Speaking with animals should have animal handling skill checks.

[NeuroticSlav]

Its kinda stupid that druid loses his abilty to deal with animals just because he can understand them, it should make things easier.

[The Custodians of The Cosmos]

Do you mean after using the spell/potion Speak With Animals? O.o

[Boiledteabag]

Agree, that stat should factor into animal speaking since animal handling can be loosely translated as knowledge of animals.

The DoS games had an attitude system that applied to people and animals alike, so its strange that larian didn't tie animal handling into animal speaking.

[ComradePreacher]

Animal handling are replaced with more social skill checks if you can talk to them
Animal handling are used when you do NOT have speak with animals. Like encountering a scared bull in a barn and you suddenly need to try calm it down or get rammed.

[CorwynCorey]

Originally posted by Hitsuran:

Its kinda stupid that druid loses his abilty to deal with animals just because he can understand them, it should make things easier.

If you are speaking to them you aren't "handling" them as body language and guesswork/experience... but through speech, clearly and concisely, with persuasion, deception and intimidation. If your charisma sucks... then don't use it.
Stick with what you are good at.

[NeuroticSlav]

Originally posted by HammyBread:

Agree, that stat should factor into animal speaking since animal handling can be loosely translated as knowledge of animals.

The DoS games had an attitude system that applied to people and animals alike, so its strange that larian didn't tie animal handling into animal speaking.

Its even worse because when you use it all you have are charisma checks which is pretty useless to Ranger and Druid, there should have been both persuasion and animal handling options.

[SoloQ]

I agree with this one. It doesn't really make sense why you would lose your ability to better understand the animal because you're talking to it. It should result in a base boost to all your rolls during animal conversations. Otherwise animal handling is largely useless since the game throws ways to converse with the animals at you. I've avoided the stat because talking to the animals always seemed to be the smarter approach to take. And you're better off with something like persuasion, deception, or even investigation at that point so it's useful for all your conversations.

[NeuroticSlav]

Originally posted by CorwynCorey:

Originally posted by Hitsuran:

Its kinda stupid that druid loses his abilty to deal with animals just because he can understand them, it should make things easier.

If you are speaking to them you aren't "handling" them as body language and guesswork/experience... but through speech, clearly and concisely, with persuasion, deception and intimidation. If your charisma sucks... then don't use it.
Stick with what you are good at.

If you handle animal you gotta undestand its its psyche,behavior,personality as dog enthusiast i can tell you it would definitely be much easier if i could talk to my dogs . :)

[FoxFox]

Originally posted by ComradePreacher:

Animal handling are replaced with more social skill checks if you can talk to them
Animal handling are used when you do NOT have speak with animals. Like encountering a scared bull in a barn and you suddenly need to try calm it down or get rammed.

yes, this

[CorwynCorey]

Originally posted by SoloQ:

I agree with this one. It doesn't really make sense why you would lose your ability to better understand the animal because you're talking to it. It should result in a base boost to all your rolls during animal conversations. Otherwise animal handling is largely useless since the game throws ways to converse with the animals at you. I've avoided the stat because talking to the animals always seemed to be the smarter approach to take. And you're better off with something like persuasion, deception, or even investigation at that point so it's useful for all your conversations.

Makes perfect sense.
Part of Animal Handling allows one to read meaning into the small (or big) sounds they make, and body language etc... and guess.
However once you are under the effects of the spell, you cant even HEAR those sounds. You are seeing facial expressions they are not really making, hearing words they are not really saying via magical translation. You actively lose more than half of your sensory data that would apply to the check. And you aren't communicating via gesture and sound, but by speech, which they understand. So obviously a different skill.

That is not a wisdom based thing... no interpretation needed on either side. It is no longer a game of charades based on experience (wisdom) and guesswork (wisdom again), so the skill simply does not apply, since you aren't using it.

[talemore]

Language is officially not a skill

[CorwynCorey]

Originally posted by talemore:

Language is officially not a skill

Especially not online... Have you seen some of the spellings and grammar?

[⋋Parad0x⋌]

Speak with animals should be removed in my opinion or only useable on creatures with high intelligence.

Makes no sense why apparently drinking a potion gives a rat the mental capacity of an adult human being.

[Ghost]

Originally posted by SYI:

Speak with animals should be removed in my opinion or only useable on creatures with high intelligence.

Makes no sense why apparently drinking a potion gives a rat the mental capacity of an adult human being.

1. Please don't necro.
2. It doesn't. It gives you the ability to 'comprehend and verbally communicate' with them. Example: the rat that chipped it's tooth trying to eat a rock and thinks the thing is a threat to everyone's lives. Or the squirrel that thinks you're trying to steal it's trees.
3. https://hbr.org/2015/01/rats-can-be-smarter-than-people

[DontMisunderstand]

Originally posted by SYI:

Speak with animals should be removed in my opinion or only useable on creatures with high intelligence.

Makes no sense why apparently drinking a potion gives a rat the mental capacity of an adult human being.

To be fair... you don't know that they aren't in our real world.

To be even more fair... fantasy worlds don't have to be identical to ours. Even if you believe rats in our world are necessarily incapable of complex thought, that doesn't mean fantasy rats are the same.

In terms of game mechanics, mental capacity is measured with 3 stats, each representing a different aspect of the mind. Intelligence represents memory, and pretty much nothing else. Wisdom represents your ability to notice things and figure things out. Charisma is social skills. A rat in DnD 5e has an Intelligence score of 2, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 4. For context, full grown adult human has an intelligence of 10, a wisdom of 10, and a charisma of 10. In real world terms, this means a dnd rat and a dnd human are equally smart, with a human having a much better memory and social skills.

[Harukage]

Speak with animals must work only with animals that are intelligent enough to begin with. Otherwise Animal Handling skill must be used. But Larians are Larians.