RAW on Polymorph/Shapechange into a Hound Archon Hero?

[ben-zayb]

As the title says, is there anything (aside fromHD/CL cap) that prohibits turning into a Hound Archon Hero? It is still a creature (statted in the MM, no less), and it isn't templated, if that matters.

If it works, that's an easy Turn Undead source, and an arguably-Ex Paladin Spellcasting.

[Tiri]

Well, the hound archon hero isn't a creature by itself. It's just a hound archon with paladin levels that happens to have a special name. Since you can't polymorph into anything with class levels, you can't polymorph into a hound archon hero. Although if you can cast polymorph I don't see why paladin casting and turn undead are such huge benefits anyway.

[ben-zayb]

Well, the hound archon hero isn't a creature by itself. It's just a hound archon with paladin levels that happens to have a special name. Since you can't polymorph into anything with class levels, you can't polymorph into a hound archon hero. Although if you can cast polymorph I don't see why paladin casting and turn undead are such huge benefits anyway.Polymorph has plenty of restrictions and limits but this I don't see this in the spell's description as one of them

[Garktz]

Polymorph has plenty of restrictions and limits but this I don't see this in the spell's description as one of them

I believe you just polymorph into a hound archon, not into a hound archon with class levels for the same reason you can polymorph into an elf, not a lvl30 elf wizard
You go for the sample creature, hound archon, not a specific kind of it

[Necroticplague]

You can turn into things with class levels, but you don't get the class level benefits. Polymorph is based off of alter self, which says:

You retain your own ability scores. Your class and level, hit points, alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses all remain the same. You retain all supernatural and spell-like special attacks and qualities of your normal form, except for those requiring a body part that the new form does not have (such as a mouth for a breath weapon or eyes for a gaze attack).

[Tiri]

Yes, that's what I meant.

[ben-zayb]

You can turn into things with class levels, but you don't get the class level benefits. Polymorph is based off of alter self, which says:

Ah, now this makes more sense to me. Not the answer that I hope to see, but that seems about right.