Help me about polymorph any object

[elmuthalleth]

Hello to everybody .
I'm running now a 3.0 high level campaign ( in Italy ) where a female PG ( a cleric ) , thanks to her ancestors , has a sort of gold half-dragon template . She polymorphs in a gold dragon only in stressful or deadly situations .
Now , the wizard wants to launch the polymorph any object on her , and says that the transformation should be permanent , thanks to the template .
Is he right ?? If it is , the rules say that the maximum size should be large . And what age sholud she transform ??

 

[TheGogmagog]

We recently gained acess to Polymorph any Object also, and are struggling with the same issues.

By RAW yes, the change would be permanant due to the template. The size is restricted by the 15 HD limit of Polymorph. From memory, I think Most dragons are large at 15 HD but some are huge.

The issue we have is, You also gain the new Inteligence. What does that mean for a character? Is it "Just" a modifier change for skills and skill points, or does it affect 'who' the character is? Do you remember who you are?

I'm not sure what I would do if I were DM. I might make the change within the scope of the spell. BUT the ECL of the character would change to the new form as long as they remain in the form (not taken into consideration for hour durations). The jump in ECL would result in higher CR encounters, and reduced EXP calculations.

 

[Iku Rex]

Now , the wizard wants to launch the polymorph any object on her , and says that the transformation should be permanent , thanks to the template .
Is he right ??

Possibly.
The table:

Same kingdom (animal, vegetable, mineral) 		+5
Same class (mammals, fungi, metals, etc.)		+2
Same size 						+2
Related (twig is to tree, wolf fur is to wolf, etc.) 	+2
Same or lower Intelligence 				+2

If the modifiers add up to +9, the change is permanent.

Same kingdom: +5
I'd give her the "Same class" OR the "Related" modifier, but not both. +2 to +7
Then she'd need to be either the same size (Wyrmling - Medium) or have the same Int (Very young - 16, Young - 16) for the last +2 to +9.

Remember that "permanent" is a spell duration, so the spell can still be dispelled. Also note that she won't actually be a gold dragon, only polymorphed into one. See the errataed polymorph spell for which abilities polymorphed characters do and don't get. The most up-to-date polymorph version is in the errata from the Psionics Handbook - http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/PsionicsHBErrataV05302002.zip .

If it is , the rules say that the maximum size should be large .

Correct.

And what age sholud she transform ??

It depends on the wizard, and how long he wants the spell to last (see above).

 

[Iku Rex]

The issue we have is, You also gain the new Inteligence. What does that mean for a character? Is it "Just" a modifier change for skills and skill points, or does it affect 'who' the character is? Do you remember who you are?

There's no reason to think the character forgets who she is. It's just a new Int score, same as if she'd suffered Int damage or put on a Headband of Intellect.

(Though nothing [other than, possibly, the DM ] is stopping the character from role-playing some strange new urges or viewpoints.)

I'm not sure what I would do if I were DM. I might make the change within the scope of the spell. BUT the ECL of the character would change to the new form as long as they remain in the form (not taken into consideration for hour durations). The jump in ECL would result in higher CR encounters, and reduced EXP calculations.

That's not a very good house rule.

(Short explanation why, as this is not the house rules forum... A character without her equipment is frequently less powerful, despite a higher Str and some new wings. It's hard to determine the ECL of polymorphed character. How do you [fairly] treat characters using non-permanent polymorph effects?)

 

[Krafen]

See the errataed polymorph spell for which abilities polymorphed characters do and don't get. The most up-to-date polymorph version is in the errata from the Psionics Handbook - http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/PsionicsHBErrataV05302002.zip .

That looks like a link to the 3.0e Psionics Handbook errata. I believe the Rules of the Game articles on polymorphing are the most current explanation of how the spells work.

 

[Iku Rex]

That looks like a link to the 3.0e Psionics Handbook errata. I believe the Rules of the Game articles on polymorphing are the most current explanation of how the spells work.

RotG attempt to "explain" the 3.5 spell. The OP is playing 3.0. Thus the link to a 3.0 source.