Flickerdart
2015-10-13, 08:37 PM
Thou shalt not lose caster levels. But what if thou had a good reason?
This is not a WotC forums handbook, but seeing all of them posted inspired me to write one of my own for an underappreciated class.
Master Transmogrifist Handbook
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/avatar/images/c/c4/Saber-tooth_moose_lion.png/revision/latest?cb=20140403224713
A master transmogrifist adopts the shape of a fearsome sabretooth moose lion to defeat a pesky boomerang fighter.
Background
Ahh! Opposable digits! -Polymorph (http://www.cardkingdom.com/catalog/item/37288)
In Fall 2004, WotC released one of the first splatbooks for D&D 3.5, Complete Arcane. True to themselves, it was full of really crappy support for gishes and a bunch of stuff that made wizards even more powerful. However, they were already starting to figure out that casters don't deserve free stuff for nothing - the PrCs in the book lost a bunch of casting levels in exchange for benefits that didn't exactly measure up.
Or did they? Enter the master transmogrifist, a class that docks you four caster levels, but beefs up one of the best spells in the game - polymorph! This is definitely still a nerf to a full caster, but in a lower-op game it's worth trying.
But what about PHBII rules?
Some people think polymorph was neutered by having the [Polymorph] subschool retroactively applied to it - which bans casting while in a form. However, it explicitly states that this restriction doesn't apply to spells that say you can cast while using them, which polymorph does.
Rating Legend
Amazing: This is the best use of your resources and you should get it as soon as possible. If it's a class feature, you should use it all the time.
Good: You can't go wrong with using this.
Solid: This ability works well enough to take, and you'll be using it a decent amount of the time. A solid B+ ability.
Mediocre: This ability is either situational or not very powerful, but it's better than nothing. Think of it as a T4.
Worthless: Don't even bother writing this down if you get it.
Kung Pow 2: Enter the Transmogri-Fist
You can become anything if I put my mind to it. -Jalira, Polymorphist (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=383287)
At a glance, the master transmogrifist is simple to enter. Non-lawful? Big whoop. Bluff 2 ranks? You can do that at level 1, even cross-class. Disguise 5 ranks? No sweat, that’s doable by level 2. Eschew Materials? A bit of a dead feat, but not useless. Alter self? That’s easy to snatch up as soon as you hit 3rd. But then it turns out you need to cast polymorph and you cry a little on the inside.
Wizard: The obvious intended entry. You have skill points to spare thanks to your INT, and even cross-classing skills you can get in at level 8, the level after you pick up polymorph. A number of prestige class options with the skills in-class will let you do something useful with levels 6 and 7.
Wu Jen: The exotic option! You enter at the same time as wizard, and are good for the same reasons. You're not as good a class, though, thanks to an inferior spell list. The benefits of Spell Secrets are duplicated by some class features, but only for favored forms, so there's some use there.
Sorcerer: Sorcerers enter a level late thanks to their delayed spell progression, but all sorcerers get Bluff in-class Dragonblooded sorcerers (silver) get Disguise in-class in exchange for a familiar. This becomes better for kobold sorcerers thanks to their Greater Draconic Rite of Passage. You may be tempted to select a stalwart or battle sorcerer, but you don't get the benefits while taking levels of this class, and you suffer the drawbacks as long as you advance your casting.
Divine casters: Archivists and Transformation domain clerics/divine crusaders can get in, but this class doesn't progress divine spells. If your DM creates a divine adaptation, this is a very solid option but we don't truck in homebrew here.
Suel Arcanamach: Suel arcanamachs can pick spells from the Transmutation school, and get up to 5th level spells. They can be entered into at level 6, allowing a (for example) Fighter 6/Suel Arcanamach 6/Master Transmogrifist 8 build. Your CL sucks (14 isn't great) but you get free Extend, +6 against dispelling, and enough levels to get draconic polymorph and Manifest Qualities.
Spellthief: Like arcanamachs, spellthieves gain access to sorcerer/wizard Transmutation spells. However, their delayed casting makes them pretty miserable candidates for this class - a spellthief can only learn polymorph at level 14, leaving the good abilities out of reach pre-epic.
Arcane Disciple: Other arcanists can pick up the Transformation domain spells - but with only one casting of each per day, you're not going to be taking advantage of this class as much as possible.
Dip options:
Bard/Sublime Chord, Hexblade, and Warmage (using Eclectic Learning) get both alter self and polymorph but can't enter until after level 10, losing access to the capstone.
Non-SC bards and assassins get alter self and might be able to finagle polymorph onto their spells known, but have the same problem.
