Polymorph-Subschool and Master Transmogrifist... Did I mess that up?

[Echch]

Uhm... so I've been thinking: Most class abilities of Master Transmogrifist affect the thing you shapeshift into, like giving you a +2 to hit...
Now I'm sure I misunderstood that, but since the Polymorph-Subschool makes you loose your class abilities while you are shapechanged... Isn't that kinda useless?

[Venger]

Uhm... so I've been thinking: Most class abilities of Master Transmogrifist affect the thing you shapeshift into, like giving you a +2 to hit...
Now I'm sure I misunderstood that, but since the Polymorph-Subschool makes you loose your class abilities while you are shapechanged... Isn't that kinda useless?

only spells designated as being part of the polymorph subschool are part of the polymorph subschool and obey its rules. older spells, such as alter self, polymorph, and shapechange (which a master transmogrifist can't get normally) are unaffected, so you keep your class features as normal.

[Troacctid]

Actually, spells like polymorph and alter self are considered part of the polymorph subschool and follow its rules. They just have specific language allowing you to keep most of your abilities.

For the purpose of adjudicating effects that apply to polymorph spells, any spell whose effect is based on either alter self or polymorph should be considered to have the polymorph subschool. However, note that the spells' existing rules text takes priority over that of the subschool. Alter self, for instance, does not change the target's ability scores (unlike normal for spells of the polymorph subschool).
http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060501a&page=5

[The Viscount]

Firstly, there is a conservative reading that since Alter Self isn't based on Alter Self, that it wouldn't be counted as polymorph subschool, and since Polymorph's original text is retained from alter self's, which doesn't change, then polymorph doesn't change.
Second, if the Polymorph spell retains all of its own information wherever it contradicts polymorph subschool, then nothing really changes, does it?

[Troacctid]

It's pretty important for the Minor Shapeshift feat, for example.