Locate Animals Or Plants
- Level: 2
- School: Divination
- Class: Bard, Druid, Ranger
- Casting Time: Action or Ritual
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S, M (fur from a bloodhound)
- Duration: Instantaneous
Describe or name a specific kind of Beast, Plant creature, or nonmagical plant. You learn the direction and distance to the closest creature or plant of that kind within 5 miles, if any are present.
Tactical Usage
Resource Location: Locate Animals or Plants excels at finding specific resources for survival, crafting, or spell components. The 5-mile range provides comprehensive area coverage for wilderness survival needs.
Threat Assessment: Identify dangerous creatures in the area before encounters, allowing tactical preparation or route planning to avoid unwanted confrontations with specific beast types.
Mission Support: Track specific animals for hunting, research, or capture missions. The spell provides both direction and distance information for efficient pursuit or approach planning.
Spell Combinations
Speak with Animals Preparation: After locating animals, use Speak with Animals to communicate and gather information about local threats, resources, or environmental conditions.
Animal Friendship Follow-up: Locate appropriate creatures for Animal Friendship targeting, ensuring you approach animals with the best chance of successful social interaction.
Goodberry Coordination: Find berry-producing plants to supplement Goodberry casting, providing both magical and mundane food sources for extended wilderness survival.
Material Component Details
Bloodhound Fur Symbolism: The bloodhound represents the pinnacle of animal tracking ability, symbolically connecting the component to the spell's location and tracking capabilities.
Tracking Tradition: Bloodhounds have cultural association with tracking and location, making the component thematically appropriate for divination magic focused on finding living things.
Component Availability: Bloodhound fur can be obtained from the animals themselves, dog breeders, or preserved from previous encounters, making it accessible in civilized areas.
Creator Notes
Specific vs General: The spell requires specific descriptions rather than general categories. You cannot search for all dangerous animals but could locate the nearest wolf pack or specific beast type.
Living Targets Only: The spell only detects living creatures and plants, not dead specimens, tracks, or signs. It provides location of actual living organisms within range.
Range Utility: The 5-mile radius covers substantial wilderness area, making the spell valuable for large-scale exploration or resource surveys in unknown territories.
Environmental Interactions
Terrain Independence: The spell works regardless of terrain type, providing consistent utility in forests, plains, mountains, or other environments where animals and plants might be present.
Seasonal Considerations: Animal and plant populations vary by season, potentially affecting spell results based on migration patterns, hibernation, or plant growth cycles.
Population Density: In areas with sparse wildlife or plant life, the spell might reveal distant targets or indicate absence of specific species within the search radius.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Closest Specimen: The spell locates the closest example of the specified type, not necessarily the most accessible or safe to approach specimen within range.
Direction and Distance: Both pieces of information are provided simultaneously, allowing efficient navigation to the target without guesswork about proximity.
Plant Creature Distinction: The spell can locate both Plant creature types and normal nonmagical plants, covering both magical and mundane plant life.
Alternative Applications
Agricultural Survey: Farmers or settlers can use the spell to identify suitable crop locations, assess land productivity, or locate specific agricultural resources.
Scientific Research: Researchers studying wildlife populations, plant distribution, or ecological systems can gather data about species presence and location.
Commercial Hunting: Professional hunters or trappers can locate specific valuable species for commercial harvest, though ethical and legal considerations apply.
Related Spells
Locate Creature: Higher-level version that works on any creature type with longer range but higher spell slot cost. Use for sapient beings and Locate Animals or Plants for natural creatures.
Locate Object: Different focus on inanimate objects rather than living things. Use based on whether you need to find creatures/plants or manufactured/natural objects.
Find Familiar: Provides a permanent scout for location tasks but limited to specific creature types. Compare based on whether temporary location or ongoing reconnaissance better serves needs.
Scaling Analysis
Early Levels (3-6): Locate Animals or Plants provides excellent utility when wilderness survival and resource location are crucial for party success and alternative methods are limited.
Mid Levels (7-12): Remains valuable for specific applications though magical alternatives and improved equipment reduce dependence on spell-based location methods.
High Levels (13+): While less crucial for basic survival, the spell retains utility for specific mission requirements or when efficient resource location serves strategic purposes.
Narrative Flavor
Bloodhound Connection: The fur component creates a mystical connection to the legendary tracking abilities of bloodhounds. You sense faint scent trails and directional pulls toward your quarry.
Natural Awareness: Your consciousness expands to encompass the natural world within miles. You become aware of life patterns and can distinguish the specific type you seek from the background tapestry of existence.
Directional Certainty: The spell provides clear directional awareness, like an internal compass pointing toward your target. Distance information arrives as instinctive knowledge about proximity and travel requirements.