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This question is about Monstrous Physique and gaining the Mimicry ability from a Doppelganger.
Mimicry (Ex) A doppelganger is proficient in all weapons, armor, and shields. In addition, a doppelganger can use any spell trigger or spell completion item as if the spells were on its spell list. Its caster level is equal to its racial Hit Dice.
If you have no racial hit dice, does this make your caster level 0 or do you use your hit dice instead?
I know that the DC for abilities you gain from polymorphing are based off the spell used to assume the form. Would this mean that, in the instance of mimicry, you'd use your caster level in place of racial hit dice?
I searched the message boards and couldn't find anything.
If you have no racial hit dice your caster level is 0. It's is explicit and there is nothing that allows you to substitute another stat for racial HD.
For spell trigger items that won't matter.It will make casting from scrolls a little more difficult though.
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Not sure where the "it explicitly says" is stated. Since it is based off of 3.5 and there are numerous things that were never fixed from that. This, I believe, is one of them. 3.5 stated that if an ability was based off of racial hit die and you had no racial hit die, then it was based off your total hit die instead.
This question is about Monstrous Physique and gaining the Mimicry ability from a Doppelganger.
Mimicry (Ex) A doppelganger is proficient in all weapons, armor, and shields. In addition, a doppelganger can use any spell trigger or spell completion item as if the spells were on its spell list. Its caster level is equal to its racial Hit Dice.
If you have no racial hit dice, does this make your caster level 0 or do you use your hit dice instead?
I know that the DC for abilities you gain from polymorphing are based off the spell used to assume the form. Would this mean that, in the instance of mimicry, you'd use your caster level in place of racial hit dice?
I searched the message boards and couldn't find anything.
If you have no racial hit dice then you'd have no caster level. I honestly don't really see the point of that ability being in there.
Considering you can't use this ability until Monstrous Physique IV (a level 6 spell) I'd say listing it specifically for it to be useless is a mistake.
However the rules as they currently stand would indicate (but not state outright that I could find) that this ability is useless text as written and how it interacts giving you a caster level of 0 due to not having racial hit die.
As such I'm marking this thread a FAQ candidate - and I think it deserves a pass from the dev team to clean up 'racial hit die' vs. 'class hit die' language - or to clean up the polymorph school to allow class hit die to = racial hit die when assuming a form, or to remove this ability from the spell.
Somethings gotta give :)
I'd set the CL equal to either the racial HD of the creature copied or the CL of the caster. Probably whichever is lower.
Useless for PC races does not mean useless. A stone giant wizard might find it useful for example.
This question is about Monstrous Physique and gaining the Mimicry ability from a Doppelganger.
Mimicry (Ex) A doppelganger is proficient in all weapons, armor, and shields. In addition, a doppelganger can use any spell trigger or spell completion item as if the spells were on its spell list. Its caster level is equal to its racial Hit Dice.
If you have no racial hit dice, does this make your caster level 0 or do you use your hit dice instead?
I know that the DC for abilities you gain from polymorphing are based off the spell used to assume the form. Would this mean that, in the instance of mimicry, you'd use your caster level in place of racial hit dice?
I searched the message boards and couldn't find anything.
The only effects you can get from polymorph are those that appear on BOTH the creature's list AND that of the polymorph spell you are using.
Mimicry isn't one of them.
Keep in mind that if it's shapechanging into a humanoid form, you're as covered as early as Alter Self.
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Monstrous Physique II
School transmutation (polymorph); Level alchemist 4, magus 4, sorcerer/wizard 4
This spell functions as monstrous physique I, except it also allows you to assume the form of a Tiny or Large creature of the monstrous humanoid type. If the form you assume has any of the following abilities, you gain the listed ability: climb 60 feet, fly 60 feet (good maneuverability), swim 60 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, freeze, grab, leap attack, mimicry, pounce, sound mimicry, speak with sharks, and trip. If the creature has the undersized weapons special quality, you gain that quality.
Tiny monstrous humanoid: If the form you take is that of a Tiny monstrous humanoid, you gain a +4 size bonus to your Dexterity, a –2 penalty to your Strength, and a +1 natural armor bonus.
Large monstrous humanoid: If the form you take is that of a Large monstrous humanoid, you gain a +4 size bonus to your Strength, a –2 penalty to your Dexterity, and a +4 natural armor bonus.
It is there.
I sit corrected.