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Archives of Nethys: Serpentine Bloodline
Bloodline Arcana: Your powers of compulsion can affect even bestial creatures. Whenever you cast a mind-affecting or language-dependent spell, it affects animals, magical beasts, and monstrous humanoids as if they were humanoids who understood your language.
2 questions regarding this ability.
First, because it means that they are treated as humanoids, I'd be able to use Charm/Dominate/Hold Person on, say, a wolf, gryphon, or minotaur, instead of requiring Charm/Dominate/Hold Monster?
Second, I'm trying to understand the limitations of the "as if they were humanoids who understood your language". For some spells this would be straightforward - something like Command where the actual thing to do is part of the casting of the spell. But say I used Charm Person on a wolf. Would I be able to continue making requests to the wolf for the duration of the charm, communicating concepts of what I want it to do nonverbally through the magic of the bloodline-augment enchantment? This is my understanding of the ability, but I wanted to be sure I was correct before I tried to use it that way. Also, if it does work this way, can it respond in the same manner, or is it 1-way only outside of reading the creature's body language?
It understands your speech, but barring other magic, you can't understand it. And its intelligence isn't any better, so while it might understand your speech, it may not have the greatest concept of what it actually means...
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Archives of Nethys: Serpentine Bloodline
Bloodline Arcana: Your powers of compulsion can affect even bestial creatures. Whenever you cast a mind-affecting or language-dependent spell, it affects animals, magical beasts, and monstrous humanoids as if they were humanoids who understood your language.2 questions regarding this ability.
First, because it means that they are treated as humanoids, I'd be able to use Charm/Dominate/Hold Person on, say, a wolf, gryphon, or minotaur, instead of requiring Charm/Dominate/Hold Monster?
Second, I'm trying to understand the limitations of the "as if they were humanoids who understood your language". For some spells this would be straightforward - something like Command where the actual thing to do is part of the casting of the spell. But say I used Charm Person on a wolf. Would I be able to continue making requests to the wolf for the duration of the charm, communicating concepts of what I want it to do nonverbally through the magic of the bloodline-augment enchantment? This is my understanding of the ability, but I wanted to be sure I was correct before I tried to use it that way. Also, if it does work this way, can it respond in the same manner, or is it 1-way only outside of reading the creature's body language?
This goes back to another debate regarding verbal spell components, silent spells, and spells that require additional speech after they are cast.
You are asking if a spell, which requires a shared language that you do not have, is cast on a target via the serpentine sorcerer - Does the bypassing of the shared language requirement grant a shared language for the target and the caster relating to any post-casting spell effects?
Strictly reading RAW, the spell merely removes the shared language requirement, or rather, it casts as if the requirement was met. The actual shared language is not granted, so while you can cast "charm" on a subject without a shared language, you cannot actually command it.
That said, I think most DMs would allow commanding it as if a shared language.
I suggest to DMs that they treat it as if there is some sort of "auto translator" which allows reasonable instructions, but has trouble with alien/obscure concepts or exact quotation. The creature is unlikely aware that you are not speaking their language.
In example, you could tell a creature that normally sleeps, to attempt to sleep, but telling a creature that does not sleep wouldn't translate. Likewise, telling the creature create a threatening sign would work, but telling them to create a sign that says "keep out" would probably fail or result in a very odd sign.