Magical green thumb: Arcane botony

[Taverick]

So, DM shot down my idea of using the Fecund Growth spell from the BoEF to rapid growth some plants that I'd like to use for crafting and ... entertainment. So are there any other spells out there that will speed up the growth of plants? He's already ruled that the rapid growth function of Plant Growth just makes it into an entangle effect and won't get the growth I need. Most of the plants I want take hundreds of years to finish, not that my character won't live that long, but I'd rather not have to wait for it to happen. Fey cherry is kinda vital to my plans of conquest in the name of my dark lord.

[Gildedragon]

Not quite what you want but "minor creation" ought get you your cherries as they are non living vegetable matter.

Control plants to command them to produce fruiting bodies while under the effects of plant growth?

The time travel spell to snatch one third of your future production?

Personal demiplane-greenhouse with the fast time trait

[Phelix-Mu]

So, DM shot down my idea of using the Fecund Growth spell from the BoEF to rapid growth some plants that I'd like to use for crafting and ... entertainment. So are there any other spells out there that will speed up the growth of plants? He's already ruled that the rapid growth function of Plant Growth just makes it into an entangle effect and won't get the growth I need. Most of the plants I want take hundreds of years to finish, not that my character won't live that long, but I'd rather not have to wait for it to happen. Fey cherry is kinda vital to my plans of conquest in the name of my dark lord.

None are popping to mind, but I would encourage you to search for spells from Athas.org, which is an officially licensed (and thus "official" by some standards) 3.5 site. The Dark Sun world is mostly devoid of plant life, and there were several druid/ranger type spells there designed to allow characters to replant otherwise dead sections of the planet. Not sure if any actually accelerated growth, though.

I will venture to introduce Tippy's idea of planar bubble Permanent Emanations. However, unless your DM has exceptional tolerance for high-op tricks, that probably won't work either (and will break much more than just the greenhouse idea if it does work).

[Hecuba]

A quick search of the DS3 rules comes up blank (likely because they would simply used the Plant Growth > Overgrowth function rather than making a new spell).

If you can reach back to prior editions, 2nd ed and before had a Staff of Withering.

1 Charge = 1d4+1 damage
2 Charges = as above & ages the target 10 years
3 Charges = As above & shrivels limbs

The plants would need to be able to survive the damage in order to get the aging effect: you might lose a lot of saplings in attempting to age them.

[Bronk]

It might be that your DM just doesn't want you to be able to do this... Plant Growth really should be the go to spell for making plants grow.

[Gildedragon]

Touch of Years on an Awakened plant ought work...
hmm...

Oooor if you're using 2nd Ed stuff: awaken the plant, give it a potion of Haste
ooor water a plant with haste potions; 1 year per casting

[Phelix-Mu]

It might be that your DM just doesn't want you to be able to do this... Plant Growth really should be the go to spell for making plants grow.

Hmm. Well, maybe I am wrong and need to do a closer reading of plant growth. My understanding was that plant growth either a.) creates entangling undergrowth, or b.) makes plants grow bigger (but not faster).

By this understanding, if you cast the enriching form of plant growth on a field of wheat, you don't get to harvest the wheat early, but, at the normal time, you get more wheat. The same should hold true of any plant; theoretically, though, for plants that don't reach a "maturity" age, you could still cut the growth time by reaching the x-time size in a fraction of x-time.

Sadly, pretty much any living thing that can't actually tear your character's face off was widely ignored throughout most of 3e. Thus, it's pretty much up to DMs to interpret how passage of time and growth magic affect unusual targets (like inanimate plants).

Is your DM accepting 3rd party material (such as the OP's mention of BoEF)? Cause I can probably dig up some similar things from other sources, but they probably work a lot like that BoEF spell, and so the DM is likely to not allow them for more-or-less the same reason.

[Bronk]

Hmm. Well, maybe I am wrong and need to do a closer reading of plant growth. My understanding was that plant growth either a.) creates entangling undergrowth, or b.) makes plants grow bigger (but not faster).

By this understanding, if you cast the enriching form of plant growth on a field of wheat, you don't get to harvest the wheat early, but, at the normal time, you get more wheat. The same should hold true of any plant; theoretically, though, for plants that don't reach a "maturity" age, you could still cut the growth time by reaching the x-time size in a fraction of x-time.


