#shapechange

More TTRPG stuff, specifically three new tokens for Kopio, and a portrait of my kobold shield-maiden Tazruk in her Pathfinder 2E incarnation for a new game!

 We’ve talked about the various uses of the transmutation school before, particularly in the enhancement subschool entry. Today, however, we’re looking at a subschool dedicated to one of the more dramatic and well-known aspects: Polymorph.

Polymorphing is the school of transmuting something entirely or partially into something else, and while some spells associated with that subschool better fit under the “enhancement” subschool, today we’re looking at those polymorph spells that transform a living creature into another sort of living creature, everything from transforming into a mighty beast or elemental to transforming a foe into a harmless animal.

Typically, most polymorph spells are self-only, with only the most powerful allowing the caster to transmute someone else into such a form, often covering a blanket group of other more specific spells. However, as more and more spells were released, those blanket groups of spells quickly became out of date. Which, depending on the GM, might result in some homebrew updates or simply ruling that those other spells are not common enough to have been included when those more powerful spells were written.

Regardless, the most powerful polymorph spell, shapechange, which lets one shift between many forms with one casting without special techniques, gives us the name of this subschool practice, as the transmuters that train under it are well known for transforming into various other forms regularly.

Given that beast shape is one of the most common-polymorph spells, these mages tend to have a greater respect for nature than most arcane casters, being able to see from an animal’s perspective, though this can vary depending on what spells the wizard favors.

What remains the same is that many spellcasters see the act of polymorphing as a way to understand and master something else by becoming it.

Said shapechanger wizards can find as many practical lines of work as there are forms they can take. In the military, they can be scout, spy, and war machine as needed, while they can become an impromptu settlement defender or go-to problem solver for all sorts of things, and not just for the added muscle.

 This subschool trades out the telekinetic strike of the core transmutation school in favor of another form of attack, briefly forming fangs, claws, or horns for a few seconds to attack with, enhanced further by magic. Eventually, they are able to form multiple such weapons, attacking multiple times.

Like all wizards, diversity and thoughtful preparation are key. However, for these mystics, there is also an element of physical might, and this is one of the few builds that I’d recommend putting solid numbers into the character’s physical stats, so that they are made all the greater by the bonuses from the various physical forms they take with their polymorph spells. Unless you have the time and gold to do so, probably don’t try to pick up every single polymorph spell, just take those that make sense and plan around them. Also, remember that under most circumstances, unlike a druid you won’t be able to cast once in polymorphed form unless the form can speak and gesture, so limit yourself to those spells or be sure to cast any other spells before transforming.

 I like to imagine that the sort of forms that a shapechanger favors says something about them. Forms unable to speak, such as animals, giant vermin, and the like might be favored by loners or the antisocial, while those that favor beautiful forms might be very social, or perhaps they wish that they were.

  Blessed with an oddity of fluctuating flesh, the ganzi Merzipa van Horrid van Bellefang (They picked the name themselves) could easily have taken to training as a shifter. However, they wanted to not only change themselves, but the world around them, and delight in exploring all sorts of new forms, both from an insider, and outsider perspective. The latter mostly when their foes “volunteer” for sudden polymorphing.

 A legend in his own time, the great Pharaoh of Change was a powerful transmuter who could alter the very landscape and create oases or dry them up like a vengeful, cruel god. However, he was most famous for his skill at taking on all sorts of exotic forms as the need or mood took him. Even in death, that passion remained, though now the forms he takes in his new state as a mummy lord have a decidedly unnatural bent, fearsome and mummified no matter what the creature is meant to be.

Keyleth learns shapechange