Speak with Animals
2024 Rules
- Level & School
- 1st-level divination
- Casting Time
- Action or Ritual
- Range
- Self
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- 10 minutes
- Classes
- Bard, Druid, Ranger, Warlock
- Source
- Player's Handbook (2024)
For the duration, you can comprehend and verbally communicate with Beasts, and you can use any of the Influence action's skill options with them.
Most Beasts have little to say about topics that don't pertain to survival or companionship, but at minimum, a Beast can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever it has perceived within the past day.
2014 Rules
- Level & School
- 1st-level divination
- Casting Time
- Action or Ritual
- Range
- Self
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- 10 minutes
- Classes
- Bard, Druid, Ranger
- Source
- Player's Handbook (2014)
You gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts for the duration. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You might be able to persuade a beast to perform a small favor for you, at the DM's discretion.
Speak with Animals 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences
Speak with Animals popularity
How popular is Speak with Animals? It is one of the most popular spells in the game, and is often chosen over other options when available. This spell is a proven favourite among spellcasters.
- Top 5% of all 5e spells
- Top 25% of all level 1 spells
- Top 25% picked level 1 Bard spell
- Top 25% picked level 1 Druid spell
- Top 50% picked level 1 Warlock spell
- Top 50% picked level 1 Ranger spell
Read about how this popularity data is calculated.
Spells similar to Speak with Animals
Beast Sense 2nd-level divination
Although it provides perception rather than conversation, it similarly turns a beast into a valuable source of reconnaissance.
Players prefer Beast Sense over Speak with Animals
Animal Messenger 2nd-level enchantment
Both are low-level, ritual-friendly spells that use animals to convey information over an extended duration.
Players prefer Speak with Animals over Animal Messenger
Awaken 5th-level transmutation
It gives a natural creature lasting intelligence and the ability to interact socially, making it a more powerful but related approach to animal communication.
Players prefer Speak with Animals over Awaken
Speak with Plants 3rd-level transmutation
This is the closest parallel in function, allowing extended conversation with a natural creature and potentially gathering local information.
Players prefer Speak with Animals over Speak with Plants
Tongues 3rd-level divination
Both remove a communication barrier for roleplaying and information gathering, though this spell applies broadly rather than specifically to animals.
Players prefer Speak with Animals over Tongues
Beast Bond 1st-level divination
It creates a direct link with a beast for communication and shared awareness, closely matching the target’s animal-focused information use.
Players prefer Speak with Animals over Beast Bond