Baleful Polymorphing Shapechangers [Archive] - Wizards Community

Baleful Polymorphing Shapechangers [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
andrew_kenrick
07-26-05, 04:22 PM An interesting conundrum cropped up in last night's game. The baddie, the queen of a plant hive mind, cast baleful polymorph on the party monk, who is also a lycanthrope. He fluffed both saving throws and wound up as a toad, mind and body.

Now, the rules seem to conflict. Firstly, it says that all supernatural abilities (shapechange is Su) are lost. Right, so he can't shapechange as he has lost the ability.

But then it says that anyone with the shapechanger subtype can revert to their normal form as a standard action.

But how can he shapechange into their normal form if he has lost the supernatural ability to do so? Which rule takes precedent?
gninja
07-26-05, 05:16 PM Apply the rules in the order that you read them. They lose the supernatural ability to shapechange. But they still have the shapechanger subtype. So the toad with it's toady brain realizes something is wrong, ribbits, and is a monk again.
andrew_kenrick
07-26-05, 05:21 PM So they don't lose their type and become an animal as they would under the Polymorph spell?
Sharax
07-26-05, 05:22 PM The last sentence in the spell description states:

Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to being polymorphed, and creatures with the shapechanger subtype (such as a lycanthrope or a doppelganger) can revert to its natural form as a standard action.

So he should be able to revert to his normal form.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
andrew_kenrick 07-26-05, 04:22 PM	An interesting conundrum cropped up in last night's game. The baddie, the queen of a plant hive mind, cast baleful polymorph on the party monk, who is also a lycanthrope. He fluffed both saving throws and wound up as a toad, mind and body. Now, the rules seem to conflict. Firstly, it says that all supernatural abilities (shapechange is Su) are lost. Right, so he can't shapechange as he has lost the ability. But then it says that anyone with the shapechanger subtype can revert to their normal form as a standard action. But how can he shapechange into their normal form if he has lost the supernatural ability to do so? Which rule takes precedent?
gninja 07-26-05, 05:16 PM	Apply the rules in the order that you read them. They lose the supernatural ability to shapechange. But they still have the shapechanger subtype. So the toad with it's toady brain realizes something is wrong, ribbits, and is a monk again.
andrew_kenrick 07-26-05, 05:21 PM	So they don't lose their type and become an animal as they would under the Polymorph spell?
Sharax 07-26-05, 05:22 PM	The last sentence in the spell description states: Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to being polymorphed, and creatures with the shapechanger subtype (such as a lycanthrope or a doppelganger) can revert to its natural form as a standard action. So he should be able to revert to his normal form.