D&D 5E Polymorph vs. Petrified

[Umbran]

I never let pedantic adherence to rule language get in the way of what makes sense to me.

Using the rules language as the first place to start analysis isn't "pedantic", and you do the entire conversation a disservice by characterizing it as such.

But, if you want to go there - your taking one spell's rules language to heart, but discarding the rules language I point out doesn't make my approach pedantic. It makes yours inconsistent and arbitrary.

Having demonstrated that we can both describe this in uncomplimentary ways, can we abandon that route going forward, and avoid the loaded words, please? Thanks.

 

[MarkB]

What caused the Petrified condition to be applied to the PC?

Failing a test of worthiness imposed by a minor deity.

 

[ECMO3]

Stone Golems cannot breathe.

PCs turned into Stone Golems cannot breathe.

The Polymorph spell can only turn creatures into beasts, a PC can't be turned into a Stone golem with Polymorph and a petrified PC is not a stone Golem, it is a PC with the petrified condition. If such petrified PC is then polymorphed into an elephant, or mouse or horse or snake, then it becomes a petrified elephant, mouse, horse or snake for the duration of the polymorph. If the petrification ends before the polymorph it becomes a non-petrified elephant, mouse, horse or snake.

Does a PC turned into a Stone Golem die of suffocation?

You would need True Polymorph for this, which is a 9th level spell and the answer is no because it would not be a Human or Dwarf or Elf or whatever it would be a Stone Golem while polymorphed and would not need to breathe.

This is not the same as being petrified. A petrified Human or Dwarf or Elf is still a Human or Dwarf or Elf and needs to breathe. RAW they can breathe since the petrified condition does not prevent breathing, it only prevents actions and moving.

You know what else doesn't need to breathe? A statue.

True Polymorph could also turn a petrified PC into a statue (it could turn a PC into a statue whether the PC is petrified or not). While the PC is a statue it would not be petrified, because petrified is a condition that applies to creatures.

Petrified people don't suffocate because they don't have to breathe.

In D&D 5E RAW petrified creatures don't suffacuate because they can breath. Petrificaiton does not prevent breathing. Further a petrified PC is not a statue.

(TECHNICALLY Stone Golems don't have a 'no breathing' trait, but its implied)

Yes they do, it is covered in the rules it is in the monster manual on page 167:

"Constructed Nature. A golem doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep." but a petrified PC is not a Stone Golem.

 

[Reynard]

So other goofy effects can we apply to petrified characters? Can we drown a petrified creature? Can we poison them? Do they take psychic damage? Can they be healed? What happens if we break bits off of them?

 

[General_Tangent]

So other goofy effects can we apply to petrified characters? Can we drown a petrified creature? Can we poison them? Do they take psychic damage? Can they be healed? What happens if we break bits off of them?

You can't poison them as according to the status effect in the PHB The creature is immune to poison and disease,

 

[Reynard]

You can't poison them as according to the status effect in the PHB The creature is immune to poison and disease,

That's a fun adventure idea: the party comes across a village where there are signs of plague, but everyone in the village is turned to stone. The PCs track a Medusa back to her lair only to discover she attacked the village to save them from the plague. Now what?

 

[ECMO3]

Can we drown a petrified creature?

RAW they can breathe, but they are not affected by aging, so I would say no. Since they do not age while petrified they can not drown. 4 minutes after they are tossed in water their body is still in the same state it was before they were thrown in. Their body did not age 4 minutes without air.

That is debatable though and some may rule you can drown them.

You can certainly damage them, to include psychich damage. Objects typically are not affected by psychich damage.

Can we poison them?

No this is in the rules from the petrified condition:

• The creature is immune to poison and disease, although a poison or disease already in its system is suspended, not neutralized.

Do they take psychic damage?

Absolutely 100%. They are resistant to psychic damage but not immune, again this is covered in the condition:

• The creature has resistance to all damage.

Can they be healed?

Yes. They are still a humanoid so even cure wounds still works.

What happens if we break bits off of them?

It depends on how they were petrified. If it was from the Flesh to Stone spell yes, from the spell description:

If the creature is physically broken while petrified, it suffers from similar deformities if it reverts to its original state.

If it was from a medusa there is nothing RAW that would make it so. This is going into territory outside the rules. If you are tied down on a torture rack and an adversary cuts your finger off, do you lose it?

 

[Reynard]

RAW they can breathe, but they are not affected by aging, so I would say no. Since they do not age while petrified they can not drown. 4 minutes after they are tossed in water their body is still in the same state it was before they were thrown in. Their body did not age 4 minutes without air.

That is a very strange take. I'm not even sure how you got there.

It does feel like an oversight that the condition does not say anything about breathing or eating. But we probably don't need to relitigate that.

Another fun thought: different kinds of Medusa that petrify enemies into different materials. "Midas medusae" would be highly sought after, for example.

 

[General_Tangent]

Failing a test of worthiness imposed by a minor deity.

If this was me behind the screen, then I'd have the player character be subjected to a Stone To Flesh spell, as this would provide you with a consistent framework.

It surprises me that WotC didn't update the creatures with a gaze weapon to reference the spell as you could cut down the extra space in the monster stat-block.

 

[MarkB]

Another fun thought: different kinds of Medusa that petrify enemies into different materials. "Midas medusae" would be highly sought after, for example.

Or individual medusae each do a different type of stone, so that in an investigation you can narrow down an individual because the victims are a particularly rare type of stone.