Class for Awakened Animals?

[Visivicous]

My thought process is probably a bit screwy and may not make sense to anyone else, but here it goes:

I was looking over the Awaken spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm), and decided to search around the web for examples of this in actual games. I came across two trends: awakened animals as druids, and ways to optimize an awakened companion (usually a former familiar/animal companion, kept with the leadership feat). At first, awakened druid made sense, but the more I thought about it, the less sense it made.

Basically, if a civilized creature would choose to embrace the natural world at the expense of civilization, then why wouldn't a creature from the natural world (just granted sapience) choose to embrace civilization at the expense of nature? (This is the part of my thought process which is screwed up... probably a logical fallacy.)

What we need is a class resembling the druid class, but inverted. Let's call it the Urbanite: Wild shape becomes Civil shape (allowing our awakened animal to take on humanoid forms), mix up the skills (similar to the Urban Ranger Variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm)), switch summon nature’s ally spells to summon civilization's ally spells (city guards and the like), etc.

Does this make sense to anyone else? Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Sir Chuckles]

What we need is a class resembling the druid class, but inverted. Let's call it the Urbanite: Wild shape becomes Civil shape (allowing our awakened animal to take on humanoid forms), mix up the skills (similar to the Urban Ranger Variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm)), switch summon nature’s ally spells to summon civilization's ally spells (city guards and the like), etc.

Does this make sense to anyone else? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Urban Druid (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a), and several other Urban ACFs. Not humanoids, but City Soul trades elemental shape for Animated Objects. Yeah, no suspects a horse. But who checks the lamp?

Scroll down a bit and you've got skilled city dweller for a few class skills, and few other trade-aways.

[Blackhawk748]

There is also Fangshield Ranger, which seems to be designed for non-humanoids, mix and match with Urban Ranger to your hearts content and you have a Civilized Wolf warrior

[Visivicous]

For some reason whenever I think about the Awaken spell, I think of a badger. Probably because of those darned Redwall books I read when I was a kid.

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20051014213149/redwall/images/e/e0/Russano.jpg

I suppose an awakened bobcat, or similarly small wild feline, would be ideal for city infiltration (at distance, folks would probably mistake it for a large housecat).

[The Viscount]

There also exists the (confusingly named) Urban Druid base class from Dragon Compendium, which is city based.

[Ettina]

I was looking over the Awaken spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm), and decided to search around the web for examples of this in actual games. I came across two trends: awakened animals as druids, and ways to optimize an awakened companion (usually a former familiar/animal companion, kept with the leadership feat). At first, awakened druid made sense, but the more I thought about it, the less sense it made.

Basically, if a civilized creature would choose to embrace the natural world at the expense of civilization, then why wouldn't a creature from the natural world (just granted sapience) choose to embrace civilization at the expense of nature? (This is the part of my thought process which is screwed up... probably a logical fallacy.)

Neat character idea, and you can certainly run with it, but it doesn't logically follow from druids. To me, an awakened animal druid makes a lot of sense. Who knows better the consequences of harming the environment than someone whose livelihood depends on that environment? (Kind of like how Maritime fishermen knew more about the state of the cod population than the scientists did - they predicted the collapse of the fishery long before anyone else did.) If people disrespect the environment, animals tend to suffer on a very personal basis. An orangutan who has lost her forest home when it was turned into a palm oil plantation or a lioness whose pride was slaughtered by poachers and ranchers have a lot of motivation to oppose the spread of civilization.

[PraxisVetli]

For some reason whenever I think about the Awaken spell, I think of a badger. Probably because of those darned Redwall books I read when I was a kid.

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20051014213149/redwall/images/e/e0/Russano.jpg

I suppose an awakened bobcat, or similarly small wild feline, would be ideal for city infiltration (at distance, folks would probably mistake it for a large housecat).

Yeeeeeeeeeeeah Redwall!!

[Visivicous]

Ettina, I don't think that would be the case. Sure, in our world, an orangutan granted sapience would probably be an advocate for nature conservation, because that is a problem here. But most D&D settings feature vast tracts of pristine wilderness. I don't see any need for nature conservation in Faerun or Krynn, and the worst looks like it has already occurred in Athas. I say that an Awakened orangutan from Chult is more likely to setup shop as a lawyer in Waterdeep, than to go gallivanting in the wild, attacking poachers.

[Sir Chuckles]

Hrm, I'd say that an Awakened orangutan entering Waterdeep would quickly find itself treated as either a normal orangutan, eaten, or kept as a pet far more quickly than it would take up a profession.

[Blackhawk748]

Hrm, I'd say that an Awakened orangutan entering Waterdeep would quickly find itself treated as either a normal orangutan, eaten, or kept as a pet far more quickly than it would take up a profession.

Not if it has class levels!

[PraxisVetli]

I feel Black Blood Cultist should be here somewhere. especially with the aforementioned Badgers.
I agree, I think animals would actually be less inclined to druid, and more towards other classes. I don't even really picture a lot of casting at all, but that's me.
Well, maybe some casting..
Those Desmodu War Bats, are they called?
Funky Cleric/War Weaver, I think. Shamany and mystical.

