Choose one creature or nonmagical object that you can see within range. You transform the creature into a different creature, the creature into a nonmagical object, or the object into a creature (the object must be neither worn nor carried by another creature). The spell lasts for the duration, or until the target drops to 0 hit points or dies. If you concentrate on this spell for the full duration, the spell lasts until it is dispelled.
This spell has no effect on a shapechanger or a creature with 0 hit points. An unwilling creature can make a Wisdom saving throw, and if it succeeds, it isn’t affected by this spell.
Creature into Creature. If you turn a creature into another kind of creature, the new form can be any kind you choose whose challenge rating is equal to or less than the target’s (or its level, if the target doesn’t have a challenge rating). The target’s game statistics, including mental ability scores, are replaced by the statistics of the new form. It retains its alignment and personality.
The target assumes the hit points of its new form, and when it reverts to its normal form, the creature returns to the number of hit points it had before it transformed. If it reverts as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to its normal form. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce the creature’s normal form to 0 hit points, it isn’t knocked unconscious.
The creature is limited in the actions it can perform by the nature of its new form, and it can’t speak, cast spells, or take any other action that requires hands or speech, unless its new form is capable of such actions.
The target’s gear melds into the new form. The creature can’t activate, use, wield, or otherwise benefit from any of its equipment.
Object into Creature. You can turn an object into any kind of creature, as long as the creature’s size is no larger than the object’s size and the creature’s challenge rating is 9 or lower. The creature is friendly to you and your companions. It acts on each of your turns. You decide what action it takes and how it moves. The GM has the creature’s statistics and resolves all of its actions and movement.
If the spell becomes permanent, you no longer control the creature. It might remain friendly to you, depending on how you have treated it.
Creature into Object. If you turn a creature into an object, it transforms along with whatever it is wearing and carrying into that form, as long as the object’s size is no larger than the creature’s size. The creature’s statistics become those of the object, and the creature has no memory of time spent in this form, after the spell ends and it returns to its normal form.
* - (a drop of mercury, a dollop of gum arabic, and a wisp of smoke)
I think the permanent part is only for Object into Creature. That said, a DM can call anything they want in their game.
So I have a plan
1. Make myself an adult gold dragon as a level 20 wizard
2. Claim draconic ancestry to multiclass as a sorcerer
3. Level up said sorcerer multiclass to get even more spell slots
4. Transform myself into a facsimile of either bahamut or Tiamat
5. Profit.
i’ve decided an ancient copper dragon would be better for this than an adult gold dragon.
Since this turns one creature into practically any other and the new form has all the actions available to it, does that mean you could turn a party member into another You to have multiple Wizards/Warlocks/Bards of a high level, or turning yourself into another Fighter/Barbarian/whatever from your party depending on what's needed?
Also the best use for this has to be just turning furniture into dogs to keep around your tower, occasionally taking commission to polymorph rare/custom pets for profit or because it's a nice thing to do. "You're a poorer village that needs protecting? Have a Young Silver Dragon, they like people and are Lawful Good, just respect them, be kind and they'll defend this land."
Most other spells state "the target becomes an average example of its creature type", i.e. you could turn someone into a Human, but not a Human Wizard, and not a Human Wizard who is a clone of you with your spells and abilities. True Polymorph, however, does not seem to have this limitation in its text, which opens up a tremendous can of worms. It would likely need to be something one discusses with their DM, as interpretting it loosely gives the caster nearly limitless power. Normally I would rule that the same limitation is in effect with True Polymorph, but even then some people have gotten clever.
Heh, the whole "I transform into an adult metallic dragon, concentrate for an hour to permanently become a dragon, then use the dragon's natural shapechanging ability to return to my own original form and regain all my class abilities" thing? I'd probably allow that, though there might be some Side Effects. That's just the sort of cool-assed shit a level 17+ spellcaster is supposed to be doing with their magic, and frankly by that level one of the PCs at my table being a literal dragon is probably not the worst thing I have to deal with. None of that PC's magic gear works while he's a dragon, after all.
Yeah. Everybody is up Wish's butt (and rightly so in many cases), but someone who really groks True Polymorph can do some truly awesome things with it.
