#baleful polymorph

[blinkpen]

twitter is talking about childhood nightmare fuel scenes and so i thought i’d share mine over here too. it’s a bit more obscure than most. the dude is just back and fine again in the next episode but STILL,

this scene fucking haunted me as a child but i was still willingly subjecting myself to it by constantly renting this tape from the local library all the time bc it was basically the only cartoon with (not evil) dragons in it

[kawaoneechan]

Twitter TOS: "do not mess with the bird logo."

Elon Musk: *turns the bird logo into doge*

[a-cypress-tree-draws]

.....

....so.

Xaitherin got Baleful Polymorph'd into a bunny. Weird things happen when you're drunk in the middle of the night in Quent while your girlfriend is on a deeply personal religious mission by herself.

anyway. She's probably gonna be okay. I think. Provided the rest of the (mostly drunk) party can find her.

[soylent-crocodile]

Red Hag (Monster)

(art by @soylent-crocodile)

(Behold! A hag! The red hag exists because nearly every hag outside of core are, like, Leader Only types, someone who always takes control of their coven and makes it follow THEIR rules. That's all fine and dandy, but it means that filling out a coven can be hard, and filling out a high-level coven without the annis hag (CR6), the green hag (CR5), or the sea hag (CR4) is harder. The red hag is designed as a follower-type hag and more martially inclined than her sisters- in particular, she's designed to be paired with the CR9 night hag. I personally would round the coven out with an ame-onna from @thecreaturecodex, whose temperment and spellcast-y nature provide a nice balance.

Also, the trend of hag being supernaturally "ugly" runs into difficulties when you're critical of conflating disability with evil, so i gave this one the high cheekbones, sharp chin, and wiry eyelashes that are intentionally cultivated by certain fitness communities, as that's more a choice someone makes than just the state of their body.)

CR8 NE Large Monstrous Humanoid

Red hags are the towering physical apex of hagkind; great cunning brutes who use their physical might and tactical skills to live out their brutal destructive fantasies. A red hag relishes the sensation of overpowering her opponents, particularly enjoying the experience of bludgeoning them to death. In battle, this is achieved using her deadly tools, but a red hag may execute a captured victim by dropping heavy objects on them, pelting them with stones, or simply slamming their head against a wall or floor. Red hags in particular enjoy brutalizing men in this way, taking immense joy in the reversal of gender roles.

Indeed, red hags often grow up among farmland and secluded, rural areas where misogyny is rampant and a woman’s work is simultaneously demanded and devalued. Such a place can justifiably produce incredible rage in a changeling, and it’s that rage that often leads these daughters back into the clutches of hagkind. 

Red hags frequently join covens; they find value in the company of other hags and have naturally weak spellcasting themselves. Red hags rarely lead covens, as they lack the charisma to assemble a coven or maneuver their way to the top. This doesn’t mean that a red hag is without ambition; the typical specimen dreams of leading her own coven, and intends to achieve this through treachery and force. One trick passed between red hags- who are usually used as frontline vanguards for the rest of their coven- is to let a single enemy combatant through, in hopes that that combatant will kill the hag’s leader for her, only for the red hag to corner and kill that very assassin. Covens led by red hags tend to self-destruct quickly, however; red hags have little interest in subtlety or sustainability once they gain power.

Covens with a red hag lose Baleful Polymorph and gain Telekinesis, Greater Heroism, and Flesh to Stone (DC19)

This woman towers over the tallest human, her skin pulsing with glowing blood vessels just under the surface.

