You assume the form of a different creature for the duration. The new form can be of any creature with a challenge rating equal to your level or lower. The creature can't be a construct or an undead, and you must have seen the sort of creature at least once. You transform into an average example of that creature, one without any class levels or the Spellcasting trait.
Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the chosen creature, though you retain your alignment and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus listed in its statistics is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus in place of yours. You can't use any legendary actions or lair actions of the new form.
You assume the hit points and Hit Dice of the new form. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. If you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.
You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them, provided that your new form is physically capable of doing so. You can't use any special senses you have (for example, darkvision) unless your new form also has that sense. You can only speak if the creature can normally speak.
When you transform, you choose whether your equipment falls to the ground, merges into the new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal. The GM determines whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change shape or size to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge into your new form. Equipment that merges has no effect in that state.
During this spell's duration, you can use your action to assume a different form following the same restrictions and rules for the original form, with one exception: if your new form has more hit points than your current one, your hit points remain at their current value.
* - (a jade circlet worth at least 1,500 gp, which you must place on your head before you cast the spell)
this is a great spell scroll to give your players since the fact that you can only transform into a creature with challenge rating equal to your level balances it out and it makes for a wonderful epic move.
also why become a dragon when you could become something like a balor, pit fiend, goristro, a dragon turtle, a night walker, a purple worm, or even a ghost dragon just to name a few.
If you were to cast this spell, then follow up with Clone (for example, turn into a Dragon, use the dragons shapechange ability to become a medium creature), would the spell theoretically become permanent if you died and turned into the clone?
The duration of shapechange would end before the casting time of clone completed. Even if it didn't it's a clone of your physical body, not ongoing spell effects, which is why clones don't wake up with permanent mage armor.
At the very best case scenario, the clone would be a dragon masquerading as you until the duration of shapechange ended, at which case it would turn back into an inert and slimy version of you.
why would one take this over true polymorph? apart from the extra people, of course.
Keep your own spellcasting and other Class features and also your racial features.
Also you can formshift freely during the duration.
A lot of people forget that the strongest part of this spell is that you also keep your features and whatnot. If you Shapechange into something with a very high con save you would easily pass almost any saving throw to maintain concentration. You could also still cast spells, a dragon or balor is scary. A dragon or balor with counterspell and other spells is even more scary!
Also, legendary resistances are not considered legendary actions or lair actions so have fun with that.
The creature can’t be a construct or undead.
You could just true polymorph a ancient dragon into a humanoid of cr 20 or below wait the hour until you don't have to concentrate anymore then use soul jar to possess it and dispel then polymorph effect. If you wanna go even deeper down the rabbit hole you could then use clone to make a clone of the dragon body you would become when you died, regardless of your shape at the time of death (after the clone grows) alot more steps and involves true polymorphing a dragon but a hell of alot faster than just aging out. You'd also retain spellcasting this way and depending on the DM technically you'd have access to the legendary and lair actions to.
Can the new form use the Shapeshifting triat of the Changeling?
Is a level 11 wizard 22rc able to learn shapechange
No, you don't have access to 9th level spell until level 17.
Since you can't use legendary actions turning into a legendary monster feels like a waste, expecialy considering that the legendary actions make up a significant chunk of the monster's challenge rating. Because of this I would recommend turning into a Pit Fiend. Pit Fiends have a high con save modifier and can cast fireball at will (shapechange doesn't stop you from borrowing innate spellcasting) so it has it's upsides. The downsides are that all the rest of it's innate spells require concentration and that seeing a Pit fiend, even once, is no simple task. The good news is that most wizards that can cast shapechange can also can gate to summon one. Solve one problem, create another.
I've had a bard use Magical Secrets to get this. Take counterspell and glibness, adopt the form of a marilith and become The Bane of Casters.
fyi you can use legendary resistances according to Crawford.
Do you get Innate Spellcasting from a creature that has it, the spell says you don't get the Spellcasting trait in a context that suggests it is because normal members of the species don't get them, but all members of a species with Innate Spellcasting has that ability. The name is technically different as well so turning into something like an Oni or Slaadi with innate spellcasting, and regen might be useful if just to help you recover after a fight to turn back into a dragon if you got low and the magic utility
wold seeing a picture work the reason i am asking is I chose a druid class before realizing it was a steampunk world where many fantasy creatures and normal beasts had gone extinct
https://********/bestiary.html#ancient white dragon_mm
https://********/bestiary.html#ancient lunar dragon_bam
https://********/bestiary.html#ancient crystal dragon_ftd
https://********/bestiary.html#trostani_ggr
https://********/bestiary.html#phoenix_mpmm