D&D 5E Polymorph and Mental Ability Scores

[Illithidbix]

Um, doesn't True Polymorph still replace your mental stats? Shapechange, you're gold, but TP does the same thing as Polymorph without the 'beast only' restriction.

Good point!

True Polymorph then seems to be the offensive use of Polymorph taken to the extreme (permanent if the caster maintains concentration for 1 hour) and can turn people into teacups.

OR you turn a house into a giant or young dragon and it does what you say.

 

[Sunseeker]

Good point!

True Polymorph then seems to be the offensive use of Polymorph taken to the extreme (permanent if the caster maintains concentration for 1 hour) and can turn people into teacups.

OR you turn a house into a giant or young dragon and it does what you say.

You just made an unintelligent creature intelligent (and absurdly powerful) maybe it has issues with the oats you've been feeding it and how you've been running it to the point of exhaustion first?

My players are currently stuck in the "old ways" of Charm and have said similar things. Making your friend insanely powerful doesn't mean he likes you. Making your insanely powerful friend like you doesn't mean he'll fight and risk death for you.

We postulated that if you could Feeblemind an otherwise intelligent creature (reduce Int to 1), you could then use Awaken on it (can only be used on a Huge or smaller creature or plant) and increase it's intelligence to 10 and auto-charm it for 30 days. Some of the funny things we noted is that this would make an Adult White Dragon smarter.

In any case, being your friend doesn't mean they're your slave. So I hoped you treated your horse well because you gave him 200HP and a breath weapon.

 

[Li Shenron]

And in a pinch you can still turn into a gorilla for extra HP, or do the "expensive feather fall" thing and turn into a whale in midair to survive terminal velocity falls, or whatever.

But you still need True Polymorph to pull the same trick as a bowl of petunias...

 

[ShadowRadiance]

House/Horse

...you turn a house into a giant or young dragon and it does what you say.

You just made an unintelligent creature intelligent (and absurdly powerful) maybe it has issues with the oats you've been feeding it and how you've been running it to the point of exhaustion first?

... So I hoped you treated your horse well because you gave him 200HP and a breath weapon.

I realize I'm very late to this conversation... but Illithidbix DID say "house" not "horse".

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I normally agree with this maxim, but it seems to differ with the fundamental *intent* of these spells, or at least how I read them.

I very much took Polymorph as a *bad thing*, True Polymorph as a *good thing*

That would make sense, except that 10th level transmuters get a limited ability to cast the spell on themselves only.

 

[Coroc]

[MENTION=22424]delericho[/MENTION] #3 See, to prevent such unbelievable sillyness i use the houserule that to cast any spell of a given Level the casting attribute has to be 10+spellevel.

To create an int 3 wizard (or even an int 11 wizard) is powergaming it wrong imho. Thats like a barbarian with 3 STR or a rogue with 3 dex.

I hate that this 3rd Edition rule did not make it into 5th Edition officially. I mean if you want to Play a Retard, i got no Problems with that, but he will not be a wizard that is for sure. Int 3 means you are eventually unable to speak sentences with more than 3 words if you are able to speak at all, and do not even think about writing skills.
For those rules lawyers disagreeing with my Point of view: how would you describe a mentally challenged individual in your campaign world if you had to give stats?
Is 3 to high for that?
Do we only have the 0, 1 and 2 to scale mental capabilities below the threshold?