid - it's a PLANT.

Imagine the awakened Druidic oak tree, spreading its OWN seed around the forest, year after year, hiding when the loggers come 'round... And then making sure there are NO LOGGERS, ever again.

 

[Klaus]

That's so... Fangorn Forest...

Let's see: an awakened animal stil retains all instincts and drives of its pre-awakened days. It's just that they now can understand those hairless clothed apes now. So I say they'll not only still mate with regular members of its species, they'll probably rise to lead said species. Sure, their offspring won't be awakened as well, but the awakened animal can probably invest a couple of levels into ranger or expert and get ranks in Handle Animal, ensuring that all members of its pack are trained in useful tricks.

Druids create awakened animals for this purpose: to create nature's own defenders, capable of handling daily threats to animalkind that might otherwise go unnoticed by humanoid druids.

In the coming days I'll post a new creature in the Fiery Dragon website, called Grimalkin. Basically, the grimalkin is the former cat or wildcat familiar of an arcane spellcaster that retains some of its enhanced Intelligence when his/her master dies. Grimalkins tend to rise as leaders and protectors of felines, becoming sorcerers (with their own cat familiars), druids or rangers (with wildcat or leopard companions).

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

From the SRD (and the PHB):



Like I said, THEY'RE SCREWED.

I remembered this when I was reading about the most powerful NPC in all of Eberron - it's not a humanoid - it's a PLANT.

Imagine the awakened Druidic oak tree, spreading its OWN seed around the forest, year after year, hiding when the loggers come 'round... And then making sure there are NO LOGGERS, ever again.

Hate to point this out Henry, but it doesn't say anything about being *mobile* just that you can move your extremities as a tree. Think more like the willow tree in Harry Potter than a treant. Yeah they can defend themselves if someone gets close, but all anyone needs to do is stand back and shoot flaming arrows at it and it soon loses it's luster.

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

That's so... Fangorn Forest...

Let's see: an awakened animal stil retains all instincts and drives of its pre-awakened days. It's just that they now can understand those hairless clothed apes now. So I say they'll not only still mate with regular members of its species, they'll probably rise to lead said species. Sure, their offspring won't be awakened as well, but the awakened animal can probably invest a couple of levels into ranger or expert and get ranks in Handle Animal, ensuring that all members of its pack are trained in useful tricks.

Druids create awakened animals for this purpose: to create nature's own defenders, capable of handling daily threats to animalkind that might otherwise go unnoticed by humanoid druids.

In the coming days I'll post a new creature in the Fiery Dragon website, called Grimalkin. Basically, the grimalkin is the former cat or wildcat familiar of an arcane spellcaster that retains some of its enhanced Intelligence when his/her master dies. Grimalkins tend to rise as leaders and protectors of felines, becoming sorcerers (with their own cat familiars), druids or rangers (with wildcat or leopard companions).

That's the way I always looked at it in my own campaigns. Well that and then I have the very strange culture in my world that takes on an awakened animal as a companion which eventually turns into something else and they marry. The pair have a ceremony where the wedding ring is a ring of singular polymorph that allows the awakened animal to take on human form and pass unnoticed in societies which frown on such relationships. I'm just wierd though.

 

[Umbran]

Ah, see, but that's the thing. Awakening doesn't grant mobility.

Chimera, perhaps you ought to read the spell before you continue:

"An awakened tree has characteristics as it it were an animated object... 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."

 

[Umbran]

Hate to point this out Henry, but it doesn't say anything about being *mobile* just that you can move your extremities as a tree.

Look again. The spell says "an awakened tree has characteristics as if it were an animated object (see the Monster Manual)"

Check the entry for Animated Object in the MM - they all have move speeds.

The spell explicitly says the plant may move it's roots. Why, then, do you say it must be immobile?

 

[diaglo]

the animal is now smart enough to realize it is going to die.

that it can fight the urge to reproduce.

and that it has an impact on the world around it.


perhaps it chooses to be an old maid.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Oh, and when they do harvest the crops, who carries it into town when there are no horses to pull the wagons? Who pulls the plows?

Hippogriffs. When the horses run wild, get flying horses.

....plus, I hear hippogriffs love to eat horses....

 

[Chimera]

Look again. The spell says "an awakened tree has characteristics as if it were an animated object (see the Monster Manual)"

You're right, I'm wrong. At least by the rules.

But this makes no sense. A 5th level spell not only gives them intelligence, it gives them the motive powers of the 7th level spell, Animate Plants. Which on it's own, does not grant the intelligence.

Seems a bit backwards, eh? By this standard, Animate Plants should be a 5th level spell (Animate Objects being 6th) and Awaken should be a 7th level (or higher) spell.

 

[tensen]

You're right, I'm wrong. At least by the rules.

But this makes no sense. A 5th level spell not only gives them intelligence, it gives them the motive powers of the 7th level spell, Animate Plants. Which on it's own, does not grant the intelligence.

Seems a bit backwards, eh? By this standard, Animate Plants should be a 5th level spell (Animate Objects being 6th) and Awaken should be a 7th level (or higher) spell.

No, because Animate Plants does not have an xp cost to cast it. That makes a major difference in spell design. Animate Plants is higher level than Animate Objects because it allows you to affect much large objects, however you will also note that Animate object and Animate Plants are somewhat hard to compare because the same caster couldn't cast both those spells (Unless it was a cleric with the Plant domain.)