Hey! I'm a Druid wit the Circle of the Shepard, I was wondering how to use Speech of the woods, it's kind of confusing with the difference of speak with animals. - Thanks ! :)
It seems like it's effectively an "always on" version of that spell. Animals can understand you, you can understand what the animals are trying to communicate with their actions. It doesn't change how they feel about you.
In general, I would say that (beyond grant you proficence in Sylvan language)it has no difference from the speak with animals spell. However, its granted to your character as a feat that don't rely on casting or duration limit, so the advantage here is that you can benefit from it all the time.
I think its more a feat with a thematic pourpose to make that archtype of a druid conected with the "spirits of the nature" with a special relation with fauna and flora, you know. So, the best way I can suggest you (as you wondering it) is to use it most for narrative matters. Rolleplay your druid as that wierd dude that talk with its pets all the time as they can understand each other (it would be true in that case lol).
It can also help you mechanically beyond narrative matters: In a city a party would ask some random peasant where they can find a smith, where is the best bakery in town or what alleys they must avoid to not get into trouble. The same thing your druid are able to do into a forest. You can ask a squirrel where is the nearest riverbed, where ayou can find the best nuts or where you shoudn't go to avoid bears. Also you can ask if it saw what direction the guys that you are trakcing goes or if it ever seen a sort of structure that could be the ancient ruins you may find. The squirrel may ask you some nuts in exchenge for that information but you will feel the same that a city guy would feel asking information in a street corner.
Thats much a feat that can make a druid feel socializable into the wilderness far from civilization.
You don't have a limit for this, so if the night comes and your party where in need of a rest, you can always try to convince a nerby owl to keep an eye at your camp site. Maybe you will need to offer something but owls are pretty better than regular characters to keep an nights watch. You can just define a signal so it can alert you of any danger.
If you think more in danger situation, you're also more able than your friends to convince a protective bear into the woods that your party arn't a threat and it don't needs to attack you, or maybe try to lure a foes wolf pet to calm down (that maybe would be harder since it can be feithful to its owner, but a dog always reconize a dog-person).
In a dungeon, a old bat that lives there for a while may know where a trap had killed other adventures in the past, or in what chamber the foes that lives there would keep its treasure. It may also don't like the guys that lives there because they're loud and anoying and can join you with its fellow friends to riot against them.
Hey! I'm a Druid wit the Circle of the Shepard, I was wondering how to use Speech of the woods, it's kind of confusing with the difference of speak with animals.
- Thanks ! :)
It seems like it's effectively an "always on" version of that spell. Animals can understand you, you can understand what the animals are trying to communicate with their actions. It doesn't change how they feel about you.
In general, I would say that (beyond grant you proficence in Sylvan language)it has no difference from the speak with animals spell. However, its granted to your character as a feat that don't rely on casting or duration limit, so the advantage here is that you can benefit from it all the time.
I think its more a feat with a thematic pourpose to make that archtype of a druid conected with the "spirits of the nature" with a special relation with fauna and flora, you know. So, the best way I can suggest you (as you wondering it) is to use it most for narrative matters. Rolleplay your druid as that wierd dude that talk with its pets all the time as they can understand each other (it would be true in that case lol).
It can also help you mechanically beyond narrative matters: In a city a party would ask some random peasant where they can find a smith, where is the best bakery in town or what alleys they must avoid to not get into trouble. The same thing your druid are able to do into a forest. You can ask a squirrel where is the nearest riverbed, where ayou can find the best nuts or where you shoudn't go to avoid bears. Also you can ask if it saw what direction the guys that you are trakcing goes or if it ever seen a sort of structure that could be the ancient ruins you may find. The squirrel may ask you some nuts in exchenge for that information but you will feel the same that a city guy would feel asking information in a street corner.
Thats much a feat that can make a druid feel socializable into the wilderness far from civilization.
Also, I almost forgot a great use for this:
You don't have a limit for this, so if the night comes and your party where in need of a rest, you can always try to convince a nerby owl to keep an eye at your camp site. Maybe you will need to offer something but owls are pretty better than regular characters to keep an nights watch. You can just define a signal so it can alert you of any danger.
If you think more in danger situation, you're also more able than your friends to convince a protective bear into the woods that your party arn't a threat and it don't needs to attack you, or maybe try to lure a foes wolf pet to calm down (that maybe would be harder since it can be feithful to its owner, but a dog always reconize a dog-person).
In a dungeon, a old bat that lives there for a while may know where a trap had killed other adventures in the past, or in what chamber the foes that lives there would keep its treasure. It may also don't like the guys that lives there because they're loud and anoying and can join you with its fellow friends to riot against them.