DnD House Rules d20

This is a collection of House Rules I use in 3, 3.5, pathfinder and other d20 games.

Ability Scores

Choose from standard array or point buy system. These attributes values are before any race, class, or other character modifications. For example a Dwarf who gets +2 CON, -2 CHA, might allocate the standard array in the following way:

After applying the racial adjustments the final scores would be:

Standard Array

  1. Choose one of these arrays.
    • 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7 (Heroic Array)
    • 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 (Standard Array)
    • 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13 (Vanilla Array)
  2. Place one of each value in one of the 6 Ability Scores
  3. Apply all ability score adjustments including racial ones after base ability scores

Point Buy

  1. Spend 27 points on ability scores per table below
  2. Apply all ability score adjustments including racial ones after buying base ability scores
Stat Cost Mod
8 0 -1
9 1 -1
10 2 0
11 3 0
12 4 +1
13 5 +1
14 7 +2
15 9 +2
16 12 +3
17 15 +3
18 19 +4

Damage multipliers at low strength

Str damage penalties (from below 10 str) ignore multipliers for two handed or off handed use.

Using a weapon 2 handed always increases the damage bonus, or reduces the damage penalty, by at least 1.

Thus:

A character with a 6 STR wielding a weapon one handed would have a -2 to damage and wielding it two handed would make it -1

Damage Modifier Table for 1H, 2H, and Off-Hand Weapons

STR 1 Hand 2 Hand Off Hand
1 -5 -4 -5
2-3 -4 -3 -4
4-5 -3 -2 -3
6-7 -2 -1 -2
8-9 -1 -0 -1
10-11 +0 +1 +0
12-13 +1 +2 +0
14-15 +2 +3 +1
16-17 +3 +4 +1
18-19 +4 +6 +2
20-21 +5 +7 +2
22-23 +6 +9 +3
+4 +2 +3 +1
+2 +1 +1.5 +0.5

Races

Gnome

Elf

Lizard Folk

Goblin

Classes

Cleric

Domain spells

A cleric does not have the ability to spontaneously substitute healing/harm spells. Instead the character can spontaneously substitute domain spells as spell level dictates. An effect of this is that the extra domain spell does not need to be selected since it could be easily substituted for the other domain spell.

Fighter

Feats

Instead of getting a feat at first and even levels, a feat is acquired at every level not divisible by 3 (1,2,4,5,7,8,10,11,13,14,16,17,19,20).

Wizard

Specialist Mage Prestige Classes

Skills

Feats

Power Attack

Power attack damage bonus is treated like damage bonus from a 2 point higher strength per point of -1 to hit. Thus it is only multiplied by 1.5 on two handed weapons and x0.5 on off hand attacks, but works with light and thrown weapons.

Shield Focus

Prerequisite

Shield Proficiency

Benefit

You gain a +1 bonus to your shield modifier to AC when using a shield.

Improved Shield Focus

Prerequisite

Shield Focus, Fighter lvl 6

Benefit

You gain an additional +1 bonus to your shield modifier to AC when using a shield.

Greater Shield Focus

Prerequisite

Imp. Shield Focus, Fighter lvl 10

Benefit

You gain an additional +1 bonus to your shield modifier to AC when using a shield.

Wild Familiar

Prerequisite

Animal Companion, Summon familiar

Benefit

Your animal companion and familiar can be traded for one arcane companion. The arcane companion is treated as an animal companion that gets the familiar bonuses as well. The level penalty for an alternate animal companion is only applied to the animal companion abilities. Like Bonuses (Natural Armor Adj) do not stack. If the Animal Companion would have less HP than a Familiar the Familiar HP are used, but the Animal companion HP total should be maintained if it switches back.

Arcane Companion

Prerequisite

Summon Familiar

Benefit

The character's familiar base animal can be selected from the Animal Companion list instead of normal familiar list. An animal from the Alternative Animal Companions list may be selected, but the level penalty applies against your familiar's abilities.

Improved Ambidexterity

Prerequisite

Two Weapon Fighting, BAB +2

Benefit

Character can treat any one-handed weapon in his off-hand as light weapon for the purposes of determining two weapon fighting penalty.

Strong off-hand

Prerequisite

Two Weapon Fighting

Benefit

Character can use full Strength Bonus to damage with off-hand attacks

Somatic Weaponry

You are adept at performing somatic spell components while your hands are occupied.

