How do you abuse polymorph?

[purplearcanist]

How do you abuse alter self/polymorph/polymorph any object/shapechange?

[Nemoricus]

Shapechange gives Supernatural abilities. Look up the barghest. Read the Feed ability description. That should explain how broken that spell is, as currently written.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/barghest.htm

Link to barghest.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/rg

See the entries on Polymorph.

[Frosty]

How do you abuse alter self/polymorph/polymorph any object/shapechange?

By casting it.

[Solo]

How do you abuse polymorph?

Easily.

[Signmaker]

"How do I burn things with fire?"

This is basically what your question equates to.

Think of all the creatures you've ever seen in a book, core or splat.
Think of all the abilities applicable through the spell.
Compare, optimize.
Abuse.

[AslanCross]

One of the less broken ways to abuse Shapechange is to become a balor. Since the balor's vorpal sword is an (Su) ability, you automatically get one.

Depending on your DM, there's the Titan Gate chain, Tippy's "Gaterape" (ugh) trick, and a lot of other horrid, horrid things.

[RTGoodman]

By casting it.

That was gonna be my answer.


Seriously, though, alter self can give you, depending on your type, obscene natural armor bonuses and flight, way before other spells can give you the same, or perhaps even more broken stuff.

Polymorph and the rest of the higher-level spells (and especially shapechange) give you access to even more and better abilities, all for the low, low price of... casting a spell.

[SamTheCleric]

A sweet sack of valencia oranges... shows 'em who's boss and won't leave a mark...

Bonus points to anyone who actually gets the reference.

[mostlyharmful]

PAO gives you mental stats, so try a Great Wyrm Gold Dragon.

For shapechange there almost isn't any way to use it that isn't broken. Try Zodar with a supernatural wish, or Golems for immunity to magic and Abbominations for ridiculous uberness or Sarruck to be Pun-Pun

Alter Self if you're an outsider becomes a whole lot easier, short of that you just have every movement type available or humoungous NA bonuses and physical stat bonuses. Oh, and more stealth than the rogue...

Polymorph is best served in Treant form in core if you want to go Gish, otherwise you want to look at forms that combine continued casting with alternate movement rates, boosts to stats, AC boosts, attack forms, in some cases extra actions, funky Ex attacks like web or whathaveyou, etc.....

this line of spells comes out of the box as borked as you could ever want. I ban them in every game and never use them if I'm playing a caster in someone elses game, they just make it no fun..

[Frosty]

PAO gives you mental stats, so try a Great Wyrm Gold Dragon.

For shapechange there almost isn't any way to use it that isn't broken. Try Zodar with a supernatural wish, or Golems for immunity to magic and Abbominations for ridiculous uberness or Sarruck to be Pun-Pun

Alter Self if you're an outsider becomes a whole lot easier, short of that you just have every movement type available or humoungous NA bonuses and physical stat bonuses. Oh, and more stealth than the rogue...

Polymorph is best served in Treant form in core if you want to go Gish, otherwise you want to look at forms that combine continued casting with alternate movement rates, boosts to stats, AC boosts, attack forms, in some cases extra actions, funky Ex attacks like web or whathaveyou, etc.....

this line of spells comes out of the box as borked as you could ever want. I ban them in every game and never use them if I'm playing a caster in someone elses game, they just make it no fun..

Alter self is mostly fine IF not an outsider. I tend to ban polymorph though.

[Chronos]

Alter self is mostly fine IF not an outsider. I tend to ban polymorph though.

Eh, you can still get 6 natural armor from Troglodyte, or flight from Raptoran, or water breathing from Merfolk, even as a humanoid. And those are all at a lower level than the spells which are supposed to give you those things.

[Frosty]

Eh, you can still get 6 natural armor from Troglodyte, or flight from Raptoran, or water breathing from Merfolk, even as a humanoid. And those are all at a lower level than the spells which are supposed to give you those things.

I'm ok with those things. Fly is overpriced anyways.

[tyckspoon]

+8 Natural Armor if you can use the Tren (Serpent Kingdoms. You may also know Serpent Kingdoms from such movies as Pun-Pun Goes To Camp.) It's a Troglodyte on steroids, basically.

[Moff Chumley]

One of the less broken ways to abuse Shapechange is to become a balor. Since the balor's vorpal sword is an (Su) ability, you automatically get one.

Depending on your DM, there's the Titan Gate chain, Tippy's "Gaterape" (ugh) trick, and a lot of other horrid, horrid things.

Is this the one involving epic magic destroying planets, or am I thinking of a different one? Someone should archive Tippy's... *sits and tries to think of appropriate word, I'll get back to you on this*

[EvilElitest]

how do you not abuse polymorph. You just can't resist it, there isn't any groups to pervent you from doing it
from
EE

[Collin152]

how do you not abuse polymorph.

I use it to turn into...
A rat.
You know, for stealth.

[Emperor Tippy]

Is this the one involving epic magic destroying planets, or am I thinking of a different one? Someone should archive Tippy's... *sits and tries to think of appropriate word, I'll get back to you on this*

Gaterape is when you gate in a creature and then Mind Rape it. Thats the bare bones, everything else is just stuff to get the creature gated in or back to you afterwards.