Races
Transform a minion into a 1/1 sheep. -Polymorph (http://hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Polymorph)
There is exactly one consideration to keep in mind when choosing your race - your favored form cannot be the same creature type as you. Therefore, simpler is better. Pick humanoids, dummy! Anything with +STR or +DEX is wasted on you; anything with +CHA is an obvious advantage for sorcerers. +INT will not be as useful once you are able to use polymorph any object to get forms that have better INT than you (ethergaunts what whaaaaat). Outsiders and Undead are okay, because you normally can't polymorph into them anyway.
Human: Human is always good. If you're buying CC skills, the +1 skill point is useful. You can use the bonus feat to take Practiced Spellcaster. Silverbrow humans get disguise in-class.
Illumian: The Krau sigil gives you +1 CL, and a couple of the sigil combos make you a better warrior. Mostly, Illumians are good for the same reason humans are good - unrelated shenanigans.
Changeling: If you just can't get enough of that wonderful shapechanging, these guys have you covered. Some potential shenanigans with Racial Emulation feat.
Kobold: This together with sorcerer and Greater Draconic Rite enables the smoothest entry into the class. Dragonwrought kobolds miss out on having dragons in their favored forms, so leave your shenanigans at the door.
Dwarf (any kind): When you alter self or polymorph, you lose all extraordinary attacks from your base form, and "Dwarf Traits" is (Ex) and listed as a special attack. The same is true for halflings.
Beguiler: Use PAO to temporarily stop being a magical beast, assign your favored forms to some low-HD ones, and then you can be alter selfed into them all day.
Class features
Any substance or mineral that forms different types of crystal -Polymorph (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polymorph)
Now that we've covered how to become a transmogrifist, why should you want to be one? Let's dive right in.
Chassis: d4 HD? Poor BAB? 2+INT skills from the world's saddest list? One good save? Have a good cry, and then move on because you're a wizard and can shore up all of this.
6/10 casting: Noo, my caster levels! You lose a CL as soon as you enter, and take 3 more dings. It also doesn't say you gain caster level (only spells known and per day) but we've all decided to ignore this for every PrC in the game, and for good reason.
Favored Forms: You gain 3 shapes as favored shapes, up to 7 at 9th level. These are the forms all the class abilities apply to, but beware - you can't choose a form that is the same type as you. This means that even though alter self allegedly gains the benefits, you never actually get them because you can only use it to obtain forms of your type. Undead, outsider, elemental, and construct forms can't be picked as favored because polymorph can't do them unless you are that type, and if you are that type then you're not able to pick them. I will discuss the forms you want to pick later on. Note that while you must select a shape you can polymorph into, you can adopt the form through any means.
Extended Change: Transmutations used to assume your favored form are Extended for free. Polymorph is your mainstay and minutes/level, so this does not help as much, but if you are using other transmutations, keep this in mind.
Manifest senses: You get all the senses of the favored form you turn into. Senses "include" blindsight and tremorsense and stuff, but are not limited to them. The following could also be considered senses: sight (spot skill modifier), hearing (listen skill modifier), the Keen Senses ability of a dragon, the ability of a hag to see through its hag eye, the excellent nose of a gnome (for a bonus to alchemy checks), the duergar's stonecunning (described as a sixth sense), electricity sense of a shocker lizard, or even the clairvoyant sense PLA of a Caller in Darkness if you buy the DM a pizza.
Battle Mastery: +2 on attack rolls (scaling to +6 later). It's not bad - since you will be attacking with natural weapons anyway and don't care about BAB, this puts the total attack bonus granted by master transmogrifist levels to 11/10. Suck on that, fighters!
Effortless Changing: Any transmutation spell used to change into a favored form is Stilled and Silent for free. Free is good, and this makes you a boss at getting out of grapples...or turning the grapple on your enemy.
Shapechanger: Shapechanger subtype grants you access to some okay options, but the real hero is being able to alter self with permanent duration. It's a little crappy since you're level 12+ and using a 2nd level spell with that pesky 5 HD cap, but permanent is cool.
Reflexive Change: This might seem cool (immediate action to gain a form immune to an attack, woo!) but you lose a turn after doing it. Only resort to this in cases you're going to be totally screwed if the attack works.
Manifest Qualities: If you want to get out early, do it now, because you just got the extraordinary qualities of your favored forms. Your full-caster buddies won't be able to do this for two more levels until they get shapechange. If you cheesed yourself into a different type, you can be in a favored form forever and gain all those sexy bonuses.