Prerequisite

Concentration 5 Ranks, Spellcraft 5 Ranks

Benefit

When holding a weapon (or object of comparable size) in one or both hands, you can use that item to trace the somatic component of a spell, rather than using your fingers. This allows you to cast spells with somatic components even while your hands are full or occupied, as long as at least one hand is holding an item of the proper size.

This feat doesn't allow you to use somatic components while carrying a load, restrained, etc or grappling, regardless of the size of your foe.

Normal

You must have a hand free to cast somatic components.

Shielded Casting

You are skilled at covering yourself with your shield when casting spells in combat.

Prerequisite

Combat Casting, Concentration 5 ranks, Shield Proficiency

Benefit

As long as you have a light shield, heavy shield, or tower shield ready, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity for casting spells in combat.

Arcane Channeling

Prerequisite

Combat Casting, Melee BAB +3

Benefit

You can use a standard action to cast any touch spell you know and deliver the spell through your weapon with a melee attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved.

Normal

Touch spells must be delivered thru an unarmed touch attack or strike.

Arcane Channeling, Improved

Prerequisite

Arcane Channeling, Melee BAB +8

Benefit

You can cast any touch spell you know as part of a full attack action and deliver the spell through your weapon with your first melee attack that round. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved.

Arcane Channeling, Greater

Prerequisite

Improved Arcane Channeling, Melee BAB +13

Benefit

When using Arcane Channeling to perform a full attack action, you may use one additional attack in the action to channel the same spell.

Arcane Channeling discharges the spell at the end of the round, in the case of a touch spell that would otherwise last longer than 1 round. Each additional successful strike consumes an equivalent number of spell points as the original casting. If you have insufficient spell points or when you choose to stop channeling the current and all remaining attacks in this round become ordinary attacks.

Special

You may select Greater Arcane Channeling an additional time for every 5 BAB ( i.e a second time at +18 and a third at +23 ).

Imbue Arrow

Prerequisite

Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus(appropriate ranged weapon), Arcane Caster, Ranged BAB +8

Benefit

You have the ability to place an area spell upon a piece of ammunition. When the ammunition is fired, the spell's area is centered on where the ammunition lands, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. This ability allows the archer to use the bow's range rather than the spell's range. It takes a standard action to cast the spell and fire the ammunition. The ammunition must be fired in the round the spell is cast, or the spell is wasted.

Battle Casting

You have a knack for staying out of harm's way when casting spells.

Prerequisite

Dodge, Combat Casting, Concentration 5 ranks, DEX 13

Benefit

While casting a spell, you gain a +2 dodge bonus to your Armor Class. The bonus lasts until the beginning of your next turn. You cannot make attacks of opportunity while claiming the dodge bonus from this feat.

New Weapons And Equipment

New Weapons

Weapon Name Group Size Cost Damage Crit Range Weight Type
Dwarven Warhammer Exotic One-Handed 30gp 1d10 x3 8 lb. B
Greathammer Martial Two-Handed 20gp 2d6 x3 10 lb. B
Warspear Martial One-Handed 2gp 1d8 x3 20 ft 6 lb. P
Shortbow Simple * * * 19-20 * * *
Shortbow, Comp Martial * * * 19-20 * * *
Longbow Martial * * * 19-20 * * *
Longbow, Comp Martial * * * 19-20 * * *
Crossbow, Light Simple * * * x3 * * *
Crossbow, Heavy Simple * * * x3 * * *

Alchemical Ammunition (Target Spell)

This +1 arrow (or other ammunition) contains an ampule of alchemical elixir of varying types. If it strikes a foe so that it deals damage, it bursts into magical energy that effects the target as if they were the target of the contained spell effect. Similar to drinking a potion of the listed effect.

Craft: Requires Brew Potion and Craft Magical Arms and Armor, and Knowledge of Spell. Base Price: ( Spell Level x Caster Level x 50 ) + 40 gp + Any material component cost for spell

Example Sleep Arrow

Target with at most 4HD gets Will save vs DC 11 or falls asleep for 1 minutes. Base Cost: 90 gp

Alchemical Ammunition (Burst or Spread Spell)

This +1 arrow (or bolt or bullet) contains an ampule of alchemical elixir of varying types. If it strikes a foe so that it deals damage, it bursts into magical energy that effects the target as if they were at the center of the contained spell effect. The arrow can also be fired at a point (DC 10+Spell Level) resulting in the spell being initiated normally from that point.

