Creatures with Animated Object's flexilibity in appearance?

[RoboEmperor]

It seems what I enjoy most about d&d right now is the Animated Object's ability to look like anything. I can make a statue of some eldritch abomination nightmare fueling horror from some other work/media/art/game and animate that and I'm having tons of fun.

But alas, as I grow in level, I need to switch my Animated Object out for an outsider to use as my beatstick. Considering that there are some nice long duration polymorph tricks (phylactery and some outsiders have at-will polymorph), I figured I could polymorph my upgraded beatstick into looking like an eldritch abomination nightmare fueling horror.

So... which creatures can look like anything?

One I thought of was Earth Elementals, but they're not viable for polymorph.

[Zaq]

I’m not sure I understand the question, but is the basic mimic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/mimic.htm) relevant?

[RoboEmperor]

I’m not sure I understand the question, but is the basic mimic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/mimic.htm) relevant?

I mean like, a hell hound has to look like a dog.
A human has to look like a human.
A dragon has to look like a dragon.
A hydra has to look like a hydra.

But an Animated Object can look like a chair, statue, table, chest, a futuristic robot, a modern day tank, an airplane, etc.

So what other creatures can look anyway they want? To some degree I mean.

I mean like, for example, afaik an Earth Elemental has enough flexibility in its form to have multiple legs, multiple arms, a head or no head, mouth or no mouth, "eyes" or no eyes, etc. because it just needs to be a hulking mass of earth (stone, clay, dirt), there's no restriction of how much of each it needs to have or what shape it needs to be.

Basically I like some monster designs from other works and would like to put it in my character someway like polymorphing creatures under her control even if all it does is slam attacks.

[BowStreetRunner]

You may want to look at creatures with the Shapechanger subtype.

MM1

aranea - magical beast (shapechanger) - medium monstrous spider, medium humanoid, medium spider-humanoid hybrid
barghest - outsider (evil, extraplanar, lawful, shapechanger) - medium/large goblin, medium/large wolf, medium/large goblin-wolf hybrid
doppelganger - monstrous humanoid (shapechanger) - medium monstrous humanoid, any small or medium humanoid
lycanthropes - humanoid (human, shapechanger) - medium/large humanoid, medium/large animal, medium/large animal-humanoid hybrid
mimic - aberration (shapechanger) - large aberration, any 150 cu ft object
phasm - aberration (shapechanger) - medium aberration, any Large or smaller form as CL 15 polymorph


MM2

ethereal doppelganger - monstrous humanoid (shapechanger) [per 3.5 update] - medium monstrous humanoid, form of any creature whose mind has been absorbed
grimalkin - magical beast (shapechanger) [per 3.5 update] - medium magical beast, medium or smaller animal or vermin [per errata]


MM3

changeling - humanoid (shapechanger) - medium humanoid, disguise self
protean scourge - monstrous humanoid (shapechanger) - medium monstrous humanoid, medium humanoid
shifter - humanoid (shapechanger) - medium humanoid, shifted form medium humanoid


FF

canomorph, haraknin - outsider (evil, extraplanar, fire, lawful, shapechanger) - medium hound, small to large humanoid
canomorph, shadurakul - outsider (evil, extraplanar, shapechanger) - medium hound, small to large humanoid
canomorph, vultivor - outsider (chaotic, evil, extraplanar, shapechanger) - medium hound, small to large humanoid
jackalwere - magical beast (shapeechanger) - small jackal, medium humanoid, medium jackal-humanoid hybrid
selkie - humanoid (aquatic, shapechanger) - medium humanoid, medium seal