Infinite Variety: If I could make this any pinker, I would. Take a favored shape, and mash natural weapons, extraordinary abilities, or ability scores from another monster into it. This is so tasty that I want to use Infinite Variety to add an anteater's tongue to myself so I could taste it better. Sadly it only works with polymorph, PAO, or shapechange. Here are some ideas:
Dire Weasel: Attach and Blood Drain
Gibbering Mouther: 1d4 Con drain on swallowed creatures
Razor Boar: Vorpal tusks
Cheetah: Spring
Shark: Keen scent
Giant: Rock Throwing (funny on small forms)
Hydra: 12 bite attacks. Sadly you can't merge two hydras for 24 heads because you can't add bites to a creature that already has bites.
Giant octopus: 8 tentacle attacks. Handy for when you're already a hydra, but want more attacks.
Feats
Polymorph is a non-toxic, biodegradable polyester -Polymorph (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10951)
Eschew Materials: It sucks, but you need it to qualify for the class.
Draconic Heritage: A sorcerer-only feat if you dumped Int and can't cross-class Disguise. Dragonblooded ACF gives this to you for free in exchange for your familiar.
City Slicker: Gives you Disguise in-class (as well as Forgery, Knowledge Local, and Gather Info). Unless you want to max disguise for your entire career, not worth a feat.
Surrogate Spellcasting: It's hard for an eagle to manipulate spell components, but not if you take this feat.
Practiced Spellcaster: You'll need to get back the four CLs you lose, not in the least because your CL determines what favored forms you can pick.
Reserves of Strength: Dragonlance material, but if it's allowed, you just bumped your polymorph cap to 18 HD and your alter self cap to 8 HD. Nice!
Dragonwrought: If you can stand not having dragons as a favored form, you get the cool benefit of a white wyrmling as an eligible alter self target.
Toughening Transmutation: Ideally, you will enter battle in your battle form. If not, +5 DR isn't going to make a difference.
Minor Shapeshift: +HD temporary HP as a swift action, and +CL for your polymorphs? All the other uses of this are just extra.
Animal Devotion: Your shapeshifting is already better than this, but it can be funny to stack yet another transformation on top of all the ones you can do.
Metamorphic Transfer: When you shapeshift into a thing, you gain a supernatural ability from it, and the DC is based on your Charisma. Amazing!
Assume Supernatural Ability: This gets a lot worse if the DM decides the feat only applies to one kind of creature, and not whatever you shift into.
Arcane Strike: Great for every gish, the attack bonus doesn't stack but the damage does. Burn your low-level spells to burn your enemies!
Mutable Body: Transmutations cast on you get +1 CL. This might let you get some prime favored forms early, but a feat is too big a price to pay.
Ability Enhancer: It may be arguable whether polymorph counts as a spell that "enhances ability scores" but draconic polymorph certainly does.
Catalogues of Enlightenment: Alteration Domain: +1 CL. Woop. And it's Dragonlance.
Momentary Alteration: 1/day alter self is a joke for a feat. However, it has limited use when you retrain your familiar to take it - its advantageous typing (magical beast by default, possibly outsider or dragon with Improved Familiar style feats) means there might be a form that's worth the feat.
Racial Emulation: If you are a Changeling with a template that changes your type, you can still temporarily pretend to be a humanoid. Whether or not this triggers Favored Form benefits is questionable, but you can at least pick a favored form of your regular type and then revert.
Shapechanging
Alien ship crash-lands on Earth and the creature inside starts taking over people's bodies. -Polymorph (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127136/)
Before you get to be awesome, you need to turn into something first. It need not be polymorph - you can adopt a favored form in any way you want, and you'll still gain the benefits.
Spells:
Polymorph: This is your baseline - if something isn't better than polymorph, why cast it? Level 4.
Draconic Polymorph: Here's something better. As polymorph, but a 20HD cap, +8 STR and +2 CON to the form you turn into. Level 5 spell.
Baleful Polymorph: It has a permanent duration, but in case you wanted to be clever and exploit that, remember that you lose all your class abilities.
Animal Shapes: It lasts for hours/level, which is nice - but it's a 7th level spell and only turns things into animals.
Polymorph Any Object: Can be permanent duration, and increases your Intelligence. Level 8 spell, which you're getting at level 19 if at all.
Polymorph subschool spells: These make your class features go away. No good!
Abilities and races:
Monsters with Change Shape: Generally, the ECL of a monster is too high to make this work, and the forms they get (animals or humanoids) all suck. An NPC dragon could take some transmogrifist levels, though, but he is already a dragon.
Hierophant's Power of Nature: If you have a friendly hierophant druid, you can bribe them to give you Wild Shape.
The race trick:
Instead of turning into your favored form, why not be it all the time? Remember that it doesn't matter how you turned into your favored form, only that you are in that form.
This relies on the fact that a transmogrifist cannot choose a favored form that's of his own type, but is not barred from becoming that type later (otherwise, a transmogrifist with a favored dragon form could never use PAO to assume the shape of one). So choose a creature you can turn into (aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin) then become that creature through your favourite way:
Become an undead spawn: Undead can't be polymorphed into unless you are already one, so you can't pick these as a favored shape.