Craft: Requires Brew Potion and Craft Magical Arms and Armor, and Knowledge of Spell. Base Price: ( Spell Level x Caster Level x 50 ) + 40 gp + Any material component cost for spell

Example Fireball Arrow

Does 5d6 Damage DC 14 Ref Save for half. Base Cost: 790 gp

Socket Weapons

A system for magical weapons to change their abilities. For the same cost as a master work weapon a weapon can instead be made with 3 sockets. All single ended weapons can have 3 sockets. A double weapon can have a set of three for each end. A set of sockets can have magical gems affixed to them to grant the weapon bonuses. There are 4 types of magical gems(Dull Quartz, Green Emerald, Purple Iolite and Yellow Amber). A set of sockets cannot have more than 1 gem of any one type. The Consumable stones effects are single use when used the stone cracks leaving a cracked sone that may still have some magical abilities.

Gems Price by type and effect

Stone effect Dull Quartz Green Emerald Purple Iolite Yellow Amber
Basic 50 125 225 250
+1 2000 5000 9000 10000
+2 8000 20000 35000 40000
+3 18000 50000 90000 100000
Anarchic 24000
Axiomatic 24000
Holy 24000
Unholy 24000
Bane 3000
Disruption 24000
Ghost Touch 3000 6000 6000 6000
Life Drinker 96000
Vorpal 150000
Flaming 6000
Frost 6000
Merciful 6000
Shock 6000
Shock+Thundering 24000
Thundering 6000
Vicious 6000
Venom (Dagger of) 6000
Flaming Burst 24000
Icy Burst 24000
Shocking Burst 24000
Spell Storing (1-3) 6000
Spell Storing (1-6) 54000
Spell Storing (1-9) 150000
Distance 6000
Defending 3000 6000
Dancing 96000
Throwing 500 1000
Wounding 24000
Keen 6000
Mighty Cleaving 3000 6000 8000 10000
Ki Focus 3000 6000
Returning 3000 6000
Seeking 3000 6000
Speed 54000
Terror (Mace of) 30000
Subtlety (Sword of) 18000
Consumable Stones
-Wish (Luck blade) 44000 44000 44000
-Wish Cracked 4000 4000 4000
-Life Stealing 2000
-Life Stealing Cracked TBD
-Slaying 2000
-Slaying Cracked TBD

Socket Synergies

Some combinations of magical gems provide additional bonuses when socketted together or in a certain order.

For example: * All 3 Wish Stones in any order (even if cracked) grant +1 luck bonus to all saves, and one reroll per day. * Certain combinations cause the weapon to give off light of a specific color

Other Rules

Temporary Hit Points

Do not stack unless they are from a life or energy drain ability.

Health Levels and Metagaming

HP Heath Level
MaxHP and above Undamaged
MaxHP/2 to MaxHp Damaged
1 to MaxHP/2 Bloodied
-Con Stat/2 to 0 Disabled (Bleeding/Stable)
-Con to Con/2 Dying (Bleeding/Stable)
below -Con Stat Dead

It is frowned upon to try to determine certain information in the game. Others are readily available, in general ask and the GM should just say "you can't determine that" if he feels it breaks immersion.

Here are some quick guidelines:
  1. Please don't look up enemy stats unless instructed to. Justification: This is what knowledge skills are for and the DM reserves the right to change any stat at any time.
  2. Don't try to determine exact number of enemy hit points, Ask for its health level instead like "is it bloodied?" or "how healthy does it look?". Justification: Exact number of hit points are a detail that is unlikely to be trackable by a character in combat, 1 HP is a very small quantity. The DM recourse is to randomize HP, but this would slow the game down.
Things you are encouraged to ask:
  1. The AC of enemies after you attack them once or get a good chance to look them over. Justification: Most player characters are warriors familiar with the combat and armors of their world and they could probably get within 5% estimates of how hard to hit something is, especially after trying a couple times, even more so when you consider that there are many unaccounted for swings, blows, etc in a d20 round. It also speeds up play a lot.
  2. Can I take a 10,or 20, on this? But ask before you roll. Taking a 10 is one of the best mechanics. Many player under utilize it for skill checks. It is the system mechanic for what your character can do naturally most of the time. Your sailor character should be able to tie a professional knot reliably, this lets them do that while staying in the system. As a DM I like when players remember to ask because it is one less thing I have to track and shows they understand the stakes of a situation and their character's strengths.
  3. Is there some specific mundane item in the room? Just make sure it broadly makes sense and mix it up don't always be looking for a chandelier in every room of the dungeon. As a DM it is often difficult to fully spell out every setting and this can help with that, while giving the player more room for creative actions.

