Can you Polymorph into your own race?

[Brutter]

Say you're a human sorcerer who pissed off some incredibly racist human empire. You don't want to spend the rest of your life on the run, so you decide to permanently change your appearance with Polymorph Any Object. Can you then remain a normal human with your same stat block? Actually, if you wanted to permanently Polymorph into a Dwarf, would you take a Charisma hit? Would you have to take the stat block of the standard NPC dwarves, by polymorphing into one?

[Troacctid]

Say you're a human sorcerer who pissed off some incredibly racist human empire. You don't want to spend the rest of your life on the run, so you decide to permanently change your appearance with Polymorph Any Object. Can you then remain a normal human with your same stat block?
Yes.


Actually, if you wanted to permanently Polymorph into a Dwarf, would you take a Charisma hit? Would you have to take the stat block of the standard NPC dwarves, by polymorphing into one?
You'd get +2 Con, but not -2 Cha as it doesn't affect your mental stats other than Int.

[Feantar]

Remember that you'd get your mean races intelligence (10 usually). Wisdom and charisma remain the same but intelligence is of the new form.

[sleepyphoenixx]

You wouldn't keep your stat block. You'd get the physical stats of an average human (Str, Dex and Con 10) and also Int 10, as Feantar mentioned.
If you want to keep your stats a Hat of Disguise will serve you better.

[Feantar]

In case you're playing pathfinder, a greater hat of disguise is perfect for what you want (Constant alter self). If you don't want it to be removable, make a wondrous tattoo (either taking your head slot, or double the cost and make it slot less). Seriously, at the level where you're slinging around polymorph any object, an item of constant alter self isn't broken in the least.

[Crake]

It's worth noting that if you're high enough level that you're able to cast polymorph any object, either a) the country being after you isn't an issue at all, or b) the actions you're taking in this circumstance are not at all sufficient to protect you from them.

A simple scrying spell on you would instantly reveal the fact that you have a new disguise, as the scrying spell would still target you despite your new appearance, and a true seeing spell would instantly reveal your original form anyway. If you really want to fix this, you'd be better off getting mind blank than changing your appearance, then pick up cloak of khyber to protect yourself against true seeing, THEN get a new form via any means of your choice. Personally, I would actually recommend a mundane physical change, combined with an item of mind blank, that way nothing short of a disjunction destroying your mind blank item, or someone stealing it from you somehow is gonna give your enemies an opening to find you.

[Brutter]

Alright, well I've heard two separate judgments from this thread, now. Is your stat block the same, just affected by racial traits, or reset back to the standard for your race?

[Crake]

Alright, well I've heard two separate judgments from this thread, now. Is your stat block the same, just affected by racial traits, or reset back to the standard for your race?

Polymorph gives you average ability scores for the race you turn into, alter self lets you keep your ability scores (it doesn't adjust your scores in any way, so turning from a human into a dwarf won't get you +2 con, all your ability scores will remain the same). Polymorph any object goes one step further, and also adjusts your intelligence score, so using it to turn into a human will result in an ability score array of 10 str, 10 dex, 10 con and 10 int, with only your wisdom and charisma scores remaining what they once were.