Suppose I am playing a Samsaran, and intend to use the Mystic Past Life Alternate Racial Trait, that allows me to add some spells from another class to my current class.
So, my current class is Summoner, and I'm looking at adding Sorcerer spells. As a summoner, you can cast spells with a target of "you" on the Eddy as a touch spell, so long as it is on your Summoner spell list...which any spells added with Mystic Past Life would be. So, one of the spells I'm considering is the Beast Shape line of spells (or ones like them, such as Undead Anatomy or Monstrous Physique).
The problem is this: What the hell would happen to the Eddy if I did that? If it's a bipedal it's a bit easier, but what if I chose a quadruped or abberation? On top of that, what happens to his evolutions?
I know the easy answer would be "just don't do that, it hurts my brain"....but let's face it, there are some smart people here who really know the rules...so I'd appreciate a bit of help.
It depends on how you interpret the RAW.
While under the effects of a polymorph spell, you lose all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (such as keen senses, scent, and darkvision), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form. You also lose any class features that depend upon form, but those that allow you to add features (such as sorcerers that can grow claws) still function.
Emphasis mine.
As a baseline, an eidolon has nothing: e.g. a bipedal eidolon only has arms and legs because he has evolutions that say he does, and even these starting evolution can be removed.
Do you argue that evolutions are part of an eidolons original form, or that they are added?
If you argue that evolutions are part of the eidolon's original form, you lose all that are tied to form, e.g. extra limbs, large size, and natural attacks. You would not loose evolutions that are not tied to form, e.g. stat increases.
If you argue that evolutions are not part of the eidolon's original form; all evolutions are retained, including that change size and add additional limbs and attacks.
Those people should consider, if you argue evolutions are part of the eidolons original form, that means Constrict on a serpent eidolon qualifies it for Final Embrace.
Of course, you will want to have your cake and eat it too, by arguing just because something is part of a creatures original form does not make it racial - you should really stop to consider just how ridiculous that sounds.
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My position is that the evolutions are part of the eidolon original form.
An your "tangent" is not a relevant argument. Actually it is a pretty cheap way to try to dismiss in advance arguments that go against your opinion.
And yes, getting a permanent way to get constrict allow you to take a feat that essentially require to have a permanent way to have constrict to be taken. Nothing strange in that.
My position is that the evolutions are part of the eidolon original form.
An your "tangent" is not a relevant argument. Actually it is a pretty cheap way to try to dismiss in advance arguments that go against your opinion.
And yes, getting a permanent way to get constrict allow you to take a feat that essentially require to have a permanent way to have constrict to be taken. Nothing strange in that.
I did not state an opinion.
I offered two arguments and a secondary scenario that ties in to the first.
The serpent eidolon + constrict + final embrace argument has come up before. How that argument resolves should be based on the same reasoning as the resolution to polymorph spells + evolutions.
I am happy either way, as long as the same answer is applied consistently, and not in whichever direction is to the players detriment on a case-by-case basis.
So, looks like I smacked and old hornet's nest that has never been taken care of.
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It's the same as a Alchemist with the Tentacle discovery. The tentacle becomes part of the base form, as it is a permanent piece of anatomy. After imbibing an extract of Monstrous Physique, he would lose the tentacle. If there was something like Tentacl-y Mutagen that added a tentacle to you (the same way Feral Mutagen adds claws/bite), you would keep it after the transformation.
To me, Eidolon evolutions are part of its base form once they have been selected, so the eidolon would lose their effects after being affected by such polymorph effects. For this reason, any permanent feature added to the eidolon via evolutions counts as a prerequisite for feats and features (because why wouldn't it?).