D&D (2024) Shapechange Spell a bit OP now?

[Ashrym]

Shapechange​

Concentration
Level 9th
Casting Time 1 Action
Range/Area Self
Components V, S, M *
Duration Concentration 1 Hour
School Transmutation
Attack/Save None
Damage/Effect Shapechanging

You shape-shift into another creature for the duration or until you take a Magic action to shape-shift into a different eligible form. The new form must be of a creature that has a Challenge Rating no higher than your level or Challenge Rating. You must have seen the sort of creature before, and it can’t be a Construct or an Undead.
When you shape-shift, you gain a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to the Hit Points of the form. The spell ends early if you have no Temporary Hit Points left.
Your game statistics are replaced by the stat block of the chosen form, but you retain your creature type; alignment; personality; Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores; Hit Points; Hit Point Dice; proficiencies; and ability to communicate. If you have the Spellcasting feature, you retain it too.
Upon shape-shifting, you determine whether your equipment drops to the ground or changes in size and shape to fit the new form while you’re in it.
* - (a jade circlet worth 1,500+ GP)

Shapechange grants temporary hit points when shape-shifting, not when casting the spell, and doesn't lose them with the form. During the duration of the spell this can be repeated with a Magic action. For example, shape-shifting into 300+ hp creatures 60 times during the spell duration can generate over 18000 thp if they are getting used up. It's not likely that much will happen, but 3 good fights in an hour can generate a massive number of thp.

Thoughts?

 

[Zardnaar]

2014 natural spell on steroids.

 

[Mort]

Interesting, the 2014 version gave you the actual HP of what you shifted into, but with a very big caveat:

"During this spell’s duration, you can use your action to assume a different form following the same restrictions and rules for the original form, with one exception: if your new form has more hit points than your current one, your hit points remain at their current value."

So you don't constantly get topped off on HP in the old version.

The 2024 gives temp HP not actual HP which would normally be worse, but it doesn't have this wording or anything similar. So the temp HP do keep getting topped off. That's big buff.

I'll have to think about this!

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Remember that you don’t add Temp HP together you just take whatever is higher. It’s also a concentration spell so it can be snapped out of.

 

[ECMO3]

Now???? It was always OP.

 

[Mort]

Remember that you don’t add Temp HP together you just take whatever is higher. It’s also a concentration spell so it can be snapped out of.

Of course. But everytime you shift, you can top your HP off (say after taking damage) and that's for an hour.

Of course, that assumes you make concentration checks and it takes a magic action, so you're not doing a lot else that round, so there are tradeoffs. At the level we're taking about, the tradeoffs might be enough.

 

[Mort]

Now???? It was always OP.

Well, the prior version didn't constantly top off HP, this one does (in theory, you have to the actions to do it). It's an interesting tradeoff for the HP being temporary.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Of course. But everytime you shift, you can top your HP off (say after taking damage) and that's for an hour.

Of course, that assumes you make concentration checks and it takes a magic action, so you're not doing a lot else that round, so there are tradeoffs. At the level we're taking about, the tradeoffs might be enough.

Yeah it’s a level 9 spell which are supposed to be the best

 

[Ashrym]

Remember that you don’t add Temp HP together you just take whatever is higher. It’s also a concentration spell so it can be snapped out of.

The temp hp don't need to add together for the advantage here. A 17th level Wizard with 104 hp who uses Shapechange to shape-shift into a Dragon Turtle gains 341 temp hp, or more than 3x their actual hp. The Wizard can then shape-shift into an Elf and when given the choice of the new thp or the current thp keep the current thp. Walk around and continue to do Wizard stuff.

After the Wizard takes 300 points of damage they use a Magic action to shape-shift back into a Dragon Turtle and takes the 341 thp again. They can then shape-shift into a spider and sneak around, but choose to keep the 341 thp.

Shapechange is a utility spell for an hour that can be used for combat forms and now can also be used as a very high source of renewable temporary hit points. The Bard, Druid, or Wizard who casts this spell should be able to top up those temporary hit points after every fight and during if needed for that hour.

Concentration seems like the only drawback, but concentration is a drawback for many spells including some other 9th level spells. None of them seem to have effects this good, IMO. But compared to something like Mass Heal (700 hp split among targets) maybe it's not so over the top. I find it hard to say so far.

 

[Ancalagon]

Now combine this with armor of Agathy...