Jerrod brought my attention to the fact that WoTC officially replaced the Polymorph Self and Polymorph Other spells in Tome and Blood ("A Guidebook to Wizards and Sorcerers") on pages 94 and 95. I was caught off-guard by changes in Polymorph Self during a Cat's Paw run, when first running (in 3rd Ed) a dragon changing shape during a battle. I'd like to address those spells and the abilities that simulate them (e.g. a Druid's "wild shape" and some creatures' innate shapeshifting ability). If you don't really care about the details, there's no need to read the rest of this email. COMPARISON Here's an outline of the differences between the 1st Ed (PHB1), 3rd Ed PHB (PHB3), and Tome and Blood versions (T&B) of Polymorph Other and Polymorph self. Problems for the subject of Polymorph Other: PHB1: sys shock or die, chance to lose identity PHB3: disorientation T&B: nothing Proposal: disorientation, and nagging instincts of the new form Number of changes with Polymorph Self: PHB1: many PHB3: many T&B: one Proposal: one free, and -1 hour duration per additional change (either way) Number of attacks with the new form: PHB1: as new form with Other, none with Self PHB3: as new form T&B: as old form Proposal: as new form, given old-form fighting skill Limits on available forms with Polymorph Other: PHB1: new form's normal Int cannot exceed changer's Int PHB3: anything from Diminutive to one size larger than changer T&B: up to greater of caster level and changer levels/dice, max 15, and cannot become certain types (ousider, undead, elem, construct) Proposal: up to *lesser* of caster level minus 3, and changer levels/dice Limits on available forms with Polymorph Self: PHB1: anything from wren-sized to hippo-sized (D to L?) PHB3: anything from Diminutive to one size larger than changer T&B: hit dice up to caster level, max 15, and cannot become certain types Proposal: up to caster level - 3, no max, and cannot become certain types Summary: I'm proposing we use the PHB3 version of Polymorph Other, adding a limit on the number of dice of the new form. I'm also proposing that we use the PHB3 version of Polymorph Self, with that limit on the dice of the new form, and also with the duration shortening (by 1 hour per) if multiple changes are made. Also, that neither spell allow a creature to be turned into a form that normally has type outsider, undead, elemental or construct, unless already of that type. COMBAT STATISTICS Feats, like multiattack, are extraordinary abilities. Whether they are available in the new form depends very much on how the creature is changing shape. Polymorph Self does not give the new form's feats, but Shapechange does. The attack bonus is based on the new form's Strength, and the changer's base attack bonus. The new form's weaponry, unless vaguely similar to something the changer already knows well, counts as exotic. The changer has to learn proficiency in the new form's body weaponry as with any other weapon, unless it has fully embraced the new form. Druids with wild shape (and shapeshifting creatures such as dragons) are assumed to have fully embraced one form per level/die. SPEED OF CHANGE When this came up in a Cat's Paw run, we thought that a dragon changing form (with the spell-like ability Polymorph Self) would be a full-round action. That is contradicted on page 22 of Masters of the Wild (WoTC's "Guidebook to Barbarians, Druids and Rangers"), in the "normal" section of the new feat "Fast Wild Shape", which says: "A druid uses wild shape as a standard action." Trying to reconcile that with the PHB3 description of the Polymorph Self spell, as far as I can tell the initial change is always a standard action (you cast the spell as a standard action, and at the end of casting the change has taken place). When the description of Polymorph Self says that you can change repeatedly, and that each change is a full-round action, it is referring to those *additional* changes (after the first) as each taking full-round action. WILD SHAPE FOR DRUIDS There are a few constraints on a Druid's wild shape ability, for compatibility with Fivtorian history. - A Druid should first be able to take the form of a small bird (size Tiny) at about 6th or 7th level. This is when it was possible to do so before, and a small bird has been the standard animal form for most spying. Druids in 3rd Ed get that ability at 11th level, which is a huge difference, since there are SO MANY more Druids of 6th or 7th level than there are of 11th level. - Few Druids of size Medium should be able to turn into animals of size Large. Druids were effectively limited to size Medium in 1st Ed, so having Druids of 8th level turn into polar bears (as is allowed by 3rd Ed rules) clashes rather badly. - Druids should not be able to take on a superior fighting form before about 6th level. There are other ways for a Druid to get aerial