D&D 5E - Awakened Spell and effects on offspring of awakened creatures

July 2024 ยท 4 minute read
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MNblockhead

A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
Regarding creatures awakened using the standard Druid spell awaken, how do you handle longer term ramifications?
  • If two awakened creatures breed, are the offspring awakened?
  • I intend to rule "no." It is not a genetic change. If it were I would have some percentage that the offspring would be awakened, but in my game I would rule that it is a magic effect that is specific to the awakened creature and that magic is not inherited.
  • But what about bushes or trees that are grown from the cuttings of an awakened bush or tree?
  • Would an awakened creature still think of itself as an animal. By this, I mean would an awakened dog now feel itself superior to other dogs and no longer "just" a dog? Would they bred with non-awakened of their kind? Would they be lonely and desire mates be awakened for them? Would two awakened creatures want the druid to awaken their offspring?
    • I see lots of story potential here and am interested in how you handle the results of the awaken spell in your game.
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    Steampunkette Yes. If both parents are awakened the offspring is also awakened. If only one parent is awakened there is no circumstance in which the child is also awakened.

    In the Ashen Lands, there are entire villages of awakened animals living little mortal lives together under the rule (Benevolent or Otherwise) of the Fey Courts. It allows me great leeway into introducing the strangeness of Fey Rules and Styles without throwing the players into the deep end. The animals can caution players never to "Give" their name to the local Fey Lord, for example.


    BookTenTiger

    It's a lot more fun if the answer is Yes!


    MNblockhead

    MNblockhead

    A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
    @BookTenTiger It can also be fun if the druid is awakening creatures who come back lonely demanding more of their kind be awakened and then for awakened parents asking for their children to be awakened.

    Or maybe the opposite. Maybe an awakened creature would desire a return to a more simple life.

    There was a science fiction book whose name I can't remember that had the premise that with technical enhancements, dolphins were uplifted to personhood but wanted to return to their natural states.



    MNblockhead

    MNblockhead

    A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site

    Whatever is good for the story.

    Sure. I'm interested in hearing other folk's good stories that I might be able to use in my own game.

    Sure. I'm interested in hearing other folk's good stories that I might be able to use in my own game.

    Its your story and your game. What works for you?

    Personally I'd rule 'normal offspring, spell only awakened the parent, not the animal' but its up to you. Maybe an awakened Wolves child/pup was the source of Lycanthropy or something. Go nuts.

    Its like if a Druid gets intimate with an animal while wildshaped, or a Polymorphed creature does the same thing. What happens to the offspring (if any)?

    The answer should be 'nothing, unless the DM wants to make an exception and rule in this case, something weird happens'.


    BookTenTiger I think this narrative works better for the results of NPCs than PCs. Are campaigns really lasting long enough for Awakened plants and animals to have offspring?

    On the other hand, a village of Awakened forest creatures, a wandering Awakened tree, an Awakened batch of poison oak, all these are really cool opportunities for PC interactions.

    I like the idea of the characters trying to track down an ancient druid by finding the descendents of his Awakened animals.


    Minigiant I'd rule the awaken spell alters an animal's brain and its genes over the 30 days it is charmed as the animal doesn't become a magical beast. So it is 50/50 of the offspring being awaken if one parent is and 100% if both are.

    Plants lack a brain so only clones of an awakened plant are awakened.


    MarkB

    I just like the idea of introducing a true-breeding intelligent animal or plant race in the world who are the descendants of creatures that a druid Awakened generations ago.


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