Misc- CR8 NE Large Monstrous Humanoid HD11 Init:+3 Senses: Perception:+19 Darkvision 60ft 

Stats- Str:27(+8) Dex:16(+3) Con:20(+5) Int:17(+3) Wis:20(+5) Cha:12(+1) BAB:+11/+6/+1 Space:10ft Reach:10ft

Defense- HP:116(11d10+55) AC:20(+3 Dex, +4 Armor, +4 Natural, -1 Size) Fort:+9 Ref:+6 Will:+12 (-4 vs Emotion) CMD:33

Offense- Deadly Tools +19/+14/+9(1d10+13 19-20/x2 plus trip or disarm) or 2 Claws +16(1d8+8) CMB:+20 Speed:40ft, Climb 40ft Special Attacks: Deadly Tools

Feats- Combat Reflexes, Standstill, Combat Expertise (-3/+6), Improved Trip, Greater Trip, Power Attack (-3/+6), Feral Grapple

Skills- Climb +30, Escape Artist +14, Knowledge (Local) +14, Perception +19, Sense Motive +16, Survival +19, Swim +22

Spell-like Abilities- (CL11, Concentration +12) Break (DC12), Magic Weapon, Remove Paralysis /at-will Fog Cloud 3/day

Special Qualities- Martial Flexibility (6/day), Shapechange (A single humanoid form, Alter Self)

Ecology- Environment- Grasslands, Urban (Any) Languages- Common, Giant, Goblin, Abyssal Organization- Coven (Three Hags) Treasure- Standard

Special Abilities-Deadly Tools (Su)- Any sufficiently large item used for housekeeping or farm labor- such as a broom, a rake, or a farming scythe sized for a medium creature- is deals damage as a medium sized +1 Heavy Flail in the hands of a red hag. The red hag does not receive any penalties for wielding an undersized weapon. Martial Flexibility (Ex)- A red hag has martial flexibility as a 6th level brawler. The stat block provided has not used any of her uses of this ability and thus does not have any bonus feats listed.

[tempestclerics]

this train heist (module by @r-n-w, my second time ever DMing for those following along at home) is going great:

- three PCs and a horse have stacked themselves under a coat to pretend to be a centaur. they are passing a Shetland pony off as their collective cousin by draping it in worms on a string

- the “one last job, I’m supposed to be retired” dwarf learned one of his many adoptive granddaughters also got recruited for this job and has both shown half the party her baby pictures and also had to hold her back from trying to go assassinate her ex who she definitely is still in love/psychosexual obsessive lesbianism with. for like the twentieth time.

- warlock “called their dad” to do recon and contacted a worm on a string coat wearing minor trickster god. you know, his dad

- the ex accountant turned fighter fully slid a knife through the bars of her former coconspirator (and the sheriff’s prisoner)’s cell by distracting the deputy with a flying bison

- the Shetland pony quacks btw

- changeling gunslinger transformed into a shorter version of the warlock and when he tried to change back his heterochromia got flipped

- capybaran fighter drank a complimentary cocktail invented by the saloon car attendant called the Baleful Polymorph and grew fantasy Texas longhorn cattle horns

- oh, and the sheriff is about to throw down w them in the most crowded train car. nbd

[thecreaturecodex]

Protean, Yexhul

"Naga" © Igor Klymenko, accessed at his ArtStation here

[This monster is picking up a plot thread I laid down years ago: how to introduce slaadi into the Pathfinder cosmology. It also continues me use of anagrams as the namesakes of proteans. This one is fairly short, so I suspect it's going to be one of the more solvable ones.]

Protean, Yexhul CR 16 CN Outsider (extraplanar) This serpentine creature has four arms, each ending in a clawed hand. Instead of a single head, a riot of dozens of small necks and heads grow from its shoulders like the branches of a great tree. The scales of its chest have eyespots, like the feathers of a peacock.

Yexhuls are the proteans that observe and meddle with animal evolution. Yexhuls push animals in new directions, both by introducing organisms into new habitats and by physically altering organisms, taking what is typically a slow and orderly process and interjecting sometimes bizarre flights of fancy. The touch of a yexhil can alter the abilities of an organism permanently, and the transformations they imbue are heritable. A number of the magical beasts found on Material worlds, especially those that are incongruous hybrids of two animals, are yexhul creations.

