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.
It says you can't appear as a creature of a different size as you but you can change your height and weight freely.
I made a character that's 5' 5" human wizard. Theoretically he can transform into a 3 foot tall short dwarf, or a 8 foot tall goliath, but not a halfling or gnome.
With that in mind, you can instead turn into a short human that happens to look just like a halfling, or a short elf/half-elf that happens to look like a gnome.
You can't make yourself size small (unless you already are), but you can be really really close.
Since the weapons are almost always useless, (can be a way for low-levels to damage ghosts though) my table gives claw form a climb speed of 30.
I just added a shortsword +1 to my character sheet to represent the natural weapons, with the understanding with my DM that it's just a representation of the various natural weapons .. if I made horns they're the same just declare it as piercing damage.
anyone noticed that "second skin" (vrgtr) is kinda useless because all you can to is cast this spell once per long rest, and only to change appearance
Imagine if you turn into Orcus for 1 hour
I feel sorry for the enemies
*also rogue/arcane trickster this would be so useful*
Could someone grow rabbit ears or whiskers using this? They wouldn't be a weapon. And yes it's changing appearance but is it only changing appearance or changing appearance and the ability to use them
While normally I'd agree, the Barovian Witch's stats suggest you can use Dex for your attack instead of Strength (otherwise she'd have only +1 to hit and deal 1d6-1 damage). I'd doublecheck against other monsters but I'm not sure there are any others who use alter self.
So let me get this straight. You can change virtually anything about your form, but it does not change your statistics. However, aquatic form and natural weapons do.
Is it just me or does this spell seem to contradict itself? Perhaps I'm not seeing the bigger picture here?
that is not true it states in the description You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair length, coloration, and distinguishing characteristics, if any.
HAHAHAHA I have a reply to this. I pick Master of Myriad Forms, which is an invocation you get at Lv 15, since warlocks automatically cast at their highest spell slot, I would have a 5th lv spell slot, OH WAIT, the description of MoMF says "at will", meaning I cast it as a 5th level cantrip, which I know doesn't exist, work w/ me here, then, since by the time I'm lv 15 warlock, Arcane trickster and Gloomstalker will be capped, meaning difficulty is high enough, that if I ask my DM politely, w/ this argument, he should say YES! hooo, I'm out of breath
HAHAHAHA I have a reply to this. I pick Master of Myriad Forms, which is an invocation you get at Lv 15, since warlocks automatically cast at their highest spell slot, I would have a 5th lv spell slot, OH WAIT, the description of MoMF says "at will", meaning I cast it as a 5th level cantrip, which I know doesn't exist, work w/ me here, then, since by the time I'm lv 15 warlock, Arcane trickster and Gloomstalker will be capped, meaning difficulty is high enough, that if I ask my DM politely, w/ this argument, he should say YES! hooo, I'm out of breath
oops i was trying to reply to Galdraiice
RAW - the Natural Weapons feature seems overpowered. Interested to hear thoughts because I don't think even WOTC understands what they unleashed here.
First thing - Sage Advice Compendium says that Natural Weapons and Unarmed Strikes are two completely different things. Natural weapons are parts of the body, actually considered weapons, that are capable of doing weapon attacks. Unarmed strikes are non-weapon attacks - anything resembling a "forceful blow," without being armed with a weapon, with any part of your body not otherwise designated as a weapon.
So the first sentence of the Natural Weapons effect in Alter Self is about growing natural weapons. The second sentence is about the damage output of your unarmed strikes. The third sentence then goes BACK to talking about your grown natural weapons. Sentences 1 and 3 do something ALMOST completely unrelated to Sentence 2. If I had written this, I would have made Sentence 2 the last sentence (or even left it off entirely).
Sentence 2 does ONE thing - it replaces the default rule of unarmed strikes doing 1+ strength mod bludgeoning dmg to doing 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing "as appropriate." This qualifier "as appropriate" is the ONLY way in which Sentence 2 has anything to do with Sentence 1 or 3, and really only Sentence 1. Between you and the GM, just agree on which one of those three damage types applies to your unarmed strikes for the next hour based on the natural weapon you chose, and call it a day on Sentence 2. Seriously, never think about Sentence 2 again.
