Animate Forest

Skill Details

Spell Books: Tome of Earth
Granted By: Belweir, Quizar
Prerequisites: Grow Forest

Mana Cost: 20
Experience Cost: 0

Encyclopedia

When the Druids of Estan were sent into hiding by Tlosh's undead, arrow firing, army, they faced the difficuly prospect of transplanting their sacred groves. Unearthing a tree and replanting it is a delicate task which can often shock the tree in ways it will never recover. It was the Druid Bazz who made the breakthrough that solved this issue: why not have the trees transplant themselves? By accellerating the trees metabolism and imbuing it with a simple goal seeking mentality, the tree is able to lift itself out of its soil, walk on its roots to its new location, and safely replant itself there.

It is a sad commentary of the rest of "civilization" that this spell is best known not for its horticulture purposes, but merely as a way to acquire giant fighting trees as allies in war.

Description

Can be cast on any square in your line of sight, that contains a forest tile. There cannot be any creatures in the square. The forest tile is replaced with a Corridor tile, and an Animated Tree is created at the target location, under your control. This Animated Tree will stay animated for 30 rounds, and then return to a forest tile wherever it's standing. If it is killed before the time expires, it will just disappear, without leaving behind a forest tile. Likewise, it will vanish utterly if its time expires while it's standing on a dungeon "fixture" (mostly stairs), or other inappropriate tile.

Formerly, if you animated a forest fire tile, the resulting creature would be Aflame (which would kill it within a dozen or so rounds). As of at least V117, animating a forest fire will simply fail. Similarly, if the Animated Tree is Aflame when its time expires, it will revert instead to a forest fire tile.