Winged Tiefling Shapechange - Wings Are Lost or Not?

[Oerlaf]

How would you rule the following situation?

A winged tiefling casts a shapechange spell to change into a creature that lacks a flying speed. The shapechange spell says that "you retain all features of your race, provided that the new form is physically capable of doing so".

However, the winged tiefling racial trait is worded as "You have bat-like wings sprouting from your shoulders. You have a flying speed of 30 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor. This trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait" and basically gifts you with the wings that sprout from your shoulders.

In contrast, aarakocra's one is worded as "You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor."

Therefore, if a winged tiefling casts shapechange into a form that has shoulders, does the Winged trait from the Tiefling grant him the wings?

[quindraco]

How would you rule the following situation?

A winged tiefling casts a shapechange spell to change into a creature that lacks a flying speed. The shapechange spell says that "you retain all features of your race, provided that the new form is physically capable of doing so".

However, the winged tiefling racial trait is worded as "You have bat-like wings sprouting from your shoulders. You have a flying speed of 30 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor. This trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait" and basically gifts you with the wings that sprout from your shoulders.

In contrast, aarakocra's one is worded as "You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor."

Therefore, if a winged tiefling casts shapechange into a form that has shoulders, does the Winged trait from the Tiefling grant him the wings?

No. Here is some filler text so I can hit submit reply.

[GentlemanVoodoo]

The answer in short is does the new form caused by shapechange have the capability of physical flight?

If you were to shapechange into a human then the answer is no as humans do not have wings to fly with. If it was a creature capable of flight like an aarakocra then the answer would be yes provided the conditions of flight are met to allow it for that creature. On the shoulders part of your question I would have to say no as the wings will have to take the shape of the creature you have become.

[Monster Manuel]

How would you rule the following situation?

"provided that the new form is physically capable of doing so".



I think that's the key. The flight is dependent upon the physical form of the wings. If the new form lacks wings, the form is no longer physically capable.

You might retain your racially-granted darkvision when you shapechange, but it does you no good if the new form has no eyes. You can keep your elven proficiency with a bow in your new form, but if you turned into a snake, you can't use it.

The tiefling gets wings for flying, but if you shapechange into a turtle, that racial trait no longer does you any good.

At least, that's how I read it.