No two fights with a yexhul are likely to progress the same way, as these creatures can alter their bodies on the fly. They also have an experimental approach to violence, changing their abilities in different ways for different fights, and summoning different animals to assist them in combat. Although they have many heads, a yexhul can only bite a single target at once, striking with all of their jaws simultaneously (unless it gives itself more bite attacks with its acclimation ability). If their enemies are gaining the upper hand, a yexhul will turn them into something harmless with baleful polymorph, or use primal regression to disable their ability to cast spells.

Most other types of proteans distrust yexhuls, as they were the creators of the Spawning Stone. That continent-sized chunk of reality brought to the Maelstrom was an enormous experiment in the survival of the fittest, and its “fittest”, the slaadi, swiftly escaped the Spawning Stone and eventually the Maelstrom entirely, running amok through the planes. Yexhuls, for their part, consider the slaadi a resounding success, and they are among the proteans more likely to work with slaadi than against them. Annunaki are a species that have a great dislike for yexhuls, and try to exterminate them when their paths cross.

One of the great philosophical debates among yexhuls concerns domestication.  Some yexhuls consider it a natural outgrowth of evolution, and use their abilities to make unusual species more likely to associate with humanoids and start the process of becoming domesticated. Other yexhuls consider artificial selection by any hands other than their own to be a grave insult. Some even “un-domesticate” animals, rendering livestock and pets aggressive and uncontrollable or helping feral populations adapt better to the wild. Other proteans encourage this infighting, as it keeps the yexhuls from conducting any more experiments as far-reaching as the Spawning Stone.

Yexhul    CR 16 XP 76,800 CN Large outsider (chaos, extraplanar, protean) Init +10; Senses all-around vision, blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Perception +26

Defense AC 31, touch 15, flat-footed 25 (-1 size, +6 Dex, +16 natural) hp 241 (21d10+126) Fort +15, Ref +18, Will +17 DR 15/lawful; Immune acid, electricity, sonic; Resist cold 10; SR 27 Defensive Abilities amorphous anatomy, freedom of movement

Offense Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect) Melee bite +27 (3d8+10 plus 1d6 cold), 4 claws +27 (1d6+7 plus 1d6 cold), tail slap +22 (1d12+3 plus 1d6 cold and grab) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with tail) Special Attacks constrict (1d12+7),powerful blows (bite), probing bite, rend (2 claws, 1d6+10), specialization, trample (DC 27, 1d8+10) Spell-like Abilities CL 16th, concentration +22 (+26 casting defensively) Constant—speak with animals At will—atavism (DC 20), hold animal (DC 18), magic circle vs. law (DC 19), pup shape (DC 19) 3/day—animal growth, baleful polymorph (DC 21), quickened chaos hammer (DC 20), summon nature’s ally VII (animals only) 1/day—animal shapes, plane shift (DC 23), polymorph any object (DC 24), primeval regression (DC 23)

Statistics Str 25, Dex 23, Con 23, Int 24, Wis20, Cha 22 Base Atk +21; CMB +29 (+33 grappling); CMD 46 Feats Combat Casting,Dodge,Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude,Greater Vital Strike, Improved Initiative,Improved Vital Strike, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (chaos hammer), Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +24, Bluff +27, Climb +25, Fly +18, Handle Animal +27, Intimidate +27, Knowledge (arcana, religion) +25, Knowledge (nature, planes) +28, Perception +26, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +26, Survival +26, Swim +25 Languages Abyssal, Protean, speak with animals SQ acclimation (7 points, energy attacks (cold), reach (tail), rend, trample) change shape (animal or magical beast, beast shape IV), wild empathy +27

Ecology Environment any (Maelstrom) Organization solitary, pair or council (3-6) Treasure standard

