Forest Gnome and Handle Animal/Diplomacy?

[SangoProduction]

The Forest Gnome entry has the Speak with Animals ability replaced with "a simple language that enables them to communicate on a very basic level with forest animals".

Nowhere does that imply what that would actually mean. Does that enable you to tell animals to stop attacking, or to run, or something? Does it grant a bonus on handle animal? What?

[tiercel]

It sounds almost like Speak Language (Forest Critters) or even the Speak With Animals spell (albeit forest only) to me, which I see as its upshot unlocking social skills (Diplomacy, Bluff, social-use-Intimidate, Sense Motive) vis a vis said critters.

The "very basic level" clause probably limits you from talking philosophy or going all Sun Tzu with an army of badgers, but a +2 DM-judgement-call circumstance bonus doesn't seem unwarranted.

[trikkydik]

The Forest Gnome entry has the Speak with Animals ability replaced with "a simple language that enables them to communicate on a very basic level with forest animals".

Nowhere does that imply what that would actually mean. Does that enable you to tell animals to stop attacking, or to run, or something? Does it grant a bonus on handle animal? What?


Are you a DM or PC? if youre a DM treat it like a bonus to charming or be-friending a natural animal.

If youre a PC, checkwith your DM on how he wants to treat it.

If i was DM your handle animal skill would honestly depend on how you play your character. Are you in touch with nature? if yes, then yeah a circumstantial bonus on charming animals.

If no, then i wouldn't really give it too much thought.

Also, consider that fact when thinking about the other incentives to play a gnome, the race bonus level 0 spells are really useless unless you are a creative PC who can figure out how to augment your abilities with parlor tricks. I dont see a reason to play a gnome unless youre going to play some sort of illusion mage.

elves make better rogues with dex buff and detect hidden doors. both have darkvision.

[Duke of Urrel]

I believe Handle Animal skill is usually used to influence trained animals. To influence wild animals, I believe you need the druid's Wild Empathy class feature, the Speak with Animals spell, or some equivalent of these.

If you have a Speak with Animals ability, I believe you can simply make Diplomacy checks to influence animals. When I'm the dungeon master, I award a +2 circumstance bonus to these checks, because I believe the Speak with Animals ability enables you to speak in the equivalent of an animal's primary language. As a house rule, I always award a +2 bonus to your Diplomacy check if you speak in a creature's primary language, but I impose a -2 penalty if you speak in any other language that the creature knows.

So if you have a Speak with Animals ability, I believe you don't have to make a Handle Animal check to "push" a wild animal to do what you want it to do. Instead, I believe you can simply make a Diplomacy check to make a wild animal Friendly toward you. If the animal agrees to do you a favor, perhaps in exchange for a tasty reward, you can explain what you want it to do, using simple language.

Forest animals may have interesting things to tell you. According to the SRD, every Animal has Low-Light Vision unless its description states otherwise. Following this rule, I allow all Animals that have Low-Light Vision to see colors, regardless of whether they can in real life. I consider all Animals with the Scent ability to have a different word for every different species of creature that they know by sight, sound, smell, or in some cases touch.

On the other hand, in my understanding, Animals do not have a large vocabulary for clothing, tools, and structures created by Humanoids, but they can recognize these things if you describe them with simple words. I consider Animals, like people, to have selective and therefore imperfect memories.

If your comrade has been polymorphed into a forest animal, the Speak with Animals ability is a good way to remain in communication with your comrade until you can get him or her changed back.