Post/Author/DateTime	Post
was_fired 07-02-05, 09:18 PM	A lot of ideas have been thrown around recently about how to fix to oh so broken polymorph line of spells. So I thought I would throw another idea into the mix. Polymorph is a transmutation, and as such it should cost you something. So what if when shapechanged you gained the LA of your new form at the cost of benifits of your normal class. The benifits lost would be as follows: 1. Caster level 2. You would lose access to spells of a level which is greater than your (CL + 1) / 2 3. BaB When no LA is given for a form the following formula's are used: Regen = 2, DR 5 or 10 = 1, DR 15 = 2, energy immunities = 2, 2 energy resistances = 1, other ex or su powers = 1 or 2, +1 for each size larger than medium, .1 per ability score point above 10, and .2 per point of natural armor. With any luck this would weaken the efficiency of polymorph spells as ultra-buffs. So what do you guys think?
Jaid 07-02-05, 09:35 PM	you don't gain most of those abilities you mentioned. also, while it's a good idea in theory, it has many problems. 1) not all creatures have a written LA. 2) many, if not all, of the abilities that would give you LA are not gained by polymorph. for example, all supernatural abilities, all spell-like abilities, any extraordinary ability that is not an attack, exceptionally high movement rates, mental ability scores, etc. 3) the way they handle physical stats changes in polymorph would result in different benefits for different people, and would thus require different LA. for example, a str 18 human fighter gets nowhere near the benefit from turning into, say, a troll, as compared to a str 6 gnome wizard.
was_fired 07-02-05, 09:41 PM	Good points. I see the replacement (rather than upgrade) of ability scores as a weakness rather than a strength though (since it benifits fighters less which means that they are already less likely to buff). I'll try to get a list of PA (polymorph adjustments) and SA (shapechange adjustments) up in a few hours.
was_fired 07-03-05, 02:08 AM	Heh going through the MM is a very dull task. So here are a few examples. The only changes made from the first system mentioned is that reach rather than size is now what costs extra (.5 per 5ft past 5ft), and a -1 cost is given for creatures which have problems using most items. So here is a short list: Monster Source PA SA Aboleth MM 5 7 Achaierai MM 6 7 Allip MM -- 7 "Angel, Astral Deva" MM 7 14 "Angel, Planetar" MM 9 17 "Angel, Solar" MM 9 17 Ankheg MM 6 7 Aranea MM 2 2 "Archon, Lantern" MM 1 6 "Archon, Hound" MM 2 8 "Archon, Trumpet" MM 6 13 "Arrowhawk, Juvenile" MM 2 6 "Arrowhawk, Adult" MM 3 7 "Arrowhawk, Elder" MM 4 8 Assassin Vine MM 4 9 Athach MM 7 7 Azer MM 2 3 Barghest MM 3 5 "Barghest, Greater" MM 4 6 Basilisk MM 2 4 "Basilisk, Abyssal Greater" MM 5 9 Behir MM 8 11 "Beholder, Gauth" MM 1 4 Beholder MM 3 9 Belker MM 5 6 Blink Dog MM 0 3 Bodak MM 2 7 Bugbear MM 2 2 Bulette MM 7 8 Carrion Crawler MM 4 4 Centaur MM 2 2 Chaos Beast MM 2 4 Chimera MM 3 4 Choker MM 3 5 Chuul MM 5 5 Cloaker MM 5 6 Cockatrice MM "Giant, Cloud" MM 8 10 "Giant, Fire" MM 5 6 "Giant, Frost" MM 5 6 "Giant, Hill" MM 4 4 "Giant, Stone" MM 6 6 "Giant, Storm" MM 8 11