So Pest Form is a 1st level personal polymorph spell. Given that Humanoid Form is a weak version of Illusionary Disguise, it means it's the only polymorph spell available to Transmuters until level 7, so I'm trying to think of any way to use it.
It is not a combat spell, since it makes you weaker and slower.
So, what is it? A scouting spell maybe? With super low land speed and no special speed options, it really doesn't seem appropriate for any kind of long distance or high areas scouting.
It does give you a decent Acrobatics or Stealth (for low levels anyway), but it cripples your Athletics so you can't even really try to climb.
At 10 minutes, you can't even get far.
So I guess, it's a spell if you need to sneak into somewhere on flat ground? Seems awfully situational. Anyone has any better ideas?
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I'd use it primarily for spying. Sit in on a private meeting as a literal fly on the wall. Track the dueger slavers through the city sewers as just another sewer rat. That sort of thing.
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The point is access and inconspicuousness. In 10 minutes you can move 3000 ft with a speed of 10. That's about 2/3 of a mile. So you could go to the front gate of the jail, take pest form and spend 5 minutes going 1500 ft in to the head jailer's office, transform into yourself and grab the keys and then just let yourself (and you imprisoned buddies) out the front door. No one's going to think twice about a rat running around the dungeons, or a stray cat in the Lord's garden.
Even at a -4 Athletics, your DC for climbing is only going to be a 10 to 15, and some significant circumstance bonuses, since a rough brick wall has lots of good handholds for a lizard or beetle. At DC 10, you only crit fail on a 4 or worse. With DC 15, it's crit fail on a 9 or worse, not great but still doable.
I'd use it primarily for spying. Sit in on a private meeting as a literal fly on the wall. Track the dueger slavers through the city sewers as just another sewer rat. That sort of thing.
No fly speed so you can't be a literal fly. But yeah, I agree this is the idea behind the spell, I just find the 10 minute duration and all the limitations to make it very situational that you can pull it off.
The point is access and inconspicuousness. In 10 minutes you can move 3000 ft with a speed of 10. That's about 2/3 of a mile. So you could go to the front gate of the jail, take pest form and spend 5 minutes going 1500 ft in to the head jailer's office, transform into yourself and grab the keys and then just let yourself (and you imprisoned buddies) out the front door. No one's going to think twice about a rat running around the dungeons, or a stray cat in the Lord's garden.
As previously, I agree this is the intention, I just think it is far too limited and thus very, very situational. You need to have a very flat location, turn into an appropriate form, hope everyone ignores you and all the doors either have holes big enough for your Tiny size to squeeze through, or you can catch them open.
Even at a -4 Athletics, your DC for climbing is only going to be a 10 to 15, and some significant circumstance bonuses, since a rough brick wall has lots of good handholds for a lizard or beetle. At DC 10, you only crit fail on a 4 or worse. With DC 15, it's crit fail on a 9 or worse, not great but still doable.
Hm. A lot of these will be very depend on the DM to allow and judge. Also, setting the bar at "critical fail" is quite a low one. Success is only on 14 even for a DC10 check - that's 65% failure rate. And that means scaling anything takes a long time.
I mean, the fix would be easy: "Due to size, you may use Acrobatics instead of Athletics for climbing and jumping activities."Or you know. Give us a fly speed off the bat.
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What Kelseus said. It also would be very useful for getting through locked doors and the like, just turn into a snake and slither underneath or turn into a bug and slip through the keyhole. Gaining the Scent ability could also come in handy in various situations.
It's a utility spell, not something you use every day but a potential game-changer in the right circumstances.
So Pest Form is a 1st level personal polymorph spell. Given that Humanoid Form is a weak version of Illusionary Disguise, it means it's the only polymorph spell available to Transmuters until level 7, so I'm trying to think of any way to use it.
It is not a combat spell, since it makes you weaker and slower.
So, what is it? A scouting spell maybe? With super low land speed and no special speed options, it really doesn't seem appropriate for any kind of long distance or high areas scouting.
It does give you a decent Acrobatics or Stealth (for low levels anyway), but it cripples your Athletics so you can't even really try to climb.
At 10 minutes, you can't even get far.So I guess, it's a spell if you need to sneak into somewhere on flat ground? Seems awfully situational. Anyone has any better ideas?
I'm gonna use it for said sneaking. Do we even need to roll to be a seagull in a sea town watching your target from close distance, especially if they got delicious food you can steal without fearing the law?
