The Particulars of Plant Growth (the spell, not the basement grow-op)

Jonathan,

During my second session we discussed the 3rd level priest spell Plant Growth. During that conversation you agreed that the spell description covered fruit trees, berries, nuts, olives, grapes, etc.... The spell states that once cast it, "renders plants more vigorous, fruitful, and hardy, increasing yields by 20% to 50% (1d4+1 x10%) given a normal growing season." However, we didn't clarify the parameters of the growth: though the spell notes it doesn't prevent disaster, such as floods or draughts, does this spell increase in vigour increase the actual growth of a tree or just its ability to produce fruit and resistance to weather and disease?

I would have to say that the spell increases the yield of a plant by virtue of the fact that it becomes more resistant to disease and weather.

Ok, that's a bust, lets see your current draft for a tree growth spell Paul

Jonathan, a question:

You noted that a Hornwood is like an elm, the Roanwood like a sequoia, but what earth-like tree would be the best reference for the elvish-favoured Ipt? Birch, Chestnut, Lindin, Maple, Oak Walnut, Willow?

Kubera: working on it now.

I thought hornwood was uber hard and rot resistant making it more like Orange Osage or ironwood.

anyway screw the real world comparisons, just describe the Ipt as ideal elfly tree house.

mid sized trees with massive trucks and heavily crevassed blackish bark the Ipt's strong wide branches tend to grow on the horizontal for some distance before reaching to the sky making them ideal to train into the preferred shapes and forms required for elf homes.

The ipt produces a dense well formed globe of tiny silvery light green leaves. In the fall the leaves dry and lose most of their green tinge becoming eerily white especially at night. Remaining on the trees until the new buds form in spring the ipt becomes a giant but faint wind chime in the cold winter winds.

Elves favor this tree so much for homes they only harvest its wood for the most important artifacts and even then the wood is only taken from branches broken by wind, lightning or the occassional dying tree.

The ipt is much like the elves themselves, they rarely reproduce, grow slowly, are smaller than some of their neighborhoods yet are strong, resilient and majestic.

Jonathan noted the rough characteristics of each tree during the session (I believe one his GreyHawk supplements had the details), so I included them in Carrows' Journal, under notes, dated 16th Harvester, 595. The hornwood was roughly the size and shape of a small elm.

The real-world comparisons help determine the growth patterns, nothing more. The ipt has a maximum height of 60 feet, so understanding how fast or slow it grows each year is something I'd like to know. Real-world comparisons seemed the easiest measure.

Your description of the Ipt is close to the one I had imagined--the broad, horizontal branches, the pale leaves. Nice touch with the winter leaves as chimes.

Kubera's description sounds good. There is a write up in one of the Greyhawk books. I'd make note of any differences, but I'm at work right now. We can sort it out later.