The polymorph spell says the target gets all statistics of the creature it becomes, including mental statistics, but retains its alignment and personality.
Does anyone know how you're able to behave as, say, a 2 INT rat that still 'retains your personality'?
What if my Wizard escapes a dangerous cliff edge by turning into a hawk. Could he now be so stupid that he forgets his plans, forgets to change back, and just flies off?
I know a lot of animals have high-ish WIS but they usually have subhuman INT.
Also, presumably you retain things like any innate magic resistance that you had before becoming the creature ... or do you lose them as part of having your 'game statistics' replaced by those of the creature? How about any proficiencies etc?
It's a little but unclear. Wild Shape has more detail, but since Wild Shape has a lower CR-limit than Polymorph it seems unfair to assume that it has the same benefits.
Of course part of the issue here is the offensive as opposed to defensive uses of Polymorph. The more a polymorphed creature gets to keep the better it is as a self-buff, but the less useful it is as an attack. Conversely the more it erases the better it functions as an attack and the less well it works as a self-buff.
At its most extreme, it wouldn't be completely unreasonable to rule that being polymorphed into a creature with animal-level intelligence makes it impossible to concentrate on spells (at least on spells cast using Int), which would completely eliminate the self-buff option (perhaps to the overall benefit of game balance, depending on how you feel about the Polymorph line).
Rigol wrote:
It's odd because in the rules for the druid's Wild Shape ability specifies that, for that, you retain a lot more of your original abilities (INT, WIS, CHA, skills and proficiencies). So it's wildly different (pun intended!) to the Polymorph spell where it's explicit about INT, WIS and CHA changing to the animal's and seems to imply that your skills and proficiencies are lost (while retaining your personality).
So I have the horrible feeling that when my gnome Wizard transmuter turns into a wolf he's going to be a normal stupid wolf with a strong interest in tinkering etc, yet no actual proficiency in it! Presumably he will no longer be able to understand people talking too? Feels odd. Maybe it's like one of those monster movies where someone becomes a hideous creature and retains just the vestiges of their original intelligence?
I don't think my transmuter will be using his ability to frequently polymorph himself into a CR1 animal very often, except maybe to turn into tough animals for combat when needed.
Wildshape =/=polymorph. They are separate magical effects which both happen to transform the PC into a beast. They are mutually independant in the same way that Cure Wounds, Healing Word, and Mass Cure Wounds are all independant spell effects which heal someone.
Wildshape specifically states you retain mental ability scores, class features, etc. Using it as a justification for polymorph functioning the same way is no different than saying you can cast Cure Wounds as a bonus action spell because thats how Healing Word works.
Polymorph is very specific. You keep your personality and alignment. It then goes on to say you replace all other game statistics with those of the creature you become.
To put it simply: When you cast a polymorph spell on a PC, that PC puts their character sheet away. It no longer exists. In its place, the character uses the stat block of the monster they have transformed into, and changes its alignment to the PCs. They now have a monster character sheet which is almost identical to the one in the MM (except for alignment and personality). When the PC monster "dies" (HP reduced to 0), the PC stops using the monster stat block, and starts using their character sheet once more. Any left over damage is then subtracted from their remaining HPs.
Wildshape is different. When a Druid wildshapes, they combine elements of their character sheet with elements of the beast they become. In essence, they become a hybrid creature that is part PC, and part beast. When their beast HPs are depleted, they return to PC form, and any left over damage is subtracted from their HPs.
Hope this helps clear up any confusion people are having.
Rigol wrote:
Great posts Kalani.
As for being able to concentrate or remembering to "change back" that's up to you and the DM. I'd ask him this before hand so s/he doesn't make a snap judgement that is unneccesarily unfair to either of you in the heat of the moment. Kolani is ringing true in that you'd be a wolf with an affinity for metals objects, or tries to "tinker" as best it can with its nose and tongue (no thumbs! Curses!).
You could also rule you can try and "remember" you're concentrating on a spell with an INT check (DC 10 may be harsh due to that awful INT stat!). So when you want to shift back you try that. I think, regardless, you would "auto-concentrate" in your new form. Don't forget taking damage may break your concentration! So your allies may have to try and step on you in rat form for an hour as you try and scurry away!
