Elixir of Sex Shift + Sleeves of Many Garments + Alchemical Allocation = ????

Ah, back to the thought presented in the original post...

I have had some ideas and inspiration for some characters who self-identified as gender-fluid in games before-- actually put some of them in play in a 3.5 game (Eberron Changelings *can* be whatever gender they want to be, whenever they choose to do so)-- this would be a good solution for a human character who wanted to be able to live as either gender, day-to-day, depending on what she felt like being when he got up for the day.

Is there a form of magical artificial insemination?

Wait wat

How would this effect genderless creatures?

You still can't tell the difference.

Could this not lead to someone impregnating themselves?

That's taking incest to a whole new level.

Could this not lead to someone impregnating themselves?

It'd be easiest with a simulacrum, if they're presumed to be capable of reproduction.

But yes.

I think a baster would be easier than a simulacrum.

Did I really just write that?

*ahem* Well, as for the original question, there's a certain roguish character type that can often land in trouble when, for instance, a husband comes home unexpectedly. If you can do this trick while hiding in the closet, then all of a sudden you're just a friend over looking to borrow an outfit. Sure you don't need to change genders to try to make that bluff, but for a lot of folks it does make it more believable..

Uses I can think of (for the elixer, at least):

Play an androgynous character and confuse people who try to guess/figure out your gender.

Best. Drag show. Ever.

Have the ability to accurately compare the pain of having half your arm melted off by a gelatinous cube (don't worry, the cleric fixed it... eventually) to the pain of birthing a child.

Girl's/Guy's night out becomes much less exclusionary!

Uses I can think of (for the elixer, at least):

Girl's/Guy's night out becomes much less exclusionary!

But way more expensive.

Ah, back to the thought presented in the original post...

I have had some ideas and inspiration for some characters who self-identified as gender-fluid in games before-- actually put some of them in play in a 3.5 game (Eberron Changelings *can* be whatever gender they want to be, whenever they choose to do so)-- this would be a good solution for a human character who wanted to be able to live as either gender, day-to-day, depending on what she felt like being when he got up for the day.

At 2,250 gp a pop? Hell, for just 750 gp more, you could get a scroll of PAO and change race and size category.

I'm confused - what exactly is the purpose of an Elixir of Sex Shift?

Among other things, it's a key item in the background stories of two of Wrath of the Righteous more significant NPC's. If you view items only in the terms on how they advance character power and utility, it has no interest for you.

But remember that among it's drive for entertainment, there are other agendas that Paizo staff choose to push in subtle ways, every now and then. The elixir and it's story hooks reflect that.

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Could this not lead to someone impregnating themselves?

It'd be easiest with a simulacrum, if they're presumed to be capable of reproduction.

But yes.

Since simulacra aren't even able to heal damage naturally, I doubt their biological functioning has much fidelity to the original.

Finn Kveldulfr wrote:

Ah, back to the thought presented in the original post...

I have had some ideas and inspiration for some characters who self-identified as gender-fluid in games before-- actually put some of them in play in a 3.5 game (Eberron Changelings *can* be whatever gender they want to be, whenever they choose to do so)-- this would be a good solution for a human character who wanted to be able to live as either gender, day-to-day, depending on what she felt like being when he got up for the day.

At 2,250 gp a pop? Hell, for just 750 gp more, you could get a scroll of PAO and change race and size category.

But unless you're an archaist, you'd have to depend on someone else to cast the spell on you... and not turn you into something that would be fatal.

Arctic Sphinx wrote:

Uses I can think of (for the elixer, at least):

Girl's/Guy's night out becomes much less exclusionary!

But way more expensive.

Hence Alchemical Allocation as noted in the thread's title. Which lets you do it at no cost beyond the 2nd level spell slot.

"In order to hide from the city guard, I chose to disguise myself as myself."

"Why?"

"My disguise check is so bad, no one will believe that I'm really me."

Amusingly enough, something to this effect actually happens in the old 2E Planescape adventure Faction War. The Factol (leader) of the Xaositects has a hit put out on him, so his faction makes up roughly a dozen or so fakes, and puts bodyguards on all of them. The PCs are assigned to guard one of the more fake-looking doubles.

Naturally, he's the real Factol, in a disguise as someone in a bad disguise of himself. ("Chaos!")

Wiggz wrote:

I'm confused - what exactly is the purpose of an Elixir of Sex Shift?

