Speak with animals, actually sound like animal?

[wbstrider]

The well known fact that animals communicate with visual, oratory and even scent, seems to be beyond my GM. Anyone have a reference for this? If the spell is cast, the caster in my opinion is the target. So the caster would be squawking like a bird and making other movements to get the point across to other birds. My GM says no. You simple stand there like a rock and talk using common and all animals in the aoe can hear and understand. He is a rules lawyer so anything written would help too!! Thanks much.

[Laughing Goblin]

It's up for interpretation. I would personally run it that the caster's voice changes and "speaks" animal, such that other people in the area would not be able to understand the conversation. But I've had other GMs run it where the caster is just speaking Common and the magic translates it so the animals understand. As neither scenario is directly stated in the RAW, this would absolutely be up for DM discretion.

[M P 433]

The GM is always right?

Since the spell is "personal" and divination, I don't see how it would transmute the vocal cords and scent glands of your body to allow you to communicate in the same fashion as animals. Rather, as divination, it functions like a universal translator. A field of magic surrounds you ("personal range") and causes any incoming animal communication to be understood and any outgoing to similarly be understood.

However, does your description of the spell actually change any mechanics of the game, or is it just flavor? If it's just flavor, I'd talk to your GM about letting you "spice up" describing how your spells work so long as they don't change any rules (meaning you're not doing this for any special advantage).

[Algernon]

wbstrider wrote:

The well known fact that animals communicate with visual, oratory and even scent, seems to be beyond my GM. Anyone have a reference for this? If the spell is cast, the caster in my opinion is the target. So the caster would be squawking like a bird and making other movements to get the point across to other birds. My GM says no. You simple stand there like a rock and talk using common and all animals in the aoe can hear and understand. He is a rules lawyer so anything written would help too!! Thanks much.

I agree with MP with the addition the any replies from the animal are only understood by the caster of the spell.

[Ughbash]

One differnce is if you are speaking common your party might realize that you asked the bird to poop on the paladins head as he flies away.....

If they don't understand, at least the FIRST time, it was happenstance. With a little luck the second time is coincidince, but the third time is definitely enemey action.

[KaeYoss]

I personally rule that this makes you make animal noises (and other non-verbal forms of communication - if alone for the entertainment value of a druid getting down on all fours and sniffing a dog's arse!).

If your GM insists that you speak normally and the magic translates it so the animals understand it, get a language nobody else in the party speaks. If you're a druid, you're in the clear, otherwise sylvan makes sense, or anything that seems "useless".

Surely the magic will translate any language you speak into animalanguage (that's a new word I just invented, basically meaning the language of animals. I'm great!), or you can decide one, and stuff like druidic or sylvan makes sense!

[wbstrider]

KaeYoss wrote:

I personally rule that this makes you make animal noises (and other non-verbal forms of communication - if alone for the entertainment value of a druid getting down on all fours and sniffing a dog's arse!).

If your GM insists that you speak normally and the magic translates it so the animals understand it, get a language nobody else in the party speaks. If you're a druid, you're in the clear, otherwise sylvan makes sense, or anything that seems "useless".

Surely the magic will translate any language you speak into animalanguage (that's a new word I just invented, basically meaning the language of animals. I'm great!), or you can decide one, and stuff like druidic or sylvan makes sense!

Awesome! Wish you were a part of my group! Thanks to all for the input.

[KaeYoss]

wbstrider wrote:

Awesome! Wish you were a part of my group! Thanks to all for the input.

Everyone wishes that. Until their characters are thrown out of the city for being covered with bird s#*+.