The downside to polymorphing

[Melcar]

The PAO spell lets you transform into a gold dragon and get its Int score... seems crazy huh... what if your Demi Lich has more? Or your Elven High mage has more Int? Would you lose it and then loose some of your awesome Spellcasting niceness... Like very high spell DC and bonus spells?

For instance a sun elf starting with 20 Int, gains +5 for tome, +3 for age, + 5 for level 20 and +6 from headband of intellect has a total of 39. A golden dragon great wyrm has 32.
As by the spell you gain the new forms Int score… a reduction of 7. Right?

[Rubik]

The PAO spell lets you transform into a gold dragon and get its Int score... seems crazy huh... what if your Demi Lich has more? Or your Elven High mage has more Int? Would you lose it and then loose some of your awesome Spellcasting niceness... Like very high spell DC and bonus spells?

For instance a sun elf starting with 20 Int, gains +5 for tome, +3 for age, + 5 for level 20 and +6 from headband of intellect has a total of 39. A golden dragon great wyrm has 32.
As by the spell you gain the new forms Int score… a reduction of 7. Right?You apply bonuses in the most beneficial order, so you replace your base Int score with the new one, then add the bonuses (including inherent bonuses).

But yes, you can lose Int this way.

Also, Polymorph has the size restrictions inherited from Alter Self, which also apply to Polymorph Any Object. Thus, an elf could only become a Large dragon at best.

[Melcar]

You apply bonuses in the most beneficial order, so you replace your base Int score with the new one, then add the bonuses (including inherent bonuses).

But yes, you can lose Int this way.

Also, Polymorph has the size restrictions inherited from Alter Self, which also apply to Polymorph Any Object. Thus, an elf could only become a Large dragon at best.

True... forgot about the size thing... but you cleared up my question... Thanks!

[CRtwenty]

A Great Wyrm Gold Dragon has 41HD, Polymorph only functions if you transform into something with 15HD or less. You also cannot turn into Undead like a Demi Lich.

That said, by RAW it appears that yes your INT would decrease if you assumed a form with a lower INT then your usual one. Which makes no sense since CHA and WIS only change if the original target doesn't have those abilities. You'd think the same would apply to INT, but it apparently doesn't. :smallconfused:

[Rubik]

A Great Wyrm Gold Dragon has 41HD, Polymorph only functions if you transform into something with 15HD or less.True. However, you can always take the Reserves of Strength feat and boost your caster level.


You also cannot turn into Undead like a Demi Lich.This is also true, unless you're an undead (like a lich) that can explicitly Polymorph itself (which can usually only affect living creatures). PAO implicitly circumvents this restriction, I think.


That said, by RAW it appears that yes your INT would decrease if you assumed a form with a lower INT then your usual one. Which makes no sense since CHA and WIS only change if the original target doesn't have those abilities. You'd think the same would apply to INT, but it apparently doesn't. :smallconfused:A rock PAO'd into a human would get 10 in all three mental stats. A non-mindless creature turned into another creature (or non-creature) would gain the Int score of the new form, whether it's 01, 50, or --. It's just how it works.

Sarrukhs are great for PAO, since they have a nice fat 30 Int, as well as workable HD and some nice abilities on the side. A hat of disguise takes care of the I-am-a-monster issue.

[Black_Zawisza]

This doesn't help for discrepancies between mental ability scores, but the Sor1 spell Strength of the True Form (Dragons of Eberron) lets you compare physical scores, NA, and DR of your original and new forms and choose the most beneficial ones.

[Spuddles]

Also, Polymorph has the size restrictions inherited from Alter Self, which also apply to Polymorph Any Object. Thus, an elf could only become a Large dragon at best.

Just chain those PaOs together. With reserves of strength, of course.