I have a player character, Johnny, that carries a Weird Tank. Inside the Weird Tank is their friendly companion Jimmy, a Water Weird. If Johnny was polymorphed while the Weird Tank is on his back, does Jimmy the Water Weird merge into Johnny's new Creature form, does the Weird Tank fall because polymorph is only targeting Johnny and not Jimmy, or is it a mix of both where Johnny becomes the new creator, but since Jimmy is a separate creator, the Weird does not merge into Johnny but instead remains worn as a backpack because it horses another creature, Jimmy.
I assume the answer to the above will answer this next question just in case but let's say Johnny is carrying a fairy in their backpack and is polymorphed. The fairy could be a NPC or PC. Will the Fairy merge into Johnny since they are part of their gear, will the fairy 'pop out' and new excluded or will the backpack be exclude because you can't merge creatures into creatures?
What if the item in question is a sentient magic item or a living loot satchel?
Thank you in advance for helping me understand polymorph. My current view is since polymorph target is a creature, Johnny, it will affect Johnny and all of his gear except for other creatures. Soc any object that is sentient or housing another creature will be excluded and not merge into Johnny's new form allowing Johnny or someone else to pick them up or the creature being contained, if they are able, to take the object they were inside of.
I have a player character, Johnny, that carries a Weird Tank. Inside the Weird Tank is their friendly companion Jimmy, a Water Weird.
If Johnny is polymorphed either the Weird Tank falls on the ground with Jimmy still inside it, or the Weird Tank merges with Johnny's new form and Jimmy falls on the ground no longer within the tank.
Let's say Johnny is carrying a fairy in their backpack and is polymorphed.
Same thing, either the backpack or the fairy falls onto the ground.
What if the item in question is a sentient magic item or a living loot satchel?
This is where we get into what is or is not a "creature". A sentient magic item is an object not a creature so it merges. The living loot satchel if it is considered a creature does not - e.g. if it is a mimic - but if it is a magic item like Living Gloves then it merges.
"Creature" and "living thing" are not synonyms. Lots of bugs, grass, trees, shrubs, etc... are living things but are not considered creatures, whereas lots of elementals and constructs are not living things but are considered creatures.
Polymorph already answers the part regarding equipment
The target’s gear melds into the new form. The creature can’t use or otherwise benefit from any of that equipment.
If the target is holding an item then that item is merged into the form, irrelevant of if that item holds a creature within it. Unless the item explicitly in one way or another prohibits such an interaction.
I think the following interactions depend on how a DM wants to rule it, now if the creature held in an extra-dimensional space by the object? In that case there is no reason why the object being merged into the polymorph would change since the extra dimensional space itself isn't in the polymorph.
Now If the fairy is in a glass bottle, then it gets more complicated, the DM might say that the bottle is merged into the polymorph but the fairy isn't (and thus released from the bottle) or that since the bottle is merged in, the Fairy is contained within the polymorph, within the bottle. I don't see any explicit rules on how that interaction must go and I'd say a DM has to make a judgement call on that one. Personally I'd go with the latter, the fairy is ejected from the form but the bottle is absorbed, freeing the fairy.
I am unaware of any rules that prohibit or allow the merging of creatures in D&D, lore wise there are creatures like Yuan-Ti and Chimera that were created from merging multiple creatures into one but those are a more permanent type of merging that usually involved rituals...
Now for more fun, what happens if a creature is true polymorphed into an object and then another creature picks up that object before it, itself is polymorphed into another form... that interaction gets even more complex.
This is very helpful thinking. I appreciate your time. What makes me ponder is should the item contains a creature magically or extradimensional space like a bag of holding will the item just fall or will the item merge with or without the creature. Might just be subject to interpretation at this point. Maybe the question to ask is is the Weird Tank considered an object worn by the PC when it magically contains a creature bound to it until released or could we argue since it's tied to the Weird Tank, although the PC is carrying this device, it's really "worn" by the Water Weird and therefore excluded? I am over thinking this for learning purposes but I would personally just say items containing creatures are not merged as it effectively unalives a creature or allows polymorph to affect multiple creatures which I doubt is it's intention.
Thank you for providing your insights and thoughts. The extradimensional space idea is interesting. It makes me ponder is a Weird Tank a extradimensional space housing a large creature all while magically allowing it to live without water requirements? The tank is too small to fit a Water Weird so with that logical maybe the tank should be dropped because it's not really attached to the characters gear but is being held? Hmm. I think I phrased this wrong.
I think either all objects gets merged or you have to consider ruling creatures within a object can be considered "worn" by that other creature to some extent and therefore that object should be dropped. In this example the Water Weird dies if they fall out of the container but the containers magically houses them almost as if they are attached.
I think for your fun example, the creature polymorphed into a object is now a object so it will be merged into the next polymorph.
Would this ruling be any different if there was a classified creature within an object is what I seek to find. I'm thinking no, the object holding a creature will likely lay on the ground since the object has a living creature. I can't imagine a object merging into a creature knowing that means it will also merge a creature as well given the spell specifies only gear which is carried or worn but I guess if their gear is a bottle hoarding a fairy then the bottle hoarding a fair should merge therefore the fairy is merged (RAW). Struggling to why shouldn't the object fall despite the way the spell is written.
