You assume a different form. When you cast the spell, choose one of the following options, the effects of which last for the duration of the spell. While the spell lasts, you can end one option as an action to gain the benefits of a different one.
Aquatic Adaptation. You adapt your body to an aquatic environment, sprouting gills and growing webbing between your fingers. You can breathe underwater and gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Change Appearance. You transform your appearance. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair length, coloration, and distinguishing characteristics, if any. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your statistics change. You also can't appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you're bipedal, you can't use this spell to become quadrupedal, for instance. At any time for the duration of the spell, you can use your action to change your appearance in this way again.
Natural Weapons. You grow claws, fangs, spines, horns, or a different natural weapon of your choice. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, as appropriate to the natural weapon you chose, and you are proficient with your unarmed strikes. Finally, the natural weapon is magic and you have a +1 bonus to the attack and damage rolls you make using it.
Just wondering do the natural weapon use the spell casting modifier, dexterity modifier or strength modifier
The rule seems to state that attacks with the natural weapon are unarmed strikes. Thus, you would add your strength modifier to the attack roll, as normal.
i would argue it is dependent on your DM.
a sonic the hedgehog type spinner w/spines i would base on dex with slashing damage.
This is going to be a dumb question? But can Alter Self turn me into metal (specifically for my hands/feet as natural weapons)
It doesn't specify but does this change just your form or does it include what you are wearing. Limits the disguise value if you are wearing the same clothes. Since it's shape-shifting rather than illusion I would assume it doesn't affect. You're. Equipment
What your saying is there no way to have just to have natural weapons without having my appearance to change is that correct?
If aquatic adaption is a thing, I don't see why aerial adaption wouldn't be. Why can wings be grown?
P.S. It only says STATS don't change. (Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, etc.) But I would make an argument for wings being allowed to fly or maybe just glide.
Or maybe the DM could make the decision of, "Hey you've never had wings before and you don't know how to use them. Make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to see if you can fly."
My character already has wings but what the heck I just wanna know how I can use this.
if you really were interested in such a character, play a changeling
I'd completely allow it. Even have the physical changes permanent and functional thereafter if they wanted. Magic is magical, and tweaking an existing spell is easier than trying to homebrew a gender change spell.
Why should we force players into a race? I'd let them use the spell like this, and if cast often enough the changes are permanent and functional, if that's the desired result.
Could I use this to create long spikes sticking out of my skin all around my body? And if so, is there a limit to how big I can make the spikes?
This spell makes me chuckle because I can't help but think of an old FooFighters music video where he grows his hand real big.
Would this allow to change a character's gender?, from a female to male or vice versa? Genuinely curious
This was already asked and there were discussions above. Up to DM but shouldn't be an issue.
The 3.5 version of this spell did allow you to grow wings for flight. They nerfed in in 5e just because I guess they wanted Fly at level 3 to be more special? I mean, that does affect a target and not just self, so it's still more powerful.
Since it historically was a part of the spell, you can talk to your DM about allowing it, but that really could go either way.
I'm curious about this line of Change Appearance: [...]your basic shape stays the same[...], how would that work on an Aarakocra, for example? In the sense, if it needs to pass as a creature of another race, could it also "dismiss" the wings while you turn yourself into a human, elf, orc, or some other wingless medium race?
I see this being more of a survival thing like darwinism. If you are stuck in water you need to breath and move from predators. You don't need to fly to survive in air but some way of safely falling like a flying squirrel could be feasible or even the way spiders hang glide.
Can I turn my hands into crab claws.
So...I have dumb question. It says that you cannot change the number of limbs you have using the 'Change Appearance' option. Would a tail count for this? For example, if you wanted to change into a Tabazi, Lizardfolk, or Tabaxi, could you do that? Additionally, if you could, would it be reasonable for this to grant any sort of mechanical advantage (say on Dexterity based checks)?
I think that yes you should be able to make a tale even make it into a natural weapon as it says. but I don't think that you should get a bonus for your tail because it says your stats don't change