Special Abilities Acclimation (Su) A yexhul can alter its physical traits on the fly. It has a number of evolution points equal to 1/3 its Hit Dice, which it can spend on any evolution as if it were a summoner’s eidolon. It may take any evolution legal for a serpentine shape, and treats its Hit Dice as its summoner level for the purpose of qualifying for evolutions. A yexhul can change its acclimations by taking 1 full round, and can carry them over into its alternate forms with change shape if it so desires. Change Shape (Su) A yexhul may change shape at will, but does not heal when it reverts to its normal form. Probing Bite (Ex) The many heads of a yexhul strike simultaneously, but reach around obstacles. A yexhul’s bite ignores any cover short of total cover, as well as ignoring shield bonuses to Armor Class. Specialization (Su) As a standard action, a yexhul may touch a creature to alter its ability scores. An unwilling creature can resist this with a DC 26 Fortitude save. The creature touched gains a +6 bonus to one of its ability scores, but a -2 penalty to two of its other ability scores, as chosen by the yexhul. This is an instantaneous effect, and can only be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, wish or miracle spell. This bonus is passed on to this creature’s offspring. If a creature’s Intelligence is raised above 3, it gains the ability to speak and understand one language of the yexhul’s choice (typically Protean). These penalties cannot lower a creature’s ability scores below 1. A creature that successfully saves is immune to the specialization of that yexhul for the next 24 hours. No creature can be specialized in this way more than once simultaneously. This is a polymorph effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Wild Empathy (Ex) A yexhul can use wild empathy as a druid with a level equal to its Hit Dice.

[homeofhousechickens]

Wondering if you could help me, ok so I, (23m) was flirting with this lady at the bar right? And well she joked (or at the time I thought she joked) about cursing me and I was like "haha I'd like that"

Anyway, long story short but I'm now a massive chicken who roams the woods, killing farmers and stealing their flocks to form my own. Any advice? It's been really hard to make friends because I peck them to death immediately upon catching them 😔

It sounds like she cast some kind of baleful polymorph curse on you.

Usually when this is cast it is to teach the victim a lesson. Chickens when it comes to forced transformations are associated with cowardice so I find it quite interesting that she turned you into a giant one. It makes me wonder what you said or did to offend her so much 🤔

Anyway the typical way to break these kinds of curses is to either kill the caster or to cast aside the behavior that got you into this mess.

Unfortunately it seems you have lost yourself to your transformation and have committed many grievous errors. Instead of finding help from a hero or perhaps rescuing yourself, you have gone about terrorizing the countryside and stealing from our hard-working farmers. Perhaps this was the witches' goal in the first place as giant chickens are their own monster class with unique drops that might be useful to her.

If you want to return to being a human, you must find the source of your cowardice and overcome it. If you can not perform this task, be aware that there is only one fate for a giant aggressive fowl. Maybe you are enjoying the life of a murderous giant chicken as I am sure it is much more fun then being a human maybe it could be as simple as giving this new chicken lifestyle up, as that can be very brave.

[fedoraspooky]

Do you remember your sycamore blog?

Yep, that wasn't all too long ago in the grand scheme of things. XD Started that one back in college, I believe. Hyperfixation's not really there anymore but like most past ones I remember them with fondness! He was very fun to write. (Technically I was RPing as Xerneas as well, since it was an AU blog where he was secretly Xerneas larping as a human. XD)

And of course there was also the offshoot Sharkamore AU, bc I'm a sucker for baleful polymorph and monster/lab experiment AUs and I am nothing if not horrendously predictable. .w.;;

Not gonna lie I miss the days tumblr rp was still a thing, I always wanted to make an ask blog for OCs but ask culture has really fallen off since then and idk if enough people would be interested in OC stuff to begin with. ;w;

[paperanddice]

Gigantic snakes over 60 feet long with iridescent black scales, the andrenjinyi are a select few children of one of the spirits present at the start of the world. Born from scales cast off of the great Rainbow Serpent, these lesser nature spirits hold sway over the land in several ways. They represent the sky, rain, and quite often have an interest in birth and fertility.