If I polymorph a creature that holds a mini house with mini people in their backpack, why should the mini people house they are inside or "categorically worn or carried" be merged? I'm leaning towards it will always fall so if a fairy was in a bottle they would be on the floor trapped in the bottle til someone rescues them or they escape. (RAI)
Sorry for the ranting but this is interesting to think about.
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Hi,
I have a player character, Johnny, that carries a Weird Tank. Inside the Weird Tank is their friendly companion Jimmy, a Water Weird. If Johnny was polymorphed while the Weird Tank is on his back, does Jimmy the Water Weird merge into Johnny's new Creature form, does the Weird Tank fall because polymorph is only targeting Johnny and not Jimmy, or is it a mix of both where Johnny becomes the new creator, but since Jimmy is a separate creator, the Weird does not merge into Johnny but instead remains worn as a backpack because it horses another creature, Jimmy.
I assume the answer to the above will answer this next question just in case but let's say Johnny is carrying a fairy in their backpack and is polymorphed. The fairy could be a NPC or PC. Will the Fairy merge into Johnny since they are part of their gear, will the fairy 'pop out' and new excluded or will the backpack be exclude because you can't merge creatures into creatures?
What if the item in question is a sentient magic item or a living loot satchel?
Thank you in advance for helping me understand polymorph. My current view is since polymorph target is a creature, Johnny, it will affect Johnny and all of his gear except for other creatures. Soc any object that is sentient or housing another creature will be excluded and not merge into Johnny's new form allowing Johnny or someone else to pick them up or the creature being contained, if they are able, to take the object they were inside of.
If Johnny is polymorphed either the Weird Tank falls on the ground with Jimmy still inside it, or the Weird Tank merges with Johnny's new form and Jimmy falls on the ground no longer within the tank.
Same thing, either the backpack or the fairy falls onto the ground.
This is where we get into what is or is not a "creature". A sentient magic item is an object not a creature so it merges. The living loot satchel if it is considered a creature does not - e.g. if it is a mimic - but if it is a magic item like Living Gloves then it merges.
"Creature" and "living thing" are not synonyms. Lots of bugs, grass, trees, shrubs, etc... are living things but are not considered creatures, whereas lots of elementals and constructs are not living things but are considered creatures.
Polymorph already answers the part regarding equipment
If the target is holding an item then that item is merged into the form, irrelevant of if that item holds a creature within it. Unless the item explicitly in one way or another prohibits such an interaction.
I think the following interactions depend on how a DM wants to rule it, now if the creature held in an extra-dimensional space by the object? In that case there is no reason why the object being merged into the polymorph would change since the extra dimensional space itself isn't in the polymorph.
Now If the fairy is in a glass bottle, then it gets more complicated, the DM might say that the bottle is merged into the polymorph but the fairy isn't (and thus released from the bottle) or that since the bottle is merged in, the Fairy is contained within the polymorph, within the bottle. I don't see any explicit rules on how that interaction must go and I'd say a DM has to make a judgement call on that one. Personally I'd go with the latter, the fairy is ejected from the form but the bottle is absorbed, freeing the fairy.
I am unaware of any rules that prohibit or allow the merging of creatures in D&D, lore wise there are creatures like Yuan-Ti and Chimera that were created from merging multiple creatures into one but those are a more permanent type of merging that usually involved rituals...
Now for more fun, what happens if a creature is true polymorphed into an object and then another creature picks up that object before it, itself is polymorphed into another form... that interaction gets even more complex.
This is very helpful thinking. I appreciate your time. What makes me ponder is should the item contains a creature magically or extradimensional space like a bag of holding will the item just fall or will the item merge with or without the creature. Might just be subject to interpretation at this point. Maybe the question to ask is is the Weird Tank considered an object worn by the PC when it magically contains a creature bound to it until released or could we argue since it's tied to the Weird Tank, although the PC is carrying this device, it's really "worn" by the Water Weird and therefore excluded? I am over thinking this for learning purposes but I would personally just say items containing creatures are not merged as it effectively unalives a creature or allows polymorph to affect multiple creatures which I doubt is it's intention.
Thank you for providing your insights and thoughts. The extradimensional space idea is interesting. It makes me ponder is a Weird Tank a extradimensional space housing a large creature all while magically allowing it to live without water requirements? The tank is too small to fit a Water Weird so with that logical maybe the tank should be dropped because it's not really attached to the characters gear but is being held? Hmm. I think I phrased this wrong.
I think either all objects gets merged or you have to consider ruling creatures within a object can be considered "worn" by that other creature to some extent and therefore that object should be dropped. In this example the Water Weird dies if they fall out of the container but the containers magically houses them almost as if they are attached.
I think for your fun example, the creature polymorphed into a object is now a object so it will be merged into the next polymorph.
Would this ruling be any different if there was a classified creature within an object is what I seek to find. I'm thinking no, the object holding a creature will likely lay on the ground since the object has a living creature. I can't imagine a object merging into a creature knowing that means it will also merge a creature as well given the spell specifies only gear which is carried or worn but I guess if their gear is a bottle hoarding a fairy then the bottle hoarding a fair should merge therefore the fairy is merged (RAW). Struggling to why shouldn't the object fall despite the way the spell is written.
If I polymorph a creature that holds a mini house with mini people in their backpack, why should the mini people house they are inside or "categorically worn or carried" be merged? I'm leaning towards it will always fall so if a fairy was in a bottle they would be on the floor trapped in the bottle til someone rescues them or they escape. (RAI)
Sorry for the ranting but this is interesting to think about.