In the RAW, you can't have more than 20 levels cumulatively across classes so you wouldn't be able to multiclass as a lvl 20 wizard.
That whole turn yourself into a dragon thing, while awesome, doesn’t work that way. With True Polymorph, you don’t keep your class abilities. You are for all intents and purposes, that creature as written in its stat block, unless the spell ends or is dispelled. As a dragon, you can turn back into your own form, but with the statistics of your dragon form, not your original form. Dragons can cast spells, but you would have the spells that it has, not your own. Shapechange explicitly states that you retain all the benefits of your class features, but this does not. Though there’s nothing saying you don’t get the dragon’s legendary and lair actions with this spell, so that would be pretty cool. But ultimately, this spell is usually better used to force your enemies into a weaker form, or to temporarily make use of the abilities of another creature yourself. Or turn furniture into a young dragon. You wouldn’t want to lose your class features though permanently would you? If you do choose to make the change permanent, just have someone with dispel magic available for when you want your own abilities back.
So your choice is Shapechange, where you retain all your features if your new form can use them and only some statistics are replaced and profiencies are combined, with no access to say, a dragon’s spells and legendary/lair actions. OR you can use True Polymorph and become a full fledged dragon, all abilities included, with only your alignment and personality, but none of your own features.
Could this be used to change a Reincarnated character back to their original race/appearance?
There is nothing to say you can't retrain your class once you're a dragon. A bit time consuming, but would also allow you to suddenly change class. You could be a dragon barbarian for example after the spell became permanent.
Would you really want to retrain after reaching such a high level though? Unless you find a 9th Level caster somewhere to use this on you, you’d have to be at least 18th level to cast this. Even then, you won’t be turning into a high CR dragon if you aren’t also high level. If you start out a character at a high level, I could see it, but not if you had to play from a low level. By then, that’s a huge part of the character’s identity and it typically takes a long time to reach that point, if at all, anyway. But being a dragon permanently would be awesome maybe as some kind of plot point, or if your character dies and they “come back” as a dragon with no class levels, or you’re bored with the class you chose before.
ok here's a question, troll gets turned into a elf permanently with this spell as a backstory
elf goes through life learns a class, let's say ranger
spell gets dispelled, do i retain ranger abilities as a troll with the condition that i use the troll stat block
Say a Bard uses True Polymorph on X to turn them into Y. One hour passes and X is Y. After a Long Rest, if the Bard uses True Polymorph on X(now Y) to turn them into Z, does it work? Does it Fail and do nothing? Or does it forcefully turn X back into X?
And if it works so that X can turn into Y and then into Z, how does dispelling work? X (as Z) turns back into Z? Turns into Y first, then back into X? Or turns into Y and is stuck as Y, Unable to become X again?
(I'm sorry, Super new and don't know a whole lot. Probably just overthinking the crap out of this...)
I never fully read this spell but... this seem beyond OP? Like, you could cast this on items or other beings and you could, if done right, permanently have them as a friend or ally?
This mean I could change into a Metalic Dragon and use the racial polymorph and such to make myself look like me?
It's a 9th level spell; It is intended to be overpowered.
Once you have reached the point to be able to cast it you have probably earned it.
I would say if the effect is dispelled it it would revert you back to normal, no matter how many times you have stacked it.
Kinda a full reset.
Whhhhhhhhy isn't this available for Sorcerers.
DEATH KNIGHT TIME
Even better, beat up an Iron golem then modify memory and transform them into a silver dragon.
Yes, then you could use your class as well. so win win honestly. Personally I would go full bad-ass on some demons while transformed into a death knight.
Now I've realized how op this spell really is. you could become a dragon, then polymorph back to your wizard with its polymorph skill. then you would have 300 health while being a wizard.
Okay everyone, I am going to teach you how to pretty much become a god using official methods.
Step 1: Polymorph Into an adult gold dragon
Step 2. Kill stuff and wait until you become ANCIENT
Step 3: Use the dragons polymorph skill to become an empyrion
Now you can say you were "sent by god to rule", and you can use armor and magic items.