[Prime32]

I've got a build (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=11353) with a few tricks that might interest you.

[hamishspence]

Hrm, I'd say that an Awakened orangutan entering Waterdeep would quickly find itself treated as either a normal orangutan, eaten, or kept as a pet far more quickly than it would take up a profession.


Not if it has class levels!

In a setting where Hadozee are common and accepted - the only oddity about the orang would be its lack of gliding membranes.

http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/storm_gallery/90754.jpg

That said, it's up to the DM if those exist in Faerun or not.

[Azoth]

Ok now can we all just agree that realistically an awakened Orangutan would go with Profession (Librarian) and not Profession (Lawyer)?

Secondly, I feel the build for an awakened animal depends entirely on the type of animal and how much you want to be steriotypical to the percieved stigmas of them. Also, by how metamagiced that Awaken Animal is...maximixed empowered Awaken animal for the win.

Owls could make great Wizard/loremaster builds.

Personally I like the idea of a squirrel warlock/hellfire warlock. Just something funny about watching some hiker eat eldritch blasts for getting too close to a tree.

Badger Barbarian/frenzied berserker.

A pack of Dire wolves led by a runescar berserker build.

A housecat totemist...

[atemu1234]

a housecat totemist...

you fool! You've doomed us all!

[thorr-kan]

The Noble Wild supplement from Skirmisher Games Development Group? Has awakened animals as the concept.

[Petrocorus]

I agree that an Awaken Orang-Outang would totally be a librarian. Working in a famous magic university.

I however have a question. Does an awaken cat or owl, or bear, anyway, gain the dexterity to handle tools, to write and to cast spells with somatic components?

[Rubik]

Given how difficult magic is to work without hands (ie, it costs a feat to be able to perform anything with somatic components), I'd think that most animals with reasonably high mental stats would take a psionic manifesting class. (http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g111/Lycanthromancer/Psionics.jpg)

[thefirecrack3r]

Ok now can we all just agree that realistically an awakened Orangutan would go with Profession (Librarian) and not Profession (Lawyer)?

Secondly, I feel the build for an awakened animal depends entirely on the type of animal and how much you want to be steriotypical to the percieved stigmas of them. Also, by how metamagiced that Awaken Animal is...maximixed empowered Awaken animal for the win.

Owls could make great Wizard/loremaster builds.

Personally I like the idea of a squirrel warlock/hellfire warlock. Just something funny about watching some hiker eat eldritch blasts for getting too close to a tree.

Badger Barbarian/frenzied berserker.

A pack of Dire wolves led by a runescar berserker build.

A housecat totemist...

Awakened mosquito would take Profession (lawyer)

[Visivicous]

Awakened mosquito would take Profession (lawyer)

That would require some spell research. Awaken has 'Target: Animal or tree touched'. Don't mosquito's count as vermin or somesuch?


I seem to recall that there was a cartoon or anime 10-15 years back with a recurring sketch featuring an animal that fit in with human society, until someone would scream out what he really was. It's bugging me that I cannot place this memory. Was it a pigeon? A bear? I cannot recall. At any rate, with a high enough Bluff skill, an Awakened animal could certainly walk right into Waterdeep and take up a profession of his/her choice.

*Edit* I figured it out. It was the Chicken Boo character from Animaniacs.

[Derpldorf]

Awakened toad thrallherds are always popular, or so I've heard.

[Rubik]

Awakened toad thrallherds are always popular, or so I've heard.You mean the Always Stupid Evil ones that wear pink frilly things, simper horribly, and enjoy pictures of kittens hanging everywhere?

[Milo v3]

You mean the Always Stupid Evil ones that wear pink frilly things, simper horribly, and enjoy pictures of kittens hanging everywhere?

Pretty sure he means this one:
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120516174032/en.futurama/images/0/0b/Hypnotoad.gif

[Rubik]

Pretty sure he means this one:
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120516174032/en.futurama/images/0/0b/Hypnotoad.gifThis one counts too, I think.

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101019104043/avpm/images/f/f5/Umbridge.png

[Petrocorus]

Given how difficult magic is to work without hands (ie, it costs a feat to be able to perform anything with somatic components), I'd think that most animals with reasonably high mental stats would take a psionic manifesting class. (http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g111/Lycanthromancer/Psionics.jpg)

That's also what i thought. After all, the Awaken spell does not give anthropomorphism.

As a related question, does anyone knows a class or PrC that will gives the awaken cat the ability to wild shape / shapechange / polymorph into a humanoid or anthropomorphic animal for a rather long duration?

[Rubik]

That's also what i thought. After all, the Awaken spell does not give anthropomorphism.

As a related question, does anyone knows a class or PrC that will gives the awaken cat the ability to wild shape / shapechange / polymorph into a humanoid or anthropomorphic animal for a rather long duration?You could always go in reverse and play a humanoid with the divine minion template or a tibbit.

[Runeclaw]

As a related question, does anyone knows a class or PrC that will gives the awaken cat the ability to wild shape / shapechange / polymorph into a humanoid or anthropomorphic animal for a rather long duration?

Master of Many Forms?