Templates: Polymorph can't turn into templated creatures.
True Mind Switch: Works, but costly.
Astral Seed: Mind switch with something, use astral seed and then kill yourself. The only downside is that you lose a level and need access to psionics somehow.
Wish: Savage Species (page 150) lists "turn into a monster" as an effect of wish but offers various suggestions for why this might not completely work.
Favored Forms Guide
The example given in the class makes it clear that selecting a kind of creature (i.e. bronze dragon) allows you to assume any variations (young, old, etc) so long as the HD is low enough. This gives us some leeway in the selection when we have a low CL.
Consult the dedicated polymorph handbooks like this one (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=10479.0) on generally good forms. I am primarily looking at forms good for use with the transmogrifist's unique abilities.
Favored forms with low enough HD to Alter Self without Reserves of Strength:
This is primarily useful if you picked a creature as a favored form, and then became its type, so that you can take advantage of its powerful abilities while using a 2nd level spell slot. The easiest way to do this is to polymorph any object yourself, gain a level, and then pick a favored form that shares a type with your original type. Then dismiss the spell and change back!
Puppeteer: Turns a charm you might possess into a dominate effect that persists as long as you maintain contact. 30ft blindsight. Magical beast type.
White dragon: Flight, burrow, and swim all in one guy. Plus all those dragony natural weapons. Scales (haha, get it?) into older dragon versions as you level up, but you can only alter self into a wyrmling. Dragon type, so if your DM lets you retroactively take Dragonwrought...
Darkmantle: 90ft blindsight, a crappy fly speed, not a great combat form - but it's a nice radar form to have. They do have the ability to Improved Grab Large enemies even though Small themselves, but this is a dubious advantage. Magical beast type.
Ochre Jelly: You start out with acid attacks as your only advantage, but graduate to blindsight next level, and Split at level 8. Yep, Split. The ability where you can make lots of yourself. Ooze type, which may be tricky to acquire.
Ankheg: Darkvision + low-light vision + tremorsense. It burrows, improved grabs, and spits acid. Magical beast type.
Giant Eagle: Flight, plus you get Evasion once you reach level 8. Magical beast type.
Ogre mage: Aside from being beefy, you get darkvision at level 2 and regeneration at level 8. Superior to troll regeneration because this one is alter selfable and permanent. Giant type. For what it's worth, a warforged can select this favored form and then get hit with incarnate construct.
Master Transmogrifist 1: I will be assuming you took Practiced Spellcaster and aren't behind on CL. You get three forms right now.
Destrachan: 100ft blindsight and +10 on listen checks next level.
Hydra: It's a hydra. It has up to 12 heads. Once you reach level 8, you get fast healing 22 and immunity to fire or cold, depending on hydra type.
Mimic: At level 8, you can turn into a fake chest.
Shambling Mound: At level 8, you can juice up on electricity and turn it into CON bonuses.
Phthisic: Mind Feed is amazing, especially if/when you get more bite attacks. Regeneration once you hit level 8 doesn't hurt, either.
Master Transmogrifist 2: You get to swap an existing form, and can now benefit from creatures' senses. You can take Minor Shapeshift at level 9 and have a total CL of 10 (or 11 if you started out as an Illumian).
Bulette: Tremorsense and scent, plus solid ability scores and natural attacks for a bruiser.
Behir: Once you can use Ex qualities, you get these guys' immunity to electricity. Until then, enjoy a rake attack with six claws. This is a great grappling form, at Huge size.
Ettin: It isn't special until you reach level 8 and get its Superior Weapon Fighting (Ex).
Roper: A move speed of 10ft is a bummer, but once you reach level 8, it gets SR 30 and immunity to electricity.
Will-o-wisp: Right now, it just flies and has darkvision. At level 8, you get Ex invisibility and magic immunity.
Master Transmogrifist 4:
Yrthak: 120ft blindsight, decent fly speed. Unfortunately, it is blind. Need CL12 for this.
Hellwasp swarm: As far as I can tell, you can totally polymorph into swarms. In which case...well, go read what they do.
War troll: 31 Strength, superb regeneration, and dazes on hit. Need CL12 for this.
Master Transmogrifist 5:
Sun Giant: 37 Strength and Huge. Needs CL 13.
Master Transmogrifist 7:
Phasm: We only want this if we have a way to use its Su Alternate Form ability to turn into epic monsters with oodles of Strength. However, it also has tremorsense. Needs CL 15.
Razor Boar: A monster with vorpal tusks that proc on a critical hit, not just a 20. Staple something's Extraordinary Critical on these horns and menace everyone you meet.
