[3.5] Druid & Wild shape & Communication

[Allanimal]

After a very interesting & tragic D&D session on Saturday (involving my raging barbarian rolling a natural 1 on a will save), the parts of my party that are still alive are split into two groups, and quite separated from each other with no means of regrouping easily.

So, the DM ruled that everybody should make a temp character to play in the group where their surviving char is not, until the main characters can get back together.

So, I've been putting together a druid. He's 7th level, and due to circumstance beyond my control, he must be a wild elf. OK, fine, I'm rolling with it. Natural Spell, check. 7th level druid means I can be a beast nearly the whole day (7 hours per wild shape x3 wild shapes/day = 21 hours).

Then it struck me. How do I communicate with the rest of the party. One fellow player suggested I buy a wand of speak with animals for everyone else that can use one. OK, but the spell only lasts 1 minute from a wand.
Even if I'm not staying in wild shape all day, in the middle of combat I surely will be, and it doesn't seem efficient to pop back to elf form to tell someone that I saw the BBEG pop through that door. And what about the animal companion? Assuming we're vastly different animal types (probably crocodile AC and leopard wild shape - the DM may not approve dinosaurs...), can I direct my animal while in leopard form?

Am I missing something, or how do you communicate with your party & animal companion while wild shaped? I can't be the first to run into this, but my searches so far haven't come up with anything good. Any creative solutions? Feats? I know the Master of Many Forms PrC solves this, but at a cost I am not willing to pay (Alertness and Endurance? No thanks, especially if I have to lose 1 caster level!)

[ka_bna]

As a druid player myself,
1. I'd say communicating with your animal companion won't be a problem. It's magic, it knows the funny crocodile is its master.
2. Invent some code language. Maybe you can write a message in the ground with your limbs? Maybe three squawks/growls/etc is yes, two squawks is no, and ten squawks is "They're coming, shoot them!" Or put up you left limb if it's an enemy, right limb is a friend.

[Critical]

A custom magic item made via DMG rules, enabling you to use Message spell all day long? 2000 gold, I believe.

[Eldariel]

You can get a Permanencied Telepathic Bond. Anything that grants Telepathy of any degree is also kosher, of course. And you can write stuff on the ground, at the very least. Also, rudimentary signs like nodding, shaking head, moving limbs and so on work as well as ever. My suggestion? Use simple sign language of sorts that doesn't require all that many fingers.

[Allanimal]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I'll have to work out some basic sign language and other forms of communication, since I won't be able to have a telepathic bond with the entire party.

I think I'll re watch Star Wars to see if I can figure out how Chebacca communicates with Han Solo.

Or old Lassie episodes to learn how to bark "Timmy fell in the well".

[2xMachina]

Try Pearl of Speech (MiC), face slot I think.
Gives you the ability to speak 1 language.

[Prime32]

Get access to charm person, dip mindbender?

[panaikhan]

I seem to remember a cursed magical item that I have used myself, to give a Saurian the ability to communicate with the party.
It is basically the flip-side of the medallion of ESP - it broadcasts the wearer's thoughts for something like a 30' radius.
As I remember, because it's a cursed item, it's quite cheap.

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

one level dip into master of many forms. . .

[Allanimal]

one level dip into master of many forms. . .

See my original post (I know it was long-winded but:

I know the Master of Many Forms PrC solves this, but at a cost I am not willing to pay (Alertness and Endurance? No thanks, especially if I have to lose 1 caster level!)

[Lysander]

Chip in to get an ally a helm of telepathy. They can be your translator.

[aeauseth]

How about learning "Drow Sign Language"? I believe it is in the Underdark book. If it is like traditional sign language then it should work with any animal form with "hands". Obviously someone else in your party would also need to know the language.

EDIT: Book is Drow of the Underdark. Description exceprt is

"The meaning of a word is indicated by the patterns formed by the hands and fingers. Tense and subject/object links are conveyed through the precise angle of the hands from the “speaker,” and emphasis and emotion are conveyed through facial expression and body language. This makes Drow Sign Language difficult to interpret if one is not the intended recipient."

So looks like you need hands, fingers and a face and direct line of sight to use this language.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Describe his expressions, that should be enough. Animals can look worried, excited, angry... nonverbal communication should be sufficient.

[Marnath]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I'll have to work out some basic sign language and other forms of communication, since I won't be able to have a telepathic bond with the entire party.

I think I'll re watch Star Wars to see if I can figure out how Chebacca communicates with Han Solo.

Or old Lassie episodes to learn how to bark "Timmy fell in the well".

Chewbacca speaks Shri'iwook(spelling?) It's an actual language that Han learned but can't speak. Don't ask me how he understands it >.>

[Eldariel]

Chewbacca speaks Shri'iwook(spelling?) It's an actual language that Han learned but can't speak. Don't ask me how he understands it >.>

It's not rare for someone to be able to understand a language without being able to speak it, even more-so for languages with sounds that are hard to produce. I wouldn't be at all surprised at Solo not being able to produce those sounds and like, I can understand German just fine when listening but when producing it myself, it's a whole different ballpark.

[Marnath]

It's not rare for someone to be able to understand a language without being able to speak it, even more-so for languages with sounds that are hard to produce. I wouldn't be at all surprised at Solo not being able to produce those sounds and like, I can understand German just fine when listening but when producing it myself, it's a whole different ballpark.

oh no, i wasn't doubting his inability to speak it, it's probably beyond what a human can do. No, i was just wondering how you learn a language where all the words are so similar. But we're getting off topic here.