Optimizing Awaken

[Xan_Kriegor]

(Spell description) (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/awaken) I've been toying with the idea of Awaken since it's just kind of amusing, and I was wondering what the Playground's thoughts were on it. I think it'd be funny to create some hyper-intelligent sage tree somewhere just for kicks. Aside from the obvious empower (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/metamagic-feats/empower-spell-metamagic---final) and maximize (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/metamagic-feats/maximize-spell-metamagic---final) metamagics (metamagic rods (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rods/metamagic-rods) required since it's level 5), are there any other ways to buff the mental scores it gives? Using a wizard's familiar (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/familiar) as the target would help a little since they have a higher starting int, but animals don't get wisdom or much charisma sadly. (While the direct spell description is kind of confusing about the animal int change, the section below states "[...]an NPC whose Intelligence has increased by 3d6[...]" which clarifies that it is an increase and not just set to the result.)

Additionally, what ways are there to access this spell? I'm currently in a campaign playing a wizard so maybe I could enlist the help of a druid to scribe a scroll but that doesn't really get me any closer since it'd be a divine scroll and all (I don't have UMD, what with being a wizard and having negative charisma), but is there some way to get access to it even temporarily short of limited (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/l/limited-wish) wish (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/w/wish)?

[Spore]

Permanent Fox's Cunning is a given. Other than that, try getting the tree to advance it's age category (old, wise AND enchanted trees are everywhere in mythology). Then you'd need to transfer the benefits of some tomes of intelligence to it. Say you bury those things in it's roots. Bonus points for actual racial HD allowing it to choose Int from levelups.

And there you have your Deku Tree awakened tree

[Psychoalpha]

Using a wizard's familiar (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/familiar) as the target would help a little since they have a higher starting int, but animals don't get wisdom or much charisma sadly. (While the direct spell description is kind of confusing about the animal int change, the section below states "[...]an NPC whose Intelligence has increased by 3d6[...]" which clarifies that it is an increase and not just set to the result.

From the spell description you posted (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/awaken): An awakened animal can't serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount.