Speak with plants?!?!?

[cZak]

In what context is this spell useful? Does anybodies druid or ranger actually prep this spell? Or better yet, a bard select as one of his few precious spells known?

I mean, how much info can you get from grass...
"my neighbor of two days, George, was eaten by a vicious mount that might have been part of the band of raiding hog-goblins you're looking for..."

Talking with plant 'creatures' might be dubiously possible, but do you really expect good info from that shambling mound? Or worse yet, want to improve its attitude to 'hug'?:smalleek:

[Tvtyrant]

In what context is this spell useful? Does anybodies druid or ranger actually prep this spell? Or better yet, a bard select as one of his few precious spells known?

I mean, how much info can you get from grass...
"my neighbor of two days, George, was eaten by a vicious mount that might have been part of the band of raiding hog-goblins you're looking for..."

Talking with plant 'creatures' might be dubiously possible, but do you really expect good info from that shambling mound? Or worse yet, want to improve its attitude to 'hug'?:smalleek:

If you have a guardian ent for your house this could be useful, or if you take the form of a plant creature and want to blend in.

[Lurkmoar]

In my fifteen years of playing D&D... I can't recall a single instance of ANYONE casting that spell.

[IthroZada]

Do I expect good info from grass? Absolutely not, unless it was present during a battle, and I wanted details. But from a tree that could be a centuries old? It would be like talking to the Thorian in Mass Effect.

[Ravens_cry]

It is a spell for gathering information. Admittedly, it isn't going to be much, but on the other hand, most people do not think of the grass as a potential witness when they do dirty deeds. A bard, probably not, but a ranger or druid can just prepare it if needed. It is situational, very situational, but it can potentially save you a lot of trouble at times.

[Big Fau]

The trees only ever tell me to leaf.

[Divide by Zero]

The trees only ever tell me to leaf.

Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here?

[Psyren]

The trees only ever tell me to leaf.

Ignore them; their bark is worse than their bite.

[Zonugal]

Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here?

It's *leave*, you idiot! "Make like a tree, and leave." You sound like a damn fool when you say it wrong.

[Ravens_cry]

Ignore them; their bark is worse than their bite.
Aye, it is best to shrub off such comments, even though they can be such grasses.

[VarianArdell]

The trees only ever tell me to leaf.


Ignore them; their bark is worse than their bite.


Aye, it is best to shrub off such comments, even though they can be such grasses.

aye, these tree puns are unbeleafable...

[Malimar]

In what context is this spell useful? Does anybodies druid or ranger actually prep this spell? Or better yet, a bard select as one of his few precious spells known?


In my fifteen years of playing D&D... I can't recall a single instance of ANYONE casting that spell.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

The problem is that I have never in my life felt the slightest urge to play a druid or ranger, and I've never in my life gotten a character to level 10 (when a bard could learn it). Maybe I could try an artificer, much as I loathe prepared casters. Anybody want to run a game and will let me get a scroll of speak with plants as a (level 2) ranger spell? I will prepare it every day. I will speak with all the plants.

EDIT: OHHEY, Complete Champion has a ranger ACF for Speak with Animals or Speak with Plants 3/day. I guess I'm fine with a ranger dip on something else.

[NecroRick]

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

The problem is that I have never in my life felt the slightest urge to play a druid or ranger, and I've never in my life gotten a character to level 10 (when a bard could learn it). Maybe I could try an artificer, much as I loathe prepared casters. Anybody want to run a game and will let me get a scroll of speak with plants as a (level 2) ranger spell? I will prepare it every day. I will speak with all the plants.

EDIT: OHHEY, Complete Champion has a ranger ACF for Speak with Animals or Speak with Plants 3/day. I guess I'm fine with a ranger dip on something else.

You could be an awakened plant like the big druid dude in Eberron.
Then you could use Speak with Plants to chat up any nice foliage you meet.

