Speak with Plants

Spell — see Magic and Spellcasting for the rules and the Spell Index for the full list.

Divine 4 Type: esoteric

Range: 45’ Duration: 3 turns

This spell grants the caster the ability to communicate with both ordinary mindless plants and semi-sapient or sapient plant creatures that are within his line of sight. The spell magically translates the plants’ biochemical, electrical, and mycocultural messages into language comprehensible to the caster. However, the spell doesn’t make the plants friendlier or smarter.

Ordinary plants, being rather vegetative, communicate freely with the caster, as they have nothing else better to do. They will gossip endlessly about things such as their ambitions for taller branches, more leaves, or deeper roots; the poor or robust health of neighboring plants; the ease or difficulty of getting enough sunshine; the existence of any caverns, dungeons, or objects buried impinging on their root networks; the causes of damage that nearby plants have suffered; the proximity and nature of other nearby plants; the proximity and nature of nearby plant predators (e.g. herbivores); the proximity and nature of symbiotic creatures that help the plant flourish (e.g. honey bees); the general weather and soil conditions they have experienced; and, of course, their existential dread of being eaten.

Semi-sapient and sapient plant creatures can communicate in much the same fashion as any other monster but will tend to be terse and evasive. However, if a plant creature is friendly towards the caster, it might be willing to grant some favor or service.