All this being said...how would this work if you transformed yourself to stone 
Would you insta-stop concentrating because you're considered incapacitated? That seems to be the easiest thing for me to think, unless you have some other spell that conentrates for you (which exists, I just forget the name, and it take, like, 10 minutes to cast). So, feasibly, you could suicide yourself into a marble statue...(sorry, got off track and went on a tangent there!)
Kalani wrote:
Wild Shape is a good point to start looking though, since the wording of it is the same as polymorph (it just has more exceptions).
This is a really interesting question that I imagine will come up a lot in 5E campaigns. I remember that the old 3 / 3.5 E Polymorph received reams of errata, so it's possible that this one might too. Until then, let's see what we can do with the rules worded as they are.
Let's just start with the relevant text from the spell itself (PHB 266):
- "The target’s game statistics, including mental ability scores, are replaced by the statistics of the chosen beast. It retains its alignment and personality."
As the OP stated, the issue arises where the mental stats of the target creature are replaced by the creature s/he is changed into. That's clear RAW, but what effect does that have on "personality" and "alignment"?
Interestingly, the PHB actually defines Personality as a game term (123)! That said, it is written more in the style of a flavorful description than a specific game term, but in an effort to keep this explanation as RAW as possible, I am going to treat the "personality" defined here as interchangeable with the "personality" mentioned in Polymorph.
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"Fleshing out your character’s personality — the array of traits, mannerisms, habits, beliefs, and flaws that give a person a unique identity—will help you bring him or her to life as you play the game."
Restating Polymorph in these terms, when you change into a creature, you lose oyur mental ability scores but retain the "Array of traits, mannerisms, habits, beliefs, and flaws that give [you] a unique identity". Although the "Personality" definition above isn't really presented as a strict game rule term (like Action or Reaction), the fact that the words are identical suggest to me that we can use them interchangeably. It's also the least arbitrary way to approach this, so that's the angle I am going to stick with.
The pages on "personality" (PHB 123-124) further break down the term into four categories. We can assume that these four categories comprise the broader definition of "Personality".
- Personality Traits: Personality traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character.
- Ideals: Your ideals are the things that you believe in most strongly, the fundamental moral and ethical principles that compel you to act as you do.
- Bonds: Bonds represent a character’s connections to people, places, and events in the world.
- Flaws: Your character’s flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness — in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests.
The rules suggest (or perhaps demand?) that you take 2 traits, 1 ideal, 1 bond, and 1 flaw for your character. A DM could naturally have you think of more, but those are the core characteristics that make up "Personality".
As I read it, these characteristics are the things that remain when you Polymorph. You might have to roleplay and think about the differences between a 12 Intelligence character with those traits/ideals/bonds/flaws and a 2 intelligence character with them, but those core elements will remain the same. Of course, this isn't an easy task. The PHB even says that you can use your ability scores to define traits, a suggestion that makes us wonder what happens when those traits remain but the scores change. But on further thought, this is actually a really interesting and totally comprehensible roleplaying moment! If your trait is "I have read every book in Candlekeep" (as the PHB example goes), that would be hilarious to roleplay out as a 2 intelligence Eagle.
In summary, when polymorphing with the spell, you retain the traits/ideals/bonds/flaws of your character, but must express those through your new ability scores. This is about as much an RAW ruling as we can do with such inexact terms, and there are of course countless RAI and house-rule ways to handle it. But if you are going by the book, this is probably the best way to do it.
-ktkenshinx- wrote:
Kalani wrote:
If you were to polymorph yourself into something, you would lose your abilities, which includes the ability to cast spells. Not knowing how to cast spells seems like it would sit squarely under “incapacitated” and would immediately end the polymorph. This spell looks best when cast on an ally, and usually to turn them into something smart. The vast majority of beasts would simply run away from battle unless they were cornered.
It could also serve as a pretty decent crowd control ability, though at 4th level there are better CC options.
Um...no. The incapacitated condition has nothing to do with the ability to cast spells or not. It is a defined game term. Dictionary definitions are irrelevant. The incapacitated condition prevents a creature from taking actions. A creature deprived of the ability to cast spells is not deprived of the ability to take any actions. As such, they are not incapacitated by game definition.