Alter Self: Swiss Army Spell

[Hadrian_Emrys]

Alright, I'm trying out the Mystic Swordsage variant as a player in a Ravenloft game. As happy as I am with the all day casting I was more than thrilled to find that my DM is allowing me to use alter self. Here's my list of forms as of right now:

Alter Self Forms:
L Combat: Blackscale Lizardfolk: large(10/10), claws (d6), bite (d6), +7 nat ac, move 40: black lizardman
M Combat: Troglodyte: claws (d4), Bite (d4), +6 nat ac, move 30: grey lizardman
Run/Burrow: Asabi: bite (d4), +2 nat ac, move 50, burrow 20: green lizardman
Swim: Sahuagin: claws (d4), bite (d4), +5 nat ac, move 30, swim 60: blue fishman
Climb: Quaggoth: claws (d4), bite (d4), +4 nat ac, move 30, climb 30: white dogman
Fly: Aarakocra: talon (d4), +1 nat ac, move 20, fly 90: red birdman

Are there any forms I've missed that could be better at what I want than the races chosen?

[Kaelaroth]

For swimming I would choose osmething that is not quite so hated by every single being under the ocean.
Tritons, Mer-Men... all good.

Sahuagin are good fighters, but for a secretive under-water getaway, they really.... perform badly.

[Solo]

Alright, I'm trying out the Mystic Swordsage variant as a player in a Ravenloft game. As happy as I am with the all day casting I was more than thrilled to find that my DM is allowing me to use alter self. Here's my list of forms as of right now:

Alter Self Forms:
L Combat: Blackscale Lizardfolk: large(10/10), claws (d6), bite (d6), +7 nat ac, move 40: black lizardman
M Combat: Troglodyte: claws (d4), Bite (d4), +6 nat ac, move 30: grey lizardman
Run/Burrow: Asabi: bite (d4), +2 nat ac, move 50, burrow 20: green lizardman
Swim: Sahuagin: claws (d4), bite (d4), +5 nat ac, move 30, swim 60: blue fishman
Climb: Quaggoth: claws (d4), bite (d4), +4 nat ac, move 30, climb 30: white dogman
Fly: Aarakocra: talon (d4), +1 nat ac, move 20, fly 90: red birdman

Are there any forms I've missed that could be better at what I want than the races chosen?

Why am I reminded of the Power Rangers?

[Arbitrarity]

Alter self is full of cheese. Mystic Swordsage, supposedly moreso, as spells>manuvers. And Alter Self is... Alter Self. Polymorph lite.

Presdigitition is the swiss army spell. Cook, flavor, store your food, and do the dishes!

[Hadrian_Emrys]

For swimming I would choose osmething that is not quite so hated by every single being under the ocean.
Tritons, Mer-Men... all good.

Sahuagin are good fighters, but for a secretive under-water getaway, they really.... perform badly.

Actually, despite their being hated by everything under the sun, they perform best so far as I can tell. No other Alter Self-able race I've read about move so quickly under water. Sure I won't be winning any fish man of the year awards, but I'll sure as hell dust (or whatever the heck the term is under water) any other swimmer there is.

Why am I reminded of the Power Rangers?

*stows hollowed out Warforged Titan behind vending machine*
What are you talking about?

Alter self is full of cheese. Mystic Swordsage, supposedly moreso, as spells>manuvers. And Alter Self is... Alter Self. Polymorph lite.

Presdigitition is the swiss army spell. Cook, flavor, store your food, and do the dishes!

No argument from me. DM is allowing it, so I'm gonna roll with it until he says otherwise. I have half a dozen spells on my backup list to replace it.

[Iku Rex]

Hadrian_Emrys, alter self can't be used to change into monstrous humanoid forms.

Anyway, this thread should prove helpful: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=176246 .

[Dausuul]

Hadrian_Emrys, alter self can't used to change into monstrous humanoid forms.

...unless your character is a monstrous humanoid to begin with.

[Iku Rex]

...unless your character is a monstrous humanoid to begin with.

Of course, but he's listed humanoid forms as well. I doubt that he's playing a monstrous humanoid.

[Hadrian_Emrys]

Indeed? I must have misread the spell. I thought monstrous humanoids fell under the blanket category of humanoid.

[Person_Man]

Unless they're playing a strait Hexblade, I generally ban Polymorph and Alter Self specifically because of this kind of abuse, unless everyone in the party is a powerful spellcaster of some kind.

But as long as your DM knows what you're doing ahead of time and you talk to him about it, you should be fine. Just avoid turning into a 9 headed Pyrohydra at upper levels. Trust me, it will just end up being the last polymorph you ever cast.

[Talya]

For flight, Averiel are pure humanoid. Are raptorans?

[Hadrian_Emrys]

The feeling that I get is that I'm intended to be a party member, yet at the same time be unnerving to the group. Hence alter self while in moving in the Child of Shadow stance. Playing it off as some sort of baleful curse.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Indeed? I must have misread the spell. I thought monstrous humanoids fell under the blanket category of humanoid.

Nope. Two entirely different types, just with misleading names.

And I believe Raptorans are Humanoids, but I seem unable to look them up on the wizards site at the moment. I do remember that they don't get Flight until they have at least 5 levels/HD though.