Hello! I'm about to start playing with a group which was specifically looking for a wizard. The backstory I came up with is that he has spent the last 50 years of his life researching certain mutated lifeforms that exist in this setting (long story), looking for a way to revert whatever changed them through alchemical means.
Since homebrewn "alchemist" classes are not alowed, the transmutation wizard is clearly the closest thing I can get to my envisioned character. Problem is, I was giving the class a read and found this lvl 2 ability so incredibly underwhelming! 10 minutes to turn a single foot squared of material into another from an extremely restrictive list? Really? I was hoping the whole "Transmuter's Stone" mechanic it gets at lvl 6 would somehow sinergise with it, but no, nothing at all!
Am I missing something here? Am I just a black hole of creativity who just can't see the AMAZING possibilities that this feature brings? Please tell me I'm wrong somewhere, I don't wanna be right about this. Also, if you've got some creative uses for this that go beyond "changing 5 copper pieces to silver", please share them with me.
Turn an iron door into wood to chop a hole in it (granted it would take an hour's worth of transmutation to do so).
You can turn a wooden carving into a silver one to sell (leave town quickly). For that matter, you can turn silver into wood to be carved (sell or melt down the shavings).
You can turn quickly made wooden tools into iron ones without a forge handy.
Is the UA artificer class allowed? It has an alchemist subclass.
Minor Alchemy is probably the weakest Wizard subclass feature, simply because it has so many built-in limitations (casting time, duration, amount, material) even for just a ribbon ability. That said, it does still manage to have uses if you put your mind to it:
- turn a stubborn iron lock into wood and then burn through it without making too much noise.
- the materials all have different weights, so transmuting rock into wood will allow you to lift it, while doing the reverse will weigh something down.
- Stone Shape only works on stone, but if there's none around, there's now something you can do about that.
- the ten-minute "casting" time can be a drag, but changing it back is instantaneous. Transmute a cubic foot of stone, have the party Barbarian throw it, then change it back to stone in flight. You'll have to convince your DM that the material change ought to do more damage, of course.
- turn wood or stone into material that can be smithed into armor for the party Druid to wear when it changes back.
I suppose it could also be used to create bribes when your party can't or won't part with its precious silver. Or if you need to satisfy a rust monster that you don't want to kill? Turn some rocks into iron.
Also, I guess you could turn a wooden door into stone so that your cleric/druid can Meld into Stone for ambush? Gift clogs to somebody that are actually made of iron so that when you cancel the transmutation, they now have trouble walking? Apply Heat Metal spell to clogs for a mean practical joke.
Take a trip on a wooden canoe. Get to your destination. Transmute it to iron to sink it so nobody will find it.
I suppose it could also be used to create food from normally non-edible materials. No cleric/druid in your party? Turn that branch into a turkey. Need to satisfy a rust monster that you don't want to kill? Turn your iron rations into actual iron.
Also, I guess you could expand area of stone so that your cleric/druid can Meld into Stone for ambush? Gift wool socks to somebody that are actually made of lead so that when you cancel the transmutation, they now have trouble walking? Apply Heat Metal spell to socks for a mean practical joke.
I suppose it could also be used to create bribes when your party can't or won't part with its precious silver. Or if you need to satisfy a rust monster that you don't want to kill? Turn some rocks into iron.
Also, I guess you could turn a wooden door into stone so that your cleric/druid can Meld into Stone for ambush? Gift clogs to somebody that are actually made of iron so that when you cancel the transmutation, they now have trouble walking? Apply Heat Metal spell to clogs for a mean practical joke.
Take a trip on a wooden canoe. Get to your destination. Transmute it to iron to sink it so nobody will find it.
I was going to mention how you can't do those things, but you edited it before I could. I clicked quote and got a (almost) completely different comment from what I read.
For me it really shines when you think about how various form of impact effect each of these substances. Have a handful of silver pieces? Turn them to stone and crush it, now you have powdered silver. Cut a 2ft round 1 inch thick slab of wood from a tree and a small branch. Drill two holes for the handle and turn them into copper. A little heat and some banging and now you have a lovely domed wooden shield to sell. Have a great sword no one is using? Turn it into wood and carve out a crowbar and a few other useful tools.
