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At 6th level, a Circle of the Shepherd Druid gains the feature Mighty Summoner, which states:

Starting at 6th level, beasts and fey that you conjure are more resilient than normal. Any beast or fey summoned or created by a spell that you cast gains the following benefits...

The 5th level spell Awaken allows you use an ordinary beast or plant, and grant it intelligence.

The target gains an Intelligence of 10. The target also gains the ability to speak one language you know. If the target is a plant, it gains the ability to move its limbs, roots, vines, creepers, and so forth, and it gains senses similar to a human's. Your GM chooses statistics appropriate for the awakened plant, such as the statistics for the awakened shrub or the awakened tree.

In the spell description are example of "created" creatures (the shrub and tree).

Do these awakened creatures count as "created" (using the base plant/beast as a material component) or are they just "changed" and therefore do not get the benefit of the Might Summoner?

Related post: Which spells count for a Shepherd Druid's features affecting creatures “summoned or created” by spells?

Awakened is not listed, but lists like these are not the end-all/be-all as things can be overlooked.

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Awakened beasts will not work with Mighty Summoner

Mighty Summoner states:

[...] Any beast or fey summoned or created by a spell that you cast gains the following benefits [...]

When casting awaken you are certainly not summoning any beast or fey so that is not an option. So it ultimately comes down to an English reading of what it means for a spell to "create a creature" as this is not a game-defined thing. We can see from the Merriam-Webster dictionary that "create" means:

[To] bring (something) into existence.

When targeting a beast you are not bringing anything new into existence, you are simply modifying an already existing thing. If we were to count beasts as being created when they are awakened then many other things would be "created", such as when removing an otherwise-permanent disease, or perhaps even casting a charm spell on a creature. In cases like these and awakening a beast, the creature already exists so you are not creating it, you are only modifying it.

Furthermore, the first sentence of Mighty Summoner states:

[...] Beasts and fey that you conjure are more resilient than normal [...] 

When awakening a creature you are certainly not conjuring it. And the use of "conjure" here points towards using a stricter meaning of "create". The fact that the name of this ability is Mighty Summoner further reinforces this stricter interpretation.

And so, in the end, when you awaken a beast it does not work with Mighty Summoner, and any other target of awaken will be a plant and thus also be invalid for Mighty Summoner.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I would tend to agree, but in thinking about it, the caster can be considered "bringing something into existence". Eight hours ago, there was just a green shrub, but now it is an independent, thinking, walking and talking being. Artists "create" jewelry; all the pieces previously existed but now they are in a new form/shape. \$\endgroup\$
    – MivaScott
    Oct 18, 2019 at 20:04
  • \$\begingroup\$ Also the second definition per Websters is "to produce or bring about by a course of action or behavior". That sounds like what the spell is doing. \$\endgroup\$
    – MivaScott
    Oct 18, 2019 at 20:07
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MivaScott All spells bring about a course of action or behavior, especially charm spells \$\endgroup\$
    – Exempt-Medic
    Oct 18, 2019 at 20:09
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No, the spell specifically states that

"Any beast or fey summoned or created by a spell"

Awakened trees and shrubs are not beasts or fey and are specifically plants meaning that even if they counted as summoned or conjured the ability still wound not affect them.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Yes, but what about beasts that are awakened by the spell? The spell affects beasts and plants, the the feature works on beasts and fey. \$\endgroup\$
    – MivaScott
    Oct 19, 2019 at 21:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ I believe that awakened beasts wouldn't count on that rule personally, though I can easily see an argument for them counting. Without a sage advice this really comes down to GM interpretation. \$\endgroup\$
    – Yorrik
    Oct 22, 2019 at 1:26
  • \$\begingroup\$ your answer states that an awakened plant is still a plant, so why would an awakened beast not still be a beast? \$\endgroup\$
    – MivaScott
    Oct 22, 2019 at 6:30
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Awaken modifies an existing creature. It does not cause it to exist (create it).

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    \$\begingroup\$ While brevity can be valuable, this answer is way to short to be useful. I would heavily recommend extending your reasoning a bit and preferably include some sources. FWIW it's currently in LQP so deletion is plausible. \$\endgroup\$
    – Someone_Evil ♦
    Oct 18, 2019 at 20:22

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