They might as well be gods to many regular people, with their power over nature and weather in particular. One that establishes itself in a region can influence those who live nearby in immense ways, and often nearby people wind up offering it ritual and obedience in exchange for benevolent use of its power. As a guardian the andrenjinyi can assure the safety of the community, as few creatures will dare challenge it, but it sets specific edicts with harsh punishment for failure, a hanging blade that could fall upon the people depending on it.

One particularly interesting feature of the andrenjinyi is its gullet. Creatures it swallows are transformed into beasts, which the andrenjinyi then releases to populate the area surrounding its home. A lake with a menagerie of unusual creatures (often in mixed gender pairs) may mark the presence of one of these great serpents, and approaching closer without the proper rites and offerings could be quite dangerous.

With their low numbers, each lost andrenjinyi is irreplaceable. As such, they have become more cautious with this new world, only living in isolated regions beyond the reach of the major powers, and if severely injured by an actual threat they will attempt to use their rainbow arch to escape to safety rather than fight to the death.

Originally from the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Andrenjinyi Creature 15 N Gargantuan Monitor Amphibious Perception +28; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 120 feet Languages Common, Celestial, Jotun, Sylvan Skills Arcana +26, Diplomacy +27, Intimidation +29, Nature +26, Religion +30 Str +9, Dex +4, Con +8, Int +5, Wis +7, Cha +8 AC 39; Fort +29, Ref +23, Will+26; +1 status to all saves vs. magic HP 282; Immunities mental; Resistances acid 20, electricity 20, fire 20 Speed 60 feet, burrow 20 feet, climb 20 feet, swim 60 feet Melee bite +30 (magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 3d12+15 piercing plus Improved Grab Melee body +29 (magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 3d6+13 bludgeoning Divine Innate Spells DC 33 ; 8th dispel magic (×3), hydraulic torrent, sudden blight; 6th flesh to stone; 4th shape stone (at will); 2nd speak with animals (at will); 1st create water (at will); cantrips (8th) spout Divine Rituals Spells DC 33 , 8th control weather, reincarnate; 6th commune; 4th plant growth; Rainbow Arch (2 actions) (divine, teleportation); Requirement The andrenjinyi is touching a pool of fresh water large enough to hold its entire body. Effect The andrenjinyi can teleport up to 1 mile to another body of fresh water it knows of. For 1 minute after it uses this ability, a ranbow manifests between the origin and destination point. Swallow Whole (one action) Huge, 3d8+9 bludgeoning, Rupture 25 Thrash (2 actions) The andrenjinyi makes a Strike against each creature within its reach. It can Strike up to once with its bite, and any number of times with its body. Each attack counts toward the andrenjinyi's multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after it makes all the attacks. Transmuting Gullet (free action) (divine, polymorph) When a creature ends its turn swallowed by the andrenjinyi, the andrenjinyi casts baleful polymorph on that creature (save DC 33).

13th Age

Andrenjinyi  Huge 8th level spoiler [beast]  Initiative: +11 Great Maw +13 vs. PD - 50 damage Natural Even Hit: The target is swallowed if it’s smaller than the andrenjinyi (see below). Miss: 25 damage. C: Thrash +13 vs. AC (1d3 random nearby enemies) - 30 damage. Miss: 15 damage. Limited Use: The andrenjinyi can make this attack as a free action if it has no enemies swallowed after using its standard action during its turn. Swallow Whole: While a creature is swallowed, it is stuck, hampered, and unable to attack or affect anything outside the andrenjinyi’s stomach (and vice-versa). The andrenjinyi makes a transmuting gullet attack against any creature that ends its turn swallowed. There are two ways to escape. Cut Yourself Free: If a creature inside the andrenjinyi makes a single attack that deals 40 or more damage, it can climb free. All weapons are reduced to d6 damage dice if they were higher. Crawl Out: When the andrenjinyi is staggered, you can try to climb up the andrenjinyi’s throat as a standard action. Roll a hard save (16+), on a success, you crawl into its mouth and it spits you out somewhere nearby. When the andrenjinyi is reduced to 0 hit points, all creatures it’s swallowed can climb out of its stomach as a move action. [Special Trigger] Transmuting Gullet +13 vs. MD - The target transforms into a tiny animal until the end of its next turn. While in this form, the target is weakened, hampered, cannot cast spells or use powers, and deals half damage with all its attacks. Natural 18+: The transformation is permanent, until removed by a ritual or other powerful magic. Burrow, swim, and climb walls. Rainbow Arch: As a standard action, the andrenjinyi can teleport to a nearby or far away source of fresh water. It may attempt to teleport to a similar spot up to a mile away, leaving the battle entirely. It rolls a hard save (16+). On a success, it immediately leaves the battle, carrying any creatures in its gullet with it. AC 24 PD 21 MD 19 HP 410