Also dont forget you can use these techniques one at a time to merge two types of materials together as well. Just need a little imagination, and probably the mending cantrip for after you broke things apart to separate them. 😬
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Hello! I'm about to start playing with a group which was specifically looking for a wizard. The backstory I came up with is that he has spent the last 50 years of his life researching certain mutated lifeforms that exist in this setting (long story), looking for a way to revert whatever changed them through alchemical means.
Since homebrewn "alchemist" classes are not alowed, the transmutation wizard is clearly the closest thing I can get to my envisioned character. Problem is, I was giving the class a read and found this lvl 2 ability so incredibly underwhelming! 10 minutes to turn a single foot squared of material into another from an extremely restrictive list? Really? I was hoping the whole "Transmuter's Stone" mechanic it gets at lvl 6 would somehow sinergise with it, but no, nothing at all!
Am I missing something here? Am I just a black hole of creativity who just can't see the AMAZING possibilities that this feature brings? Please tell me I'm wrong somewhere, I don't wanna be right about this. Also, if you've got some creative uses for this that go beyond "changing 5 copper pieces to silver", please share them with me.
Thank you all.
Turn an iron door into wood to chop a hole in it (granted it would take an hour's worth of transmutation to do so).
You can turn a wooden carving into a silver one to sell (leave town quickly). For that matter, you can turn silver into wood to be carved (sell or melt down the shavings).
You can turn quickly made wooden tools into iron ones without a forge handy.
Is the UA artificer class allowed? It has an alchemist subclass.
Minor Alchemy is probably the weakest Wizard subclass feature, simply because it has so many built-in limitations (casting time, duration, amount, material) even for just a ribbon ability. That said, it does still manage to have uses if you put your mind to it:
- turn a stubborn iron lock into wood and then burn through it without making too much noise.
- the materials all have different weights, so transmuting rock into wood will allow you to lift it, while doing the reverse will weigh something down.
- Stone Shape only works on stone, but if there's none around, there's now something you can do about that.
- the ten-minute "casting" time can be a drag, but changing it back is instantaneous. Transmute a cubic foot of stone, have the party Barbarian throw it, then change it back to stone in flight. You'll have to convince your DM that the material change ought to do more damage, of course.
- turn wood or stone into material that can be smithed into armor for the party Druid to wear when it changes back.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
I suppose it could also be used to create bribes when your party can't or won't part with its precious silver. Or if you need to satisfy a rust monster that you don't want to kill? Turn some rocks into iron.
Also, I guess you could turn a wooden door into stone so that your cleric/druid can Meld into Stone for ambush? Gift clogs to somebody that are actually made of iron so that when you cancel the transmutation, they now have trouble walking? Apply Heat Metal spell to clogs for a mean practical joke.
Take a trip on a wooden canoe. Get to your destination. Transmute it to iron to sink it so nobody will find it.
I was going to mention how you can't do those things, but you edited it before I could. I clicked quote and got a (almost) completely different comment from what I read.
Yes, sometimes I'm too lazy to luck up an ability or spell. Anyway, the gist of the post is similar.
Also? Kind of weird that you can, by RAW, turn wood into silver or iron, but can't turn any of those into rations or even hay.
For me it really shines when you think about how various form of impact effect each of these substances. Have a handful of silver pieces? Turn them to stone and crush it, now you have powdered silver. Cut a 2ft round 1 inch thick slab of wood from a tree and a small branch. Drill two holes for the handle and turn them into copper. A little heat and some banging and now you have a lovely domed wooden shield to sell. Have a great sword no one is using? Turn it into wood and carve out a crowbar and a few other useful tools.
Also dont forget you can use these techniques one at a time to merge two types of materials together as well. Just need a little imagination, and probably the mending cantrip for after you broke things apart to separate them. 😬