Okay, P.A.O. raises all sorts of questions. Do you have to follow the guidelines of the listed spells or can you polymorph truly anything into anything else?
Anyway, as curious as I am about that, my current question is how to undo it? Assuming you change something "permanently" from one thing to another, how can you change it back? (This applies to Balefull polymorph too, I suppose). With the exception of Balefull Polymorph (the only other "permanent" morph), the subject can always just CHOOSE to return to his original form at any time. Does this apply to a PERMANENT effect?
If the subject can't just will himself back to normal, then what magics would work? Dispell Magic? Remove Curse? What about an anti-magic field? I could understand if it would suppress a non-permanent polymorph, but what about a permanent one?
My mage wants to "permanently" turn himself into something big and nasty before casting anti-magic field, but he wants to easily change back afterward, too! What's gonna happen?
You could always give pollymorph any object another whirl, plus the usual upper undo spells such as wish and miracle which fix reincarnate normally.
You could always give pollymorph any object another whirl, plus the usual upper undo spells such as wish and miracle which fix reincarnate normally.
Technically, casting another P.A.O. to return to normal wouldn't be able to recreate your old appearance (you can't polymorph into specific creatures).
HOWEVER, some further research has probably answered my question, anyway.
"Permanent" is not the same as "Instantaneous". The latter means that the effect becomes intrinsically true and any remaining effects are non-magical. Permanent only means that the magics continue to persist. In other words, you CAN choose to end the spell at ANY time (as per "Greater Polymorph, who's rules it uses). It also means that it's dispellable and anti-magicalbe. Drat.