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

DnD character idea: diehard conservationist using Baleful Polymorph on as many enemies as possible and turning them into endangered mice and birds to increase their numbers

[honourablejester]

PF2e Homebrew Sorcerer Bloodline: Protean

While I’m on the subject of the gnarly body horror spells in PF2e, I figured I’d just doodle a quick subclass for people who do want to play a character who specialises in them. Sorcerer, because sorcerers are very straightforward spellcasters, and also this does feel like a power that would be in the blood, so to speak. Heh.

Protean Bloodline:

Yours is the magic of the flesh, blood and bone, the mutable, intrinsic foundations of the physical form. Perhaps one of your ancestors had contact with a primordial force of life, perhaps someone of your line was forced to endure fleshwarping magic, but some seed of primal physical transformation was sown in your blood.

Spell List: Primal

Bloodline Skills: Intimidation, Medicine

Granted Spells: Cantrip: Inside Ropes, 1st: Pest Form, 2nd: Bone Spray, 3rd: Ooze Form, 4th: Bloodspray Curse, 5th: Grisly Growths, 6th: Baleful Polymorph, 7th: Regenerate, 8th: Monstrosity Form, 9th: Shapechange

Bloodline Spells: Initial: Blood’s Taint, Advanced: Bleeding Heart, Greater:

Blood Magic: Primal magic strengthens your form or weakens another. Either you gain a +1 status bonus to Fortitude saving throws for 1 round, or a target takes a -1 status penalty to Fortitude saving throws for 1 round.

---------------------

Bloodline Spells:

Blood’s Taint (Focus 1)

Necromancy, Sorcerer

Bloodline: Protean

Cast: Reaction, somatic. Trigger: An enemy hits you with a melee attack that deals piercing or slashing damage

Range: 5ft

Duration: until the end of your next turn

The taint of magic in your blood wreaks subtle vengeance on those who draw it. The first time that the creature that drew your blood takes piercing or slashing damage before the end of your next turn, they also take 1d4 persistent bleed damage.

Heightened (+1): The persistent bleed damage increases by 1d4.

Bleeding Heart (Focus 3)

Abjuration, Sorcerer

Bloodline: Protean

Cast: 2 actions, somatic, verbal

Duration: 1 minute

You weave your own flesh and blood into a hideous token of protection that draws damage away from the bearer. You create a facsimile of a beating, bloodied heart in your hand, taking 1 slashing damage in the process, that persists for the spell’s duration. As part of Casting the Spell, you can Interact to pass the heart to an ally you can reach, or choose to keep it yourself. As long as a creature has the heart on their person, they gain Resistance 3 to piercing, slashing and bludgeoning damage.

Heightened (+2): The resistance increases by 3.

Writhing Flesh (Focus 5)

Conjuration, Sorcerer, Auditory, Visual, Mental

Bloodline: Protean

Cast: 2 actions, somatic, verbal

Range: 90ft. Area: 15ft emanation. Duration: 1 round. Saving Throw: Will.

You create a Medium-sized writhing mass of screaming flesh at a point that you choose within range. This bloated mass writhes and warps, constantly extruding and then reabsorbing limbs and organs, and emits a guttural, despairing wail the moment it comes into existence. Each creature within a 15ft radius that can see or hear the mass must attempt a Will save.

