Transport via Plants: Like Peas in a Telepod
Usable By: Druid
Spell Level: 6
School: Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 10 feet
Duration: 1 round
Components: V, S
This spell creates a magical link between a Large or larger inanimate plant within range and another plant, at any distance, on the same plane of existence. You must have seen or touched the destination plant at least once before. For the duration, any creature can step into the target plant and exit from the destination plant by using 5 feet of movement.
Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
I’ll rip this bandaid off right now: Transport Via Plants isn’t great. Most of the time, it's pretty bad. Teleportation magic like Teleportation Circle or Teleport often are amazing because they can take you to new places, or just anywhere you actually want to go. Sure, there are some caveats, potential downsides, odd results, and other wacky elements built into them, but each offers you a tool to get to locations that aren’t locked to specific elements.
Transport Via Plants takes you anywhere you’ve already been, so long as a large plant is there. That may not sound like a particularly high bar, but you can immediately rule this spell out of being able to take you somewhere you haven’t been yet. It can never move creatures to new places, and can never bring you to spots where no flora exists.
With all that being said, this spell is just cool. It tells a story, influences the world, and fits within just enough use cases that I’m glad it exists. It probably could afford to be lower level than it is, as it really just gets you back to somewhere you’ve seen, but the magic of opening a mystical druidic path carved through nature fulfills a specific fantasy I know many enjoy. This is the kind of fairy-tale magic I wish there was more of in the game. I want more spells that ask the player’s to find specific objects, environments, and creatures to work, and offer a moderately effective tool when you meet that requirement.
In the case of Transport Via Plants, it can easily get you from any large plant you’re fighting at to your home base. It can be a link between two visible locations within a larger wooded area, offering quick navigation and repositioning for entire teams. Because it covers any distance, this also is an easy way to get back to a base, city, or town to resupply, then immediately be back where you left off. As a DM, this tool in the hands of my players makes tracking a breeze, and offers a tremendous amount of convenience with a moderate amount of utility.
No, Transport Via Plants isn’t the best teleportation spell, nor will it radically change your game in a particularly powerful way. Its combination of decent utility paired with convenience makes the spell worth the selection, though, even if you don't care all too much how the magic looks. Word of caution, though: one round is a short window. Leaving a friend behind by accident can occur, and will leave them stranded till you can get that slot back.
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