If you take Ranger you could have as your favoured enemy: vegetarians. :D

Although if you _were_ a druid, you'd have a never ending supply of goodberries... and then after eating them you ask people if they enjoyed eating your babies/your reproductive organs (whichever will get the most laughs/vomiting :D )

[Psyren]

That ACF would be very flavorful for a Warforged -> Wildshape Ranger -> Landforged Walker. He could probably even work out some kind of "tree binary" and turn the forest into a massive supercomputer.

[Garwain]

I can totally see this happening:

DM: This campsite is abandonned, but there is clear evidence there was some fighting going on.
Druid: Ok, I cast 'Talk with plants' and I choose the biggest oak.
DM: (totally surprised) Right, eh, let me see what the trees have to say....
DM: 'Leeeeeeet....(inhale) meeeeee......... (exhale) tellllllllll..........(inhale) what happened...... (exhale) here...........
Rest of the party: "yeh yeh, can we just throw some checks?"

And that's why nobody cares talking to plants.

[Serpentine]

Jasmine from Deltora Quest uses it all the time <.<

[Shadowknight12]

As a DM, I've had players using it. I've loved every instance of it, since it allows me to have fun giving plants the wildest and most utterly alien personalities, which can be terribly creepy or incredibly humorous, depending on the tone of the campaign.

Also, remember that most plants are functionally hermaphrodites, so they will find it puzzling to keep gender straight. They're also used to being at the mercy of their surroundings, stuck to the place they've grew up in; and their weapons against predators are (in most cases) very subtle, so they might not comprehend things like "weapons." Oh, and it's always fun to see the relationships between plants and druids/rangers/spirit shamans. Plants may see them as protectors/saviours and wuv them vewy much, or as profane usurpers of the natural order, and anything in between.

Ahhhh, Speak With Plants, Speak With Animals and Stone Tell. What would I do without thee? Surely, I'd have to break out the eldritch abominations if I wanted to portray hilariously alien mindsets.

[Ravens_cry]

aye, these tree puns are unbeleafable...
Take it or leaves it I say. Nice to know we are a-green on something.

[Funkyodor]

Ah, reminds me of an awesome Jack Handy quote.
"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.”

You could just go monk 17, and be able to talk to anything alive whenever you wanted to. But then you'd be a lvl 17 monk and all they would do is laugh.

[Kojiro]

<stuff>

I have to say, this is very interesting and I like it very much. Mind if I use this sort of idea if I happen to DM something and one of my players inexplicably tries speaking with the grass (or rocks)?

[Shadowknight12]

I have to say, this is very interesting and I like it very much. Mind if I use this sort of idea if I happen to DM something and one of my players inexplicably tries speaking with the grass (or rocks)?

But of course! I'd be quite glad. I always try to aim for the unexpected. It's usually a great way to make something memorable.

[Ravens_cry]

But of course! I'd be quite glad. I always try to aim for the unexpected. It's usually a great way to make something memorable.
I like to use elves as a source of weird perspective. Think of the well of time even a young elf has, much less one more advanced in years. Even older dwarves would have this in a stolid kind of way.

[Killer Angel]

It can be useful for investigations on small areas or choke points, 'cause it's a low level spell that cover things that arcane spells (of 2nd-3rd lev) cannot tell you.
But yeah, it's very situational, and probably it's better to have a scroll rather than prepare it.

[Shadowknight12]

I like to use elves as a source of weird perspective. Think of the well of time even a young elf has, much less one more advanced in years. Even older dwarves would have this in a stolid kind of way.

I agree! Long-lived races are a great way to add strange perspectives into the game. What I do for a lot of them is to have them forget their early days as they grow older, save for a handful privileged few with long-lasting memories. Others, I make them so focused on the present/future that the past is a hazy blur. And one condition I keep fairly universal is how absolutely terrible they are to keep track of time. After all, when you're immortal or exceedingly long-lived, the meaning of time starts to get a bit slippery, and losing track of it becomes rather easy.

