I had a Monk/Spirit Shaman with a Vow of Poverty who kept a small flock of sheep (about 24) for the village where she lived as its protector and would Polymorph one of them into a Juvenile Copper Dragon and send it charging at an enemy, in 3.5e. This simple Shepherd/Pilgrim-looking lady with nothing on her person but a shepherd's crook, some very simple clothes, and a small pouch full of empty cocoons from the local orchard, could just ruin the day and/or end the life of anyone who thought that quaint, little village was ripe for the taking, and didn't heed her stern warnings.
Instead of turning your enemy into a quipper on land, turn them into a killer whale, it can hold it's breathe on land but can't move, it has a good amount of hit points as well, so if the enemy have allies that want to drop it to zero hit point, so it can revert back to the original form, it can tank a few hits. it's a good way to neutralize an enemy
My sorcerer in Curse of Strahd has had a knack for polymorphing creatures into snails when they need to pacify an enemy. They're slow, small, harmless, and easy to handle when you need to move them around after combat.
My thought exactly! I do think, however, that in an Adventurer's League game, you would be limited to using official statblocks only, which is why I assume only those were mentioned in the video. 🤔
Flying Snakes are one of the most dangerous low CR monsters. They are mere 1/8 CR, they can swim 30ft and fly fast with freaking 60ft speed, they can bite with +6, deal average 8 damage (up to 13, without saving throwns), they have blindsight 10ft and finally, since they are tiny these cold-blooded monsters can approach, bite with advantage in the dark, flyby if the target has dark vision and take full cover in a tiny hole, behind bars or anything like this. Straight up my fav beast.
One challenge with the Rat and the Quipper is their Intelligence scores are low enough that they’re pretty hard to communicate with. Speak with Animals will work, but us limited by their low Intelligence. That makes using that for interrogating an enemy very difficult.
@@johntheherbalistg8756 Read the spell again. Wild Shape leaves the mental stats the same. Polymorph using the 4th level spell and you get the mental stats of the creature that you turn into.
I was a guest in a high level game on a domain of dread (I forget the name of the domain, but it was space with a blackhole-like center that we were all slowly falling towards over months). A pair of BBEG's showed up and attacked me first before moving on to attack someone else. I twin cast polymorph and turned the BBEG's into Knucklehead Trout. I linked a Google search screenshot to the GM showing how long it takes for a fish out of water to die. The two started falling towards the blackhole center, while we continued to tread water so to speak.
The giant crocodile's multi attack says you attack with the bite and the tail, but doesn't say its necessarily in that order. If I was DM'ing I'd totally allow a tail attack then a bite on the same target
If you’re going for polymorph on an enemy, a turtle would work a lot better than a quipper. No breathing restrictions, tiny, slow, and harmless. Grab it, put it in a sack, done.
Definitely a strong spell unless the dm rules that you have to see the creature first which would really limit combat options meanwhile the Giant Ape's range attack won't work if there's no rocks around
did you calculated the mammoth lift/pull as if it were a large creature? I think 2880 is the correct lift/pull. It should double for every size larger than medium.
Taking a couple months to craft a "freedom campaign" taking place on the continent of gods. Its all about whatever the players goals are, thier job is to explore and carve thier names into the history books. Siege a gods domain after befriending another, or simply attempt to ascend into celstial staus themselves. Had to homebrew a lot of creatures to fit the lore but im too excited to see it completed (dungeon planning hurts my brain and is taking the longest, alongside quests)
The 5E devs changed how Polymorph works and introduced the problem of a creature reduced to zero HP reverting to its original form; in previous editions it just died. So, we can Polymorph a horse into a piece of Gagh and feed it to the nearest Klingon. The result should be extremely messy. A similar strategy works on anything that eats live food whole. How can we use this to one-shot the Tarrasque? You start with a small castle, and use True Polymorph to turn it into something small enough to swallow, but tough enough to withstand the initial bite.
There is a huge drawback to almost any high CR creature like the rex when used with this spell, namely that the INT score is taken from the beast. Someone morphing into a rex and having 2 INT has NO way of telling who is friend or foe at that point. It acts on primal instinct and will start attacking everything around. Ape is the prime one in this. Enough INT for your allies to know and remember who is enemy and friend. Also you can replace the giant ape's fist attacks with a grapple and a shove and pin one enemy down completely in 1 round.
@superscheire While I agree that a low INT stat is a downside in general, due to poor communication and being limited in taking comprehensive actions, like acting out a plan, I will argue that the spell description gives enough wiggle room to prevent someone from going on a rampage. The spell states: "It [the target creature] retains its alignment and personality." I would argue it is fair to assume that an ally that will most likely recognize you, even if it is a 2 INT creature, would not blindly attack its party members, unless it had a reason to do so beforehand.
?? Says who?? So your owl familiar can't tell friend from foe once combat starts?? Lots of animals have 2 int, there's nothing to suggest they behave this way.
does power kill kill someone who was polymorph into something less than 100 hit points, or does power would kill bring someone to zero hit points who is polymorph then bring them back to their original form?
