Call of the Wild [New Spell]

[Eldan]

Call of the Wild

Enchantment
Level: Druid 2, Ranger 1
Components: V, S
Range: Close (25 ft.+5ft/2 levels)
Target: One animal/2 levels
Duration: 1 minute/level
Save: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

Animals failing their save against this spell upon suddenly forget all their training, instead fighting with all their power to reach freedom, even if they have never known it. The spell only affects trained animals and pets, not wild ones, which are immune to it's effects. Animal companions, familiars and special mounts, such as those of a paladin are also immune to the spell as the close bond holds them in check.
The targets get a bonus or malus on their save according to the folloowing table:


Animals that are not hindered in any way will move towards the closest area that conforms to their natural habitat, most often an open space without buildings or a forest.
Animals in a cage or on a leash or chain will try to break these restraints before fleeing.
All mounts that are targets of these spells will try to shake off their riders, giving them a -5 penalty on all ride checks, and requiring ride checks to stay in the saddle every turn.
Finally, all handle animal checks to teach an animal under this spell a trick automatically fail.
At the end of the spell, untrained animal will normally stay in the area it was when the spell ended, wandering around aimlessly unless scared or threatened. All animals that were trained via handle animal, such as warhorses, dogs or others, will return to their owners instead.


Comments? Too strong, too weak, useless, cool? I was reading the description of the Beastlands in Planes of Conflict and really thought that druids should have a spell like this.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

At the end of the spell, the animal will normally stay in the area it was when the spell ended, wandering around aimlessly unless scared or threatened.

I'd say any creature specifically trained as a mount or with Handle Animal would try to return to its owner at the spell's end, but otherwise it's a great spell and I'll probably point this out to my group's druid.

[Eldan]

I was thinking about that, to be honest. I mean, I have little experience with farm animals, but how good is the average cow at finding it's way home?

[Strawman]

Whether or not the animal returns should depend on: how well it is trained, how intelligent it is, and how difficult is it for the animal to return (DM's discretion; based on distance, obstacles, etc).

[PairO'Dice Lost]

I was thinking about that, to be honest. I mean, I have little experience with farm animals, but how good is the average cow at finding it's way home?

Well, you're not teaching your cow to jump through hoops, are you? As I said, it would be mounts and trained animals. Mounts like warhorses are familiar enough with their riders to find them, and creatures you'd train with Handle Animal would essentially be like trained pets--and I'm sure you've heard the stories of dogs who travel for miles to find their owners. Your average cattle would just get lost wherever they were when the spell ended.

[mikeejimbo]

Sheep, too, would likely get lost where they are. However, I'm not sure it would have much of an effect on either of those animals, depending on how they were enclosed. A wild cow's idea of home IS pretty much a grassy field anyway, they'd have little reason to leave if their enclosure was big enough.

[Lysander]

Cool stuff. It should only work on creatures controlled or trained through the handle animal skill though, and specify it doesn't work on animal companions, familiars, or a paladin's mount.

[Eldan]

Right. I'll add exceptions for special mounts, familiars and animal companions, though those should be able to make their saves most of the time anyway. And let mounts and trained animals return after the spell.

Edit: better now? I'm not sure on cows and sheep just staying where they are, though. I mean, they wouldn't remember living in the wild, and their natural habitat would be open grass, but having cows stampede would be one of the cooler applications, apart from getting bloodhounds of your trail.

[DracoDei]

A 10 cow stampede from a 20th level druid strikes me as a bit underwhelming. This says to me that this needs a big brother in a higher level spell slot.

Other than that... this is definitely one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" spells. I like it. This could do bad things to small cavalry charges in massed battles though...

[Eldan]

Well, so can entangle, really. Or grease. Or some fear spell with a radius.

Actually, thinking about it, a fear spell could pretty much duplicate this when cast on animals.

[Strawman]

Well, so can entangle, really. Or grease. Or some fear spell with a radius.

Actually, thinking about it, a fear spell could pretty much duplicate this when cast on animals.

Perhaps this spell should be extraordinarily difficult to resist, since it is only targetted at animals and would have less purpose than a general fear spell.

[Eldan]

Yeah... perhaps increase the number of animals to be affected, or make it all animals in a radius, increase the range, something like that? Giving penalties to saves isn't something that's usually done in 3.5, as far as I know.

[DracoDei]

Actually, it is in some cases (see Suggestion), and that brings up a point that had just occurred to me... there should be a difference between casting this on an abused animal than on one that its owner dotes on. And if you skew the chart right, you end up with effectively a penalty to their save.

Let me dash off a quick example here


Note that the penalties get a lot bigger than the bonuses, and the usual sorts of targets are going to have a -4 or worse to their saves... but there IS a bonus on the chart, so it doesn't LOOK like a spell that is overpowered for its level at first glance. Nor is it in the final analysis. The level descriptions may be off, but it was fairly off the cuff.

[Eldan]

Looks good. -12 might be a little much, but then, a case like that should escape anyway.

[DracoDei]

Looks good. -12 might be a little much, but then, a case like that should escape anyway.

If by "should" you mean "if there is one drop of justice in the world, so a huge modifier in that direction can be justified" then I would tend to agree with you.

If by "should" you mean "It will rarely come up because in such a situation the animal would try to escape anyway" then I suspect this article on Wikipedia may prove relevant.

[Eldan]

Oh, believe me... I have a huge exam on behavioural neurology (i.e. psychology for people who are biologists and not psychologists). I know what learned helplessness is.
But yeah, perhaps the formulation wasn't ideal. It should have said "that animal should flee, when a druid is around to encourage it with magic". The druid will then probably go on to twack it's ex-owner.

So, someone mentioned a high-level version. What about one that has a radius of several hundred meters, to affect half a town? Level 5 or so?

[Strawman]

Taking something from the chart on how the animal was treated, what if the high level version made the animals choose the best course of action for themselves.

In other words, a tamed leopard would become sentient for just a minute. It would then decide what would make it the happiest, be it staying with its owner, attacking its owner, or leaving immedietely. This would be based on what makes that animal naturally happy, what options it has, and how the owner has treated it. After the spell ends and the animal is no longer sentient, it continues to pursue the path it has chosen. It can be captured and retrained from scratch though.

Even with a save against it, this spell would be really powerful, so it might be best against individual targets. I think it would make a great 6th or 7th level spell.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Note that the penalties get a lot bigger than the bonuses, and the unusual sorts of targets are going to have a -4 or worse to their saves.

I think you added an "un" in there...

[DracoDei]

I think you added an "un" in there...

Yes, yes I did. Fixing...