If someone wanted to play a male, wouldn't they simply make a male character? If someone wanted to play a woman, wouldn't they simply make a female character? Permanently changing someone else's sex against their will would seem to be an evil act... so what am I missing?

A player may choose to role-play the experience of a character whose childhood experience is that of having a different gender then the one they are biologically identified as. 2500 gp is a lot of gold for a farm boy or farm girl, and most npc villagers are naive to the kinds of things magic can do. So the characters motivation for leaving might be the same reasons so many of people in the real world experiencing this might choose to leave home. They may be confused, or their might be abuse, or lack of acceptance. So that character may leave to become an adventure, and discovering that such an elixir exists to questing to attain it, becomes an arc that a player may wish to role-play. I would go so far as to speculate that many youths who are experiencing this in the real world, may find exploring it in a safe/role-playing setting to some degree therapeutic or fulfilling.

Said simpler, this is a role-playing item, not a mechanical item, and some people may want to role-play the process of changing genders.

Hmmm... If that's the reason they're adventuring, they'd probably be able to retire at level 3 or 4.

Galnörag wrote:

Wiggz wrote:

I'm confused - what exactly is the purpose of an Elixir of Sex Shift?

If someone wanted to play a male, wouldn't they simply make a male character? If someone wanted to play a woman, wouldn't they simply make a female character? Permanently changing someone else's sex against their will would seem to be an evil act... so what am I missing?

A player may choose to role-play the experience of a character whose childhood experience is that of having a different gender then the one they are biologically identified as. 2500 gp is a lot of gold for a farm boy or farm girl, and most npc villagers are naive to the kinds of things magic can do. So the characters motivation for leaving might be the same reasons so many of people in the real world experiencing this might choose to leave home. They may be confused, or their might be abuse, or lack of acceptance. So that character may leave to become an adventure, and discovering that such an elixir exists to questing to attain it, becomes an arc that a player may wish to role-play. I would go so far as to speculate that many youths who are experiencing this in the real world, may find exploring it in a safe/role-playing setting to some degree therapeutic or fulfilling.

Said simpler, this is a role-playing item, not a mechanical item, and some people may want to role-play the process of changing genders.

Hmmm... If that's the reason they're adventuring, they'd probably be able to retire at level 3 or 4.

Only if they haven't found a new reason by then. Which could be as simple as liking the other PCs, being loyal to them, and wanting to stick around and help out.

What happens if a woman pc get pregnant and then takes this potion, will she become Arnold Schwarzenegger?

What happens if a woman pc get pregnant and then takes this potion, will she become Arnold Schwarzenegger?

It officially doesn't work if you're pregnant. :)

ElementalXX wrote:

What happens if a woman pc get pregnant and then takes this potion, will she become Arnold Schwarzenegger?

It officially doesn't work if you're pregnant. :)

Unfortunately.

On the subject of how expensive that thing is, imagine a game of Russian Roulette with potions.

Potion 1: Flavored/color changed water with Prestidigitation
Potion 2: Cure Light Wounds
Potion 3: Elixir of Sex Shift
Potion 4: Dog Breath Potion, Extra Strength
Potion 5: Potion of Gaseas Form
Potion 6: Expensive wine

Spin the lasy susan, pick your goblet, and hope for the best.

I would spin that wheel!

I'm also a bit curious what might happen if you drink two of them at once...

Numerian Fluids are already the ultimate Russian Roulette.

So why so many people in this thread looking at a permanent change inducing elixir with a 2,250 GP price tag for various notions that involve hopping back and forth over the sex fence? This item is really only practical for a one-time permanent change. Otherwise, you're better off with a Greater Hat of Disguise. At 12,000, it pays for itself after just 3 round trips. And that's only if you want it as a real transformation. 1,800 for the standard variety if all you care about are appearances.

So why so many people in this thread looking at a permanent change inducing elixir with a 2,250 GP price tag for various notions that involve hopping back and forth over the sex fence? This item is really only practical for a one-time permanent change. Otherwise, you're better off with a Greater Hat of Disguise. At 12,000, it pays for itself after just 3 round trips. And that's only if you want it as a real transformation. 1,800 for the standard variety if all you care about are appearances.

Again...Alchemical Allocation lets you reuse it as often as you're willing to spend 2nd level spell slots.

