Cloak of the Manta Ray

[Fouredged Sword]

What does this do exactly.

Ok, so I got a dwarf artificer. He has Str 18, Con 20, Dex 8, a +1 adimant brestplate, a +1 heavy shield, and a +1 trident. He has the roll with it feat (requires a 20 con). His equipment has armor crystals for more DR.

He has a cloak of the manta ray (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#cloakoftheMantaRay). He goes and jumps off his ship into the sea.

What exactly changes? What equipment can he use, and what happens to his feats?

Please, someone more knowledgeable about polymorph effects chime in and enlighten me. It looks like the writer of the cloak never even looked at the manta ray (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/mantaRay.htm) stat block.

[CRtwenty]

He turns into a Manta Ray, and all of his physical stats turn into that of a Manta Ray (his mental stats do not change).all of his equipment save that which is usable by a Manta Ray (very little) melds into his new body and becomes inactive until he changes back. The cloak itself gives him +3 Natural Armor, Underwater Breathing, and a Swim Speed of 60 as well as a Natural Tail Spine attack that does 1d6 points of damage. Your character could also keep his arms, allowing him to continue using his Trident.

Any feats he have remain available, though his new stats may make them impossible to use. For instance Roll With It requires a 20 Con but Manta Rays only have a Con score of 10. He retains the feat but is unable to use it while in Manta Ray form. If he somehow had his Con raised to 20 while in this form he could use the feat.


You acquire the physical qualities of the new form while retaining your own mind. Physical qualities include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings, to a maximum speed of 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, and so on), racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and any gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth). A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal.

You do not gain any extraordinary special attacks or special qualities not noted above under physical qualities, such as darkvision, low-light vision, blindsense, blindsight, fast healing, regeneration, scent, and so forth.

You do not gain any supernatural special attacks, special qualities, or spell-like abilities of the new form. Your creature type and subtype (if any) remain the same regardless of your new form. You cannot take the form of any creature with a template, even if that template doesn’t change the creature type or subtype.

When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When you revert to your true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on your body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items you wore in the assumed form and can’t wear in your normal form fall off and land at your feet; any that you could wear in either form or carry in a body part common to both forms at the time of reversion are still held in the same way. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its true form.

[Fouredged Sword]

Does that include the healing as a nights rest per the polymorph spell?

[CRtwenty]

yes it functions exactly as "Polymorph" except for the differences listed under the item itself

[Uncle Pine]

Note that since "The wearer can release his arms from the cloak without sacrificing underwater movement if so desired", your shield and trident doesn't meld because you are still able to wield them.

[Invader]

I'm not so sure. At best I'd say it could go either way. It says the wearer appears as a manta ray as per polymorph but it specifically calls out NA, Swim Speed, and the ability to breath under water.

At the very least you could say it completely turns you into a manta ray or it grants only the abilities listed.

[CRtwenty]

I'm not so sure. At best I'd say it could go either way. It says the wearer appears as a manta ray as per polymorph but it specifically calls out NA, Swim Speed, and the ability to breath under water.

At the very least you could say it completely turns you into a manta ray or it grants only the abilities listed.

It's unclear exactly how it works using RAW. I can't tell if the bonuses are in place of, or if they're in addition to the general things you get from Polymorphing into a Manta Ray. Manta Rays already have NA +3 (which makes me think the Cloak actually gives you NA +6 when all's said and done) but have a Swim Speed of 30 instead of the 60 the Cloak gives.

Waterbreathing is kind of odd too, since Polymorphing into a Manta Ray gives it already since you gain the Aquatic Subtype.

I'd rule that they're bonuses, so you gain more NA and a faster speed as well as an improved natural attack and the ability to sprout arms so you can attack and such.

[Fouredged Sword]

My DM just ruled that for sanity and simplicity, it is not a polymorph effect. It just grants the listed bonuses when submerged in salt water.

I think it is the best call at the end of the day. Much simpler to run and no issues with free healing by popping in and out of the water during combat.

[Invader]

My DM just ruled that for sanity and simplicity, it is not a polymorph effect. It just grants the listed bonuses when submerged in salt water.

I think it is the best call at the end of the day. Much simpler to run and no issues with free healing by popping in and out of the water during combat.

This is the interpretation I'd use since it specifically calls out those 3 items.

[HalfQuart]

You could also just use the stealth-errata for Polymorph in the Rules Compendium (p122). Essentially all spells based on the Polymorph spell were changed to instead just have the Polymorph subschool instead, with somewhat more limited abilities (e.g. no healing). It doesn't actually say that items based on the Polymorph spell are included in the scope, so presumably they're not.