This is not a WotC forums handbook, but seeing all of them posted inspired me to write one of my own for an underappreciated class.
Master Transmogrifist Handbook
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/avatar/images/c/c4/Saber-tooth_moose_lion.png/revision/latest?cb=20140403224713
A master transmogrifist adopts the shape of a fearsome sabretooth moose lion to defeat a pesky boomerang fighter.
Background
Ahh! Opposable digits! -Polymorph (http://www.cardkingdom.com/catalog/item/37288)
In Fall 2004, WotC released one of the first splatbooks for D&D 3.5, Complete Arcane. True to themselves, it was full of really crappy support for gishes and a bunch of stuff that made wizards even more powerful. However, they were already starting to figure out that casters don't deserve free stuff for nothing - the PrCs in the book lost a bunch of casting levels in exchange for benefits that didn't exactly measure up.
Or did they? Enter the master transmogrifist, a class that docks you four caster levels, but beefs up one of the best spells in the game - polymorph! This is definitely still a nerf to a full caster, but in a lower-op game it's worth trying.
But what about PHBII rules?
Some people think polymorph was neutered by having the [Polymorph] subschool retroactively applied to it - which bans casting while in a form. However, it explicitly states that this restriction doesn't apply to spells that say you can cast while using them, which polymorph does.
Rating Legend
Amazing: This is the best use of your resources and you should get it as soon as possible. If it's a class feature, you should use it all the time.
Good: You can't go wrong with using this.
Solid: This ability works well enough to take, and you'll be using it a decent amount of the time. A solid B+ ability.
Mediocre: This ability is either situational or not very powerful, but it's better than nothing. Think of it as a T4.
Worthless: Don't even bother writing this down if you get it.
Kung Pow 2: Enter the Transmogri-Fist
You can become anything if I put my mind to it. -Jalira, Polymorphist (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=383287)
At a glance, the master transmogrifist is simple to enter. Non-lawful? Big whoop. Bluff 2 ranks? You can do that at level 1, even cross-class. Disguise 5 ranks? No sweat, that’s doable by level 2. Eschew Materials? A bit of a dead feat, but not useless. Alter self? That’s easy to snatch up as soon as you hit 3rd. But then it turns out you need to cast polymorph and you cry a little on the inside.
Wizard: The obvious intended entry. You have skill points to spare thanks to your INT, and even cross-classing skills you can get in at level 8, the level after you pick up polymorph. A number of prestige class options with the skills in-class will let you do something useful with levels 6 and 7.
Wu Jen: The exotic option! You enter at the same time as wizard, and are good for the same reasons. You're not as good a class, though, thanks to an inferior spell list. The benefits of Spell Secrets are duplicated by some class features, but only for favored forms, so there's some use there.
Sorcerer: Sorcerers enter a level late thanks to their delayed spell progression, but all sorcerers get Bluff in-class Dragonblooded sorcerers (silver) get Disguise in-class in exchange for a familiar. This becomes better for kobold sorcerers thanks to their Greater Draconic Rite of Passage. You may be tempted to select a stalwart or battle sorcerer, but you don't get the benefits while taking levels of this class, and you suffer the drawbacks as long as you advance your casting.
Divine casters: Archivists and Transformation domain clerics/divine crusaders can get in, but this class doesn't progress divine spells. If your DM creates a divine adaptation, this is a very solid option but we don't truck in homebrew here.
Suel Arcanamach: Suel arcanamachs can pick spells from the Transmutation school, and get up to 5th level spells. They can be entered into at level 6, allowing a (for example) Fighter 6/Suel Arcanamach 6/Master Transmogrifist 8 build. Your CL sucks (14 isn't great) but you get free Extend, +6 against dispelling, and enough levels to get draconic polymorph and Manifest Qualities.
Spellthief: Like arcanamachs, spellthieves gain access to sorcerer/wizard Transmutation spells. However, their delayed casting makes them pretty miserable candidates for this class - a spellthief can only learn polymorph at level 14, leaving the good abilities out of reach pre-epic.
Arcane Disciple: Other arcanists can pick up the Transformation domain spells - but with only one casting of each per day, you're not going to be taking advantage of this class as much as possible.
Dip options:
Bard/Sublime Chord, Hexblade, and Warmage (using Eclectic Learning) get both alter self and polymorph but can't enter until after level 10, losing access to the capstone.
Non-SC bards and assassins get alter self and might be able to finagle polymorph onto their spells known, but have the same problem.
