Greenfield
Adventurer
There are more Humanoids that can be abused. According to one listing, there was a Large Naga with a constrict attack that was listed as a Humanoid. Shouldn't have been, but it was.Thanks for pointing out those are actually humanoids Greenfield, I wasn't sure. But that still doesn't make a ring of Alter Self overpowered. You mentioned using it to swim, fly and gain AC, but any 5th level wizard can already do all those things, plus he can cast Alter Self too! So it's probably not giving this character anything that he couldn't do already if he was a wizard, or a Bard or a Rogue with a scroll. /shrug Meh...
And a ring of Alter Self would not be very expensive. If it was on command and lasted continuously, it would cost just 18,000gp. (Spell level [2] x caster level [3] x 2000 x 1.5 for continuous effect that has a duration of 10 min/level = 18,000) One might argue that it doesn't fit body slot affinities, but since the DM is making it and not a player that hardly matters. In fact cost doesn't matter at all really.
If the DM thought it might be abused, it could be made with 3 charges per day that last 30 minutes, or just one charge per day that lasts 10 minutes, or some other suitable limitation.
Just to put this idea back into perspective, remember that someone earlier in the conversation mentioned a Ring of Shapechange LOL! Talk about overpowered!
I have to admit that the idea of a cursed item that changes your race is pretty interesting. Could make for some great role playing when the Rogue comes back to town from the Caves of Chaos... as a Troglodyte
You mention a 5th level Wizard, probably in reference to Fly and Water Breathing. I don't think there's an arcane spell that grants +6 to Natural Armor, but I could be wrong.
Fly lasts for one minute per caster level. Alter Self lasts ten times longer, and is a lower level spell.
Water Breathing doesn't grant the swim speed that an Aquatic Elf gets.
And if you look at a Fly item, such as Boots, they have a very limited duration. (Three times a day, five minutes of flight.) To match the continuous ability of a Ring of Alter Self, you'd have to compare to Wings of Flying, which is over 50k.
And while you can justify a Ring of Alter Self as being cheap, you could justify a Ring of True Strike as being even cheaper. Oddly, though, no DM in his or her right mind would ever accept such an item at a mere 8,000 gp. (1st level spell times 1st level caster times 2000 for use activated times 4 for continuous.)
The other rule that gets so easily overlooked is the one that says to compare a proposed item to other items of similar power. Like I said, Wings of Flying are something like 54,000.
WOTC dropped pretty much all the shape changing spells, from Alter Self on up from their RPGA events because they're so open ended that there's hardly a way to include them without them being a window to abuse.
Suggesting Alter Self as a "curse" on an item?
I am reminded of a scene from "Fiddler on the Roof": The young Communist proclaims. "And I tell you that money is a curse!"
Reb. Tevia responds by raising his eyes and arms up to heaven in prayer. "May God so smite me! And may I never recover!"
That's the kind of "curse" being asked for here.