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I just noticed a thing about elemental body 2+. The stat bonuses aren't linked to being a larger elemental.
If we look beast shape, all the modifiers depend on taking a form of a specific size:
Small animal: If the form you take is that of a Small animal, you gain a +2 size bonus to your Dexterity and a +1 natural armor bonus.
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.
Large animal: If the form you take is that of a Large animal, you gain a +4 size bonus to your Strength, a –2 penalty to your Dexterity, and a +4 natural armor bonus.
etc.
But elemental body say:
Elemental body I
When you cast this spell, you can assume the form of a Small air, earth, fire, or water elemental. The abilities you gain depend upon the type of elemental into which you change. Elemental abilities based on size, such as burn, vortex, and whirlwind, use the size of the elemental you transform into to determine their effect.
Elemental body II
This spell functions as elemental body I, except that it also allows you to assume the form of a Medium air, earth, fire, or water elemental. The abilities you gain depend upon the elemental.
and so on.
It allows you to assume, not you assume. And it still work as the previous version, so you can still take a smaller form.
So, apparently, the RAW of the text allow you to take a smaller form, but get the full modifiers for the stats and natural armor modifiers (but the other abilities, like burn, and the basic damage of your slam attack are limited by the form you take).
What do you think, working as intended, or the RAI is that you must be a larger elemental to benefit from the stat increase?
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Dexterity going down?
Elemental body I: Air elemental: If the form you take is that of a Small air elemental, you gain a +2 size bonus to your Dexterity and a +2 natural armor bonus. You also gain fly 60 feet (perfect), darkvision 60 feet, and the ability to create a whirlwind.
Elemental body II: Air elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +4 size bonus to your Dexterity and a +3 natural armor bonus.
Elemental body III: Air elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +2 size bonus to your Strength, +4 size bonus to your Dexterity, and a +4 natural armor bonus.
Elemental body IV: Air elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +4 size bonus to your Strength, +6 size bonus to your Dexterity, and a +4 natural armor bonus. You also gain fly 120 feet (perfect).
Fire elemental: Small +2 dex, medium +4 dex, large +4 dec, huge +6 dex. water 0/0/-2/-2, earth 0/0/-2/-2
You are thinking of the beast shape forms, but those lock you to a specific size for specific bonuses.
I think that the intent here is pretty clear, that to get the upgraded ability scores you need to use the increased size.
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Dexterity going down?
Yes. Look at the earth and water elementals.
Earth elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +6 size bonus to your Strength, a –2 penalty on your Dexterity, a +2 size bonus to your Constitution, and a +6 natural armor bonus.Water elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +2 size bonus to your Strength, a –2 penalty on your Dexterity, a +6 size bonus to your Constitution, and a +6 natural armor bonus.
You are thinking of the beast shape forms, but those lock you to a specific size for specific bonuses.
Elemental Body follows the progression of actual elementals. Air and Fire elementals are among the very very few creatures where larger forms actually have more dexterity than the weaker forms.
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Dexterity going down?Yes. Look at the earth and water elementals.
Earth elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +6 size bonus to your Strength, a –2 penalty on your Dexterity, a +2 size bonus to your Constitution, and a +6 natural armor bonus.Water elemental: As elemental body I except that you gain a +2 size bonus to your Strength, a –2 penalty on your Dexterity, a +6 size bonus to your Constitution, and a +6 natural armor bonus.
You are thinking of the beast shape forms, but those lock you to a specific size for specific bonuses.Elemental Body follows the progression of actual elementals. Air and Fire elementals are among the very very few creatures where larger forms actually have more dexterity than the weaker forms.
Yes, look that progression:
Earth and Water small no modifier, medium, no modifier, large -2, huge -2.Fire and Air: small +2, medium +4, large +4, huge +6.
A variable modifier that fail to change several times when the size change.
Compare with beast shape:
small +2, medium 0, large -2, huge -4.
That is a clear progression based on size. It changes every time the size change.
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I think that the intent here is pretty clear, that to get the upgraded ability scores you need to use the increased size.
I think that that is RAI.
But getting higher benefits even in smaller forms, instead, can be a choice made by the developers, to balance the relatively small number of special abilities added with each upgraded version of the spell.BS I (spell level 3): climb 30 feet, fly 30 feet (average maneuverability), swim 30 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, and scent.
BSII(spell level 4) add: climb 60 feet, fly 60 feet (good maneuverability), swim 60 feet, grab, pounce, and trip.
BSIII(spell level 5) add: burrow 30 feet, climb 90 feet, fly 90 feet (good maneuverability), swim 90 feet, blindsense 30 feet, constrict, ferocity, jet, poison, rake, trample, and web.
BSIV (spell level 6) add: burrow 60 feet, climb 90 feet, fly 120 feet (good maneuverability), swim 120 feet, blindsense 60 feet, darkvision 90 feet, tremorsense 60 feet, breath weapon, rend, roar, spikes. If the creature has immunity or resistance to any elements, you gain resistance 20 to those elements. If the creature has vulnerability to an element, you gain that vulnerability.
EBI (spell level 4): You also gain fly 60 feet (perfect), darkvision 60 feet, and the ability to create a whirlwind. or earth glide; or resist fire 20, vulnerability to cold, and the burn ability; swim 60 feet, the ability to create a vortex, and the ability to breathe water
EBII (spell level 5): nothing added.
EBIII (spell level 6): immune to bleed damage, critical hits, and sneak attacks while in elemental form.
EBIV (spell level 7): gain DR 5/—, fly 120 feet (perfect) or swim 120 feet.
Higher level spells and less abilities.
With the quantity of magical beasts available in the bestiaries you can find small or medium creature with good damage, a lot of attacks and good special abilities.
With the elementals you are restricted to 5 variants of 4 basic creatures.
Form of the Dragon II and III have the same language. They "allow" you to take a larger form of dragon, they give you the increased stats of the bigger form.
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Form of the Dragon II and III have the same language. They "allow" you to take a larger form of dragon, they give you the increased stats of the bigger form.
And I am pretty sure that RAW and RAI, if you cast the higher level Form of the Dragon II and take the form of a medium sized dragon, you are able to use the breath weapon twice (and unlimited uses with Form of the Dragon III).
The other abilities ... way less clear, as for Elemental body.
Form of the Dragon IIISchool transmutation (polymorph); Level sorcerer/wizard 8
This spell functions as form of the dragon II save that it also allows you to take the form of a Huge chromatic or metallic dragon. You gain the following abilities: a +10 size bonus to Strength, a +8 size bonus to Constitution, a +8 natural armor bonus, fly 120 feet (poor), blindsense 60 feet, darkvision 120 feet, a breath weapon, DR 10/magic, frightful presence (DC equal to the DC for this spell), and immunity to one element (of the same type form of the dragon I grants resistance to). You also gain one bite (2d8), two claws (2d6), two wing attacks (1d8), and one tail slap attack (2d6). You can use the breath weapon as often as you like, but you must wait 1d4 rounds between uses. All breath weapons deal 12d8 points of damage and allow a Reflex save for half damage. Line breath weapons increase to 100-foot lines and cones increase to 50-foot cones.
The stat increases are size bonuses.
The natural armor, DR, fly speed, etc. aren't.The attacks and their damage seem to be linked to your size, as a dragon need to be large to get a tail attack, but on the other hand they deal the damage of a large dragon, not a huge one.
Regardless of how we look it, there is always something off.