Polymorph and Will-o'-Wisp

[Rozman]

This has likely been asked before, but I couldn't find it in the first several pages of the Archives:

Do you gain the +12 deflection bonus and flight when Polymorphed into a will-o-wisp? Those abilities are not labeled one way or the other. Deflection is not natural armor and the flight is not labeled mundane- or not mundane for that matter.

I'd be inclined to say you're just an incredibly weak lump lying there immobile on the ground, shocking anything that gets near, but I wanted to see how other folks saw this.

Edit: removed a pointless misspelled word.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Well, if I read this right...

Polymorph: The new form may be of the same type as the subject or any of the following types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin.

Will o' Wisp: Small Aberration (Air)

The Air subtype makes it a non-valid form?
Air Subtype: This subtype usually is used for elementals and outsiders with a connection to the Elemental Plane Air. Air creatures always have fly speeds and usually have perfect maneuverability.

 

[Bauglir]

Forget the air subtype, the aberration type alone is enough to make it non-valid..

 

[shilsen]

Forget the air subtype, the aberration type alone is enough to make it non-valid..

Why? Aberration is a valid type under Polymorph (see the list posted by Wippit Guud above).

 

[Bauglir]

*doh* Somehow I had mentally inserted a 'not' into that quote that wasn't actually there. Don't mind me

 

[Camarath]

I think that when Polymorphed you would only gain these abilities; physical qualities that include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings, to a maximum speed of 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, and so on), racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and any gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth), extraordinary special attacks possessed by the form, and traits of the creature's type and subtypes. Deflection does not IMO appear to be part of any of the groups of abilities one gains with Polymorph. The Will-o'-Wisp's flight is not becuase of flight with wings so it would not gain it on account of physical qualities but it might be considered a trait of the air subtype in which case I think Polymorph would grant the Will-o'-Wisp's flight ability.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Except that air subtype marks it as an outsider (native outsider, I would guess), which is not a valid form.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Except that air subtype marks it as an outsider (native outsider, I would guess), which is not a valid form.

Air Subtype: This subtype usually is used for elementals and outsiders with a connection to the Elemental Plane Air.

Usually, not exclusively. The Air subtype doesn't make it an outsider, and the Aberration type makes it not-an-outsider.

-Hyp.

 

[Camarath]

Except that air subtype marks it as an outsider (native outsider, I would guess), which is not a valid form.

The Will-o’-wisp is an expection since it is clearly to be an Aberration with the Air subtype. Dragons also have Air and Earth subtypes with out being either elementals or outsiders. The subtype does not say it changes the creatures type it just say that it is used for elementals and outsiders with a connection to the Elemental Plane Air. So IMO if the subtype is given to a non-elemental/outsider that creatures is an expection to the general usage of the subtype rather than being mistakenly not list as either elementals or outsiders.

 

[DarkMaster]

I think that when Polymorphed you would only gain these abilities; physical qualities that include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings, to a maximum speed of 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, and so on), racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and any gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth), extraordinary special attacks possessed by the form, and traits of the creature's type and subtypes. Deflection does not IMO appear to be part of any of the groups of abilities one gains with Polymorph. The Will-o'-Wisp's flight is not becuase of flight with wings so it would not gain it on account of physical qualities but it might be considered a trait of the air subtype in which case I think Polymorph would grant the Will-o'-Wisp's flight ability.

Well I think that
You acquire the physical qualities of the new form while retaining your own mind. Physical qualities include natural size, mundane movement capabilities

says it all, Since the WoW can only fly, I assume that this is it's mundane movement capability.
If you look at the dwarf for example nowhere it is specifically said that he is walking with his leg, we just assume that since he has leg he can walk. We can therefore assumed that there is something in the WoW body that allow it to fly as naturally as legs allow to walk, otherwise the WoW description would specifically say otherwise.