Only problem I have come across with Polymorph is some DM's don't want to allow certain creatures (for example the TRex I was told I have never seen one before).
I was thinking of this. with true polymorph and enough set up could you turn one of the kings of hell into a rat permanently then just stomp his ass out?
The permanent duration doesn't mean the spell doesn't get dispelled when their HP drops to 0, it just means the spell doesn't get dispelled when time runs out. It's great for bypassing concentration, but it doesn't mean the creature isn't still polymorphed at the end of the day.
They genuinely look hand-made, and I mean that as a compliment. A lot of the pictures are from different games, like WoW, so I assume the cards were made by the editors. They probably spent quite some time on making them look nice!
Mind if I ask why? A bear seems like a normal thing for a druid to want to turn into. I definitely wouldn't put a weird limit on that. I put a limit on very exotic creatures, but things like bears, wolves, boars, etc I generally assume are common enough that a druid would have seen one at some point in their lives. Bears aren't that OP in this game, so I'm genuinely curious. Are you perhaps running some sort of homebrew bear form?
@@Xylarxcode if he has no knowledge of what a giant ape is, he can't change into one. If he's read up on them or encountered one, it would be able to Wild shape into that. Basically, he would have to have some knowledge of the creature he wants to become
I had a Monk/Spirit Shaman with a Vow of Poverty who kept a small flock of sheep (about 24) for the village where she lived as its protector and would Polymorph one of them into a Juvenile Copper Dragon and send it charging at an enemy, in 3.5e. This simple Shepherd/Pilgrim-looking lady with nothing on her person but a shepherd's crook, some very simple clothes, and a small pouch full of empty cocoons from the local orchard, could just ruin the day and/or end the life of anyone who thought that quaint, little village was ripe for the taking, and didn't heed her stern warnings.
Instead of turning your enemy into a quipper on land, turn them into a killer whale, it can hold it's breathe on land but can't move, it has a good amount of hit points as well, so if the enemy have allies that want to drop it to zero hit point, so it can revert back to the original form, it can tank a few hits. it's a good way to neutralize an enemy
I love how you put more thought into this than this guy
@stethespaniard2 Not necessarily, the whale takes up a lot of space.
@@DoctorFabio23 And a party would most likely have a hard time transporting a massive whale, compared to a small fish, hahaha! 🤣
When not moving them and having a lot of space yes!
If the point is to neutralize an enemy during a combat, Banishment is a far better option. It's a harder save and can be upcast effectively.
My sorcerer in Curse of Strahd has had a knack for polymorphing creatures into snails when they need to pacify an enemy. They're slow, small, harmless, and easy to handle when you need to move them around after combat.
My thought exactly! I do think, however, that in an Adventurer's League game, you would be limited to using official statblocks only, which is why I assume only those were mentioned in the video. 🤔
A couple of interesting options for CR1 or less creatures are
1) Giant Badger for burrowing.
2) Flying Snake for flight and no save poison damage.
Flying Snakes are one of the most dangerous low CR monsters.
They are mere 1/8 CR, they can swim 30ft and fly fast with freaking 60ft speed, they can bite with +6, deal average 8 damage (up to 13, without saving throwns), they have blindsight 10ft and finally, since they are tiny these cold-blooded monsters can approach, bite with advantage in the dark, flyby if the target has dark vision and take full cover in a tiny hole, behind bars or anything like this.
Straight up my fav beast.
The Big Ape and the Tyrannosaurus Rex together sounds like a Godzilla X Kong reference
But if you're the giant rat you can make all the rules!
I can't wait to see what kind of trouble you'll get yourself into...
Let's see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into!
If you're the giant rat, you find yourself 4 baby turtles to train in the art of ninjutsu. It is the only right thing to do.
One challenge with the Rat and the Quipper is their Intelligence scores are low enough that they’re pretty hard to communicate with. Speak with Animals will work, but us limited by their low Intelligence. That makes using that for interrogating an enemy very difficult.
Polymorph leaves mental stats the same, so speak with animals would work just fine
@@johntheherbalistg8756 Read the spell again. Wild Shape leaves the mental stats the same. Polymorph using the 4th level spell and you get the mental stats of the creature that you turn into.
@@tscoff Yep, I got it confused with true poly 🤦♂️
I was a guest in a high level game on a domain of dread (I forget the name of the domain, but it was space with a blackhole-like center that we were all slowly falling towards over months). A pair of BBEG's showed up and attacked me first before moving on to attack someone else. I twin cast polymorph and turned the BBEG's into Knucklehead Trout. I linked a Google search screenshot to the GM showing how long it takes for a fish out of water to die. The two started falling towards the blackhole center, while we continued to tread water so to speak.
remembering that time i turned into a giant ape on a pirate ship and threw cannonballs at a kraken
The giant crocodile's multi attack says you attack with the bite and the tail, but doesn't say its necessarily in that order. If I was DM'ing I'd totally allow a tail attack then a bite on the same target
The issue is the grapple. Once a target is grappled you can't do tail attacks on that target.