[Ravens_cry]

You could also reverse that, extreme focus on the past, the present is just now and the future, well, it happens whether we like it or not. For example, an elf talking about a humans great, great grandmother like they talked to them yesterday and somehow expect to talk to them again, the memory fresh and green, while what happened last night at the royal wedding is an inconsequential.

[Canarr]

or if you take the form of a plant creature and want to blend in.

:smallbiggrin:

Blend in? Seriously? You mean, just in case someone ELSE casting Speak with Plants happens by later and asks the trees around you, "Hey, was there a tree here yesterday that didn't talk to you?"

Seems... strange.

[Ravens_cry]

:smallbiggrin:

Blend in? Seriously? You mean, just in case someone ELSE casting Speak with Plants happens by later and asks the trees around you, "Hey, was there a tree here yesterday that didn't talk to you?"

Seems... strange.
Just because you are paranoid does not mean you are wrong.:smallamused:

[Shadowknight12]

You could also reverse that, extreme focus on the past, the present is just now and the future, well, it happens whether we like it or not. For example, an elf talking about a humans great, great grandmother like they talked to them yesterday and somehow expect to talk to them again, the memory fresh and green, while what happened last night at the royal wedding is an inconsequential.

That sounds great in theory, but that's actually something that doesn't quite make that much sense in reality. Qualitatively, every memory happened in the past. What makes some pasts more worthy of being remembered than others? If you went by "emotional charge" you'd be making a lot more sense than "reverse order of acquisition." Usually old people have really good memories of their childhood and youth because they attach a lot of sentimental value to them ("times were happier! Streets were safer! There were less worries!"), while recent times are all "mostly the same" and therefore unworthy of being remembered.

If that great, great grandmother was someone special for the elf, I can definitely see your example working. If she wasn't, and he remembers her simply because she's far removed from the present... that doesn't make quite a lot of sense.

[DegenPaladin]

You could always use the spell to get your Greenbound Summons to use their spell like abilities :)

[Ravens_cry]

Well, I have found from personal experience that time moves differently as you get older. When I was in my early teens and younger, a week was a considerable period of time, a month a long time and a year, well, almost too long to think about. Holidays like Halloween and Christmas were very special because they came but once a year. As life goes on, it goes faster and faster. Speaking to people older then me has revealed the same phenomena continues. The point of the example of the grandmother was that for the elf, it is but a recent memory, while the near present is almost a blur.

[Heatwizard]

Take it or leaves it I say. Nice to know we are a-green on something.

Yeah, I'm board of them already. Maybe we should just pitch the topic.

[klyk]

Well I can say that I tried it once and the only thing that happened is that the DM says that the tree doesn't have an Int score so you don't get much out of it that.
I think it was most the DM that WTF he does what?
Then he got brain freeze.

[Shadowknight12]

Well, I have found from personal experience that time moves differently as you get older. When I was in my early teens and younger, a week was a considerable period of time, a month a long time and a year, well, almost too long to think about. Holidays like Halloween and Christmas were very special because they came but once a year. As life goes on, it goes faster and faster. Speaking to people older then me has revealed the same phenomena continues. The point of the example of the grandmother was that for the elf, it is but a recent memory, while the near present is almost a blur.

And that's precisely what I said before that, when I said "hazy blur." :smalltongue:

As for the "oh, but I just saw her a few days ago..." thing, that's why I said "they lose track of time easily," hah.

[Fitz10019]

Also remember that this is a personal spell, so it's entirely possible that EVERY piece of vegetation in sight might respond to the caster's questions, providing differing points of view.

It should work on houseplants, too.

[Dragonsoul]

Yeah, I'm board of them already. Maybe we should just pitch the topic.

Yeah, we really need to Branch out, make puns to tell our Elders about... or just treet ourselves

[Tvtyrant]

:smallbiggrin:

Blend in? Seriously? You mean, just in case someone ELSE casting Speak with Plants happens by later and asks the trees around you, "Hey, was there a tree here yesterday that didn't talk to you?"

