One of my players just got this spell: ShadowTransmutation.
He's level 13, and used the polymorph part of the spell to turn into a CR 20 monster, I told him that seemed too powerful to me. I looked over the spell and it didn't list a CR limit for its use of polymorph to turn into a monster from the shadow plane. I ruled for the time being that he couldn't transform into something with a CR higher than his level and told him I would look into it.
I haven't been able to find a CR limit anywhere, so now I'm coming to the forums for help. How exactly does this spell function? Can you turn into any CR creature from the shadow plane or is there a limit?
Thanks in advance.
First, note that all polymorph does is imitate other polymorph spells. Then, note that those, like all polymorph spells, only give you what they say they give you. If he turns into a beast with darkvision and pounce, he gets those, because that's what beast shape ii says. If he turns into a beast with telepathy, a breath weapon, and fourteen spell-like abilities, well, he'll be sad to discover that he gets none of those, because neither beast shape ii nor the already-linked general polymorph rules say that he gets them. The higher the CR of the creature, the more abilities it will have that polymorph doesn't grant, so the sadder your player will be.
Whoops! Just noticed that shadow transmutation says
shadow transmutation wrote: If using shadow transmutation as polymorph, the target does not gain any sensory abilities that its new form has (such as low-light vision or darkvision) and the speed of any movement types gained from the spell cannot exceed the target’s base speed or natural speed with those movement types (whichever is higher). So even if he uses ST to imitate polymorph to imitate beast shape ii, he still can't get darkvision (he can still get pounce from it, though).
Shadow Transmutation is useful for versatility, not for sheer power.
Something else to point out. Polymorph is very limited in what you can become. You are limited to Animals, humanoids, or elementals. Shadow Transmutation further says it will be a shadowy form. That is probably more fluff than any real limitation, but a 'shadowy' fire elemental would probably look like regular flame with a dark tinge to it that throws lots of shadows.
If your player's CR 20 creature isn't an animal, humanoid or elemental he needs a different spell to get that form.
Which monster did the player's character attempt to turn into?
So you need to read up on polymorph school and spells. They just make you look and feel like the creature but you get very limited abilities from the form.
The spell material components say you need a piece of the creature that you want to assume and that is a way to limit the selectable forms in a home game. You need to figure out what creatures are 'common' for knowledge checks AND spell components. It is about filling in those details rather than wrangling with a player, so don't let it get competitive. You also shouldn't share that list with the players as that's something they need to do through discovery on a case by case basis. You should bin monsters into common, uncommon, rare, and unique.
If you decide to use CR, CR+3 is a challenging level and something a party can defeat.
Average party level(APL)+3 is a challenging CR for an encounter.
blahpers wrote: Which monster did the player's character attempt to turn into? A Eremite Kyton.
Okay, it's looking like I was handling it all kinds of wrong, which is good to know for the future. It apparently functions like a shadow version of regular polymorph.
Thanks all!
Fuzzy-Wuzzy wrote: First, note that all polymorph does is imitate other polymorph spells. Then, note that those, like all polymorph spells, only give you what they say they give you. If he turns into a beast with darkvision and pounce, he gets those, because that's what beast shape ii says. If he turns into a beast with telepathy, a breath weapon, and fourteen spell-like abilities, well, he'll be sad to discover that he gets none of those, because neither beast shape ii nor the already-linked general polymorph rules say that he gets them. The higher the CR of the creature, the more abilities it will have that polymorph doesn't grant, so the sadder your player will be.
Whoops! Just noticed that shadow transmutation says
shadow transmutation wrote: If using shadow transmutation as polymorph, the target does not gain any sensory abilities that its new form has (such as low-light vision or darkvision) and the speed of any movement types gained from the spell cannot exceed the target’s base speed or natural speed with those movement types (whichever is higher). So even if he uses ST to imitate polymorph to imitate beast shape ii, he still can't get darkvision (he can still get pounce from it, though).
Shadow Transmutation is useful for versatility, not for sheer power.
It should be pointed out that mimic other spells is not completely in accordance with the copied spell effect;The effect of specific difference depends on this spell description.
The differences between Shadow Transmutation and Polymorph are described in detail in the spell.
According to the spell description of Shadow Transmutation: A creature under the effects of shadow transmutation deals normal damage and has all the normal abilities and weaknesses of whatever form it assumes using the spell.
Shadow Transmutation can obviously obtain all the normal abilities and weaknesses of the corresponding form。
"All the normal abilities and weaknesses" clearly includes all the abilities of the corresponding creature in the spell description of Shadow Conjuration。
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