Polymorph subschool

[shuntsu]

If you are using the polymorph subschool spells, do you still integrate polymorph and its variants using the new idea (just swap your character sheet with X monster pretty much) or are you nixing the whole set and starting over with a new set of spells (a la Rich's polymorph solution).

[Ramza00]

Polymorph Subschool doesn't affect the old line of spells due to the clause (that is horribly written but it still in there) that it doesn't spells based off alter self or polymorph (which also effects shapechange since its based off polymorph). Customer Service has since confirmed that the clause that the polymorph subschool doesn't change any of the text of alter self, polymorph, or similar spells; they are effectively identical to what they said the day before PHB2 came out.

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As a DM you can have a world without any polymorph, without the old polymorph, without the new polymorph, or you can have both the old and new polymorph. It is up to you as DM.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Polymorph Subschool doesn't affect the old line of spells due to the clause (that is horribly written but it still in there) that it doesn't spells based off alter self or polymorph (which also effects shapechange since its based off polymorph).

Whell, they do gain the subschool...

Anyway, I haven't officially integrated it into the campaign I've been playing before, but I now plan to take the official recommendation that most of those old polymorph spells be eliminated. I will favor the newer polymorph spells over those.

[Ramza00]

Whell, they do gain the subschool...

They gain the subschool, but none of the text of the subschool. The only benefit they gain is the title "Polymorph Subschool" even though the gain none of the text of the "Polymorph Subschool." Its just a way of retroconning and saying all these spells are similar, even if they are in reality very different.

Thus it makes no differences now, polymorph subschool doesn't change alterself, polymorph, dracononic polymorph, or shapechange

[Shhalahr Windrider]

They gain the subschool, but none of the text of the subschool. The only benefit they gain is the title "Polymorph Subschool" even though the gain none of the text of the "Polymorph Subschool." Its just a way of retroconning and saying all these spells are similar, even if they are in reality very different.

Despite not having any of the normal properties of the polymorph, the fact that the spells in question gain the subschool can be quite important. If a feat were to come out that says, "You gain benefit <x> when casting spells of the polymorph subschool," polymorph, alter self, and shapechange would all be affected by the feat. If you were to visit a plane where polymorph spells were halved in duration, those spells would be affected.

All that's really happening in the other cases is an extreme example of the text of a specific item trumping the normal rules for items of its type.