Races
Transform a minion into a 1/1 sheep. -Polymorph (http://hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Polymorph)
There is exactly one consideration to keep in mind when choosing your race - your favored form cannot be the same creature type as you. Therefore, simpler is better. Pick humanoids, dummy! Anything with +STR or +DEX is wasted on you; anything with +CHA is an obvious advantage for sorcerers. +INT will not be as useful once you are able to use polymorph any object to get forms that have better INT than you (ethergaunts what whaaaaat). Outsiders and Undead are okay, because you normally can't polymorph into them anyway.
Human: Human is always good. If you're buying CC skills, the +1 skill point is useful. You can use the bonus feat to take Practiced Spellcaster. Silverbrow humans get disguise in-class.
Illumian: The Krau sigil gives you +1 CL, and a couple of the sigil combos make you a better warrior. Mostly, Illumians are good for the same reason humans are good - unrelated shenanigans.
Changeling: If you just can't get enough of that wonderful shapechanging, these guys have you covered. Some potential shenanigans with Racial Emulation feat.
Kobold: This together with sorcerer and Greater Draconic Rite enables the smoothest entry into the class. Dragonwrought kobolds miss out on having dragons in their favored forms, so leave your shenanigans at the door.
Dwarf (any kind): When you alter self or polymorph, you lose all extraordinary attacks from your base form, and "Dwarf Traits" is (Ex) and listed as a special attack. The same is true for halflings.
Beguiler: Use PAO to temporarily stop being a magical beast, assign your favored forms to some low-HD ones, and then you can be alter selfed into them all day.
Class features
Any substance or mineral that forms different types of crystal -Polymorph (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polymorph)
Now that we've covered how to become a transmogrifist, why should you want to be one? Let's dive right in.
Chassis: d4 HD? Poor BAB? 2+INT skills from the world's saddest list? One good save? Have a good cry, and then move on because you're a wizard and can shore up all of this.
6/10 casting: Noo, my caster levels! You lose a CL as soon as you enter, and take 3 more dings. It also doesn't say you gain caster level (only spells known and per day) but we've all decided to ignore this for every PrC in the game, and for good reason.
Favored Forms: You gain 3 shapes as favored shapes, up to 7 at 9th level. These are the forms all the class abilities apply to, but beware - you can't choose a form that is the same type as you. This means that even though alter self allegedly gains the benefits, you never actually get them because you can only use it to obtain forms of your type. Undead, outsider, elemental, and construct forms can't be picked as favored because polymorph can't do them unless you are that type, and if you are that type then you're not able to pick them. I will discuss the forms you want to pick later on. Note that while you must select a shape you can polymorph into, you can adopt the form through any means.
Extended Change: Transmutations used to assume your favored form are Extended for free. Polymorph is your mainstay and minutes/level, so this does not help as much, but if you are using other transmutations, keep this in mind.
Manifest senses: You get all the senses of the favored form you turn into. Senses "include" blindsight and tremorsense and stuff, but are not limited to them. The following could also be considered senses: sight (spot skill modifier), hearing (listen skill modifier), the Keen Senses ability of a dragon, the ability of a hag to see through its hag eye, the excellent nose of a gnome (for a bonus to alchemy checks), the duergar's stonecunning (described as a sixth sense), electricity sense of a shocker lizard, or even the clairvoyant sense PLA of a Caller in Darkness if you buy the DM a pizza.
Battle Mastery: +2 on attack rolls (scaling to +6 later). It's not bad - since you will be attacking with natural weapons anyway and don't care about BAB, this puts the total attack bonus granted by master transmogrifist levels to 11/10. Suck on that, fighters!
Effortless Changing: Any transmutation spell used to change into a favored form is Stilled and Silent for free. Free is good, and this makes you a boss at getting out of grapples...or turning the grapple on your enemy.
Shapechanger: Shapechanger subtype grants you access to some okay options, but the real hero is being able to alter self with permanent duration. It's a little crappy since you're level 12+ and using a 2nd level spell with that pesky 5 HD cap, but permanent is cool.
Reflexive Change: This might seem cool (immediate action to gain a form immune to an attack, woo!) but you lose a turn after doing it. Only resort to this in cases you're going to be totally screwed if the attack works.
Manifest Qualities: If you want to get out early, do it now, because you just got the extraordinary qualities of your favored forms. Your full-caster buddies won't be able to do this for two more levels until they get shapechange. If you cheesed yourself into a different type, you can be in a favored form forever and gain all those sexy bonuses.
Infinite Variety: If I could make this any pinker, I would. Take a favored shape, and mash natural weapons, extraordinary abilities, or ability scores from another monster into it. This is so tasty that I want to use Infinite Variety to add an anteater's tongue to myself so I could taste it better. Sadly it only works with polymorph, PAO, or shapechange. Here are some ideas:
Dire Weasel: Attach and Blood Drain
Gibbering Mouther: 1d4 Con drain on swallowed creatures
Razor Boar: Vorpal tusks
Cheetah: Spring
Shark: Keen scent
Giant: Rock Throwing (funny on small forms)
Hydra: 12 bite attacks. Sadly you can't merge two hydras for 24 heads because you can't add bites to a creature that already has bites.
