Replacing one polymorph effect with another

[Matthew Downie]

I had an assassin to trick two PCs (a druid and an alchemist) into drinking Chon Chon Elixir. (People with poison immunity are rarely cautious about such things.)

As a result, their heads fell off and their bodies became helpless.
But the Druid used Wild Shape, and the Alchemist managed to get someone to feed him a Gaseous Form extract.

My understanding is that one polymorph effect cancels the previous one, so their heads and bodies were instantly reconnected (somehow). Would you have ruled the same?

[Pizza Lord]

Technically correct, however, this elixir does state:

Chon chon elixir wrote:

Until the elixir’s duration ends, the drinker can only reattach its head to its body through the use of remove curse.

I would say that this specific case overrides the general statement about one polymorph effect.

Even if they could change their 'head' form, their bodies would still not be connected to their heads. One would be a gaseous cloud roughly head-sized and their body would either be on the on the ground, or an inert, uncontrollable gaseous mass (which could blow away). The other would be, say, a bear, with its bear body on the floor and a bear head... which unlike a chon chon, is not going to be very mobile.

Quote:

The transformation can be ended prematurely by remove curse—dispel magic has no effect.

Since wildshaping or gaseous form (which isn't a polymorph effect) aren't remove curse, it would preclude them from being able to end or otherwise remove the elixir's effect.

That's likely how I would rule, since the elixir is written to be very potent, very unpredictable, and has a specific, harsh condition to end it early. They could have someone cast remove curse. Others can disagree, but this seems a special enough case as it is, and I am disappointed with the numerous polymorph effects that they didn't link to baleful's limitation when they made that ruling, which seemed short-sighted (would have been fine if they'd noted it for a few key effects).

[Mysterious Stranger]

As pizza lord stated the gaseous form is not a polymorph effects, so that does not work in any case. I also tend to agree with him about it ending its duration early.

If using a polymorph effect does end the potions effect, it can still kill the target. The description of the spell is quite specific in what happens if the body is damage, killed or not within 5 feet of the head when it ends.

[Azothath]

Chon chon elixir is broken in at least two ways.