Seems... strange.

Well, convincing them not to attack you is part of "blending in" as well. "I really am a Shambling Mound!" You shout to the confused plants that recently saw a delicious person. "A Human turned me into an Elf!... I got better."

[SuperFerret]

Speaking with plants might wind up being more useful than speaking with animals, including sentient ones. "Normal" plants are undoubtedly alien to our way of thinking, and approaching that has its problems, but plant defenses while subtle, rarely (if ever) include camouflage, so it's a safe bet that the concept of deception is foreign to them (unlike with animals). Basically, you're trading ease of understanding for reliability of information. At least, that's how I'd see it.

[Canarr]

Well, convincing them not to attack you is part of "blending in" as well. "I really am a Shambling Mound!" You shout to the confused plants that recently saw a delicious person. "A Human turned me into an Elf!... I got better."

Okay, good one... :smallbiggrin: Yeah, guess that could work... though I'm unsure how much plants actually communicate with each other, even plant creatures.

[Fawsto]

There is also the issue:

Druid: Hey, Grass, did you see where the Orcs went?

Grass: What does "see" mean?

Druid: ...

[Psyren]

There is also the issue:

Druid: Hey, Grass, did you see where the Orcs went?

Grass: What does "see" mean?

Druid: ...

"Do you know" is pretty straightforward, though the plant may not.

[Urpriest]

I had a cleric player who would always prepare speak with plants for no discernible reason. Eventually he fell victim to a Yuan-ti's Entangle SLA, and with no ability to reach any enemies he elected to cast Speak With Plants. It didn't do anything, but it kept him from getting bored.

[Psyren]

I had a cleric player who would always prepare speak with plants for no discernible reason. Eventually he fell victim to a Yuan-ti's Entangle SLA, and with no ability to reach any enemies he elected to cast Speak With Plants. It didn't do anything, but it kept him from getting bored.

Cleric? Which domain grants it?

[Urpriest]

Cleric? Which domain grants it?

This was back in 3.0, when it was a cleric spell, oddly enough. Not sure why they changed it to Bard.

[Psyren]

This was back in 3.0, when it was a cleric spell, oddly enough. Not sure why they changed it to Bard.

Probably because Bards will seduce serenade anything. Must be the draconic bloodline. :smalltongue:

[Vladislav]

I always wanted to use Speak with Plants and ask "hey, are you a regular mushroom or a hallucinogenic mushroom"?

Much simpler than going by trial and error. Saves a lot of time and effort.

[Psyren]

I always wanted to use Speak with Plants and ask "hey, are you a regular mushroom or a hallucinogenic mushroom"?

Much simpler than going by trial and error. Saves a lot of time and effort.

Play it safe - ask the mushrooms where you can find some weed, and ask the weed where the safe mushrooms are to eat.

Druids have it easy, maaaaaan.

[erikun]

I always wanted to use Speak with Plants and ask "hey, are you a regular mushroom or a hallucinogenic mushroom"?

Much simpler than going by trial and error. Saves a lot of time and effort.
If it is a regular mushroom disguised as a hallucinogenic mushroom, what makes you think it wouldn't refer to itself as such?

And besides, what do you mean by "regular"? "Hallucinogenic"? "Edible?" I doubt many mushrooms would consider themselves edible or hallucinogenic, and who knows what response you'd get from a request at "regular".

[DegenPaladin]

Best thing that I ever witnessed. Druid Casts Speak with Plants in a field. Proceeds to ask the grass if any large creatures had passed by recently. The grass says something along the lines of "They went North about an hour ago ..... whats an hour?" Some were just chanting "I like the sun" over and over again, and the piece de resistance when my horse started grazing he wound up listening to the field scream in pain.

