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Speak with Animals1st-level Divination

A ritual. Free intel from every bird that watched the road today.

Add it to a characterAll spells
Level
1st
School
Divination
Casting Time
1 action
Range
Self
Duration
10 minutes

The card

Speak with Animals

1st-level Divination · Ritual

Speak with Animals

Casting
1 action
Range
Self
Duration
10 minutes

Components: V, S

You gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts for the duration. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at a minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You might be able to persuade a beast to perform a small favor for you, at the GM's discretion.

Bringing it to the table

Usage

Available toBardDruidRanger

Best Used For

1Ritual tag: ten extra minutes and it costs nothing. There is almost never a reason to burn a slot on this.
2Beasts can tell you about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they perceived in the past day. That is a free scouting report from whatever was sitting in the tree.
3You get comprehension, not obedience. Persuading a beast to actually do something is a small favour at the GM’s discretion — bring Animal Handling.
4Their intelligence caps what they can say. The crow will not describe the wizard’s sigil; it will tell you the shiny thing went that way.

Take it to the table

Add Speak with Animals to a Character

Pick one of the classes that gets it — level and the rest fill themselves in.

The Forge

Forge a character with Speak with Animals

Choose a class that gets this spell. The forge builds the character around it.

Forge a Bard with Speak with Animals

Bard · level 1 · pre-filled

Counsel

Speak with Animals, Answered

Is Speak with Animals a ritual?

Yes. With Ritual Casting, spend an extra 10 minutes and cast it without a slot — which is how it should almost always be cast.

Can you command animals with Speak with Animals?

No. You can communicate, and you might persuade a beast to do you a small favour at the GM’s discretion. It grants no control — that is Animal Friendship or Dominate Beast.

What can animals actually tell you?

At minimum, information about nearby locations and monsters, including anything perceived within the past day. Their intelligence limits everything beyond that.

How long does Speak with Animals last?

10 minutes, and it needs no concentration — so you can hold something else while you interview the local wildlife.

Put It In A Spellbook

Pick a class, and forge the character that casts it. Your first is free.

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Bard 5eDruid 5eRanger 5eCharacter Creator