Plant Growth & Locate Animals or Plants

[SKW05]

I have a question about how these 2 spells stack. I thought I'd ask the wise people on here, to test the waters!

So, Locate Animals or Plants:

Range: Self.

Describe or name a specific kind of beast or plant. Concentrating on the voice of nature in your surroundings, you learn the direction and distance to the closest creature or plant of that kind within 5 miles, if any are present.

5 miles; that's a pretty huge distance! Now the relevant stuff from Plant Growth:

Range/Area = 150 ft

This spell channels vitality into plants within a specific area. There are two possible uses for the spell, granting either immediate or long-term benefits.

If you cast this spell using 1 action, choose a point within range. All normal plants in a 100-foot radius centered on that point become thick and overgrown. A creature moving through the area must spend 4 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves.

You can exclude one or more areas of any size within the spell's area from being affected.

If you cast this spell over 8 hours, you enrich the land. All plants in a half-mile radius centered on a point within range become enriched for 1 year. The plants yield twice the normal amount of food when harvested.

If I read it correctly, the range of Plant Growth is a point within a 150ft circle, and effects all plants in a 100ft radius of that point. Again, huge distances.

So, if you could locate a mushroom (for example) within 150ft, would you be able to cast Plant Growth on it without even having to get it in line of sight?

Would that work on - say - a sack of potatoes? Could my druid turn a sack of potatoes into an erruption of greenery, without my even seeing it? My DM is being annoyingly silent about these kind of things until we are already playing. But isn't this combo an bit OP, even for a level3 spell?

[JellyPooga]

Essentially, the answer to your question is yes. You don't even need Locate if you want to cast it speculatively. I would not rule that you can create a 100ft radius of difficult terrain from a single spud, however. Also worth noting that your GM will decide if seeds or root vegetables count as "normal plants" for purposes of the spell.

Definitely a very useful spell in a Wood Elf village (or similar) where all the buildings are made from living plants.

[JackPhoenix]

IIf I read it correctly, the range of Plant Growth is a point within a 150ft circle, and effects all plants in a 100ft radius of that point. Again, huge distances.

So, if you could locate a mushroom (for example) within 150ft, would you be able to cast Plant Growth on it without even having to get it in line of sight?

There's no need to locate the plant. You aren't casting the spell on a specific plant, you're casting it on a point, and it affects all plants around that point, whether you're aware of their presence or not. However, there must be no full cover between both you and the point of origin, and between the point of origin and the affected area.


Would that work on - say - a sack of potatoes? Could my druid turn a sack of potatoes into an erruption of greenery, without my even seeing it? My DM is being annoyingly silent about these kind of things until we are already playing. But isn't this combo an bit OP, even for a level3 spell?

Maybe. The sack may or may not provide cover between the point of origin and the potatoes, and the potatoes themselves may or may not be valid targets. And overgrown sack of potatoes may have little effect if there are no other plants in the area.

[Chronos]

The area where the potatoes are would become thick growth, as would the area where any other plants in the circle are, whether you knew about them or not. But if, for instance, there's a well-maintained paved road running through your circle, it'll remain passable, no matter what the plants on either side are doing.

[SKW05]

Thanks all; I knew I could find out on here. :)