Hi everyone. Take a look here for discussion on the Metamorphic Transfer feat when IcyCool tried to add an arcane version. Unfortunately, it seemed the Judges at the time figured it was safe to ignore the Psionic version because it hadn't come up yet. Just now, a character in one of my games took the feat. What should we do about it? It allows, among other similar things, 3.0 Haste ability off of Chokers. Personally, I suggest banning it.
__________________ "That's so far over the line between genius and madness, it passed all the way through Cthulhuville and normalcy and all the way back to brilliance!"--MoogleEmpMog
Can we ban the wort abuses of it, but allow the feat otherwise? Perhaps with a list of specifically aproved uses as well as specifically disallowed uses?
Can we ban the wort abuses of it, but allow the feat otherwise? Perhaps with a list of specifically aproved uses as well as specifically disallowed uses?
I think the only way to fix it would be to make the 3 per day limit meaningful by limiting it to attacks only. Three extra-high-DC Medusa Stone Gazes (check the feat text to see why this is so, though it's far more powerful for Wilders or Sorcerer/Cerebromancers who get the feat since it uses Charisma) won't break the game. Three long transfers that give Choker Quickness for the full duration will.
Just to get the ball rolling, here are some uses that should be OK:
Breath Weapons (See Dragon, at least Breath Weapons of standard Dragon types, there are some wierd ones out there that might be a problem)
Smite Evil (See Unicorn)
Magic Circle v. Evil (See Unicorn)
Blink (see Blink Dog)
Dimension Door (see Blink Dog)
Ethereal Jaunt (see Phase Spider)
I'm in favor of the nerfing the feat (aka the bad list) rather than having to loose it altogether but then its my character we are talking about so i will abstain from whatever voting would take place.
Level 0: Save DC 13
1 Detect Magic
2 Light
3 Guidance
4 Resistance Level 1: Save DC 14
D Longstrider
1 Bless
2 Cause Fear
3 Summon Monster 1 Level 2: Save DC 15
D Locate Object 1 Sound Burst
2 Summon Monster 2
1
Level 0: Save DC 14
S Message
1 Detect Magic
2 Detect Magic
3 Light
4 Prestidigitation Level 1: Save DC 15 S Feather Fall
1 Comprehend Languages 2 Color Spray 3 Magic Missile Level 2: Save DC 16 S Hypnotic Pattern 1 Scorching Ray 2 Extended Mage Armor
Here is a complete list of all creatures, hd, and su abilities that characters could use over the course of their careers. I've also included the text of the power and feat for ease and a short hand of the limitations. I've also bolded the ones that I think might be excessive.
Metamorphic Transfer
METAMORPHIC TRANSFER [PSIONIC]
You can gain a supernatural ability of a metamorphed form.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, manifester level 5th.
Benefit: Each time you change your form, such as through the metamorphosis power, you gain one of the new form’s supernatural abilities, if it has any.
You gain only three uses of the metamorphic ability per day, even if the creature into which you metamorph has a higher limit on uses (You are still subject to other restrictions on the use of the ability.) The save DC to resist a supernatural ability gained through Metamorphic Transfer (if it is an attack) is 10 + your Cha modifier + 1/2 your Hit Dice.
No matter how many times you manifest the metamorphosis power on a given day, you can gain only a total of three supernatural ability transfers per day.
Normal: You cannot use the supernatural abilities of creatures whose form you assume.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time, you can gain one additional supernatural ability.
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis
Psychometabolism
Level: Egoist 4
Display: Material and olfactory
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level (D) for a creature; 1 hour/level (D) for an object
Power Points: 7
You assume the form of a creature of the same type as your normal form, or any other type except construct, elemental, outsider, and undead. The assumed form can have as many Hit Dice as your manifester level, to a maximum of 15.
You can’t assume a form smaller than Fine, nor can you assume an incorporeal, ectoplasmic, or gaseous form. You cannot take the form of any creature that has a template. Your type and subtype (if applicable) change to match the new form.
Upon changing, you regain lost hit points as if you had rested for a night (though this healing does not restore ability damage and provide other benefits of resting; and changing back does not heal you further). If you are slain while under the effect of this power, you revert to your original form, though you remain dead. You gain the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the new form but retain your own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also gain all extraordinary special attacks possessed by the form (such as constrict, improved grab, and poison) but do not gain the extraordinary special qualities possessed by the new form (such as blindsense, fast healing, regeneration, and scent) or any supernatural, psionic, or spell-like abilities.
You retain all supernatural and spell-like special attacks and special qualities of your normal form, except for those requiring a body part that the new form does not have, if any. You keep all extraordinary special attacks and special qualities derived from class levels, but you lose any benefits of the racial traits of your normal form. If you have a template, special abilities it provides are likewise not retained. If the assumed form is capable of speech, you can communicate normally. You retain any manifesting ability you had in your original form.
You acquire the physical qualities of the new form while retaining your own mind. Physical qualities include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings, to a maximum speed of 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws or a bite), racial bonuses on skill checks, racial bonus feats, and any anatomical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth). A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal.
You can freely designate the new form’s minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that type. The new form’s significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under your control, but they must fall within the norms for the new form’s species. You are effectively disguised as an average member of the new form’s race. If you use this power to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check.
When the change occurs, your equipment either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item in question) or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When you revert to your normal form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on your body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items you wore in the assumed form and can’t wear in your normal form fall off and land at your feet; any that you could wear in either form or carry in a body part common to both forms (mouth, hands, or the like) at the time of reversion are still held in the same way. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its normal form.
You can also use this power to assume the form of an inanimate object. You gain the object’s hardness and retain your own hit points. You can take the shape of almost any simple object you can think of. If you attempt to take the form of a complex object, you must make an appropriate skill check.. If you fail the check, your manifestation of the power does not succeed. Likewise, you cannot take the form of a complex mechanical mechanism unless you have some sort of skill associated with the object. You cannot use this power to assume the form of a psionic item or a magic item, or any object with a hardness of 15 or higher. You also cannot take the form of a psionically animated mechanism or any object formed of ectoplasm.
As an inanimate object, you lose all mobility. You retain your normal senses and your ability to speak. You can manifest a power if you make a Concentration check (DC 20 + power level); however, doing so ends the duration of this power. If you take damage while in the form of an object, your actual body also takes damage (but the object’s hardness, if any, protects you).
Paraphrased:
HD=Manifester level
no constructs, elementals, outsiders, or undead
no smaller than fine (no upper limit on size, huge is the biggest I found under 16HD)
cant be incorporeal, ectoplasmic, or gaseous
SU only
DC=10+Cha mod+1/2hd
Phantom Fungus doesn't seem like a problem to me. Sure, greater invisibility as long as you stay in the form is great... but you have to be a fungus!
I'd rather be a perfectly visible stone giant, or a Tiny (and thus easilly hidden) pseudodragon with three times the fungus's base speed as a fly speed!
You cannot assume SU abilities that are constant and always active (ie. Quickness) nor can you use SU abilities that enable extraplanar movement (ie. Ethereal Jaunt).
The first to prevent the abusive abilities which if anyone can find a creature with SU regen or SU damage reduction/spell resistance would be almost on par with Quickness.
The second to prevent all the Ethereal Jaunting that is available for 4 different creatures.
The only thing this one doesnt prevent on my bolded ones is Enslave from the Aboleth.
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