Would gaseous form stop petrifaction?

Quote from MiniDeathStar >>

Quote from Gamesalami >>

I just thought of the coolest application for this spell! So what is there was a wizard that acted as a plastic surgeon by completing this spell on people, using stone shape to do surgery, and then casting greater restoration to bring them back? Man I really need to start DMing again!

 This isn't going to work because petrified creatures aren't objects, they are creatures with the petrified condition.

True, but any sculptor could just sculpt features in the mundane manner, without stone shape.  Granted, it's a skill the caster would need to learn or hire someone else for, but I believe it would work.

Quote from Myasten_Arjen >>

Okay thanks. I knew it was to OP to work. But what about Create or Destroy water? Create water in their lungs or destroy the water in their veins. It says create water in containers within range. Lungs could count right?

 Lungs aren't containers. They aren't hollow and instead more like sponges. 

No sane dm would rule that a sponge is a container, right? 

Can a player use this on another willing player? My example is maybe the player has fallen ill, with no known cure and the rest of the party is desperately searching for a cure, so they petrify the player to keep them alive and suspend the ailment while they search for a cure. Just wondering if this would work, as it sounds like a fun idea to possibly use one day.

As a DM I would rule yes. Normally spells specify when their save can be willingly failed, but a save is on its own a deliberate reaction. It should be totally possible to just not resist and allow oneself to be petrified.

Quote from Wile_E_Coyote >>

Quote from MiniDeathStar >>

Quote from Gamesalami >>

I just thought of the coolest application for this spell! So what is there was a wizard that acted as a plastic surgeon by completing this spell on people, using stone shape to do surgery, and then casting greater restoration to bring them back? Man I really need to start DMing again!

 This isn't going to work because petrified creatures aren't objects, they are creatures with the petrified condition.

 

True, but any sculptor could just sculpt features in the mundane manner, without stone shape.  Granted, it's a skill the caster would need to learn or hire someone else for, but I believe it would work.

That's what I was thinking. But remember that they are essentially just chipping off bits of flesh and bone as they go. So once the spell ends, they will just have severe damage.
If the creature is physically broken while petrified, it suffers from similar deformities if it reverts to its original state.
You can heal that, but I guess that just means going back to normal, rather than a new shape. Depending on what damage is done and what kind of healing.

Would scales, for example from a kobold or dragonborn count towards being turned into stone by this? 

How could one detect if a stone statue is actually a living thing turned to stone?

Quote from DruidofMN >>

How could one detect if a stone statue is actually a living thing turned to stone?

 Detect Magic would indicate that the "statue" was under the effect of transmutation magic.

Pretty sure that wouldn't work because the spell ends after 1 minute. The petrified condition remains after the spell ends, but the spell has still ended. This is in contrast to true polymorph, which makes the effect permanent by making the spell last until dispelled.

Here is a cool idea. So, some ancient villain has returned, and the mage who defeated them is a statue, and the PC's are high enough level to restore them. But someone knows detect thoughts, dives deep so they know they are there, and get some advice. Or maybe they planned this all along and they have a wand with telepathy nearby. 

I meant, you could just sculpt them by hand.

Idea even more chaotic evil than most villans (this came from a comment i saw on reddit): Remove the BBEG's larynx, making them mute, petrify them, sculpt them into a really good looking creature of the opposite gender, and drop them of at the house of a mob boss.

How do I have to understand the last part.

1) if someone fails all 3 checks and is petrified, the condition ends if the caster loses concentration before 1 minute?

2) someone succeed on the save but the caster keeps concentration up for a full minute and the target is petrified none the less?

Unless this counts as Magic Stone, and if Shape Stone does not affect Magic Stone...

If it must affect mundane... 

Quote from NathanielC >>

I had an idea about an ancient hero willing letting themselves be petrified as a form of suspended animation, to be awakened if the evil ever returns. They spend centuries enshrined inside a temple and most people just think they're a statue. It's up to the party to discover its secret and he gives them the secret to defeating the end boss.

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

 I played a character whose Plot Hook was that she had been born in ancient history, Trained in a Druid circle, and petrified for eons... 

I believe we settled on 3 or 6 centuries... 

It was a younger world IIRC

She adventure with the party, having been restored from stone. 

Quote from NathanielC >>

I had an idea about an ancient hero willing letting themselves be petrified as a form of suspended animation, to be awakened if the evil ever returns. They spend centuries enshrined inside a temple and most people just think they're a statue. It's up to the party to discover its secret and he gives them the secret to defeating the end boss.

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

Also played in a campaign, where our first act took place in timeline A.... But we were petrified at the end of the act... 

And restored 5 thousand years later when the ruins were being excavated...

We went from the equivalent of the peaceful Old Republic, to the post apocalyptic Empire...

Trying to rebuild after the chaos 

back in the day you could. Now sadly no

The fact that the petrified condition exists when only medusas, basilisks, cockatrices, and beholders can give the effect. And only the spells, flesh to stone, prismatic wall, and prismatic spray can produce the effect. On the other hand, we don't have a frozen condition, which would likely be more used.

Quote from DarkElf69 >>

can you use this spell to reverse flesh to stone?

No, you'll need to use Dispel Magic (DC 16 casting check, or cast it at 6th level or higher), Greater Restoration, or Wish. The Stone to Flesh spell was not implemented in 5e.