Poly-Cripple?

[Nebrok]

Here is an interesting question that has come up in one of the games I run.

“If a character is paralyzed and cannot use her legs, would polymorphing into another creature ,even if it is another bipedal creature, enable the character to walk?”

The proposal was that if polymorph changes the whole body then it is likely to make the character capable of full movement for the duration of the spell. This actually makes sense to me. After all if it can create extra limbs like displacer beast legs and tentacles or a griffin’s wings, why not give mobility to limbs that are changed by the spell. I am interested just to hear other opinions on this, so tell me what you thing and why.

UPDATE: In this case the character was paralyzed in a rock slide. The character is a female Halfling rouge/sorcerer that saved the life of a worg and now the worg shows his gratitude by serving as a mount (in exchange to plenty of food too.). The Halfling has a special saddle that locks her in place so that the worg and her can act as one unit, even going so far as to manuver in interior areas like crypts and dungeons. The player wanted to play a character that overcame her handicap by other than magical means. She is lower level and doesn’t have access to the type of magic that can restore her. Not the sort of player likely to abuse a polymorph spell.

In the end I decided that if the polymorph spell and grant extra limbs like a dragon that has both a powerful tail and large wings, then the spell also provides the nervous system and brain configuration so that the character can control and use the new limbs. With that line of thinking why not also say that the spell reshapes the damaged nerves temporally for the duration of the spell. After all, what is the sense of ruling that the player will always turn in to a cripple creature? Being cripple or lame while polymorphed would ruin the usefulness of the spell. I suppose that one could chose to be a serpent-like creature, flying creature, or even an aquatic creature to get around having useless legs. But honestly I have never seen how the spell unbalances the game like others talk about. Sure you could polymorph into a griffin, but you don’t have your spells, magic weapons, armor, or other equipment. To me, negating all magic items while polymorphed is enough to balance the spell.

NOTE: More than one person has mentioned the paralysis may be part of a curse or magical in nature. Just for clarification, in this case the paralysis is the result of physical injury and not supernatural or magical in any way.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Polymorph is an already-powerful effect. One shouldn't give it additional healing powers on top of that.

A winged humanoid who steps on spike stones as trouble walking, but not flying. Same if you polymorphed a bipedal humanoid into a winger humanoid. They could walk, but their legs, looking different, are still affected.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'd allow it- one of the features of Druidic shapechange was actual healing, so I don't have a problem with a cripple regaining full mobility for the duration of a high-level Polymorph spell.

 

[Nebrok]

Polymorph is an already-powerful effect. One shouldn't give it additional healing powers on top of that.

The question came up when the polymorph any object spell cam into question. If the spell can turn people into inanimate objects, and turn inanimate objects into people... why not give temporary mobility? After all, by the spells description it can give mobility to a rock that is turned into a bird. In the end it is not healing the affliction, only granting a temporary spell effect.

 

[DM Howard]

I'd allow it. For the sole reason that polymorph IS a powerful effect and thus for the duration of the spell it would allow for regained mobility.

 

[howandwhy99]

This is one of the reasons Polymorph heals. The body is tearing and mending itself into a new form. So System Shock is rolled to survive the process and critical wounds are healed. "Critical" wounds included "serious" wounds, like broken bones and such, because the bones were reshaped too.

A lesser Polymorph might only change one's face and cure light wounds, or Alter Self might only cure serious wounds and allow roughly humanoid shapes within one's size category.

Lesser Effects would modify the SS roll with a bonus, as would Polymoprhing into a more similar creature. The spell itself doesn't signify what the roll is, but the effect. But, given the spell is performing at the power of a full polymoprh for example, then the full healing is still received. The degree of transformation via magical power is still called forth, you just aren't using all you could be of it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'd allow it as well.

 

[delericho]

Sure. You get the movement modes of the new form, do you not? Which would include walking.

(Pre-3e versions of the spell typically transformed the caster into a typical representative of the assumed form (that is, a typical elf, or dragon, or whatever). Typically, bipedial humanoids are capable of walking, so the spell would grant that capability.)

 

[S'mon]

By magical logic, definitely not. The one-eyed witch polymorphed into a bird, is still a one-eyed bird. She doesn't get to polymorph herself into "a witch, but now with two eyes!", now does she?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

This is one of the reasons Polymorph heals. The body is tearing and mending itself into a new form. So System Shock is rolled to survive the process and critical wounds are healed. "Critical" wounds included "serious" wounds, like broken bones and such, because the bones were reshaped too.

A lesser Polymorph might only change one's face and cure light wounds, or Alter Self might only cure serious wounds and allow roughly humanoid shapes within one's size category.

Lesser Effects would modify the SS roll with a bonus, as would Polymoprhing into a more similar creature. The spell itself doesn't signify what the roll is, but the effect. But, given the spell is performing at the power of a full polymoprh for example, then the full healing is still received. The degree of transformation via magical power is still called forth, you just aren't using all you could be of it.

That's edition-dependent. At least for combat purpose, the 2e version which you've described isn't over-the-top (and it specifically heals hit point damage). I was referring to the 3.x version. I don't think either of us knows which version the OP is talking about (maybe not even D&D).