One thing a GM needs to determine though is whether the spell literally means ANY natural weapon. "The (fangs)(claws)(horns)(tail) of a Tarrasque" each describes a different seemingly valid natural weapon - one of which imposes "grappled" and another of which imposes "prone" - and both of those with a 20 DC check/throw. I don't read anything in the spell description that would take away ANYTHING the natural weapon does, like damage, non-damage effects of the natural weapon like imposing conditions, or replacing the DC throws/checks, or range. In the example of "fangs of a Tarrasque" maybe its because they're especially barby/grapply fangs. Have you seen the rows and positioning of teeth of leatherback turtles? That makes complete sense to me to have a DC 20 Strength saving throw IF you're allowed to choose ANY natural weapon. It's not the size of the Tarrasque significantly imposing that effect (necessarily). GM won't let you do fangs of a Tarrasque? Will they let you do fangs of a lowly leatherback turtle but argue they aren't very barby/grapply? Certain fish's teeth can have the same effect.
The Giant Spider has, a seemingly valid natural ranged weapon (the rule doesn't say melee natural weapons only!), an abdomen that shoots sticky webbing (with recharge) that does no damage and 100% imposes "restrained" upon successful hit, with a DC 12 Strength check to breakout as an action. Choosing to grow a Giant Spider's abdomen seems allowed, shooting the sticky webbing with recharge seems allowed, but you don't get to add the unarmed strike damage. It's unclear to me if you'd even get the +1 bonus to damage roll but I'd say no. It doesn't say it does 0 damage, it doesn't require a damage roll at all. You get the +1 to hit though.
In line with above, the spell says nothing about REPLACING range or base attack rolls of the natural weapon. Let's use the Tarrasque fangs example again for a (checks notes) GUARANTEED critical hit for 36 (4d12+10) dmg with grapple to any creature within 10 ft? RAW, I think so.
I don't think its RAI though and so I would definitely be putting SEVERAL limits on this spell, including CHOICE of natural weapons (including whole exclusion of non-"natural" creature statblocks - maybe just beasts and plants), capping attack and damage rolls, capping range, capping DCs, capping whatever needs to be capped to keep this in line with a 2nd level spell. Another option is homebrewing upcasting rules so that at some higher level, sure the mightiest natural weapon of all time is available as a choice.
One more thing - most natural weapons don't seem to derive from an actual object/statblock for the natural weapon existing. They derive from the Action(s) that the natural weapon permits one to take. Again, sometimes WOTC is inconsistent about this naming - sometimes they name the natural weapon as the Action, sometimes they name an Action from which you can almost certainly identify which natural weapon must exist that permits that action. The Tarrasque undoubtedly has fangs, or a beak, or both - but SOMETHING allows it to do a melee weapon attack called "Bite" and that something HAS to be a natural weapon. If you're my GM and you say "nuh uh, you can't choose "fangs of Tarrasque, no such thing" then I'm going to say "I want whatever natural weapon permits the Tarrasque to take the Bite action." Then confusingly WOTC also gives the Tarrasque the ability to...Tail? Did you mean "Whip"? The Tarrasque can also "Horns" somebody. "Hey man, did you just Horns me?" she asked the Tarrasque.
How do I find a list of ALL possible natural weapons? Go to the Actions portion in any statblock. Is that action a weapon attack? If yes, was that weapon manufactured or is it part of the creature from birth or a natural life cycle unaided by magic? If the latter, then its almost certainly a natural weapon. It's a natural weapon that allows one to take the _____ Action described. If at the end of reading this you're thinking, but the Alter Self spell doesn't say that your natural weapon can take certain named Actions. True, but then...what weapon attack does that natural weapon do?? As we've covered, it clearly cannot be the unarmed strike mentioned in Sentence 2...
More inspiration beyond just claws, fangs, spines, horns listed in the spell: web-shooting abdomen, hooves, beaks, tentacles, tails (stinger, spikes, clubbed), etc...
The lips of an incubus/succubus? Maybe (you have to charm them first anyway so I'd be more willing to do something that also required something else first).
The wings of a succubus/incubus? Absolutely not.
A LOT of people here have asked about growing wings - it is as simple as finding any statblock that non-magically attacks with their wings (weapon attack only!) and voilah - grow them natural weapons, adventurer. Does that alone enable flight? NOPE. Not unless flight is somehow PART of the weapon attack that natural weapon performs. A flying snake has wings. The only natural weapon of a flying snake is its fangs that does Bite. Therefore, you cannot even gain the wings of a flying snake. The Wing Attack of dragons not only costs multiple Legendary Actions you likely don't have as a PC but its also NOT a weapon attack. For dragons, wings make unarmed strikes. And if they're unarmed strikes for dragons, it's likely they're unarmed strike for everyone (but I have NOT checked all possible statblocks). Just go get Wings of Flying (rare, requires attunement).