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<blockquote data-quote="evilbob" data-source="post: 6575519" data-attributes="member: 9789">That's how I would have handled it.&nbsp; Player chooses what is absorbed and what is dropped; nothing is destroyed.&nbsp; Basically the best possible option.I'm kind of surprised that so many replies were far harsher than that; to me, being able to change into one specific thing that only is useful in one specific way is basically flavor - it's barely a mechanical bonus, so I wouldn't enforce a penalty.&nbsp; The player wants to be a mermaid so make it cool!&nbsp; If it starts to get out of hand, then you can pull back, but don't trample an idea just because there is a small chance of a power issue down the road.&nbsp; You said this was a new player, so the odds they are trying to &quot;game&quot; you to get some special edge sound like zero.I think many of the DMs on this board are used to wily players looking for loopholes, so their &quot;danger&quot; flags come up fast (which is totally fair).&nbsp; There's also the desire to make a ruling that can be applied broadly, so you're looking for something that is the most &quot;fair&quot; that can apply to the largest number of situations (like the core rules).&nbsp; This just isn't the right way to approach this situation, in my opinion.I'd just let the player play what they wanted and make it as cool as they'd like it to be.&nbsp; You'll figure out if the power level needs adjusting later, but it's better to go with it and tone it down than to reign it in before they even get to see their concept in action.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="evilbob, post: 6575519, member: 9789"] That's how I would have handled it. Player chooses what is absorbed and what is dropped; nothing is destroyed. Basically the best possible option. I'm kind of surprised that so many replies were far harsher than that; to me, being able to change into one specific thing that only is useful in one specific way is basically flavor - it's barely a mechanical bonus, so I wouldn't enforce a penalty. The player wants to be a mermaid so make it cool! If it starts to get out of hand, then you can pull back, but don't trample an idea just because there is a small chance of a power issue down the road. You said this was a new player, so the odds they are trying to "game" you to get some special edge sound like zero. I think many of the DMs on this board are used to wily players looking for loopholes, so their "danger" flags come up fast (which is totally fair). There's also the desire to make a ruling that can be applied broadly, so you're looking for something that is the most "fair" that can apply to the largest number of situations (like the core rules). This just isn't the right way to approach this situation, in my opinion. I'd just let the player play what they wanted and make it as cool as they'd like it to be. You'll figure out if the power level needs adjusting later, but it's better to go with it and tone it down than to reign it in before they even get to see their concept in action. [/QUOTE]

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