This item is really only practical for a one-time permanent change.

It's also instantaneous, meaning it can't be dispelled or reversed via break enchantment (only another elixir will change you back, per the item description), and also allows no save (it doesn't matter if you take it voluntarily or not). That makes it of greater use offensively as well as in the mundane sense.

boring7 wrote:

"In order to hide from the city guard, I chose to disguise myself as myself."

"Why?"

"My disguise check is so bad, no one will believe that I'm really me."

Amusingly enough, something to this effect actually happens in the old 2E Planescape adventure Faction War. The Factol (leader) of the Xaositects has a hit put out on him, so his faction makes up roughly a dozen or so fakes, and puts bodyguards on all of them. The PCs are assigned to guard one of the more fake-looking doubles.

Naturally, he's the real Factol, in a disguise as someone in a bad disguise of himself. ("Chaos!")

Reminds me of something from Glorious Shotgun Princess; a character slipped into Yu-Shan (Heaven) disguised as the God of Bad Disguises (said disguise consisted entirely of him throwing a whole bunch of random crap on as though he was trying to look like a scarecrow) then later bumped into the real God of Bad Disguises - a young, buxom and attractive woman with a false waxed moustache. Then the God of Disguising Yourself Badly turned up (an identical woman with a false goatee) then a few other gods related to disguising turned up (one of whom was disguised as a nearby park bench) and it descended into the usual political nonsense that is the Celestial Bureaucracy.

On-topic you could probably have some fun with a cursed or flawed version of the elixir. Although at the moment all I can think of is causing them to switch gender whenever a specific-yet-common criteria is met... this may be the result of having a Ranma 1/2 DVD sitting on the shelf near my computer, though. :P

I've notices several posts mentioning using the 'elixer of sex shift' offensively. I just wanted to point ou that trying to use it on an opponent through poisoners gloves probably wont have the effect you expect.

Unless that orc chieftan is really just jelous of the females playing with the little orclings, its unlikely that he would change at all, or he might take on even more masculine charactistics (bigger tusks or more back hair)

"most creatures can decide how this elixir transforms them. An unwilling imbiber can choose not to change at all."

"most creatures can decide how this elixir transforms them. An unwilling imbiber can choose not to change at all."

Interesting

ELIXIR OF SEX SHIFT

Price 2,250 gp; Slotnone; CL 9th; Weight —; Aura moderate transmutation
Upon drinking this elixir, a character permanently transforms their biology to take on a different set of sexual characteristics of their choice. While the imbiber’s physiology changes dramatically and their features adjust slightly to take on the new qualities, the imbiber is still recognizable as the same person. The character has only minor control over the specific details of this new appearance, and the elixir grants no benefit on Disguise skill checks or similar checks.
This elixir’s magic functions instantaneously and can’t be dispelled, though drinking a second elixir of sex shift either reverts the character back to a former form or allows them to adopt alternate sexual characteristics, as they choose. The elixir has no effect on characters who are pregnant or are of races with no sexual differentiation. Most races have a wide spectrum of sexual differentiation, some common, others more rare. Therefore, most creatures can decide how this elixir transforms them. An unwilling imbiber can choose not to change at all.
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Cost 1,125 gp
Craft Wondrous Items, polymorph

Archives of Nethys has the same, but...

Elixir of Sex Shifting

Price 2,250 gp; Slot none; CL 9th; Weight —; Aura moderate transmutation

DESCRIPTION

Upon drinking this elixir, a character permanently transforms their biology to take on a different set of sexual characteristics of their choice. While the imbiber's physiology changes dramatically and their features adjust slightly to take on the new qualities, the imbiber is still recognizable as the same person. The character has only minor control over the specific details of this new appearance, and the elixir grants no benefit on Disguise skill checks or similar checks.

This elixir's magic functions instantaneously and can't be dispelled, though drinking a second elixir of sex shift either reverts the character back to a former form or allows them to adopt alternate sexual characteristics, as they choose. The elixir has no effect on characters who are pregnant or are of races with no sexual differentiation. Most races have a wide spectrum of sexual differentiation, some common, others more rare. Therefore, most creatures can decide how this elixir transforms them. An unwilling imbiber can choose not to change at all.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Cost 1,125 gp; Feats Craft Wondrous Item; Spells polymorph

Note the slight change in item name Shift to Shifting.