If you gaterape Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragons then you get to mess around with epic magic. Once you get that its all over. You can give yourself the Ex ability to create a star at will as a standard action. Or an entire solar system if you are so inclined.

[EvilElitest]

I use it to turn into...
A rat.
You know, for stealth.

we all ahve at some point or other

Really, polymorph basically is over poweredness
from
EE

[Moff Chumley]

PAA: Polymorph abusers anonymous. Found yourself out twinking red mage? Reading to much Emperor Tippy*? Then the PAA is here for you!

*: Mentioning Tippy in posts about powergaming is nigh required.

[obvious pun]

A sweet sack of valencia oranges... shows 'em who's boss and won't leave a mark...

Bonus points to anyone who actually gets the reference.

Wasn't that from that episode of Family Guy?

Back on topic...

Now this is just off the top of my head...

Alter Self: Swim Speed, Flight, Burrowing, Skill Bonuses, Natural Armor.
Polymorph: The above + Physical Stats, Extraordinary Abilities, Bigger list of things to change into.
Shape Change: The above + Bigger list of things to change into, Supernatural Abilities, able to change into a different creature during the spell.
Polymorph any object: Pebble to Solar/ Dragon/ Phoenix/ Golem/ Expendable Soldier/ etc, YOURSELF to Solar/ Dragon/ etc.

Edit: Ninja'd. Accursed slow posting.

[Collin152]

PAA

Polymorph Any Attended-object?
Awesome!

[Chronos]

I'm ok with those things. Fly is overpriced anyways.

Even if each of those things individually is reasonable for second level, getting all of them (and other advantages, too, like great disguises) with a single spell is a bit much.

[EvilElitest]

PAA: Polymorph abusers anonymous. Found yourself out twinking red mage? Reading to much Emperor Tippy*? Then the PAA is here for you!

*: Mentioning Tippy in posts about powergaming is nigh required.

I haev to come clean, i've been abusting polymorph for ages. It normally happens when i'm drunk, and have come home from a long day of work, but i then lash out at polly spells and horrible aburse them. I take advantage of their innate lack of protect against my powergaming might. It is simply sick what i make Polymorph do when i abuse it ,but by the end of the night nobody even takes it serously. It is ashamed and refuses to come out of the house.


Tippy, Logic Ninja, and Bears were teh axis of evil of power gaming. Tippy is the Stalin who still remains, might to hte end
from
EE

[Collin152]

Tippy, Logic Ninja, and Bears were teh axis of evil of power gaming. Tippy is the Stalin who still remains, might to hte end
from
EE

And that doesn't even acount for all the world leaders who supported them without technically gettign involved.

[Emperor Tippy]

Tippy, Logic Ninja, and Bears were teh axis of evil of power gaming. Tippy is the Stalin who still remains, might to hte end
from
EE

TLN and Bears with Lasers were the same person. And he is still around with yet another account (his 4th I believe).

Fax, Karsh, Jack Manycoats, and a few others on these boards are all at my level in general optimizing skill. I can do wizards real well and the rest of it when I put my mind to it and get out my books.

---
And I don't really abuse Polymorph. The only one I ever bother with is Shapechange and unless I'm going for Zodar cheese I generally hang around as a Shadesteel Golem.

[Collin152]

TLN and Bears with Lasers were the same person.

Yes, but then, so were George Washington and King George.

[EvilElitest]

And that doesn't even acount for all the world leaders who supported them without technically gettign involved.

and avoided notice

you know who you are

you communists

TLN and Bears with Lasers were the same person. And he is still around with yet another account (his 4th I believe).

yeah, most likely, he is waiting to strike the moment we turn out back, ready to lash out and destroy us with his ability to understand the system.

I can't wait until 4E so i can see it get dismantled by you lot

Fax, Karsh, Jack Manycoats, and a few others on these boards are all at my level in general optimizing skill. I can do wizards real well and the rest of it when I put my mind to it and get out my books.

Don't be modest

And I don't really abuse Polymorph. The only one I ever bother with is Shapechange and unless I'm going for Zodar cheese I generally hang around as a Shadesteel Golem.

We all abuse polymorph. Even when we don't need to, we do it for the sheer thrill of it
from
EE

[Ascension]

We all abuse polymorph. Even when we don't need to, we do it for the sheer thrill of it

I hear in the next edition it's going to try to get a restraining order against us.

It remains to be seen whether it will have any lasting effect or not.

[Emperor Tippy]

and avoided notice

you know who you are

I'm sure they do.

yeah, most likely, he is waiting to strike the moment we turn out back, ready to lash out and destroy us with his ability to understand the system.

I can't wait until 4E so i can see it get dismantled by you lot

Meh. We'll see.

Don't be modest

I'm not. The people I named are good optimizers.

We all abuse polymorph. Even when we don't need to, we do it for the sheer thrill of it
from
EE

Honestly I really don't. Outside of a few specific tricks I generally just shift into a Shadesteel golem and stay there, perhaps changing to something with better movement speeds when needed.

The bookkeeping with the polymorph line is just to much work for me.

[Talic]

How do you abuse alter self/polymorph/polymorph any object/shapechange?

Silly, silly people. You're all wrong.

You don't abuse polymorph spells...

Polymorph spells abuse the encounter. Heartily.