Baleful Polymorph versus Undead

[Bloodlust]

By the rules, undead are immune to any effect that requires a fort save.

Now I can understand this as it is immune to poison, disease, etc because the body is dead.

But what about Baleful Polymorph?

It turns your body into that of a small/tiny animal - forcibly.

I fail to see why undead should be immune to this.

Has this been FAQ'ed and I can't find it? Is there some other reason why it should work as written because it makes no sense to me?

[Mathius]

Per raw it does not work and part of the reason for it is a game balance issue. Letting BP and its ilk work against them steps down their power level slightly but should not be a big deal.

[Bloodlust]

I don't believe that BP was even a consideration when they wrote Undead Traits. Undead Traits make sense - the body is not alive and therefore immune to a lot of stuff that would be horrible to a living creature.

Forcibly reshaping that creature (alive or undead) should have no bearing on that I believe.

[Drejk]

Undeads are inherently static beings - deathly inertia protects them from being forcibly changed.

[Haladir]

Undead have been immune to polymorph attacks since 3.0. It's deliberate.

[ryric]

{i]Baleful polymorph[/i] only works on living creatures; you can't use it to turn a corpse into another kind of critter. Undead aren't alive so that's that - a magically animated corpse is still a corpse. If you want to go around changing the form of undead, constructs, and such polymorph any object is your thing.

If you want to know why the basic polymorph effects only work on living creatures, that's just a design decision from way back. Might as well ask why fireball is a 20 foot radius or why you don't have sound in silent image.

[Karuth]

Perhaps polymorph any object would work? Since that spell also effects objects (like Disintegrate) and would circumvent the "Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect also works on objects" rule.

It would be interesting to have a metamagic for that. I mean there is metamagic for charming undead and to damage undead with negative energy.

[Ravingdork]

Aren't undead immune to anything that requires a Fortitude save, unless it also works on objects?

[Claxon]

The point has been made, Undead are deliberately immune to polymorph affects (except for Polymorph Any Object as it affects objects and sidesteps the Undead immunity).

[Drejk]

The OP isn't asking if they are immune. The OP is asking why they should be.

[Claxon]

Because their bodies count as objects and not living things. You can no more turn a door into a bunny (without using Polymorph Any Object) than you could an undead into a bunny. You need more powerful magic than what Baleful Polymorph provides.

[Mathwei ap Niall]

Because, simply put, this would allow a lowly 3rd level spell to bring a target back from the dead, forever. More so it would actually be creating life from un-life which usually takes a MUCH more powerful magical effect to succeed.

That's a bit powerful for that level of spell don't you think?

[Bloodlust]

3rd level???

This is a 5th level spell!

You know - like RAISE DEAD!

[MyTThor]

It is the way it is because that's the way it was in the game on which pathfinder is based. That being the case, what has to happen is someone has to make a case why it shouldn't be that way.

And as far as I can tell, there's no real compelling reason to make this specific spell break the general rule.