Speak with Animals

A
Utility

Speak with Animals is a Utility spell. Utility spells solve problems outside of combat or provide unique situational advantages.

See all Utility spells →
 spell for talking to Beasts, learning nearby locations and monsters, and winning their cooperation with
gentle persuasion

Speak with Animals is a Social Influence spell. Social Influence spells create ways to communicate, persuade, and alter behavior.

See all Social Influence spells →
 and
useful facts

Speak with Animals is a Information spell. Information spells provide ways to transmit, perceive, detect, or reveal hidden or unknown information.

See all Information spells →
.

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

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
Range
Self
Components
V, S
Duration
10 minutes
Classes
Bard, Druid, Ranger

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 GM's discretion.

Speak with Animals 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences

It now has the Ritual tag, and you can use the Influence action’s skill options on Beasts instead of just hoping the DM allows a small favor. Now also available to Warlocks.

Speak with Animals popularity

Speak with Animals is a commonly chosen level 1 spell. Choosing it adds an established option to your spellbook.

Spells similar to Speak with Animals

  • Animal Messenger 2nd-level enchantment

    It uses a beast as the medium for communication and provides both information and social utility through animals.

  • Beast Sense 2nd-level divination

    This spell directly links you to an animal's perceptions, offering a very similar way to get information from beasts.

  • Animal Friendship 1st-level enchantment

    Both spells enable social interaction with beasts and are chosen when a caster wants to influence or learn from animals.

  • Speak with Plants 3rd-level transmutation

    It parallels the structure and purpose of communicating with a nonhuman lifeform to glean local information and interact socially.

  • Tongues 3rd-level divination

    This spell provides broad language comprehension and speaking ability, matching the core communication function of the target spell.