Alter Self Usefulness

[SensFan]

I've seen dozens of posters talk about how amazing it is, that it can give flight, high Nat. Armor, swim, burrow, etc...

According to the srd, "You assume the form of a creature of the same type as your normal form."

How is it nearly as good as people say it is?

[Flickerdart]

Same type means the same type of creature: Outsiders for Planetouched, Aberrations for Elan, Humanoids for Humans, Elves, etc. Loooooots of options.

[jmbrown]

It's relatively subpar for humanoids but outsiders and fey get it good.

[Dixieboy]

Are there any good humanoid forms?

[Foryn Gilnith]

Strongly consider searching.

You can get fly speed and stuff. But yeah, it's less useful for humanoids.

[Eldan]

Well, there's aquatic elves, for waterbreathing, and Avariel should be humanoids as well. So you at least get that. There are also good defences.

[Dixieboy]

Strongly consider searching.

You can get fly speed and stuff. But yeah, it's less useful for humanoids.

I have in fact went on a search or two.
I managed to find only negligible bonuses, which is why I asked.

[Yuki Akuma]

There are humanoids out there with any movement speed you'd ever need.

It can grant you a flight speed if you turn into, say, a raptoran.

It's also one level lower than fly and lasts ten times longer.

(Okay granted to fly as a raptoran you need to be level five so you could just cast fly anyway, but there are other flying humanoids out there.)

[Optimystik]

Strongly consider searching.

You can get fly speed and stuff. But yeah, it's less useful for humanoids.

Not everyone has strong Google-fu.

And the list wasn't complete (Raptorans aren't on it - another humanoid with flight)

[Foryn Gilnith]

Ah. We seem to have different definitions of negligible. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[Lycanthromancer]

Warforged can become these.

[Yuki Akuma]

Warforged can become these.

That would be awesome for a psiforged. If only there was a psionic version of alter form.

(Oh sure you could make a psiforged spellcaster, but... why?)

[Lycanthromancer]

That would be awesome for a psiforged. If only there was a psionic version of alter form.

(Oh sure you could make a psiforged spellcaster, but... why?)

Oh, I don't know.

Maybe an artificer?

[Mushroom Ninja]

(Oh sure you could make a psiforged spellcaster, but... why?)

Cerebremancer?

[Yuki Akuma]

But artificers aren't spellcasters.

...For some reason. Exactly what are they, then? Infusions are magical, just like spells. And they have infusion slots, just like any spontaneous spellcaster. And their infusions have arcane spell failure and material components.

What the hell, Wizards.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Humanoids can assume troglodyte form for some natural armor. There may be another form available for a little more AC, but that's about it.

[Eldariel]

Trogdolyte is fine, Avariel (Races of Faerun) is a great flyer, Crucian from Miniatures Handbook actually has Trogdolyte beat on NA and...yeah. Stuff like that.

[Lycanthromancer]

But artificers aren't spellcasters.

They can, however, access alter self by level 1.

...For some reason. Exactly what are they, then? Infusions are magical, just like spells. And they have infusion slots, just like any spontaneous spellcaster. And their infusions have arcane spell failure and material components.

What the hell, Wizards.

I've been saying this for the last few years. Mostly accompanied with the sound of head-on-desk.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

But artificers aren't spellcasters.

...For some reason. Exactly what are they, then? Infusions are magical, just like spells. And they have infusion slots, just like any spontaneous spellcaster. And their infusions have arcane spell failure and material components.

What the hell, Wizards.

My current houserule list bans all tier 1 casters other than Artificers and Clerics for reasons of balance. Clerics are allowed because there are so few replacements, Artificers are banned for reason of insanity. Both in the class design and it's effect on those who have to play with it. If that's ever fixed, then I'll ban it for being unbalanced.

[Dixieboy]

Have you considered favored soul?

I'unno if it's any better than cleric to be honest, but it's a spontanious caster. (Thus weaker)

[Optimystik]

I like Shugenja myself. Less spells, but nice flavor and SAD.

[Tyndmyr]

It's also useful for going undetected. I mean, nothing says "Im definitely not the human who killed that guy you love" like being an elf does.

Im not reccomending it as the *only* thing should do in said situation, but it does help.

[Thurbane]

Alter Self can get you +6 to natural armor for 10 minutes/level (and that's just in core)...which stacks with Mage Armor (and Shield). Not exactly amazing, but definitely not useless either...

[Optimystik]

That would be awesome for a psiforged. If only there was a psionic version of alter form.

That made me wonder - how WOULD a Psiforged interact with Metamorphosis anyway? It says they can't turn into a construct but that's paired with the secondary "any other type" clause, whereas the primary clause states "same type as your normal form." Could a psiforged or warforged egoist become an Astral Construct?

[Lycanthromancer]

That made me wonder - how WOULD a Psiforged interact with Metamorphosis anyway? It says they can't turn into a construct but that's paired with the secondary "any other type" clause, whereas the primary clause states "same type as your normal form." Could a psiforged or warforged egoist become an Astral Construct?

They can turn into creatures of their type (ie constructs), but not something made from ectoplasm (eg astral constructs).

[Optimystik]

They can turn into creatures of their type (ie constructs), but not something made from ectoplasm (eg astral constructs).

I see that now, but now I don't understand your earlier comment ("Warforged can become these.") Unless you were joking, in which case it went over my head.

[Lycanthromancer]

I see that now, but now I don't understand your earlier comment ("Warforged can become these.") Unless you were joking, in which case it went over my head.

You can turn into ectoplasmic creatures with alter self. You can't with metamorphosis.

[Optimystik]

Bah. Yet another case, I suppose, of Psions Can't Have Nice Things.™

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Bah. Yet another case, I suppose, of Psions Can't Have Nice Things.™

Given that Psionics are usually considered far more balanced than arcane casting...yes. Yes it is.

[Optimystik]

Given that Psionics are usually considered far more balanced than arcane casting...yes. Yes it is.

They're balanced solely because WotC hasn't paid attention to them long enough to break them.

StP Erudite was only the start, I assure you.