Does a polymorph spell's (such as form of the dragon) bonus to natural armor stack with a familiars, animal companions, or other creatures (such as a rakshasa's) regular bonus to natural armor in the same way a barkskin spell does?
If you polymorph your familiar a tiny creature into a small creature does his effective strength change? If you baneful polymorph your familiar into another shape does it count as the new form or the original one?
Also if a dwarf wizard cast create pit and the villian falls in is it bad form to point and laugh at the DM.
Go Mr. Fishy's flaming bat familiar, show them why they fear the dwarf.
Tier Fishy!
Mr. Fishy doesn't know but he will check the srd.
Bump
Does a polymorph spell's (such as form of the dragon) bonus to natural armor stack with a familiars, animal companions, or other creatures (such as a rakshasa's) regular bonus to natural armor in the same way a barkskin spell does?
Polymorph: A polymorph spell transforms your physical body to take on the shape of another creature. While these spells make you appear to be the creature, granting you a +20 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature. Each polymorph spell allows you to assume the form of a creature of a specific type, granting you a number of bonuses to your ability scores and a bonus to your natural armor. In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses.
-So polymorph spells do not replace your natural armor bonus.
Beast shape X: Medium animal: If the form you take is that of a Medium animal, you gain a +2 size bonus to your Strength and a +2 natural armor bonus.
You become a Medium chromatic or metallic dragon. You gain a +4 size bonus to Strength, a +2 size bonus to Constitution, a +4 natural armor bonus, fly 60 feet (poor), darkvision 60 feet, a breath weapon, and resistance to one element. You also gain one bite (1d8), two claws (1d6), and two wing attacks (1d4). Your breath weapon and resistance depend on the type of dragon. You can only use the breath weapon once per casting of this spell. All breath weapons deal 6d8 points of damage and allow a Reflex save for half damage. In addition, some of the dragon types grant additional abilities, as noted below.
-This would not stack with a familiar's natural armor from being an animal. It WOULD stack with their armor from being a familiar.
-It wouldn't stack with an animal companions natural armor, but it would stack with the adjustment they get from their animal companion "level".
In both cases you have competing bonuses, so if you cast form of the dragon 1 on your turtle familiar, he's probably better off with his own natural armor and doesn't LOOSE any natural armor for trading in his shell (by raw anyway)
granting you a number of bonuses to your ability scores and a bonus to your natural armor. In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses.
That highlighted section right there seems to be the important sentence. The way it is structured lends me to believe that polymorph spells provide a bonus to your existing natural armor. They don't give you a natural armor bonus, they give you a bonus to your natural armor.
Barkskin spells out very clearly what it does and does not stack with, and I think the other transmutation spells were meant to fall in to the same vein for the sake of consistency.
I would have no problem with a Naga, Rakshasa, familiar, animal companion, or any other spellcaster stacking their inherent natural armor with any of the polymorphs. They're not permanent, the base creature is naturally tougher, and none of the bonuses are game breaking.