Post/Author/DateTime	Post
LandeM 01-04-05, 01:50 PM	From the SRD: 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. Im building a druid for the first time and while perusing the Masters of the Wild book at a store I could've sworn it said I could awaken my companion. (Leads to more RP, smarter creature, different relationship) But when I double checked the spell it says awaken can't be a mount/companion/familiar. So should I take this as: I can awaken my companion, I just can't take an awakened creature as a companion. Or did I just misunderstand something in MotW. Or maybe MotW has a section covering it I didn't have time to see. (Going to pick it up soon, but would like to know first)
El_Machinae 01-04-05, 01:57 PM	Master of the Wild was a 3.0 book and was referring to normal animals. The animal companions in 3.5 already get special boosts, and thus this spell will not work for them. Please note that you can still have a "mount" or a "companion" that's awakened ... just not the mounts or companion gained as a class feature.
Seeker95 01-04-05, 02:51 PM	You can awaken your animal companion. It then ceases to be your animal companion.
Zherog 01-04-05, 02:57 PM	I agreed with Seeker, right up until I went and looked at the SRD. A druid’s animal companion is different from a normal animal of its kind in many ways. The companion is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats). Awaken must be cast on a creature with the type of "animal." You animal companion has the type of "magical beast" for all effects that depend on type. Therefore, your animal companion is not a valid target for the awaken spell. That's what the rules say, anyway. As a DM, I'd probably still allow it - the creature would just cease being your animal companion after the spell was completed.
Landrin 01-04-05, 03:09 PM	Can't find that Magical Beast quote in the current 3.5 SRD..... I thought the Animal Companion (when it was considered a Magical Beast in 3.0) could also be considered an animal for spells and effects such as Animal Growth and Speak with Animals. That would make it able to be Awakened as well. I agree with Seeker though that the moment that happens, it is no longer your Animal Companion. The Leadership Feat may let you take your former Companion as a Cohort though.... depends on your DM.
Zherog 01-04-05, 03:15 PM	It's possible the HTML version of the SRD I use is outdated. Unfortunately, I can't access the "regular" SRD - the site is blocked here at work. :bored: I found that quote under the Druid class, where it describes the animal companion after all the class features.
Seeker95 01-04-05, 08:34 PM	Zherog's quote is 3.0 They did away with the magical beast reference in 3.5 -- probably because it allowed a caster to use alter self to turn a cat into a hippogriff. Here is the current SRD reference: Animal Companion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion) By the way, the SRD is in a most user-friendly format at: http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm
Zherog 01-04-05, 09:29 PM	Actually, that text is also in the 3.5 PHB. The SRD I use at work is most definitely a 3.5 SRD - it just doesn't include the errata. Speaking of which, I checked the PHB errata, and that is where this text was changed. Animal Companion Player’s Handbook, page 36 Contrary to the text, a druid’s animal companion is not treated as a magical beast; it remains an animal. Trim the first paragraph of the sidebar so that it reads as follows: A druid’s animal companion is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below. I'll have to try your link at work tomorrow, Seeker, and see if the stupid filters they put in place will allow me to access that version of the SRD.
Zherog 01-05-05, 10:27 AM	I'll have to try your link at work tomorrow, Seeker, and see if the stupid filters they put in place will allow me to access that version of the SRD. It's blocked. :bored: