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View Full Version : New to Wizards - What's fun to polymorph into?



Pauwel
2007-03-06, 08:48 AM
So... in the last session I just recieved my new, shiny spell level, along with the cool-sounding polymorph. I've heard it's extremely unbalancing (and I agree that it seems to be), but I got it anyway for the sake of fun. As the title says, I've never played a Wizard, or indeed any primary caster class, before.

All that said, does anyone have any fun or cool (not necessarily powerful) ideas on what to polymorph into?

Morty
2007-03-06, 09:04 AM
Ooze. Because it's awesome when breathing mammal with four limbs, brain and circulation system turns into a sack of gelatine.

Nahal
2007-03-06, 10:03 AM
Ogres or Ettins. Because nothing's funnier than a big, smelly, ugly ogre beating an elf in a game of chess in seven moves.

Person_Man
2007-03-06, 10:15 AM
You are smart to avoid abusing polymorph.

First, understand that the polymorph rules have been rewritten a dozen times by WotC. So talk to your DM about what rules he uses. It gets very confusing very quickly, and including or not including certain creatures' abilities can easily break the game.

My suggestion is that you avoid using polymorph in combat. Use it to turn into a bird/insect/whatever and scout, or to turn into a duplicate of the king and trick the city guard, or any other out of combat roleplaying situation. Using Polymorph in combat makes it very hard for a DM to balance the CR against your party's abilities, because the PC with polymorph can always just turn into the best form to fight whatever the DM has come up with. Most DMs react by making combat much harder, which makes TPK much more likely, and it means the Wizard then has to cast Polymorph pretty much every combat just to keep up.

daggaz
2007-03-06, 11:11 AM
or, for when you do want to use it in battle, you could just pick a few favored forms and kinda stick to them, things that are cool but not totally overpowering, so your DM will have an idea of how to balance encounters. Say your wizard has a penchant for trolls or something of the sort.

PinkysBrain
2007-03-06, 11:22 AM
Wizards hasn't done anything to the original polymorph spell. They have introduced lots of spells meant to be replacements, even going as far as inventing a new subschool which polymorph tenuously is a part of ... but nothing of that changes anything about the original spell (any aspect of the spell which conflicts with the subschool overrules it).

Don't waste your time polymorphing yourself, unless you need the natural armor ... polymorph whoever does melee in the party, much better use of your time.

NullAshton
2007-03-06, 11:29 AM
Hydras are always fun to polymorph your rogue into. Ooo, 12 attacks a round for sneak attack ownage...

It's also useful as a cheap reduce person, if you need to fit through a small door or something. And incidentally, if a person is asleep, he's automatically considered willing...

"Some spells restrict you to willing targets only. Declaring yourself as a willing target is something that can be done at any time (even if you’re flat-footed (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#flatFooted) or it isn’t your turn). Unconscious (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#unconscious) creatures are automatically considered willing, but a character who is conscious but immobile or helpless (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#helpless) (such as one who is bound, cowering (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#cowering), grappling (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#grappling), paralyzed (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#paralyzed), pinned (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#pinned), or stunned (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#stunned)) is not automatically willing."

Collin152
2007-03-06, 07:14 PM
Things fun to polymorph into? For spying, nothing beats a roach to getting into places, and mice have great senses for eavesdropping. For scouting in the wilderness, Hawks or Sparrows, depending on whether or not a Hawk would be noticed as odd. It makes a great tool by literally becoming a pacjmule, or turning aqueous to save room on a boat. It has all manner of uses, and I suggest looking in Complete Arcane for the Sudden metamagic spells. Sudden Quicken and Sudden Extend, particularly; No level increase, no need for warning, just don't hope you need it often.

The_Snark
2007-03-06, 07:19 PM
Griffons are a good flying form with impressive charging abilities, and they're available right from level 7 when you get the spell.

But yeah, make sure you know how your DM handles polymorphing, and try not to abuse it.

ken-do-nim
2007-03-06, 08:53 PM
But if you do want to abuse it ... when you get to 9th level, go for a bulette. You get:
huge size
27 strength
+12 natural armor bonus
a burrowing speed
a leap attack
tremorsense (I think)

I play a monk in one of my campaigns and I'm trying to convince the wizard to take polymorph so I can be a bulette monk. Nothing like taking a 10 ft per round burrow speed and adding my monk 50 ft per round enhancement bonus to that. Also fun is combining the normal leap attack with a flurry of blows (assuming the DM rules that this is feasible).

