Baleful Polymorph and Hit Points

[Romnipotent]

If the Will save succeeds, the subject merely takes the assumed form, exactly as if subjected to the polymorph spell (see Part Three).

If the Will save fails, the subject loses all its extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. It loses its ability to cast spells (if it had the ability), and gains the alignment, special abilities, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores of its new form in place of its own. It still retains its class and level (or HD), as well as all benefits deriving from class and level (such as base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and hit points). It retains any class features (other than spellcasting) that aren't extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like abilities.

Skips little bit on baleful stuff, a little re read
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040601a

So its like this. Fail the fort save, become a monkey. Pass the will save and become a monkey that can cast, and retains its HP... guess I found the answer. Just needed a little fuel

 

[cmanos]

How does he cast spells as a monkey ? Silent metamagic everything ? Seems a tad impractical...

I picture a monkey with a fez and talking in a Brittish accent....

 

[Romnipotent]

I picture a monkey with a fez and talking in a Brittish accent....

ARGH FEZ NO, well it had to come out.

I delibertaly avoid the fez, and the british accent. Think a mini cloak and vest, and a tiny staff. As for accent, might be going with the tried and true, adjusted high pitched non-accented over mage, boisterious words with squeeks.
Think the original Dr Dolittle, the one with the moth in the end. Mixed with the new Eddie crud, and add a little bottle of some booze. Drunk monkey mages with vests!

I got so bored with Living Greyhawk style characters, so limited, so... boring. Now I'm gonna play something so rich in insanity that my DM (who is no stranger to me, nor insanity) will pinch himself. All will fear the monkey, and his proxy.

For crunchers:
Sudden Still spell, sitting on the shoulder of my cohort/proxy while he performs the casting of the same spell, and then other people see me as an imitating familiar. Although I can see some people in the party getting iffy on who's really casting, but at first its going to be great.

 

[Thanee]

I believe RAW implies 1.

While the RAW might imply 1. (which I agree with), the official clarification is, that the change in Con score from Polymorph does indeed change the hp total.

The explanation is something like your hp total stays the same, but that is only the Hit Dice rolls (so you do not roll new hps for the new form), not the modifier (Con) applied to them, which is altered dynamically.

And please do not ask me why they cannot simply put this into the errata...

Bye
Thanee

 

[Iku Rex]

(Note: Any hostility you may pick up on is not directed at you Thanee. )

While the RAW might imply 1. (which I agree with), the official clarification is, that the change in Con score from Polymorph does indeed change the hp total.

The question becomes, is a web article more "official" than core rulebooks, official errata and published supplements?

The explanation is something like your hp total stays the same, but that is only the Hit Dice rolls (so you do not roll new hps for the new form), not the modifier (Con) applied to them, which is altered dynamically.

There's no such explanation in Skip's article. The ruling is, "the subject's hit points change."

(IIRC some custserv drone offered that explanation. It flat out contradicts the rules for hit points in the PH.)

And please do not ask me why they cannot simply put this into the errata...

They did put out an errata that clarified the issue.

"[Polymorphed creatures] retain their original ... hit points..."

Skip just didn't read it.

 

[Thanee]

Hmm... right there was this errata, but it doesn't really change the matter... I mean, it was already that way before (since this part is inherited from Alter Self), but as has been said, it just doesn't seem to be meant to apply to Con mods to Hit Dice (tho, I do not see how this really works in context with the rules, since there is no such thing as base hit points and bonuses to the hit point total).

I only know of this "explanation" from here, never seen it myself, actually.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Romnipotent]

want me to highlight the part of the text that says you retain the ability to cast and your HP... nothing posted since has contradicted this... just future hitpoints gained I expect.

Well, dunno, but thats the way Im going with it till the high and mighty DM tells me otherwise.

 

[Thanee]

Noone has said anything to the contrary.

The problem is, that the rules clarification pretty much contradicts the rules.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Romnipotent]

dont you love them for that?

 

[Li Shenron]

dont you love them for that?

I actually do. When chaos is spawned by such "official contradictions", it's up to the DM to come in charge