I suspect turning into for example a mantis makes getting in places you shouldn't fairly easy as well. For me it'll be cat for sneaking, raven for scouting and travel.
Why should it be on the Arcane list?
Why should it be on the Arcane list?
Because. Reasons.
(Those reasons being that for as long as there have been wizards in D&D, they have had the ability to polymorph into animals.)
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Why should it be on the Arcane list?Because. Reasons.
(Those reasons being that for as long as there have been wizards in D&D, they have had the ability to polymorph into animals.)
Pest Form is on the Arcane list, so wizards can still turn themselves into animals. Just not combat-focused animals.
The Arcane list is already really really good, can't we toss Primal casters a bone? lol
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Pest Form is on the Arcane list, so wizards can still turn themselves into animals. Just not combat-focused animals.
The Arcane list is already really really good, can't we toss Primal casters a bone? lol
I'm sorry, what? Primal list is excellent. Arcane is only good for blasting, which is boring and all the same. Transmuters in particular have no combat forms or even morphs until level 7 (Aerial Form), and they don't have Magic Fang so they can't buff themselves in combat forms either.
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Transmuters get Shifting Form at level 4, which gives them various morphs including Claws.
It's a Focus 4 spell, available on level 8, so after Aerial Form.
Not to mention those claws are quite weak comparatively, do not improve with level, and no spells to improve them either. Meaning we have to invest in magic items of some sort or another.
I don’t mind arcane not having Animal Form, but it’s weird then that they do have Summon Animal.
I don’t mind arcane not having Animal Form, but it’s weird then that they do have Summon Animal.Yeah, that is weird. I'd expect them to either have both, or neither...
It makes a limited sense if you think of it as turning into the shape of a familiar.
In the playtest, I had a PC with two cats, one a familiar and one a battle cat made small w/ a magic collar. I could imagine becoming a third cat which I think wouldn't be too suspicious.But one cat? With the prevalence of magic, you check that cat out.
Ex. I think the lord's garden example above would get you killed. One, no ferals. Two, no small creatures with inordinate curiosity.
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I'm sorry, what? Primal list is excellent. Arcane is only good for blasting, which is boring and all the same. Transmuters in particular have no combat forms or even morphs until level 7 (Aerial Form), and they don't have Magic Fang so they can't buff themselves in combat forms either.Pest Form is on the Arcane list, so wizards can still turn themselves into animals. Just not combat-focused animals.
The Arcane list is already really really good, can't we toss Primal casters a bone? lol
No one can buff themselves with Magic Fang. It has a target of "one willing ally." The glossary states...
ally An ally is someone on your side. You are not counted as your own ally.
So no casting the spell on yourself.
Additionally, all of the other shape shifting spells (aerial form, dragon form, elemental form, etc) are on the arcane list.
Not all. There's Plant Form and I think Insect Form that are not on the Arcane list.
No one can buff themselves with Magic Fang. It has a target of "one willing ally." The glossary states...
Huh, thanks, I didn't realise this. I guess it makes it simpler; handwraps.
In general, I'd be fine with Arcane not getting Animal Form if we get something else at lower levels, ideally heightenable. I'd be perfectly fine (in fact I'd prefer), if we can get some Morph instead of Polymorph spells, maybe more like lower level, weaker, single person Moon Frenzy, with heightening options to get more power and/or more people.
Also, they could give some more offensive morphs/polymorphs that don't necessarily end the fights. Things like morphing enemy armour to lower their AC or morphing their weapons to do less damage / make them take damage whenever they attack with it, etc.
I'm ok with Wizards not having all the nice things. Everyone was ok with Bards getting access to CLW in P1, but it's not ok for Wizards to not have every spell in P2? The division into 4 spell lists has resulted on some spells not being on the same lists as before, but it's not really a problem as the new 4 lists have much more flavor than the old every class has their own list so now the "spell level" section for each new spell is longer than the actual spell description.
Back to the initial point, not having animal shape on the arcane list is definitely NOT an error, but an intentional choice by Paizo and will almost certainly NOT result in a errata to add it to the Arcane list.
On a side note, the whole "now X class doesn't know how to do thing they've always done" contention holds pretty much ZERO weight with me, since this is a... what is the word.... oh yeah GAME OF MAKE-BELIEVE FOR ADULTS!!