What type does a pebble turned human have?


Rules Questions


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Polymorph effects don't change a creature's type. Therefore, what type does a creature have when it previously had no type, such as a pebble turned into a human with polymorph any object?

Author's note:
I waited for seven years for clarifications from Paizo, only to have them mark the Clarity on Polymorph Any Object thread as "answered in the errata," which is blatantly untrue.

I'm not giving up. Please FAQ this post, and others like it, so we can finally get some answers.


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A real boy.


An answer is needed to this question. Untyped creatures do not exist, so I guess every creature created with a Polymorph effect, such the pebble you mentionated should gain a type... but it's no supported by the rules, so it's confusing.


If it was my game I'd rule that you created a non-alive-flesh-shaped-like-a-human (untyped), as the pebble wasn't previously living. Similar if you used stone-to-flesh on a stone that was never alive in the 1st place, you'd get a hunk of meat.

So yea, a dead human, who can't be brought "back to life" as there was never a life for it to go back to. No reincarnate/raise dead/resurrection...etc as it has no soul. Ideal for a flesh golem or getting bodies for necromancy I suppose.

Again, that's me as a GM ruling at my table.


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Scary as it is, it might actually be a contruct.

The spell animate object gives some physical stats to an object and allows it to move, and it makes it a construct.
Magical items are just items, but when you make an intelligent one, it becomes a creature, and are treated ass constructs.

After all, even if it looks like a human now, it's still as dumb as a rock...


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Alderic wrote:

Scary as it is, it might actually be a contruct.

The spell animate object gives some physical stats to an object and allows it to move, and it makes it a construct.
Magical items are just items, but when you make an intelligent one, it becomes a creature, and are treated ass constructs.

After all, even if it looks like a human now, it's still as dumb as a rock...

I'm hesitant to call it a Construct (per the type rules) as that has a whole host of rules baggage associated with it. Now, had you said it was a "magical construct" like a wall of force or wall of fire, than I would be totally fine with that. That makes it, its own (typeless?) thing.


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Also, having them being constructs that resemble humans could lead to some abuse because of the construct traits and immunities.


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Kileanna wrote:
Also, having them being constructs that resemble humans could lead to some abuse because of the construct traits and immunities.

The opposite, actually. Polymorph spells don't change type so that you don't gain or lose appropriate immunities, proficiencies, and saves.

A rock is immune to mind affecting, poison, and ability damage, doesn't heal, etc. Construct is absolutely the right base, give it 1HD and call it done.


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I was thinking in opposition of giving it a creature type according to the effect (i.e.human) not of remaining as a rock. Compared to a rock, a construct would be OK.


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I think it temporarily gaining the creature type would probably make the most sense from an ease of play standpoint. Still, it's not clearly stated in the spell.


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A medium animated object has 3 HD, if you wanted to turn a pebble into something willing to fight for you, I would hope to get more than 1 HD out of an 8th lvl spell...

Convincing the ex-rock to help you fight would be another matter entirely :p


earth elemental maybe?

Grand Lodge

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While the spell remains in duration or in permanent effect, the polymorphed pebble has the creature type traits and features of an object. See also phantom steed.


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Starglim wrote:
While the spell remains in duration or in permanent effect, the polymorphed pebble has the creature type traits and features of an object. See also phantom steed.

That's my hope, but how can you be so certain?

Insofar as we know, a phantom steed is also a typeless magical effect.


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Starglim wrote:
While the spell remains in duration or in permanent effect, the polymorphed pebble has the creature type traits and features of an object. See also phantom steed.

It's immune to most ranged attacks, takes half energy damage before hardness, and is subject to (object) spells without a save? Well, maybe.

Scarab Sages

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It would be a human shaped pebble with physical stats of 10 and mental stats of 5. It would have no type. Since humans don't have racial hit die, I would default pebbleboy to commoner 1. It wouldn't be affected by anything affecting humanoids, but it also wouldn't have construct or elemental immunities. It would have 20 minutes is psuedolife, and then it's back to a rock. And the ethical issues of creating a temporary human with low intelligence and no language skills for 20 minutes at a time is pretty disturbing.


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It looks like Construct is the best choice.
The basic principle of going for the least advantageous option would apply here.
(Earth Elemental would not be it.)

Grand Lodge

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You said it yourself. Its creature type doesn't change.

The creature type "object", as it happens, has no traits or features. This means it has no particular immunities and has other statistics depending on the specific creature description. Presumably, it has normal vision, eats, breathes and sleeps, as a human does, has non-elite ability scores, may have human racial abilities (this seems questionable, particularly as it doesn't have the human subtype) and gets its other statistics from its class level, which is probably Commoner 1.


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As far as I can tell objects and constructs have all the same immunities. You can't poison or mind control a rock.

You need to give it a type other than objects so it has a BAB and save bonus. Or make it ucompletely inept at combat and auto fail appropriate saves like a mundane object...


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For me it would be an oportunity for a story event. Hmm... a soulless human body just lying there... waiting for someone or something to call it home.


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Its possible to speak with rocks using magic.

Imagine for a moment: The rock that remembered being a man, that became an earth elemental, wishing nothing more than to be a man again.

Alternatively, the rock whose first words to the world as a human are, "I am not an animal! I am NOT a mammal! I am an elemental BEING!"


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Sits in the corner being fleshy.

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