How do you adjudicate the spells, polymorph self and polymorph other?

[Li Shenron]

I don't have problems with PolySelf, it doesn't seem overpowered at all, maybe a bit underpowered, but still my players have come out often with nice use of it.

Instead I'm very scared of PolyOther, but none of my PCs has yet used it. How do you handle a PC who transforms all enemies into fish? or giant fungi? (I wonder if you can, anyway...)

 

[pendril]

<thread hijack>
This is totally off-topic, but the above quote reminds me. I see a lot of discussion on these boards about the joys/pains of the stat-buffing spells. My group has been playing 3e since it came out, and not once have these spells been prepared, let alone cast. Out of curiosity, is my group the only one that seems to avoid the buffing spells?
</thread hijack>

-Tiberius

Why don't you ask your players and let us know what they say? I just think these spells are too accessible at low level. Also, they force a lot of re-calculating (inviting opportunities for error). Despite my complaint, I've elected not to change the rules in order to give my players the full D&D 3rd Ed. experience. I still think it's the best version ever.

-Pendril

 

[Holy Bovine]

In my game Polymorth Self/Other became a major offensive weapon on several occasions (A Paladin polyed into a troll is just not pretty when you take his sword away before poly and let him use it twohanded in troll form). But I restricted the wizard only to creatures he had seen up close.

Of course once he saw that Silver Dragon things were never the same

I found Poly Other, like most other 'save or die' spells, to be a mixed blessing for the players. Either they took out a big villian with it (very rarely, if ever, was the villian a key part of the plot - those fellows had the sense to have good Fort save ) or they cast it time after time and never had any effect on the game at all.

The wizard player was very much into his 'Transmuter' specailist and took great pains to keep him true to type relying on buffing, poly and protection spells to boost the party's power.

I don;t remember Poly Self ever being abused in my game but that doesn't mean it couldn't be.


[edit] Just remembered that only time that Poly Other got 'abused' was when I, as the DM, had a Woodwrack Dragon (from the Scarreed Lands books) cast it to turn the Cleric & Paladin into fish (unbelievable bad luck on thier part to blow two 'only need a 3' Fort saves in a row too - but dang was the look other their faces worth it )

 

[Enkhidu]

I have to say - Poly Self was never really a combat spell for my wizard. Quite frankly, other spells did a better job of buffing and damaging. But boy howdy was it ever my 4th level favorite.

I can't tell you the amount of timeas that spell pulled my - or more appropriately the whole party's - fat out of the fire. Really need to open a door? Time for the orge or troll. Need a swimmer? Be a fish. Add in the healing imbedded in the first shape change and the whole thing gets silly.

Basically it was the "everything" spell - 1001 uses. And I think I used it in combat all of one time.

Man, I love that spell.

 

[Grommilus]

First off, I haven't seen anyone mention the errata'd version of the spells in the Tome and Blood.
In the errata'd version of polymorph self, you can only take one form for the duration of the spell. So that fixes that, mostly.

as for the poll, my answer wasn't one of the options, which would be anything the caster had seen, even if briefly, or had basic knowledge of (such as a first hand account, or a picture and article like a national geographic mag)

as for the buff spells, i find that in most games by decently high level the party usually trys to get items with stat boosts to thier primary stats, cause they help alot, making the buff spells seldom used.

The thing I think may be slighty overpowered is the shapechange spell and the possibily of taking the form of the Tarrasque. with a druid it would be even worse, cause of better BAB. scary stuff huh? gets all the extraodinary abilites like the carapice and improved crits and swallow whole.. it's mean, seen it done.

Grom