BlueWizard
2007-03-07, 08:14 AM
Check with your DM. I try to limit the players. Because it can get out of hand. Usually I'll allow standard MM only. And even then I make sure its balanced.

Ikkitosen
2007-03-07, 08:21 AM
I believe there are a series of spells that allow specific forms - the more powerful the form the higher level the spell. They're statted out and for use in combat, but I don't know how effective they are for their level.

ken-do-nim
2007-03-07, 09:04 AM
Check with your DM. I try to limit the players. Because it can get out of hand. Usually I'll allow standard MM only. And even then I make sure its balanced.

Bulette is standard MM, so yeah the DM has his work cut out for him.

Ramza00
2007-03-07, 09:06 AM
If you do hydra, make sure you use fly, overland flight, or some form of teleport.

Rykaj
2007-03-07, 01:38 PM
Can you give me some examples of how to break polymorph? I'm not talking shapechange, cause I can see how that is broken (eww choker). And I'm not talking changing into an animal and awaken either. Just with normal core material, how does the polymorph spell break the game?

Saithis Bladewing
2007-03-07, 01:40 PM
Polymorph into Pun-Pun.

Bears With Lasers
2007-03-07, 02:00 PM
Can you give me some examples of how to break polymorph? I'm not talking shapechange, cause I can see how that is broken (eww choker). And I'm not talking changing into an animal and awaken either. Just with normal core material, how does the polymorph spell break the game?

Okay, look. As soon as I can cast the spell, I can turn myself (if I'm a gishy Eldritch Knight build) or the party fighter into a Treant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/treant.htm). That fourth-level spell gives him +13 natural armor, Huge size and the reach that involves, he can still use pretty much all of his equipment, his base STR is 29 plus his magic belt or gauntlets, and he just got two secondary slam attacks. Plus, he can Trample if he wants to.

Then I turn the Rogue into a Wyvern (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/wyvern.htm). STR 19, +8 Natural Armor, 2d6 CON damage poison, and six bloody natural attacks to deliver sneak attack with. Oh, and he can fly now.

C'mon, tell me that won't do things to encounter balance.

PinkysBrain
2007-03-07, 02:04 PM
The party fighter would lose his armor, but he would have gotten mage armor at the start of the day if your party used polymorph.

Bears With Lasers
2007-03-07, 02:09 PM
He wouldn't necessarily lose his armor. Treants are shaped mostly like people--including two arms--and magic items resize.

Rykaj
2007-03-07, 02:12 PM
Ah right, exactly, I forgot to account for the fact that you can cast it on your party members.

ken-do-nim
2007-03-07, 04:06 PM
Bulettes, hydras, treants, wyverns ...

Okay my monk really needs to pick up a custom item that grants polymorph 1/day (and probably divine power too). Let's see if my math is right:

caster level 9 (seems high enough) * spell level 4 * 1800 gp = 64,800 gp
1/day means 64,800/5 = 12,960. Vest of polymorph anyone?

Now if we add in divine power @ 7th level...

caster level 7 * spell level 4 * 1800 = 50,400 gp
1/day means divide by 5 = 10,080.
Adding to existing item x 1.5 = 15,120

So the vest of polymorph (9th) 1/day and divine power (7th) 1/day comes
out to 28,080 gp. Sounds like a bargain to me!

Collin152
2007-03-07, 05:06 PM
Polymorph into Pun-Pun.
You can't turn into unique creatures! Polymorph into a Sarruhk, with the one feat, assume supernatural ability, and give Manipulate form to your viper familliar using manipulate form, take on the shape of a kobold, have the viper grant you Shapechange as a spell like ability, usable at will, then ave it grant you Manipulate form...

BlueWizard
2007-03-08, 09:20 AM
Dragons are my favorite.

McDeath
2007-03-08, 05:15 PM
In my group, polymorph has been house-ruled out. And druids can only cast lower-level spells while in wild shape. That'll teach them!