The Liveoak spell allows a druid to cause a Huge oak to "animate as a treant." Does this mean that this new "treant" gets all of the abilities of an actual Treant? For example, does it get the languages? Treespeech? Does it get the Treant's Animate Plants ability?
The Liveoak spell allows a druid to cause a Huge oak to "animate as a treant." Does this mean that this new "treant" gets all of the abilities of an actual Treant? For example, does it get the languages? Treespeech? Does it get the Treant's Animate Plants ability?No. to all of the above. it's a tree animating as a treant, not a true treant. What you get is something with the bestiary stats of a treant only as it refers to it's attacks and defenses.
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Hmmm. I'd generally agree to that but after reading Liveoak completely for the first time in awhile, and comparing it to Changestaff after doing the same, it lacks much of the limiting language in Changestaff. Odd, since Changestaff is the higher level spell. I can see where room for doubt exists because of that.
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Liveoak
This spell turns an oak tree into a protector or guardian. The spell can only be cast on a single tree at a time; while liveoak is in effect, you can't cast it again on another tree. Liveoak must be cast on a healthy, Huge oak. A triggering phrase of up to one word per caster level is placed on the targeted oak. The liveoak spell triggers the tree into animating as a treant.
If liveoak is dispelled, the tree takes root immediately wherever it happens to be. If released by you, the tree tries to return to its original location before taking root.
Changestaff
You change a specially prepared quarterstaff into a Huge treant-like creature, about 24 feet tall. When you plant the end of the staff in the ground and speak a special command to conclude the casting of the spell, your staff turns into a creature that looks and fights just like a treant. The staff-treant defends you and obeys any spoken commands. However, it is by no means a true treant; it cannot converse with actual treants or control trees.If the staff-treant is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it crumbles to powder and the staff is destroyed. Otherwise, the staff returns to its normal form when the spell duration expires (or when the spell is dismissed), and it can be used as the focus for another casting of the spell. The staff-treant is always at full strength when created, despite any wounds it may have incurred the last time it appeared.
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Liveoak does just straight up tell you it animates as a Treant, no limits are mentioned in the spell.
Only Changestaff notes that it isn't a true Treant and lacks abilities.
The discrepancy in spell level may be that you need a huge, healthy tree for Liveoak, which is a limiting factor on where it can be created and the effective range of the animated Treant. Changestaff just requires a quarterstaff (albeit one that takes some time, thought not money, to prepare initially) which can be reused until the pseudotreant dies in battle, and can easily be transported almost anywhere.
Keep in mind, in terms of rough power levels, that Planar Binding is also a 6th level spell.
I think Golux's point is probably valid, as to why a L7 spell has more limits than a L6, being able to transport the Treant as a staff is rather convenient. I also think Kryptik isn't off looking at other spells for rough power levels. A Treant from Liveoak is the same CR as the creatures being summoned via S:NA/S:M VI but as a niche spell it isn't really broken with it's longer duration since it goes to the class that gets the normally weaker S:NA line.
However while I agree with both points other spells power or lack thereof don't necessarily change what the rules say which is what matters most... On that issue, if I wasn't being clear by my earlier posts conclusion, the RAW seems to indicate, unless there's a ruling/FAQ/errata I'm not aware of, that Liveoak is for all practical purposes a Treant where as Changestaff is a 'pseudo' Treant.