Souls in Golarion and Polymorph Any Object


Lost Omens Campaign Setting General Discussion


I'm not sure whether this is a world lore question or a rules question because it involves both; but it feels more like world lore question to me.

If I understand correctly, souls in Golarion originate via some mysterious process on the Positive Energy plane. Then, once they have developed sufficiently there, they migrate to the material plane where they bond with a body (either an organic body like a human child, or occupying a recently vacated android body). The soul then learns things, does things, makes choices, and generally lives its life. Eventually, the body dies (or the soul passes out of the android), it becomes a petitioner, gets judged by Pharasma, migrates to its assigned outer plane and meets whatever fate its actions in mortal life prepared it for. Right?

So my question is this: what happens when you use Polymorph Any Object to turn an inanimate object into a living creature? The iconic example from the spell is turning a pebble into a human for 20 minutes. It gets all six ability scores (10 for physical, 5 for mental). Does that mean the pebble now has a soul? Or is it more like a construct? Or what? If so, what happens when the duration expires and the pebble reverts to being a pebble? Does the soul move on?

It'd be a pretty lame life to get exactly 20 minutes to explore the world as a thinking, breathing being, and then your body suddenly isn't a body any more and you're punted out of material existence and on to yet another whole new world.

I don't really have any purpose in asking beyond food for thought.


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Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Well, it worked for a Petunia...


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Oh man, this spell description: “This spell cannot create material of great intrinsic value, such as copper, silver, gems, silk, gold, platinum, mithral, or adamantine.” I guess humans have no intrinsic value when you’re able to cast 8th level magic.

But to your question, the spell is from the Construct subdomain, so these humans are most likely constructs without souls, since “A construct cannot be raised or resurrected.”

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