Do you age Like the creature polymorph into?

[Wookie-ranger]

What it says in the title.
Do you age Like the creature polymorph (or Metamorph/shape shift/etc) into?

For example:
If you would become a dog for a very long time, either intentionally or not, do you age 7 times faster?
If you become an inanimate object for a very long time, do you stop aging?

btw: with Flesh to stone, I would assume that you don't age.

[laeZ1]

While I don't know the actual answer to the question, I do know that if you polymorph in my favorite MUD, you stay the same age ( I.E. An elf who's 110 years old polymorphs into a human. Now he's of venerable age and has a chance to age-die).

As far as D&D goes, though... I suppose I don't know rules, but it would definately be worth looking into.

If you don't age while polymorphed, you could extend your life.

Oh, what about catterpillars/butterflies? Polymorph into a catterpillar, evolve into a butterfly, what then happens to the spell?

Could one's self choose the age of the thing they polymorph into? (I polymorph into aged wine! DM says you can't do that. Young-adult wine only.)

[Toliudar]

There is, as far as I know, no RAW on this.

I think that the assumption is that you turn into a young adult version of whatever form you're taking. If you were to maintain your age as you polymorph, it would mean that many animal forms would be lethal to change into, and very long-lived creatures would have hardly anything that they could safely polymorph into/out of.

Frankly, if you're staying in one form long enough for this to become an issue, I'd suggest that it's a plot point to be discussed between DM and player.

[Clistenes]

I think the rules are that:

-You become an average young adult member of the species (you lose any age bonus or penalties you could have, except those to your Charisma and Wisdom, since those two abilities remain unchanged).

-You can choose to look younger or older.

-You can probably choose to become a younger or older member of the species, adding age bonus and penalties.

-It is explicitly said that Polymorph Any Object can't make you immortal (polymorphing yourself into a kid again and again and again every time you age), so I guess your real body keep aging "under the spell", and when the spell is dispelled you appear your real age (I don't know if you would die if nobody ever dispels the spell).

-Since the spell doesn't prevent aging, I guess it doesn't make you age faster either. It is unclear if the critter you become ages at a your original shape's rate, or if it ages at its current shape's rate and returns to young once dispelled.

[awa]

the dog years thing is a myth
http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/dogyears.asp

[elonin]

Previous editions of dnd had age effects for many spells. I don't recall any of the groups i played in taking those serously, though.

I had presumed that your age category remained the same for the purposes of polymorph spells. Also, that spell isn't on the permenacy list and any dm who allows that deserves what he's getting.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

What it says in the title.
Do you age Like the creature polymorph (or Metamorph/shape shift/etc) into?

For example:
If you would become a dog for a very long time, either intentionally or not, do you age 7 times faster?
If you become an inanimate object for a very long time, do you stop aging?

btw: with Flesh to stone, I would assume that you don't age.

I agree with what Toliudar said. There is no RAW on this, and it actually should not be a concern.

However, upon re-reading your question, something appeared to me. You say: If you become a dog... The question is, when you polymorph do you become a dog, or are you just a human/elf/dwarf that happens to be polymorphed? I ask this, because there are ways to become a dog. When your human soul/being gets transferred to a dog's body through a reincarnation spell, you actually do become a dog, and will age as one. The way I see and read it, polymorphing into a creature does not make that you 'become' one.

[Wookie-ranger]

I agree with what Toliudar said. There is no RAW on this, and it actually should not be a concern.

However, upon re-reading your question, something appeared to me. You say: If you become a dog... The question is, when you polymorph do you become a dog, or are you just a human/elf/dwarf that happens to be polymorphed? I ask this, because there are ways to become a dog. When your human soul/being gets transferred to a dog's body through a reincarnation spell, you actually do become a dog, and will age as one. The way I see and read it, polymorphing into a creature does not make that you 'become' one.

That's exactly what I thought, too. That you do not become something, just change into it temporarily. This may not make a lot of sense logically, but I bet there is a differentiation in D&D magic.
The thing is that I re-read the spell (and the Metamorphosis power) in the SRD and both have the same line:

"The subject’s creature type and subtype (if any) change to match the new form"
So, actually you do 'become' the new creature.

on the same note. the Metamorphosis power is even more confusing since you can become an inanimate object, such as a rock. what 'type' does a rock have??? :smallconfused:

[White_Drake]

On a related note, I imagine your aging would progress as normal for the creature whose form you are assuming, seeing as aging is a purely physical process.

[Clistenes]

On a related note, I imagine your aging would progress as normal for the creature whose form you are assuming, seeing as aging is a purely physical process.

But it has been said that you can't use PaO to make yourself age slower, so I guess you can't age faster either.

I guess you "real body" keeps aging at its normal rate and when the spell is dispelled you have aged the same time as if you hadn't been polymorphed,

[panaikhan]

Sinse the druid's Shapechange is a polymorph effect these days, and high enough level druids can maintain a form indefinately, I would say ageing is not considered with respect to the form you change into.

[Eldariel]

Previous editions of dnd had age effects for many spells. I don't recall any of the groups i played in taking those serously, though.

I had presumed that your age category remained the same for the purposes of polymorph spells. Also, that spell isn't on the permenacy list and any dm who allows that deserves what he's getting.

Polymorph might not be but Polymorph Any Object is potentially permanent right out of the box; I assume that's one of the things we're talking about here.

[Wookie-ranger]

Polymorph might not be but Polymorph Any Object is potentially permanent right out of the box; I assume that's one of the things we're talking about here.

About PAO:
Lets assume that age categories and maximum lifetime are based on the original form, not on the form you PAOed into.
What happens when you make a creature out of an inanimate object? did you just create an immortal?

[Pokonic]

About PAO:
Lets assume that age categories and maximum lifetime are based on the original form, not on the form you PAOed into.
What happens when you make a creature out of an inanimate object? did you just create an immortal?

I would think if, say, a table is turned into a adult cow, you start at the lowest possible age for a adult cow and go up from there. If you turn, say, a ottoman into a newborn cow, you have issues and you should ask yourself why you are turning random objects into baby cows.