recon or to send messages a long distance, but if Druids could turn into black bears at a low level, they'd have always done so. - Only an extremely high-level Druid should be able to take on a form like the 3rd Ed "dire bear," with +18 attacks, a total average damage 44 hp per round, 10' reach, and Improved Grab. By 3rd Ed rules, a Druid gets this at 12th level, giving it the ability to out-melee a 12th-level Fighter (or probably a stream of 8th-level Fighters). Given these constraints, I tried to come up with an alternative to the wild shape progression. I failed to find anything I liked, until I came upon the following. It has the disadvantage that Druids can take a bird form and fly substantially earlier than before, but that's really only an issue for transportation. And I can think of few cases where a sub-6th-level Druid was greatly limited by travel speed. ------------ All Druids get the "wild shape" ability at 1st level, but there are several constraints on what forms they can change into. These constraints generally limit the use of wild shape to 5th level (4th level for Druids of size Small). 1. The animal form must not have more hit dice than the character has Druid levels, minus 3. I.e. a character with 5 Druid levels can change into an animal of no more than 2 hit dice. This -3 penalty goes away in the case of an animal the Druid knows intimately. For example, a Druid raised by wolves would be able to take the form of a wolf (a deceased member of the pack) starting at 2nd level. 2. For every 4 additional Druid levels a character has (at 5th, 9th, etc), it gains the ability to turn into an animal one size category smaller than its natural form. I.e. a human Druid gains the ability to change into a Tiny shape at 9th level. 3. For every 6 additional Druid levels a character has (at 7th, 13th, etc), it gains the ability to turn into an animal one size category larger than its natural form. (Those are usually limited by dice, not by size category.) 4. The level required to take on the form of a dire animal (or a "legendary animal" as described in Masters of the Wild) is 4 higher than that required for a non-dire animal of the same size category and hit dice. The level required to get the extraordinary abilities of an animal is 4 higher than that required to take on that animal's shape. At this point, the Druid also takes on the new form's "type" when making the change, and can still use the extraordinary abilities of its natural form, too. Pieces that are separated do not revert to their original form, so an animal with a poisonous bite can poison opponents (until the Druid changes back). In short, the Druid gets the equivalent of the Shapechange spell, instead of the Polymorph Self spell, but changing is still a standard action (not a free action as in the case of Shapechange). A Druid can initially use Wild Shape once per day. For every 2 levels beyond 4th, the Druid can make one more change per day. The "Extra Wild Shape" feat gives 2 extra changes per day, and can be taken repeatedly and cumulatively. The "Small Wild Shape" feat lets a Druid take on a shape 1 size category smaller than otherwise. (Prerequisite: already using wild shape.) The "Fast Wild Shape" feat reduces the combat-time needed to change shape (move-equivalent rather than standard). A move-equivalent change of form can be combined with a normal move (as with drawing a weapon) if the form change fits the movement. ------------ I'd like to apply the same mechanics to dragons, with some changes: - Forms are as for a Druid, plus humanoid forms. (Choice of types may differ for unusual dragons, e.g. an undead one might be able to take on any undead type form. There are probably feats that allow for other types, too.) - The ability becomes available at the 1st age category for Gold dragons, at the 4th age category for Red dragons, and one category later for each lesser dragon type of either metallic or chromatic. (I.e. Types with 8-die wyrmlings start as wyrmlings, and each die below 8 delays it one age, and being chromatic delays it 2 more ages.) - A dragon can use alternate forms from the size of Tiny up to its natural (dragon) size. There is no progression of size with "level" other than the natural growth in size of the dragon. - A dragon can change into a non-dragon form once per day at the age when it first acquires this capability. It can return to its dragon form at no "cost." Each age category beyond the minimum provides one additional change into an alternate form. - At the age when a dragon first acquires the ability to change shape, it is limited to the forms of 1-die creatures. Each further age category adds 1 hit die to this limit. For the purpose of acquiring a form's exceptional abilities, or for taking the form of a dire or legendary animal, use "2 age categories" in place of the Druid's "4 levels".