If you’re going for polymorph on an enemy, a turtle would work a lot better than a quipper.
No breathing restrictions, tiny, slow, and harmless.
Grab it, put it in a sack, done.
Definitely a strong spell unless the dm rules that you have to see the creature first which would really limit combat options meanwhile the Giant Ape's range attack won't work if there's no rocks around
I definitely would talk to the DM first about it.
As a DM, i do use that rule, but you can also use a beast you have read or study about it.
A 'rock' could really be anything.
did you calculated the mammoth lift/pull as if it were a large creature? I think 2880 is the correct lift/pull. It should double for every size larger than medium.
Taking a couple months to craft a "freedom campaign" taking place on the continent of gods. Its all about whatever the players goals are, thier job is to explore and carve thier names into the history books. Siege a gods domain after befriending another, or simply attempt to ascend into celstial staus themselves. Had to homebrew a lot of creatures to fit the lore but im too excited to see it completed (dungeon planning hurts my brain and is taking the longest, alongside quests)
Bro, same. Dungeons kill me. I'm suffering this pain as we speak
guilded devils, and shield guardians are goated transformations
Aquatic, Sperm Whale, stats on Rime of the Frost Maiden, p309
Thank you. Great video.
Who will waste a polymorph for scouting????
Polymorph is not a good option for neutralizing one enemy for the duration of a combat. Banishment is a harder save and can be upcast.
The 5E devs changed how Polymorph works and introduced the problem of a creature reduced to zero HP reverting to its original form; in previous editions it just died. So, we can Polymorph a horse into a piece of Gagh and feed it to the nearest Klingon. The result should be extremely messy. A similar strategy works on anything that eats live food whole. How can we use this to one-shot the Tarrasque? You start with a small castle, and use True Polymorph to turn it into something small enough to swallow, but tough enough to withstand the initial bite.
Brontasaur is a great whole party mount.
There is a huge drawback to almost any high CR creature like the rex when used with this spell, namely that the INT score is taken from the beast. Someone morphing into a rex and having 2 INT has NO way of telling who is friend or foe at that point. It acts on primal instinct and will start attacking everything around.
Ape is the prime one in this. Enough INT for your allies to know and remember who is enemy and friend. Also you can replace the giant ape's fist attacks with a grapple and a shove and pin one enemy down completely in 1 round.
@superscheire While I agree that a low INT stat is a downside in general, due to poor communication and being limited in taking comprehensive actions, like acting out a plan, I will argue that the spell description gives enough wiggle room to prevent someone from going on a rampage.
The spell states: "It [the target creature] retains its alignment and personality."
I would argue it is fair to assume that an ally that will most likely recognize you, even if it is a 2 INT creature, would not blindly attack its party members, unless it had a reason to do so beforehand.
?? Says who?? So your owl familiar can't tell friend from foe once combat starts?? Lots of animals have 2 int, there's nothing to suggest they behave this way.
@@backcountry164 Hahaha! "Who" "Owl" I get it 🤣
Just turn your enemy into Mr. Hanky from South Park.
does power kill kill someone who was polymorph into something less than 100 hit points, or does power would kill bring someone to zero hit points who is polymorph then bring them back to their original form?
Only problem I have come across with Polymorph is some DM's don't want to allow certain creatures (for example the TRex I was told I have never seen one before).
I was thinking of this. with true polymorph and enough set up could you turn one of the kings of hell into a rat permanently then just stomp his ass out?
The permanent duration doesn't mean the spell doesn't get dispelled when their HP drops to 0, it just means the spell doesn't get dispelled when time runs out. It's great for bypassing concentration, but it doesn't mean the creature isn't still polymorphed at the end of the day.
Intelligence plays a role too.
Can a swimming creature move half it's swim speed on land?
How do i get this cards tat yo use? I had the mini-tomes for classes, but hat is it.
They genuinely look hand-made, and I mean that as a compliment. A lot of the pictures are from different games, like WoW, so I assume the cards were made by the editors. They probably spent quite some time on making them look nice!
Giant ape ranged is just rocketing dookie
Much shorter list if DM doesn't allow dinosaurs lol. (Mine doesn't as "where the hell would you even know what a t-rex is?"
What about big Linda
Is it just me, or is it weird most of these are dinosaurs?
A friend of mine would wild shape his Druid into a bear. We limited the wild shapes to creatures he has encountered or researched
Mind if I ask why? A bear seems like a normal thing for a druid to want to turn into. I definitely wouldn't put a weird limit on that. I put a limit on very exotic creatures, but things like bears, wolves, boars, etc I generally assume are common enough that a druid would have seen one at some point in their lives.
Bears aren't that OP in this game, so I'm genuinely curious. Are you perhaps running some sort of homebrew bear form?
@@Xylarxcode if he encountered the creature at least once, he can wild shape into it if it is allowable within the rules
@@Xylarxcode if he has no knowledge of what a giant ape is, he can't change into one. If he's read up on them or encountered one, it would be able to Wild shape into that. Basically, he would have to have some knowledge of the creature he wants to become
First?