Locating Polymorphed Players

[alex1g]

The players are being hunted down and they polymorphed themselves to completely different humanoids. Would scrying them find their locations. What spells can I used to track them down since they have polymorphed into complete different humanoids.

[ayvango]

Circle dance traces creature you had met with no save allowed.

[JNAProductions]

Circle dance traces creature you had met with no save allowed.

It points you in the right direction. It does not out and out locate them.

[ayvango]

Then made two observation. The location accuracy depends on measure instrument and synchronization from observation. Any way, statistics win.

[JNAProductions]

Then made two observation. The location accuracy depends on measure instrument and synchronization from observation. Any way, statistics win.

Yes, you can triangulate onto them... If they stand still. If they're moving, that makes it significantly harder. It should be enough to, say, get you what city they're in, but finding their exact location is going to be very hard with that spell.

[Goaty14]

I don't quite understand why scrying (and other divination) spells won't work. Heck, you could find their general location, cast detect magic, and then figure out who's radiating the transmutation aura. (That is, if they haven't taking further preparations, such as Nystul's Magic Aura RAW: Magic Aura only affects items)

[ayvango]

Made wands of circle dance, deliver it to competent rogues. They could travel (or teleport) to the town and made another observation with close range, so they could designate building. And as I was advised earlier you could use Rod of Many Wands to cast divination fast enough to maintain pursuit.

[JNAProductions]

Costs 13,500 GP to craft a Rod of Many Wands (27,000 to buy) and each wand is going to be 5,625 GP to craft (11,250 to buy), unless Bardic made, in which case it drops to 2,250 GP (4,500).

Also, unless you already have all that on hand, chances are the players will get far, far away before you can get it all.

[Goaty14]

Scrying should work on the players since, although polymorphed (PaO is what I think you're referencing -- polymorph has a duration) they still have an original form to return to if PaO is dispelled, therefore, they are the same creature.

[Gnaeus]

If the players have been polymorphed, they probably didn’t go far. Try luring them out with some snacks and Mountain Dew. Or if they still basically humanoid try calling their cell phones.

[khadgar567]

unless one of them is vigilante or its third party derivative they can be found with regular ways of divination arts. the only problem would be vigilante and its derivatives since good old every man talent allows them to neutralize the whole thing virtue of being not eligible target for any info big bad has.

[ayvango]

you forget about vecna-blooded.

[ayvango]

Scrying should work on the players since, although polymorphed (PaO is what I think you're referencing -- polymorph has a duration) they still have an original form to return to if PaO is dispelled, therefore, they are the same creature.
Let's suppose we have access to biomaterial. What if target reincarnates? Would his old body's parts work for detecting his new body?

[khadgar567]

you forget about vecna-blooded.
well thats work to. but with out setting specific info we cant know it works.

[Fizban]

Polymorph lasts for 1 minute per caster level. Unless you're talking about Polyomoph Any Object, the duration for which their identities are hidden by Polymorph is so small it hardly matters. You can't even finish casting Scrying before the Polymorph wears off. Locate Creature is fooled by Polymorph, but it also lasts 10 times as long. If you didn't know you'd need something to find polymorphed people on short notice, you probably don't have it, and suddenly having it would be pretty blatant DM fiat (filling in the correct answer for something you'd intended slightly less so but you should get the answers first).

[Zanos]

Scrying should work fine on polymorphed creatures, although would probably be somewhat confusing for the scryer.

[atemu1234]

Eh, I'd go the Operative route on this one. Kill people close to the players, until they're forced out of hiding.

[noob]

How well it works depends on whenever they care about lives of the others.
If they do it works way faster.

[Gnaeus]

Eh, I'd go the Operative route on this one. Kill people close to the players, until they're forced out of hiding.

That’s totally illegal.

[noob]

That’s totally illegal.

Oh he meant player and not player characters.
Yes it is illegal to kill people near the players because usually those people are real.