D&D 5E Polymorph: T-Rex and Giant Ape

[Storyteller Hero]

Also these big guys can't even pretend to fit into dungeons, so its not always available.

DM: "You won't be able to fit through the entrance at your current size."

Richard the Wizard: "Aw..."

Kyle the Rogue: "No worries. I pull out a bottle of special formula lubricant that I save for times like these. I've got plenty more in my bag of holding if there isn't enough coverage. What do you say?"

Richard the Wizard: "................Grease me up. I'm going in."

Xena the Bard: "That's what he said."

 

[MonkeyWrench]

I allow both of them, but strictly enforce the fact that they become those animals for the duration of the spell and expect the player to abide by those limitations.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I voted with "not unless you've seen one" - but I was concerned about that the first time I had a PC take the spell. (She preferred using it to turn trolls into turtles, though.)

My concern was always whether the spell really seems correctly powered for a 4th level buff spell - that's an enormous amount of bonus HP and attack strength to throw on someone. But a 4th level spell is a powerful resource, so I was never sure. What do people who've had this happen in game think, balance-wise?

 

[S'mon]

Came up in my game today when the druid realised she could cast Polymorph. After a bit of negotiation she polymorphed into an axe-wielding bear spirit* with the stats of a giant ape.

*Since that was the mini I had!

 

[The_Hanged_Man]

I think they are fine as long you enforce the animal intelligence aspect. The problem with restricting is that the majority of beasts above CR 2 are critters you rarely see. Elephants at CR 4 are probably the most common, but even those might not exist in many areas. Burning a 4th level spell slot to become a CR 1 or 2 beast is pretty underwhelming.

 

[Scary]

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[MonkeyWrench]

What do people who've had this happen in game think, balance-wise?

In my experience, if a caster polymorphs him/herself into a t-Rex or a giant ape, the they've traded their casting to add some muscle for a combat encounter. Nothing game-breaking there. If they polymorph one of the warriors in the party, then they've essentially given that warrior an hp buff and possible damage boost in exchange of not getting to use the warrior's class features. In either case, the size and intelligence of the polymorphed character are often severe limitations.

All-in-all it's a great spell. I just wish there were a way to turn people into little critters permanently.

My favorite uses so far:
T-Rex- party illusionist polymorphed herself into a T-Rex inside of a crumbling castle. The party was battling a group of ghouls led by a night hag and the polymorphed wizard used her size to tear through walls, bash down doors, and generally bring the whole place down on top of the night hag. The justification was that an animal of that size would thrash against its containment.

Giant Ape - in a running battle between our airship and two skypirate ships, our party's transmuter polymorphed into a giant ape and had a field day swinging from the pirate's rigging, tossing them overboard and flipping one of th enemy vessels by climbing up to the top of the mast. Justification? Apes love to climb and swing.

 

[discosoc]

I don't mind. My settings don't have actual T-Rex's running around, but there's nothing stopping the Wizard from shifting into a huge monstrous lizard creature that happens to have the same stats and general shape of a T-Rex...

Plus, it's also fun to have enemy casters turn their allies into such creatures as well. Fair is fair.

 

[cbwjm]

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[TwoSix]

I voted with "not unless you've seen one" - but I was concerned about that the first time I had a PC take the spell. (She preferred using it to turn trolls into turtles, though.)

My concern was always whether the spell really seems correctly powered for a 4th level buff spell - that's an enormous amount of bonus HP and attack strength to throw on someone. But a 4th level spell is a powerful resource, so I was never sure. What do people who've had this happen in game think, balance-wise?

I tend to use it reactively, rather than preemptively. It throws on a nice HP buffer to characters who are in melee and have taken some damage. The AC on the T-Rex and Giant Ape is low enough that they get torn down quickly by monsters with a decent offense. At our current level (11), it's nice, but nothing amazing. It was quite useful for levels 7-9, though, especially when twinned.