Conversion: Baleful Polymorph

This is a fun one, precisely because it highlights the design difference between 3e and 4e. I don’t think I need to remind anyone of what a prickly pear the whole polymorph bugaboo was under 3e. (Well, maybe just one example for kicks. Oh, what’s that, you want one more?) In 3e, the spell suffered from having to operate too broadly. Indeed, the solution over the life of that edition was to progressively limit the scope and effect of the spell. This culiminated in the polymorph/baleful polymorph split.

Now we get to 4e. In this edition, a more narrow focus is entirely appropriate and allows us to recast this classic to function as it did 99% of the time: turning the dragon into a goldfish and watching it flop around.

As always, feedback is appreciated. I could easily see a utility version of the spell that, say, allows the wizard to grant a variety of abilities based on the form chosen, e.g., fly speed for winged creatures, swim speed for aquatic creatures, tiny creatures, insubstantial creatures, etc.

1. fred, March 5, 2009:

   Is this consistent with other level 19 polymorph effects? (I haven’t gone looking.) I thought most “you get turned into a newt/stone statue/etc” stuff these days was all multi-staged before you got to the final, changed result…

2. justin, March 5, 2009:

   There are essentially no baleful polymorph-esque powers. Generally, this power flips it in reverse. It has the immediate effect but allows the save to revert. I thought that would be a more interesting way of representing the old spell.

   As someone on EN World pointed out, this compares most closely with knockout, the 9th-level rogue power, which also renders the target unconscious with a save. I think this is slightly better than that power, hence the level bump.

3. Chris Kümmel, March 6, 2009:

   When you are knockouted by the rogue, you wake up immediately when damage. This not being the case, I would say it’s significantly better. Not only are you subject to CdG’s but you also lose a surge per round, or, since most monsters do not have a lot of surges, 25% of your hit points. With the addition of saves every round, I personally think that the multiple stage spells are overkill. IMO the standard should either have been multiple stages before you are screwed, or saves every round. Not both. Anyway, back to your spell: If you really want damage on top of the already extremely powerful effect, I would remove the surge damage, and switch it to ongoing damage based on target’s level to simulate the suffocation. Personally, I am pretty sure it would be one of the best wizard spells, even without any additional damage.

   just my 2 cp though

4. Scott Abraham, March 6, 2009:

   I would make it a ritual. The classic polymorph from fantasy fiction always has the individual affected for a long while. “Crap! Charlie has been turned into a dog by that wizard! How do we get him back and kill the wizard?” Unless you are going for Monthy Python “She turned me into a newt!! well…I got better”

   Your solution is elegant within the framework of a combat power. With combat powers, I always think “what if I landed this effect on the PC or he landed it on one of my Elites or solos?” would it be fair? Your passes the test. I would lower the level. For an effect that lasts maybe two rounds and does no damage and that does not even help others boost their output significantly, it needs to be lower IMO.

5. Scott Abraham, March 6, 2009:

   I guess it does healing surge value in damage. But damaging healing surges generally does not affect combat. It affects the number of encounter before extended rest.

6. justin, March 6, 2009:

   To clarify, it does not do healing surge value in damage. The target simply loses a healing surge. Essentially, it puts a clock on the effect before the damage hits. More importantly, this is a streamlined version of the actual suffocation rules, DMG p. 159. The primary risk, of course, is the CdG.

   And I could certainly see a ritual version of this for an extended, non-lethal effect. In fact, I contemplated doing it as a ritual to start with.

7. Chris Kümmel, March 6, 2009:

   Ups, thats what I get for doing drive-by reading – It is fine then. Extremely powerful still, but more in line with how I would have wanted some of the Wizard powers to be.

8. Nick Wedig, March 11, 2009:

   “does not even help others boost their output significantly,”

   Being unconscious means every one of the user’s allies can Coup de Grace the target, meaning automatic crits (and a beefy +5 to hit, which also significantly increases the damage output). And at late Paragon level and into Epic, critical hits can be really nasty.