Magically raising the dead

All the traditional raise dead spells except for True Resurrection are banned. The combination of Gentle Repose and the new Revivify and/or Breath of Life spells fill that hole.

Almost exclusively undead are evil by nature. Soul-less automatons powered by negative energy, they are driven only to evil even for its own sake. Only being bent by their master's desires to do otherwise. Even unintelligent undead may twist orders to the darkest interpretation. Always attacking to kill, and seeking to spread fear among the living. The exception to this is the lich and vampire, but the process needed to become and maintain that state is so unspeakably unnatural and self motivated that it can only be performed by the most evil of people.

Crafting

Magic Items

Mundane Items

Crafting and Downtime

Crafting can be performed at the normal costs when ever the party has a significant amount of downtime approximately a week or more. While traveling and adventuring a character can craft, but the XP cost is 10 times higher. The assumption being that the work is done during quiet and rest periods. Scribing scrolls without expensive material components and crafting mundane ammunition do not have the increased XP cost. Other handicrafts such as whittling or knitting maybe performed while adventuring without increased XP cost.

Mundane Crafting Enhanced Items

A smith with at least 7 Ranks (including Skill Focus) in the appropriate craft can get the Craft Magical Arms and Armor Feat, using 1/2 their total skill bonus as their caster level. Maybe limited in what they can make to normal enhancement bonuses, keen and vorpal. Maybe other effects could be added with high enough spell craft or Knowledge: Arcana and the appropriate formularies.

An Alchemist may be able to do something similar with Brew Potion and craft alchemy.

Maybe a scribe with Scribe Scroll, Decipher script and Craft.

New Spells

Oth Level Cantrips and Orisons

Restful Slumber

You cast this spell immediately prior to resting. While under the effects of this spell, you and your allies enjoy a restful night’s sleep. If a subject completes a full night’s rest, it regains twice as many hit points as normal.

Transfer Health

When laying your hand upon a living creature, you channel your own positive energy that cause you to lose 1 hit point and cures 1 point of damage to target.

Since undead are powered by negative energy, this spell deals 1d6 positive energy damage to them instead of curing their wounds. An undead creature can apply spell resistance, and can attempt a Will save to take half damage.

Stabilize

When laying your hand upon a living creature, you channel positive energy that cures 0 points of damage. The target is still magically healed thus they stabilize.

Since undead are powered by negative energy, this spell deals 1 damage to them instead of curing their wounds. An undead creature can apply spell resistance, and can attempt a Will save to take half damage.

Malum Medicum

Casting upon a piece of freshly picked fruit makes it magical. You can immediately discern the affected piece of fruit. Each transmuted fruit provides nourishment as if it were a normal meal for a Medium creature. The fruit also cures 1 point of damage when eaten, subject to a maximum of 1 point of such curing in any 24-hour period.

Ray of Lightning

A ray of lightning projects from your pointing finger. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack with the ray to deal damage to a target. The ray deals 1d3 points of electricity damage. This spell cannot be safely cast in metal armor. Doing so would result in the spell hitting the caster instead of the intended target.

Turn Undead

Cause 2d6 + Charisma modifier + 1 per level HD of undead to be turned. Undead with more HD than your level are immune to Turn Undead. Turned undead will flee if able and cower(+2 to hit) if not. If your level is more than double the undeads HD they are destroyed instead of turned. Note if you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge: Religion you get a +2 bonus to the HD of undead that are immune to your turning.

Animate Object

As Animate Objects, except you only animate a single object sized by half your caster level. Full Text: You imbue an inanimate object with mobility and a semblance of life. Each such animated object then immediately attacks whomever or whatever you initially designate.

An animated object can be of any nonmagical material. You can change the designated target or targets as a move action, as if directing an active spell. The size of the animated object is spcifed in the table.

Level Object Size
2 Small
4 Medium
8 Large
16 Huge
32 Gargantuan
64 Colossal

This spell cannot animate objects carried or worn by a creature.

Animate object can be made permanent with a permanency spell.

Revivify

The diamonds vaporize from your hand as you cast this spell, and the vapors they give off wrap around your fallen companion, dragging her soul back into her mortal form.

