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Dorizzit
2007-09-17, 10:30 AM
Just like the title. Specifically, what kind of critters do you like Polymorphing into and why? For instance, a personal favorite of mine is the Remorhaz. It only has seven hit die, but it can burrow, deal quite a bit of heat damage, has Improved Grab/Swallow Whole, and very high physical scores. What's your morph of choice?

Azerian Kelimon
2007-09-17, 10:33 AM
Morphing the polymorph spells into the ones created by Rich Burlew. best poly evah.

Dorizzit
2007-09-17, 10:54 AM
Hm, I hadn't read that before. Interesting...if not related to what I was actually asking.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-09-17, 10:57 AM
I know it wasn't, I was joking. But as for a polymorph, Beholder. They rox da haus, since being able to desintegrate at will is the equivalent of permanently having a 40d6 pure magic damage aura on you.

Kaelaroth
2007-09-17, 11:04 AM
An adorable vole. Or similarly cute rodent.

Emperor Tippy
2007-09-17, 11:06 AM
I know it wasn't, I was joking. But as for a polymorph, Beholder. They rox da haus, since being able to desintegrate at will is the equivalent of permanently having a 40d6 pure magic damage aura on you.

Read Polymorph. You don't get Supernatural abilities, which the Beholders disintegrate rays are.

Starbuck_II
2007-09-17, 12:10 PM
Just like the title. Specifically, what kind of critters do you like Polymorphing into and why? For instance, a personal favorite of mine is the Remorhaz. It only has seven hit die, but it can burrow, deal quite a bit of heat damage, has Improved Grab/Swallow Whole, and very high physical scores. What's your morph of choice?

Cloaker:
Trading a 4th level spell for at will hold person isa good trade. Yes, it is charisma based so Wizard will have not great DC's, but eh.
Plus you can fly 40 feet.

Trent: Strong, huge, good NA, plant type immune to criticals
If I need to fight in melee, impressive.

8 Headed Hydra: attack + 5 (-2 size or it would be a +7), but move and full attack of 8 bites. Plus, free combat reflexes feat.
AC sucks, but lots of attacks.

Brown Bear: strong (27 Str?) fast (40 speed), 3 attacks. Plus, not a monster so commoners fear it less.

Carrison Crawlers: paralyzing tentacles are decent. When you need to take someone in alive.

Dorizzit
2007-09-17, 01:13 PM
You don't get spell-like abilities either.

Starbuck_II
2007-09-17, 01:43 PM
You don't get spell-like abilities either.

Cloakers's "spells" are extraodinary attacks. Check it out, next time you read MM.

Dorizzit
2007-09-17, 03:01 PM
Really? I didn't have my books when I posted that so...yeah.

John Campbell
2007-09-17, 04:24 PM
Just like the title. Specifically, what kind of critters do you like Polymorphing into and why?
I don't polymorph myself. I'm more effective as a fully-equipped 13th level PC than I am as an unequipped 13 HD monster with its special abilities crippled.

I polymorph my familiar. He also counts as a 13 HD creature for the purposes of the limitations on the spell, and his 1/2 HD natural form, while handy for unobtrusive scouting and infiltration, is pretty useless at most everything else. I have insane hit points for a wizard, too (20 Con, a couple of fighter levels, several more in d6 prestige classes), so my familiar's even got enough hit points to mix it up in melee, if he's careful.


For instance, a personal favorite of mine is the Remorhaz. It only has seven hit die, but it can burrow, deal quite a bit of heat damage, has Improved Grab/Swallow Whole, and very high physical scores. What's your morph of choice?

The remorhaz's Heat, at least the heat damage to anything that hits you unarmed, is a Special Quality, not a Special Attack. You don't get it. Though by a strict reading of the rules, you do get the heat damage on anything you swallow, because it's part of the Swallow Whole description, which is a Special Attack. (Stupid inconsistent rules.)

I still turn my familiar into a remorhaz fairly often. It's a pretty good melee form, even without the Heat, and better than anything else I've got in my repertoire (my DM limits polymorphing to forms the caster's actually seen) at grappling. We play the heat thing consistently - don't get it for either - so I don't have him swallow things. I don't want the things cutting their way out of his belly.

I turn him into a wyvern a lot, too. It's also a decent melee form (and he does get the poison), and capable of flight. He's strong enough to carry me while flying, too, so it can serve the dual purposes of making him combat-effective and making me air-mobile without wasting another spell slot on fly or the like.

Hydras are good, too, in the straightforward lots and lots of attacks manner. Humanoid forms are versatile, and can be very effective if properly equipped... I'm currently liking war trolls for that role. I've got a couple of true dragon forms in reserve, but I think the wyvern is still better than the little bitty dragons I can do now, especially with all their special abilities crippled.

Kurald Galain
2007-09-17, 04:27 PM
Anything that flies :smallcool:

Dorizzit
2007-09-17, 06:53 PM
I forgot to mention, the group I use that form has it house-ruled in that heat works even in Remorhaz form (basically all extraordinary abilities work). Gotta love house rules.

Also, I agree, Dragons are nigh-useless polymorphs, due to that most of their abilities are either Su or Sp, and most of those that aren't are better done by other forms.

Guy_Whozevl
2007-09-17, 07:03 PM
Any hydra works fine.
War trolls are also kinda cool.
The best stuff, however, is if you are an outsider, construct, or undead and you turn into those via polymorph.

Dr. Weasel
2007-09-17, 09:32 PM
I forgot to mention, the group I use that form has it house-ruled in that heat works even in Remorhaz form (basically all extraordinary abilities work). Gotta love house rules.
Because getting your familiar Improved Grab and a +19 grapple modifier at level 7 isn't enough?

Leon
2007-09-18, 03:00 AM
Given the only Polymorph i use is Baleful - Toad

Dorizzit
2007-09-18, 05:44 AM
Because getting your familiar Improved Grab and a +19 grapple modifier at level 7 isn't enough?

I...hadn't figured out I could use it on my familiar...besides, I don't have one.

Dubie
2007-09-18, 09:51 AM
I don't use polymorph often. I got gunshy after a AD&D campain where an NPC wizard polymorphed us into orcs, we snuck into the orc camp, then somehow we accidently killed the wizard and hand to wander around as a bunch of stinking orcs until we found someone to undo it....