Awakened Animal Spellcaster

[Gnomezrule]

Lets say a druid wants to cast Awaken Animal on a creature like a bird. I am assuming that by nature of the Awakened properties the creature can speak, and gesticulate which would cover verbal and somantic components of spells. However they do not have the benefit of pouches, pockets and thumbs. Would they need the Eschew Materials feat if they chose not to be a sorcerer.

[Bronnwynn]

Yes, or something like Natural Spell (if a druid) or a pouch, if they have opposable thumbs.

[LazarX]

That's just the first of their problems.

How are they going to handle equipment and spellbooks? Do they have opposable thumbs to turn pages with? The Awaken spell does nothing to change the physical form of a creature, a cat is still going to be a creature without hands. And you still have to deal with material components if they have a named cost more than 1 gold piece.

[Gnomezrule]

Well the natural spell feat hits for wild shapers but not any other class.

I hear you Laz. I was taking for granted all that after watching parrots ride bikes, dogs do all sorts of things, seals jump through hoops and so on.

I am currently thinking that eschew materials would be needed (possibly retrained at 4th level for druids).