Baleful Polymorph - Can the chicken talk?

[Musk]

Hey guys,

Does failing your fortitude save but not the will save against Baleful Polymorph make you lose the ability to speak? (In the case of being polymorphed into something like a chicken or squirrel)

Thanks

[blackbloodtroll]

No.

Even Druids need a feat to talk in Wildshape.

[Lab_Rat]

This^^^

As a GM I would rule that if you were turned into a raven or parrot that you could talk. However, no knowledgeable BBEG wizard is going to turn you into an animal that can talk and fly. That mistake is definitely on the Evil Overlord list.

[Weirdo]

You don't have the vocal cords for speech, but you can still understand language and can communicate in other ways limited by your form. A chicken or squirrel could probably scratch our short written messages, or manipulate string or twigs to spell (slowly). This is helpful if you need to convince someone you're under a spell, if you're stuck in Polymorphed form for a few days while your allies dig up a Dispel Magic or Break Enchantment, or if you asked to be polymorphed for a few days while you avoid your creditors.

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Even Druids need a feat to talk in Wildshape.

And since that feat specifically calls our Wild Shape and not "under any polymorph effect," I'd assume a druid with this feat would still be unable to speak under Baleful Polymorph.

[Rickmeister]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Even Druids need a feat to talk in Wildshape.

Do you mean "talk" or "cast" while in wildshape? I though they only had the latter?

[blackbloodtroll]

Weirdo wrote:

You don't have the vocal cords for speech, but you can still understand language and can communicate in other ways limited by your form. A chicken or squirrel could probably scratch our short written messages, or manipulate string or twigs to spell (slowly). This is helpful if you need to convince someone you're under a spell, if you're stuck in Polymorphed form for a few days while your allies dig up a Dispel Magic or Break Enchantment, or if you asked to be polymorphed for a few days while you avoid your creditors.

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Even Druids need a feat to talk in Wildshape.

And since that feat specifically calls our Wild Shape and not "under any polymorph effect," I'd assume a druid with this feat would still be unable to speak under Baleful Polymorph.

True.

[blackbloodtroll]

Rickmeister wrote:

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Even Druids need a feat to talk in Wildshape.

Do you mean "talk" or "cast" while in wildshape? I though they only had the latter?

There are two feats, each one addressing a different one of those issues.

[Musk]

Awesome. Thanks. The question mainly came up because the spell talked about you only losing the ability to cast spells only if you failed your will save... so if you're a chicken you can still cast spell but only if they're silent, still and have no material...or if the magic words are poc poc pocoq

[blackbloodtroll]

Are there even stats for a chicken?

That would be an awesome familiar.

[Treppa]

Until you got hungry.

[Ashiel]

This reminds me of the mage who accidentally got himself polymorphed into a chicken in BG I. He talked, and it was a funny quest. This story has nothing to do with RAW though.

[blackbloodtroll]

I say, I say, a Chanticleer familiar would be most agreeable.

[Ashiel]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

I say, I say, a Chanticleer familiar would be most agreeable.

Rockadooooodllllleeehoooooohoooo! :D