D&D 5E Polymorph vs. Petrified

[Rocker26a]

Push, Drag or Lift limits your speed to 5 feet, I believe. If they can fashion a cart that would help. Good call on the brontosaur.

Disregard all that! I discovered my error too late!

In this scenario I am the DM, and the character who can cast polymorph is an NPC, so I'm basically deciding how much help she can offer them. I'll be letting them do their own planning before she steps in, so I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

Oh, well, that makes my other thought easier. Why don't they just Polymorph themselves into a Giant Eagle and go collect the friendly Cleric?

 

[Clint_L]

I mean, I really love the thought of the party hauling a statue around in a cart pulled by a brontosaur (intelligence 2 - animal handling checks!) while desperately trying to find a friendly high level cleric. You can get an entire session out of that.

Situations like this are why I really don't care that much which edition I'm playing. All the best stuff happens more or less incidentally to the rules.

 

[ECMO3]

RAW it is a creature it is not an object at all. Petrified is a condition that applies to a creature and does not even apply to an object. This is clear from the description of the condition (note underlined):

Petrified​

• A petrified creature is transformed, along with any nonmagical object it is wearing or carrying, into a solid inanimate substance (usually stone). Its weight increases by a factor of ten, and it ceases aging.
• The creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
• The creature has resistance to all damage.
• The creature is immune to poison and disease, although a poison or disease already in its system is suspended, not neutralized.

There is no such thing in the rules as a petrified object (note a "petrified eye of a Newt" is actually a dried mustard seed and is not "petrified" at all).

Polymorph does not say it ends a condition on the targeted creature other than poison, so the new beast is still petrified.

Also if it is an object, then Greater Restoration would not work to cure him either, because like Polymorph, that spell also targets a creature.

 

[Lanefan]

Also if it is an object, then Greater Restoration would not work to cure him either, because like Polymorph, that spell also targets a creature.

Does 5e no longer have the specific spell Stone to Flesh, to deal with this?

In any case, were it me I'd rule two things: one, a petrified "creature" is now made of solid stone; and two, polymorphing it would only work if you can somehow otherwise polymorph a piece of rock.

 

[aco175]

Annnnnnd we are back to saying that if it is a creature, they would die in 3 minutes from lack of breathing. Unless the ceasing to age clause means they do not need to.

It seems that the poor wording by the designers is the main problem. You need to target a creature to use petrify and then they continue to use the word creature instead of something such as "petrified statue formerly known as a creature". Then true resurrection targets a creature instead of saying something just as silly.

 

[MarkB]

Annnnnnd we are back to saying that if it is a creature, they would die in 3 minutes from lack of breathing. Unless the ceasing to age clause means they do not need to.

It seems that the poor wording by the designers is the main problem. You need to target a creature to use petrify and then they continue to use the word creature instead of something such as "petrified statue formerly known as a creature". Then true resurrection targets a creature instead of saying something just as silly.

And I guess the converse question would be whether stone shape would work on a petrified creature, and what sort of body horror might ensure if they were subsequently unpetrified.

 

[aco175]

And I guess the converse question would be whether stone shape would work on a petrified creature, and what sort of body horror might ensure if they were subsequently unpetrified.

Sounds like rich man's cosmetic surgery. Brings a new thought to 'cool sculpting'.

 

[aco175]

Now I am thinking about what type of stone the target becomes. A sandstone could be modified easier than an obsidian which could break easier.

 

[General_Tangent]

I was going to suggest polymorphing one of the team into an elephant.

That might fit your criteria.

 

[ECMO3]

Annnnnnd we are back to saying that if it is a creature, they would die in 3 minutes from lack of breathing. Unless the ceasing to age clause means they do not need to.

It does not say in the petrified condition that they can not breathe or eat. They are incapacitated, so they can't take actions but none of these things require actions. So RAW this is not the case, they can breathe, eat, and sleep, although they need to accomplish this without moving.

Also it states you stop aging, so one could conclude that this means you don't need to eat, breathe or sleep as the negative effects of not doing these things are all associated with aging (i.e. time passing).

It does clearly say in the petrified condition that they are a creature, these other questions are more ambiguous and I could understand if a DM ruled RAW you died 3 minutes after being petrified. That isn't a big deal though as raising someone from the dead is easier to do than unpetrifying someone.