School enhancing (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level druid 4
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
EFFECT
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one Medium or smaller animal
Duration 1 day/level or until message is delivered
Saving Throw none (see text); Spell Resistance no
DESCRIPTION
You compel a single animal to travel to a spot you designate and deliver a message to a creature you identify. This spell is similar to animal messenger, but can affect larger animals. In addition, the target animal is temporarily awakened to sentience (as the awaken spell) for the duration of this spell, and it can use its increased mental acuity to come up with creative solutions to overcome obstacles to delivering its message. The awakened target animal speaks any one language you know. In addition, you can imbue the animal with up to 5 ranks in any of the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), Linguistics, or Sense Motive. It treats any of these skills that are class skills for you as class skills. The number of ranks you imbue in any of these skills can’t exceed the target animal’s Hit Dice nor the number of ranks you possess in that skill.
The message you send with your animal ambassador can be a verbal message, which the awakened target animal can speak using its own voice or deliver using your voice. It can engage in conversation using its own intellect, knowledge, and linguistic abilities. The animal ambassador is loyal to you, but it is otherwise susceptible to mind-affecting effects like any other creature. You can also send your animal ambassador with an object or container that is within its physical ability to carry, making it deliver the contents to the target of your intended message. If the object it is given to carry is poisonous, trapped, or otherwise inherently dangerous (even if it would normally be dangerous only to the creature receiving it rather than the animal), or if you or your allies attack the target animal, the animal ambassador spell fails and the animal becomes hostile toward you. The animal ambassador intelligently but single-mindedly attempts to deliver the message to its intended target, and you can’t task it with other tasks like fighting, scouting, searching for traps, and so on. It leaves on its delivery once it receives its message.
Once the animal ambassador has located its target and delivered its message (and object, if desired), its enhanced mental abilities fade within 2d6 minutes. The spell then ends, even if its duration hasn’t elapsed.