Giant octopus: 8 tentacle attacks. Handy for when you're already a hydra, but want more attacks.
Feats
Polymorph is a non-toxic, biodegradable polyester -Polymorph (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10951)
Eschew Materials: It sucks, but you need it to qualify for the class.
Draconic Heritage: A sorcerer-only feat if you dumped Int and can't cross-class Disguise. Dragonblooded ACF gives this to you for free in exchange for your familiar.
City Slicker: Gives you Disguise in-class (as well as Forgery, Knowledge Local, and Gather Info). Unless you want to max disguise for your entire career, not worth a feat.
Surrogate Spellcasting: It's hard for an eagle to manipulate spell components, but not if you take this feat.
Practiced Spellcaster: You'll need to get back the four CLs you lose, not in the least because your CL determines what favored forms you can pick.
Reserves of Strength: Dragonlance material, but if it's allowed, you just bumped your polymorph cap to 18 HD and your alter self cap to 8 HD. Nice!
Dragonwrought: If you can stand not having dragons as a favored form, you get the cool benefit of a white wyrmling as an eligible alter self target.
Toughening Transmutation: Ideally, you will enter battle in your battle form. If not, +5 DR isn't going to make a difference.
Minor Shapeshift: +HD temporary HP as a swift action, and +CL for your polymorphs? All the other uses of this are just extra.
Animal Devotion: Your shapeshifting is already better than this, but it can be funny to stack yet another transformation on top of all the ones you can do.
Metamorphic Transfer: When you shapeshift into a thing, you gain a supernatural ability from it, and the DC is based on your Charisma. Amazing!
Assume Supernatural Ability: This gets a lot worse if the DM decides the feat only applies to one kind of creature, and not whatever you shift into.
Arcane Strike: Great for every gish, the attack bonus doesn't stack but the damage does. Burn your low-level spells to burn your enemies!
Mutable Body: Transmutations cast on you get +1 CL. This might let you get some prime favored forms early, but a feat is too big a price to pay.
Ability Enhancer: It may be arguable whether polymorph counts as a spell that "enhances ability scores" but draconic polymorph certainly does.
Catalogues of Enlightenment: Alteration Domain: +1 CL. Woop. And it's Dragonlance.
Momentary Alteration: 1/day alter self is a joke for a feat. However, it has limited use when you retrain your familiar to take it - its advantageous typing (magical beast by default, possibly outsider or dragon with Improved Familiar style feats) means there might be a form that's worth the feat.
Racial Emulation: If you are a Changeling with a template that changes your type, you can still temporarily pretend to be a humanoid. Whether or not this triggers Favored Form benefits is questionable, but you can at least pick a favored form of your regular type and then revert.
Shapechanging
Alien ship crash-lands on Earth and the creature inside starts taking over people's bodies. -Polymorph (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127136/)
Before you get to be awesome, you need to turn into something first. It need not be polymorph - you can adopt a favored form in any way you want, and you'll still gain the benefits.
Spells:
Polymorph: This is your baseline - if something isn't better than polymorph, why cast it? Level 4.
Draconic Polymorph: Here's something better. As polymorph, but a 20HD cap, +8 STR and +2 CON to the form you turn into. Level 5 spell.
Baleful Polymorph: It has a permanent duration, but in case you wanted to be clever and exploit that, remember that you lose all your class abilities.
Animal Shapes: It lasts for hours/level, which is nice - but it's a 7th level spell and only turns things into animals.
Polymorph Any Object: Can be permanent duration, and increases your Intelligence. Level 8 spell, which you're getting at level 19 if at all.
Polymorph subschool spells: These make your class features go away. No good!
Abilities and races:
Monsters with Change Shape: Generally, the ECL of a monster is too high to make this work, and the forms they get (animals or humanoids) all suck. An NPC dragon could take some transmogrifist levels, though, but he is already a dragon.
Hierophant's Power of Nature: If you have a friendly hierophant druid, you can bribe them to give you Wild Shape.
The race trick:
Instead of turning into your favored form, why not be it all the time? Remember that it doesn't matter how you turned into your favored form, only that you are in that form.
This relies on the fact that a transmogrifist cannot choose a favored form that's of his own type, but is not barred from becoming that type later (otherwise, a transmogrifist with a favored dragon form could never use PAO to assume the shape of one). So choose a creature you can turn into (aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin) then become that creature through your favourite way:
Become an undead spawn: Undead can't be polymorphed into unless you are already one, so you can't pick these as a favored shape.
