In our last session, my aberrant sorcerer cast Baleful Polymorph onto an enemy human fighter (at least we think they were human)turning him permanently into a turtle. I floated the question, "If we used the turtle for soup, would it be cannibalism? Would it be an evil act?" We of course do not know if the human made his will save, which might be important, as if his mental abilities have been reduced to animal level is he not in all respects a turtle?
What think you, players?
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Doesn't he revert to human form upon death? (Or is that not a thing anymore?)
I don't know if it's explicitly spelled out, but since most polymorph effects are permanent instead of instantaneous, and target creatures - once the target dies they are no longer a creature so thus an invalid target for the effect which would end.
But I expect this is a YMMV situation.
Knowingly choosing to eat a creature that was once intelligent would be just as evil as consuming an intelligent creature in muy opinion. The rules do state that cannibalism is outright evil on its own, and in my opinion the difference between a individual that is longer cognizant and one that is cognizant isn't enough to change it from evil to not.
So evil.
If I were your DM, I'd say it was Evil. But that's just me.
"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 +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature."
This seems to indicate that the essential nature of a polymorphed creature does not change, only the physical body of the creature. Since the transmutation is confined to the body, the soul/spirit/anima remains unaffected. This would be like chopping off the legs of people, it changes the body of the person who's legs you chopped off but does make them into a snail or change their name from Ted to Steve, they remain the same person with an altered body. A human polymorphed into a turtle body shape does not cease to be an intelligent being, nor does a turtle polymorphed into a human body shape becomes an intelligent being. While really creepy, if characters had a taste for human flesh they could polymorph turtles into human and not be performing an automatically evil act.
Baleful Polymorph, which is the spell in question, works differently.
If the spell succeeds, the subject must also make a Will save. If this second save fails, the creature loses its extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities, loses its ability to cast spells (if it had the ability), and gains the alignment, special abilities, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores of its new form in place of its own. It still retains its class and level (or HD), as well as all benefits deriving therefrom (such as base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and hit points). It retains any class features (other than spellcasting) that aren't extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like abilities.
Baleful Polymorph can make you (physically and somewhat mentally) a real ninja turtle. Assuming your class was ninja.
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In our last session, my aberrant sorcerer cast Baleful Polymorph onto an enemy human fighter (at least we think they were human)turning him permanently into a turtle. I floated the question, "If we used the turtle for soup, would it be cannibalism? Would it be an evil act?" We of course do not know if the human made his will save, which might be important, as if his mental abilities have been reduced to animal level is he not in all respects a turtle?
What think you, players?
Cannibalism isn't evil.
Lizardfolk eat sentient creatures all the time, and they aren't considered evil. They're just hungry and eat what they can.
It's...a little weird...but I don't think eating a polymorphed guy is evil.
Cannibalism isn't evil.In our last session, my aberrant sorcerer cast Baleful Polymorph onto an enemy human fighter (at least we think they were human)turning him permanently into a turtle. I floated the question, "If we used the turtle for soup, would it be cannibalism? Would it be an evil act?" We of course do not know if the human made his will save, which might be important, as if his mental abilities have been reduced to animal level is he not in all respects a turtle?
What think you, players?
KILLING someone specifically to eat them is though (not counting the lizardfolk thing, since their eating you is usually incidental; they killed you while you were messing around with their turf, and they just didn't want the meat to go to waste)
Also, cutting off parts of people against their will while they are alive is also evil.
But yeah, you can do cannibalism without being evil. I mean, there are spells to heal wounds, regenerate limbs, and revive the dead. You can make eating one guy SUSTAINABLE.
I'd insert a "that's my fetish" image macro here if the boards supported in line images -- well, that and if not for the fact that it'd be in very bad taste.
<.<
>.>
What?
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There are cultural examples of cannibalism that although to the modern western mind are repulsive...would not explicitly be considered "evil".
For example, eating the flesh of an honored tribe/clan member as part of the funerial rites.
Just sayin ;)
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Cannibalism isn't evil.In our last session, my aberrant sorcerer cast Baleful Polymorph onto an enemy human fighter (at least we think they were human)turning him permanently into a turtle. I floated the question, "If we used the turtle for soup, would it be cannibalism? Would it be an evil act?" We of course do not know if the human made his will save, which might be important, as if his mental abilities have been reduced to animal level is he not in all respects a turtle?
What think you, players?
KILLING someone specifically to eat them is though (not counting the lizardfolk thing, since their eating you is usually incidental; they killed you while you were messing around with their turf, and they just didn't want the meat to go to waste)
Also, cutting off parts of people against their will while they are alive is also evil.
But yeah, you can do cannibalism without being evil. I mean, there are spells to heal wounds, regenerate limbs, and revive the dead. You can make eating one guy SUSTAINABLE.
Point. For some reason I was thinking he was already dead. I blame being sleepy. :P