Choose any number of willing creatures that you can see within range. Each target shape-shifts into a Large or smaller Beast of your choice that has a Challenge Rating of 4 or lower. You can choose a different form for each target. On later turns, you can take a Magic action to transform the targets again.
A target’s game statistics are replaced by the chosen Beast’s statistics, but the target retains its creature type; Hit Points; Hit Point Dice; alignment; ability to communicate; and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. The target’s actions are limited by the Beast form’s anatomy, and it can’t cast spells. The target’s equipment melds into the new form, and the target can’t use any of that equipment while in that form.
The target gains a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to the Hit Points of the first form into which it shape-shifts. These Temporary Hit Points vanish if any remain when the spell ends. The transformation lasts for the duration or until the target ends it as a Bonus Action.
so can you like ... turn the village into Carrion Beetle and when they eventually run out of THP just turn them back again ... even without line of sight?
so one action for 127 thp repeatable, for every targets if you fancy it, every round for 24 hour
meanwhile powerword fortify is one spell rank lower and only give 120 THP to ONE individual
This isn't a concentration spell in the PHB.
Why doesn't this show up for 2024 bards under Level 10: Magical Secrets?
UPDATE: Tsunami, which is another level 8 druid-only spell does show up correctly in the character builder, but this does not.
They have to be willing creatures
I would be willing if they gave me a platinum piece.
You only get the THP for the first creature you change into. So, if you change them into a new form, they do not get any more THP.
So it seems the transformation continues even when the Temporary Hit Points given by the spell are reduced to 0, or when the target drops to 0 hit points but is not dead (since it "lasts for the duration or until the target ends it as a Bonus Action"). However, it's still not clear what happens when the target ends the transformation as a Bonus Action, and the caster uses a Magic action to transform them again. Does the new transformation fail? If not, does it work in the same way as the first transformation (in particular, can the spell be used for "infinite healing"?)?
It specifically says the target gains temporary hit points equal to the HP of the first form into which it shape-shifts. It doesn't gain additional temp HP if it's transformed into something else later while the spell is still going on.
Thanks for the reply! I guess the issue is whether "transformation" here is a synonym of "shapeshifting" or not (that's what I was wondering about). If it is, then it can be ended with a Bonus Action, and restarted with a Magic action (thus creating a new transformation/shapeshifting, with a new first form and a new pool of Temporary Hit Points). If it isn't, then the shapeshifting only happens once (when the spell is cast), ensuring the Temporary Hit Points are also gained only once. The thing is the first paragraph says "On later turns, you can take a Magic action to transform the targets again", which makes me think "transformation" and "shapeshifting" are being used as (mechanical) synonyms.
I think it would take a lot of mental gymnastics to read "transformation" and "shapeshifting" to mean two different things in this context.
OK, so standing room events generally allocate about 6 square feet per person; a circle with a radius of 30 feet is 2827 square feet. So we could comfortably transform 471 willing targets into Plesiosauri, who all immediately and simultaneously end their shape change with a bonus action outside of combat, but get to keep 68 temporary hit points for 24 hours.
That's 32,000 additional HP for one spell slot. Or 10,300 additional HP if your GM rules that people can't end the transformation right away, in which case you'd transform them all into Reef Sharks, which are not a different size than an ordinary Medium humanoid - to avoid getting crushed to death immediately.