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View Full Version : Rules Q&A Polymorph, Alter-Self, Polymorph any Object and worn magic items/gear



Thaneus
2016-12-14, 07:05 AM
Polymorph states:

This spell functions like alter self, except that you change the willing subject into another form of living creature. The new form may be of the same type as the subject or any of the following types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin. The assumed form can’t have more Hit Dice than your caster level (or the subject’s HD, whichever is lower), to a maximum of 15 HD at 15th level. You can’t cause a subject to assume a form smaller than Fine, nor can you cause a subject to assume an incorporeal or gaseous form. The subject’s creature type and subtype (if any) change to match the new form.

Upon changing, the subject regains lost hit points as if it had rested for a night (though this healing does not restore temporary ability damage and provide other benefits of resting; and changing back does not heal the subject further). If slain, the subject reverts to its original form, though it remains dead.

The subject gains the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the new form but retains its own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. It also gains all extraordinary special attacks possessed by the form but does not gain the extraordinary special qualities possessed by the new form or any supernatural or spell-like abilities.

Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to being polymorphed, and a creature with the shapechanger subtype can revert to its natural form as a standard action.

Alter Self states:


You assume the form of a creature of the same type as your normal form. The new form must be within one size category of your normal size. The maximum HD of an assumed form is equal to your caster level, to a maximum of 5 HD at 5th level. You can change into a member of your own kind or even into yourself.

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).

You keep all extraordinary special attacks and qualities derived from class levels, but you lose any from your normal form that are not derived from class levels.

If the new form is capable of speech, you can communicate normally. You retain any spellcasting ability you had in your original form, but the new form must be able to speak intelligibly (that is, speak a language) to use verbal components and must have limbs capable of fine manipulation to use somatic or material components.

You acquire the physical qualities of the new form while retaining your own mind. Physical qualities include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings, to a maximum speed of 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, and so on), racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and any gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth). A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal.

You do not gain any extraordinary special attacks or special qualities not noted above under physical qualities, such as darkvision, low-light vision, blindsense, blindsight, fast healing, regeneration, scent, and so forth.

You do not gain any supernatural special attacks, special qualities, or spell-like abilities of the new form. Your creature type and subtype (if any) remain the same regardless of your new form. You cannot take the form of any creature with a template, even if that template doesn’t change the creature type or subtype.

You can freely designate the new form’s minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind. The new form’s significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under your control, but they must fall within the norms for the new form’s kind. You are effectively disguised as an average member of the new form’s race. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check.

When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When you revert to your true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on your body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items you wore in the assumed form and can’t wear in your normal form fall off and land at your feet; any that you could wear in either form or carry in a body part common to both forms at the time of reversion are still held in the same way. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its true form.

Now there my GM and I have several issues, because both spells are also members of the Polymorph Subschool which also have a lot of different ruling (since this is not in the SRD please look at PHBII 95/96 or CM 91)
The text here says specific (spell description) trumps general (subschool) but in neither Spell it is written, what happens with magic gear when its magical and you change size (like in enlarge person) exept the phrace in alter self about beeing capable (which the new form would be not when they dont change size or form to match wings)
my GM assumes since it is all gear and worn it does not change size so its melds into the new form and you are starn naked with a weapon in your hand (human to troll e.g.)
I on the other side state that magical items (wondrous items) are as in SRD:

Size And Magic Items
When an article of magic clothing or jewelry is discovered, most of the time size shouldn’t be an issue. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they adjust themselves magically to the wearer. Size should not keep characters of various kinds from using magic items.

There may be rare exceptions, especially with racial specific items.
But GM states that is about acquiring items, not changing your size or type.

Do you guys have a definite RAW text that states that the gear matches any form i assume (he also argues i lose gear when there a physical changes like wings (for torso, body and shoulder slot) or horns (head slot) with any of the spells mentioned?

Can i PaO an magic items to fit a new size if there is no other way to go about? (would be permanent because +11 on table)

Examples so far:
Human to Wartroll -> naked
Human to Pixie -> naked
Wingless Fey (Nymph) to Winged Fey (Gloura) -> clothings, armor and head gear gone
Human to Digester -> naked (which I completly agree)

He is actual looking into enlarge person + polymorph if it is able to allow beeing large + gear if the feature do not chage to much

Books availble:
All official Books and web content of WoTC + DragonMag

Bronk
2016-12-14, 10:36 AM
You already have the quotes you need.

I know you copied the entire entries, but these are the important parts:


When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item).

Is the new form capable of using a particular magic item (barring armor and weapons)? If it retains the correct magic item slots, then yes. And the spell says it remains worn or held in that situation. Technically, the spell doesn't need them to resize.

Sure, it makes sense that magic items would have to resize. And they do, as you noted:


Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they adjust themselves magically to the wearer.

So why don't yours? After all:


There may be rare exceptions

If your DM is really making this weird house rule, well, there's not much you can do, I guess, but you could at least try to trade your equipment out for 'less rare' versions.

Long story short, your DM is wrong, and they're trying to justify their bad decision instead of reading through the rules.

Thaneus
2016-12-15, 06:18 AM
I am thinking to show other spells which are handled the same way like celestial transformation:
are there other spells that change your size and/or type and don't have the phrase seen in enlarge person (gear changes size in all regards)?

Bronk
2016-12-15, 07:47 AM
I am thinking to show other spells which are handled the same way like celestial transformation:
are there other spells that change your size and/or type and don't have the phrase seen in enlarge person (gear changes size in all regards)?

Most of them don't have that phrase. The difference with 'enlarge person' is that armor and weapons also change size, which they don't normally do.