I normally interpret the 'overgrowth' portion to mean that small plants grow large and unruly enought to entangle characters, so if you had a field of saplings or seedlings, they'd suddenly have a massive growth spurt.

Looked at that way, you have a spell that is either very wide ranging and slow (for the enrichment option), or a smaller area and faster (for the overgrowth option).

It does seem like there should be more druid spells to cover options like this though.

[Taverick]

I normally interpret the 'overgrowth' portion to mean that small plants grow large and unruly enought to entangle characters, so if you had a field of saplings or seedlings, they'd suddenly have a massive growth spurt.

Looked at that way, you have a spell that is either very wide ranging and slow (for the enrichment option), or a smaller area and faster (for the overgrowth option).

It does seem like there should be more druid spells to cover options like this though.

The problem with the plants becoming unruly is simple, they become practically useless for what I need them form. When I need a Fey cherry to make magic items out of, djinni blossoms for clean air in my lair and a lichbriar for laughs... okay that last one would be funny to cause it to entangle someone. But for the most part I need these plants to grow as they are meant to, just faster than they normally do. The lichbriar can grow as slow as it wants. Agonizingly, painfully, and horrendously slow. Ghe hee hee...

[Bronk]

Well, I've found another spell, 'climbing tree' from complete mage, that creates a one foot diameter tree from nothing. It doesn't specify what kind of tree, so perhaps you can convince your DM to let you be able to choose when you cast it.

Also, the spell 'vine mine' grows vines that grow for as long as the spell lasts, so there's that. It uses some ivy vines as a material component, but it doesn't specify what vines appear for the spell...

[Gildedragon]

Problem with those is that they don't make the plant mature any faster.

Spells that age the target would be the ones to go for.

[Bronk]

Well, I suppose the maturity of the tree would depend on how big a mature specimen is. A foot wide apple tree would be a lot different than a foot wide pine or oak.

How about this... take regular trees or plants and cast 'polymorph any object' on them to change them into the plants you want. Plant to plant would be permanent, and make sure to change it into a mature version that is currently fruiting, or that you cast it whenever the plant would normally fruit, if that's still a problem, or teleport to an area in the right season...

Or plane shift to an infinite forested outer plane like the Beastlands or Arborea, then cast 'find the path' to find an area with enough naturally occurring plants that you want to bother with, then teleport over and harvest away.

[Spuddles]

fast time plane

[Gildedragon]

Probably not very useful but there is the Epic spell seed Age which ages the target by a year spent in optimal conditions...

A greenhouse/bastion in a fast time trait plane might be more viable

[Hecuba]

I normally interpret the 'overgrowth' portion to mean that small plants grow large and unruly enough to entangle characters, so if you had a field of saplings or seedlings, they'd suddenly have a massive growth spurt.

If memory serves, prior edition versions of Plant Growth (which only had the overgrowth option) specifically could not be used to mature plants: things got big, but would not grow flowers or the like ahead of season nor die out if they were annuals. I seem to recall this being used somewhat inconsistently for published settings, but the general idea was there. It's possible the DM is hanging onto this.

[Phelix-Mu]

Or plane shift to an infinite forested outer plane like the Beastlands or Arborea, then cast 'find the path' to find an area with enough naturally occurring plants that you want to bother with, then teleport over and harvest away.

This last bit is a pretty good idea. Between Beastlands, Arborea, or one of the forest gods' domains in the Outlands, and you should be able to find specimens of the right age and be able to arrange transport of mature examples ready to be harvested. Be sure to bring offerings and gifts to placate the locals, though.

Also, Zuggtmoy's area of that layer of the Abyss, the one she shares with Jubilex. That area is famous for having all manner of magical plants, exotic drugs, and rare poisons, all festering in her realm of decay, fungoids, and rot. I'm sure that would be a fun field trip to take the class on.:smallwink:

[Taverick]

So far I've seen a lot of really nice suggestions, but all at a really high level, and at that point I won't really care about the cost of anything. So I need a way to speed up the growth before level... lets say 10.

