a quick question about ploymorph any object/shapechange (PF)

[ngilop]

SO... I have a wizard/malconvoker character and I have no idea these spells and how they operate in pathfinder.

I have a viper familiar and am looking at going 'hey we need some melee stuff, yo' and turning the snake into a hydra.

I know paizo weakened the polymorph spells and how they work. but have no really looking into them much.

SO they get tremor sense, breath weapon, rake, poison, trample, and the like. But I guess if I PaO or shape change my snake into a hydra he doesn't get fast healing, regenerate heads, or the hydra traits since those are not called out in the spells?

[Calthropstu]

SO... I have a wizard/malconvoker character and I have no idea these spells and how they operate in pathfinder.

I have a viper familiar and am looking at going 'hey we need some melee stuff, yo' and turning the snake into a hydra.

I know paizo weakened the polymorph spells and how they work. but have no really looking into them much.

SO they get tremor sense, breath weapon, rake, poison, trample, and the like. But I guess if I PaO or shape change my snake into a hydra he doesn't get fast healing, regenerate heads, or the hydra traits since those are not called out in the spells?

Exactly. Pathfinder did away with the most egregious of the polymorph cheese.
It does, however, gain all the natural attacks of a hydra, as well as reach etc.

[Ellrin]

Polymorphing a familiar into a melee form is generally a bad idea in PF, since the familiar doesn't get the physical stats of the new form, merely a buff based on the difference in size. Even for the largest forms, this tends to leave most familiars with only decent Str, average Con, and generally poor Dex (since there's a Dex penalty for increasing size). The natural armor tends to also be underwhelming, leaving the familiar highly fragile. In almost all cases, it's better just to use a summoning spell of the same level if you have one.

If you're willing to risk it, trolls are probably the best melee forms for familiars, since Giant Form offers Regeneration in its list of granted abilities.