Templates: Polymorph can't turn into templated creatures.
True Mind Switch: Works, but costly.
Astral Seed: Mind switch with something, use astral seed and then kill yourself. The only downside is that you lose a level and need access to psionics somehow.
Wish: Savage Species (page 150) lists "turn into a monster" as an effect of wish but offers various suggestions for why this might not completely work.
Favored Forms Guide
The example given in the class makes it clear that selecting a kind of creature (i.e. bronze dragon) allows you to assume any variations (young, old, etc) so long as the HD is low enough. This gives us some leeway in the selection when we have a low CL.
Consult the dedicated polymorph handbooks like this one (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=10479.0) on generally good forms. I am primarily looking at forms good for use with the transmogrifist's unique abilities.
Favored forms with low enough HD to Alter Self without Reserves of Strength:
This is primarily useful if you picked a creature as a favored form, and then became its type, so that you can take advantage of its powerful abilities while using a 2nd level spell slot. The easiest way to do this is to polymorph any object yourself, gain a level, and then pick a favored form that shares a type with your original type. Then dismiss the spell and change back!
Puppeteer: Turns a charm you might possess into a dominate effect that persists as long as you maintain contact. 30ft blindsight. Magical beast type.
White dragon: Flight, burrow, and swim all in one guy. Plus all those dragony natural weapons. Scales (haha, get it?) into older dragon versions as you level up, but you can only alter self into a wyrmling. Dragon type, so if your DM lets you retroactively take Dragonwrought...
Darkmantle: 90ft blindsight, a crappy fly speed, not a great combat form - but it's a nice radar form to have. They do have the ability to Improved Grab Large enemies even though Small themselves, but this is a dubious advantage. Magical beast type.
Ochre Jelly: You start out with acid attacks as your only advantage, but graduate to blindsight next level, and Split at level 8. Yep, Split. The ability where you can make lots of yourself. Ooze type, which may be tricky to acquire.
Ankheg: Darkvision + low-light vision + tremorsense. It burrows, improved grabs, and spits acid. Magical beast type.
Giant Eagle: Flight, plus you get Evasion once you reach level 8. Magical beast type.
Ogre mage: Aside from being beefy, you get darkvision at level 2 and regeneration at level 8. Superior to troll regeneration because this one is alter selfable and permanent. Giant type. For what it's worth, a warforged can select this favored form and then get hit with incarnate construct.
Master Transmogrifist 1: I will be assuming you took Practiced Spellcaster and aren't behind on CL. You get three forms right now.
Destrachan: 100ft blindsight and +10 on listen checks next level.
Hydra: It's a hydra. It has up to 12 heads. Once you reach level 8, you get fast healing 22 and immunity to fire or cold, depending on hydra type.
Mimic: At level 8, you can turn into a fake chest.
Shambling Mound: At level 8, you can juice up on electricity and turn it into CON bonuses.
Phthisic: Mind Feed is amazing, especially if/when you get more bite attacks. Regeneration once you hit level 8 doesn't hurt, either.
Master Transmogrifist 2: You get to swap an existing form, and can now benefit from creatures' senses. You can take Minor Shapeshift at level 9 and have a total CL of 10 (or 11 if you started out as an Illumian).
Bulette: Tremorsense and scent, plus solid ability scores and natural attacks for a bruiser.
Behir: Once you can use Ex qualities, you get these guys' immunity to electricity. Until then, enjoy a rake attack with six claws. This is a great grappling form, at Huge size.
Ettin: It isn't special until you reach level 8 and get its Superior Weapon Fighting (Ex).
Roper: A move speed of 10ft is a bummer, but once you reach level 8, it gets SR 30 and immunity to electricity.
Will-o-wisp: Right now, it just flies and has darkvision. At level 8, you get Ex invisibility and magic immunity.
Master Transmogrifist 4:
Yrthak: 120ft blindsight, decent fly speed. Unfortunately, it is blind. Need CL12 for this.
Hellwasp swarm: As far as I can tell, you can totally polymorph into swarms. In which case...well, go read what they do.
War troll: 31 Strength, superb regeneration, and dazes on hit. Need CL12 for this.
Master Transmogrifist 5:
Sun Giant: 37 Strength and Huge. Needs CL 13.
Master Transmogrifist 7:
Phasm: We only want this if we have a way to use its Su Alternate Form ability to turn into epic monsters with oodles of Strength. However, it also has tremorsense. Needs CL 15.
Razor Boar: A monster with vorpal tusks that proc on a critical hit, not just a 20. Staple something's Extraordinary Critical on these horns and menace everyone you meet.