[ericgrau]

Plants: "We have no eyes, ears or noses."
PC: "Anything you can tell us?"
Plants: "Please stop stepping on us." :smalltongue:

By RAW you get it for 5 minutes or more and can ask plants about their immediate vicinity, so you could likely find out everything that ever happened in a certain area. Nifty detective work or way to follow someone if used right.

[Divide by Zero]

Plants are a great way to get information. The corn has ears, the potatoes have eyes, and the beanstalk.

[Slipperychicken]

"hey, are you a regular mushroom or a hallucinogenic mushroom"?


Mushroom: "You bastards. You took everything from me. My friends, my mom, my spores... and now you've come for me too... COME GET SOME!"

[epic mushroom battle ensues]

[OverdrivePrime]

Ah, I love this spell as a DM. It's a lot of fun to RP out. And luckily, the Spirit Shaman in my main group has a magic item that lets her Speak w/ Plants once per day. She finds an excuse it use it at least once a day and it's almost always worthwhile.

This one and speak with animals are a lot of fun, and I do wish people would think of some creative excuses to use them more often.

[jpreem]

Plants: "We have no eyes, ears or noses."
PC: "Anything you can tell us?"
Plants: "Please stop stepping on us." :smalltongue:


Thats what I have always thought of the spells like speak with plants or speak with stone. The best a plant could say to you abaout the day is well - I photosytnehsized then photosynthesized some more, also there are some new buds going to blossom. The stone could say - well I existed, then I existed some more - thats kind of it.

[Necroticplague]

I personally like the spells like this. I've been in a few campaigns were we were detectives, and we realized most people don't think of the potted plant in the corner of the cobblestone in the road as a witness.

[Psyren]

Plants are a great way to get information. The corn has ears, the potatoes have eyes, and the beanstalk.

Cute. :smalltongue:


Best thing that I ever witnessed. Druid Casts Speak with Plants in a field. Proceeds to ask the grass if any large creatures had passed by recently. The grass says something along the lines of "They went North about an hour ago ..... whats an hour?" Some were just chanting "I like the sun" over and over again, and the piece de resistance when my horse started grazing he wound up listening to the field scream in pain.

:smallbiggrin:

[Prime32]

Mushroom: "You bastards. You took everything from me. My friends, my mom, my spores... and now you've come for me too... COME GET SOME!"

[epic mushroom battle ensues]
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd54/Prime32_temp/OotS/mashaanim.gif

Currently playing a dryad, and spamming this ability. It helps that fungi count as plants, and that the dungeon uses luminescent fungi as lighting. Hell, I was even able to speak to alchemical supplies.

...alright, even the glowmoss isn't very bright, but one patch of mould was able to warn us "bad air behind door."

[NNescio]

Mushroom: "You bastards. You took everything from me. My friends, my mom, my spores... and now you've come for me too... COME GET SOME!"

[epic mushroom battle ensues]

http://ompldr.org/vOWY3eQ/88ff2d0c436ab0fbf74d24e2ed5f5a43.jpg

Alternatively:
http://ompldr.org/vN2p6bA/2ad904fb9816a6deb00fe6e52ca2a00df76487e1.jpg

[OracleofWuffing]

"Grass, this is important. I need to know which way the necromancer went."
"Oh, you're on the right track, just keep going where you're running."
"Thanks."
" ... ... ... BWEE HEE HEE HEE HEE ALL ACCORDING TO THE GRASS-PLAN. SOON WE SHALL COLONIZE THE MOON! Ohhhhh that's some good sun."

[ericgrau]

Thats what I have always thought of the spells like speak with plants or speak with stone. The best a plant could say to you abaout the day is well - I photosytnehsized then photosynthesized some more, also there are some new buds going to blossom. The stone could say - well I existed, then I existed some more - thats kind of it.

That's why I followed up with the RAW explanation. Finding out everything that ever happened in a certain area, with a few minutes to talk about it even, is actually pretty dang good.