[Hecuba]

So far I've seen a lot of really nice suggestions, but all at a really high level, and at that point I won't really care about the cost of anything. So I need a way to speed up the growth before level... lets say 10.

Other than the high-level time-manipulation options already mentioned and the plant growth, which your DM denied, you're not likely to find much without reaching back to prior editions.

Speeding aging via spell is one of the items that was deliberately removed from 3rd edition. If you can go back to prior editions, there are several spells that increase the aging process: there's a handy list on page 13 of the AD&D 1st Ed. DMG.

[Phelix-Mu]

The Pazuzu trick is available at any level. Risky, and a bit cheesy, but surely the Prince of Dark Air can help you with your botany project.

The um. There is a fey in MM5, I think, the Ruin Chanter, I think it was. I think it has a power that can temporarily age people and things. Not sure if this would work on plants, but maybe it could temporarily age the plant to maturity, you harvest the whatever, and then the plant goes back to being young again. The fruit should remain, since it wasn't conjured or anything like that.

Also, I would add that this might be an area of custom spell research. That might work well, because it would allow the DM to have input on what eventually is created, thus avoiding any exploits the DM may originally have been wary of.

[Dairuga]

h some plants that I'd like to use for crafting and ... entertainment.

Out of morbid curiousity, might I ask what your notion of "Entertainment" is?

An elaboration on Fey-related plants and their usages would also be extremely appreciated, as I have been searching for various fey-related elements to put in my own game. I would love to hear what your ideas for usage of the fey-cherries are.

[Hecuba]

The Pazuzu trick is available at any level. Risky, and a bit cheesy, but surely the Prince of Dark Air can help you with your botany project. We also have options available to facilitate 9th level spells at by 10th level to facilitate the planar effects, but that's generally safely in the realm of shenanigans.


The um. There is a fey in MM5, I think, the Ruin Chanter, I think it was. I think it has a power that can temporarily age people and things. Not sure if this would work on plants, but maybe it could temporarily age the plant to maturity, you harvest the whatever, and then the plant goes back to being young again. The fruit should remain, since it wasn't conjured or anything like that.

Ruin Chanter might work. It's CR 14, which isn't entirely out of the question for a level 10. The effect is stated in terms of penalties, but fluffed in terms of aging. You would need to make the plants qualify as its "enemy."

[Gildedragon]

PF material:
Toshigami Kami (CR15) has touch of ages which ages it's target
Best of all: looks like a Cherry Tree

[Yaitanos]

Well, looks like he wants the fey cherry tree for the wood of the tree, not the cherries. As the cherries are essentially goodberries but the wood gives a 10% discount on exp and gp spent on item crafting, so temp aging shouldn't be what he's going for.
As for the lichbriar , have you read up on the stuff? Brutal man, brutal.

[Taverick]

Well, looks like he wants the fey cherry tree for the wood of the tree, not the cherries. As the cherries are essentially goodberries but the wood gives a 10% discount on exp and gp spent on item crafting, so temp aging shouldn't be what he's going for.
As for the lichbriar , have you read up on the stuff? Brutal man, brutal.

He's right, I don't want the fruits of the tree, but the tree itself. So the suggestions detailing how to get the cherries won't work. I actually think it said that the tree only fruits every 10 years and can't be forced to do it more often. But eh, I want the wood for it's cost reduction for magic items. For that I need the tree to REALLY be aged to maturity, not just a temp thing. That would be like being in the middle of building a boat when all of the sudden it all turns back into an acorn. Well I guess you wouldn't have much of a clean up would ya?

And yes, lichbriar is rather delightfully morbid and brutal. It paralyses and feeds off a victim until they die, and only need watering when they don't have someone to suck on. Casting entangle on that plant would be amusing as all get out.

[Gildedragon]

wizard 9h spell: teleport through time
eschew materials the spell
cast it, go back in time however long you want, establish a fey cherry wood lumbering foundation, return to the present, get wood off them.

[Taverick]

Looks like the teleport through time spell was taken off the wizards site so unless someone still have it, and the official article or whatnot that it's from (otherwise my gm wouldn't let me use it).

[Gildedragon]

It's still there. You just gotta go to the archive. I'll get ya the link in a bit

Here ya go: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pg/20030409b