Revivify miraculously restores life to a recently deceased creature. However, the spell must be cast within 1 round of the victim's death. Before the soul of the deceased has completely left the body, this spell halts its journey while repairing somewhat the damage to the body. This spell functions like raise dead(PH 268), except that the raised creature receives no level loss, no Constitution loss, and no loss of spells. The creature has -1 hit points (but is stable).

Material Component: Diamonds worth at least 500 gp.

Breath of Life

This spell functions like cure light wounds, except that it cures 5d8 points of damage + 1 point per caster level (maximum +25).

If cast upon a creature that has died within 1 round, unlike other spells that heal damage, breath of life can bring recently slain creatures back to life. The target changes to the appropriate health status based on their new HP total after this spell (i.e. Dead, Dying, Disabled, etc). Creatures brought back to life through breath of life gain a temporary negative level that lasts for 1 day.

Creatures slain by death effects cannot be saved by breath of life.

Like cure spells, breath of life deals damage to undead creatures rather than curing them, and cannot bring them back to life.

Alter Self

You assume the form of a creature of a type based on the type of your normal form. The new form must be within one size category of your normal size. You can change into a member of your own kind or even into yourself.

You can freely designate the new form’s minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind. The new form’s significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under your control, but they must fall within the norms for the new form’s kind. You are effectively disguised as an average member of the new form’s race. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check, ignoring penalties based on differences in gender, race or age between your normal and new form.

When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. Melded equipment can have adjustments to its minor physical qualities to match the new form. When you revert to your true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on your body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items you wore in the assumed form and can’t wear in your normal form fall off and land at your feet; any that you could wear in either form or carry in a body part common to both forms at the time of reversion are still held in the same way. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its true form.

You retain all the statistics and abilities of your normal form, except for those requiring a body part that the new form does not have (such as a mouth and lungs for a breath weapon, speech and air-breathing or eyes for a gaze attack or sight).

If your new form is smaller, this effect is the same as Reduce Person without the -2 Strength. If your new form is Larger, this effect is the same as Enlarge Person without the -2 Dexterity. If you are the same size you may add +2 bonus to either Strength or Dexterity.

For every two caster levels, you may aquire one ability of the new form from the following list: daylight vision, darkvision 60-ft, low-light vision, scent, air-breathing, water-breathing, scent, climb 30 feet, fly 30 feet (clumsy maneuverability), swim 30 feet, +1 natural armor, a natural weapon that does damage as an appropriate sized shortspear.

Base creature type New form type Example
Fey, Giant, Montrous Humanoid, Humanoid Humanoid Ogre Mage -> Human
Dragon, Magical Beast, Animal, Vermin Animal or Vermin Chimera -> Elephant
Undead, Constructs crafted of flesh, blood, bone Unintelligent Undead Mummy -> Zombie
Construct Animated Object Inevitable -> Animated clock
Outsider same full subtype Efreeti -> Salamander
Abberation, Plant, Ooze Ooze or Normal Plant Treent -> Ochre jelly
Templated [Group Type] Templated [Type] Ghost Elf -> Ghost Orc

Alter Other

This spell functions like Alter Self, except that it may be cast on willing other creatures.

Polymorph

This spell changes the willing subject into another form of living creature.

The new form may be of the same type as the subject or any of the following types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin.

The new form can’t have more Hit Dice than the subject’s HD. The new form must have a challenge rating less than your level, to a maximum of CR 14 at 15th level. For example, an 8th level wizard could turn an 8-HD Rhinoceros, themselves or their own familiar into an eight-headed Hydra (CR 7; HD 8)

You can’t cause a subject to assume a form smaller than Fine, nor can you cause a subject to assume an incorporeal or gaseous form.

The subject takes on all the statistics and special abilities of an average member of the new form in place of its own except as follows:

The subject retains its own alignment (and personality, within the limits
    of the new form’s ability scores).
The subject retains its own hit points (plus temporary hit points as
    listed below).
The subject is treated as having its normal Hit Dice for purpose of
    adjudicating effects based on HD, such as the sleep spell, though it
    uses the new form’s base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and all
    other statistics derived from Hit Dice.
The subject is treated as having its normal creature type as well as the new
    form for purpose of adjudicating effects based on creature type, such
    as the charm person or charm animal spells.
The subject also retains the ability to understand (but not necessarily to
    speak) the languages it understood in its original form. It can write
    in the languages it understands, but only the form is capable of
    writing in some manner (such as drawing in the dirt with a paw).
If the new form normally has regeneration, fast healing or shapechange
    abilities the subject does not get those.

