Alter Self

[kenobi65]

If you were to get it (such as from polymorph, if alter self doesn't give it), is that ability controllable by the player or is it an involuntary reflex?

Stench (Ex): When a troglodyte is angry or frightened, it secretes an oily, musk-like chemical that nearly every form of animal life finds offensive.

Sure doesn't sound voluntary to me.

 

[amethal]

Sure doesn't sound voluntary to me.

That's what I think.

However, I've read plenty of posts where people casually mention that trogs are the best choice for alter self (out of the MM, anyway) and nobody has ever added that it also makes you very unpopular with the rest of the party.

"Get to the back of the party, Stinky. No, further than that. Go on, back up some more. I'm not risking standing next to you in any more stressful situations."

A particularly evil DM could rule that troglodyte immunity to the stench effect is not a physical quality, but rather the result of getting used to it over the years. The caster would then be forced to save every time against his own stench (at least for the first decade or so).

 

[Mistwell]

I assume you lose your own racial bonuses when you use alter self. For example, if your race were Whisper Gnome (+4 Hide and Move Silent checks, +2 Listen and Spot checks), you lose those bonuses when you alter self?

 

[Patlin]

Looked through MM2 and MM3. There are some really fun choices for alter self if you happen to be a warforged. It's unclear to me what effect Alter Self would have on the improved fortification feat, though. I suppose if you are in a non-warforged form, you no longer meet the prerequisites, and it stops working... but does that mean you can be healed by spells from the healing subschool?

 

[StormCrow42]

Also, does anyone know if alter self gives you the troglodyte stench special attack? It is an extraordinary ability, but does it come under the physical qualities exception?

Since stench is an "ex" special attack and alter self doesn't grant extrodinary special attacks, I believe that alter self doesn't give you stench (and therefore doesn't annoy your party). Of course you're out of luck with polymorph.

As for winged forms, the only humanoids with winged flight are the avariel (winged elves) from races of faerun and the raptorians from races of the wild. However both of them (which don't have MM style stat blocks available anywhere) list their flight (and for raptorians their glide ability that is all they have until 5 HD) as an "ex" ability. Alter self says it grants "mundane movement capabilities", so there's an arguement to be made that you can't get flight even by turning into one of them, since they don't have a fly speed listed as their standard movement mode in their stat block.

 

[Petronius_Ironfist]

Alter Self partial form shift

I remember reading a compilation of past sage comments at http://homepage.mac.com/guyf/DnD/Sage/PolymorphAlterSelf.html

Specifically there is a reply by the Sage stating:

Alter Self:

Do you have to take the form of a specific creature or are the changes made to "your own" body?

You can just change your own body.​

This response would seem to suggest that we could modify our characters with alter self to be the same, but with wingss (for example) with a 60' move. My wizard has used that at least once in a recent adventure without the judge commenting but I'm interested in everyone else's take.

 

[Xath]

A half celestial is humanoid. You can alter self into a half-celestial and they have wings. Also you can alter self into a centaur and people can...ride you.

 

[Scion]

A half celestial is humanoid. You can alter self into a half-celestial and they have wings.

With alter self you arent allowed to take on the form of a creature with a template. So there goes that idea.

 

[boolean]

A half celestial is humanoid. You can alter self into a half-celestial and they have wings. Also you can alter self into a centaur and people can...ride you.

The creature’s type changes to outsider.

Size/Type: Large Monstrous Humanoid

Neither are valid Alter Self choices for humanoids.