With those exceptions, the subject’s normal game statistics are replaced by those of the new form. The subject loses all the special abilities it has in its normal form, including its class features.

If the new form's max hit points is greater than the subject's max hit points, the subject gains a number of temporary hit points equal to the difference for the duration. For example, a 33 HP Medusa polymorphed into a 57 HP Manticore would gain 22 temporary hit points.

If slain, the subject reverts to its original form, though it remains dead.

Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to being polymorphed, and a creature with the shapechanger subtype can revert to its natural form as a standard action.

You can freely designate the new form’s minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind. The new form’s significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under your control, but they must fall within the norms for the new form’s kind. The subject is effectively disguised as an average member of the new form’s race. If you use this spell to create a disguise, it grants a +10 bonus on the Disguise check.

When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the subject reverts to their true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on their body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items they wore in the assumed form and can’t wear in their normal form fall off and land at their feet; any that they could wear in either form or carry in a body part common to both forms at the time of reversion are still held in the same way. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its true form. If the new form has more body parts of a given type and one is cut off determine randomly if is corresponds to the subject's original. For example, an elf polymorphed into a giant spider that loses a leg only has a 50% chance of losing a limb when it reverts.

Material Component: A pinch of material(feathers, fur, hair, scales,etc) from the creature of the new form. (Prices vary: a normal spell component pouch will contain parts for animals and magical beasts common to the area. In general prices will be less than (CR x HD x 10gp) per pinch).

Baleful Polymorph

This spell functions like Polymorph, except that targets need not be touched or willing, the duration is permanent, and the new form must be a Small or smaller animal of no more than 1 HD (such as a dog, lizard, monkey, or toad).

All items worn or carried by the subject fall to the ground at its feet, even if they could be worn or carried by the new form.

If the new form would prove fatal to the creature (for example, if you polymorphed a landbound target into a fish, or an airborne target into a toad), the subject gets a +4 bonus on the save.

As with any polymorh effect ff the subject remains in the new form for 24 hours within any period 48 consecutive hours, it must attempt a Will save. If this save fails, it loses its ability to understand language, as well as all other memories of its previous form, and its Hit Dice and hit points change to match an average creature of its new form. These abilities and statistics return to normal if the effect is later ended.

Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to baleful polymorph, and a creature with the shapechanger subtype (i.e. doppelganger or werewolf) can revert to its natural form as a standard action, ending the spell’s effect.

Polymorph Any Object

This spell functions like polymorph, except that it changes one object or creature into another. The duration of the spell depends on how radical a change is made from the original state to its enchanted state. The duration is determined by using the following guidelines.

Changed Subject Is: Duration Factor[1]
Same kingdom (animal, vegetable, mineral) +5
Same class (mammals, fungi, metals, etc.) +2
Same size +2
Related (twig is to tree, wolf fur is to wolf, etc.) +2
Same or lower Intelligence +2

[1] Add all that apply. Look up the total on the next table.

Duration Factor Duration Example
0 20 minutes Pebble to human
2 1 hour Marionette to human
4 3 hours Human to marionette
5 12 hours Lizard to manticore
6 2 days Sheep to wool coat
7 1 week Shrew to manticore
9+ Permanent Manticore to shrew

A non-magical object cannot be made into a magic item with this spell. Magic items aren’t affected by this spell.

This spell cannot create material of great intrinsic value, such as copper, silver, gems, silk, gold, platinum, mithral, or adamantine. It also cannot reproduce the special properties of cold iron in order to overcome the damage reduction of certain creatures.

This spell can also be used to duplicate the effects of baleful polymorph, polymorph, flesh to stone, stone to flesh, transmute mud to rock, transmute metal to wood, or transmute rock to mud.

Arcane Material Component Mercury, gum arabic, and smoke.

Shapechange

This spell functions like polymorph, except that it enables you to assume the form of any single nonunique creature (of any type) from Fine to Colossal size. The assumed forms challenge rating is capped at 24 at level 25. Unlike polymorph, this spell allows incorporeal or gaseous forms to be assumed.

The new form does not disorient you. Parts of your body or pieces of equipment that are separated from you do not revert to their original forms.

You can become just about anything you are familiar with. You can change form once each round as a free action. The change takes place either immediately before your regular action or immediately after it, but not during the action. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on Disguise checks.

Focus A jade circlet worth no less than 1,500 gp, which you must place on your head when casting the spell. (The focus melds into your new form when you change shape.)