Critical Success: The creature is unaffected.

Success: The creature is frightened 1 for 1 round.

Failure: The creature is confused for 1 round.

Critical Failure: The creature is paralyzed for 1 round and confused for an additional 2 rounds.

Heightened (+2): The emanation radius increases by 5ft.

--------------------

Notes: The biggest struggle here was coming up with the Focus spells, since every bloodline apparently gets their own unique ones. My grasp on PF2e mechanics isn’t the strongest yet, so the spells may well need a fair amount of tweaking.

[camelliagwerm]

someone got baleful polymorphed...

[wearesorcerer]

Some Clarification on Why Which Spells Got Listed in the Poll

There are only twelve spots per poll and thousands of spells published since the mid-70s (50ish years).

My intention was for the most "iconic" (famous, distinctive, perhaps stereotypical) spells.

Most of the spells I listed I drew from Chainmail. I renamed "Concealment" to the more familiar invisibility (which is losing by a wide margin), put "Slowness" (slow) inside the parenthetical for hold person, expanded "Conjuration of an Elemental" to summon monster, and qualified "Polymorph" to be baleful polymorph. Animate dead, charm person, magic missile, and teleport all post-date Chainmail, but were too iconic not to include.

Counterspell is new to 5e. In previous editions, you didn't have counterspell. You had a counterspelling mechanic -- which usually entailed having a specific spell prepared and using it to counter its opposite (e.g., bane vs. bless). Dispel magic could be used as a general counterspell in 3.x, but you had to succeed at a "caster level check" (d20 + effective level in whatever casting class provided you with the spell) against I don't recall what DC. I'm not sure if you could use it that way in BD&D or AD&D.

I didn't bother listing any form of anti-magic because everything else I listed is more iconic and because of #6.

I figured if anything in Other got significant notes and votes, I'd include it in a follow-up/run-off poll.

While misty step is new to 5e, blink and dimension door have long been variants of the same idea (short-ranged teleport). D&D has had its ups and downs with teleportation.

I fully expect fireball to win, though otherwise it would be teleport. You just can't go wrong with either the most iconic offensive spell in the game or one of the best modes of transportation ever. I only included magic missile because it's that iconic and would have included lightning bolt for the same reason if I hadn't run out of space, even though fireball is probably better than both. PROVE ME WRONG.

[lydialeereborn]

My idea for my commander in the second round.

I haven't decided on her name yet. Probably choose from Faith, Fiona, and Melody.

She's a tiefling feyspeaker druid, and she'll go trickster mythic route. She's kind, optimistic, and has oneesan-energy. Many people have negative opinions on tieflings, and she wants to change it by doing good deeds, helping others with her druid power. However, she likes the feeling of playing tricks on the others. She struggled with that since she wanted others to change their opinions of them tiefling. Throughout the adventures on worldwound, she'll learn a way to accept that trickster aspect of hers.

I think Woljiff might be her good friend, and he's the one that she plays tricks on the most.

For example, one day in Drezen, Woljiff lost a bet with her, and she used baleful polymorph to turn him into a cat boy for a day.

[monstersdownthepath]

Lord of the Fourth: Belial, the Pale Kiss

CR 28

Lawful Evil Medium Outsider

Bestiary 6, pg. 20~21

Belial is one of the more unique Archdevils in the employ of the Prince of Darkness, having been hand-crafted by Asmodeus as something of an idol meant to draw people into Hell’s embrace through selfish desire and the pursuit of physical pleasure. Why, precisely, Asmo decided to test out just how beautiful of a creature he could make is something he’s never really expanded upon, but reckless self-destructive lust and hedonism tend to fall more into the domain of Chaotic or Neutral Evil, so having a shapeshifting seducer on his side has been nothing but an asset for the infernal expansion Asmodeus demands.

They’re way more than just a pretty face(s), though. Asmodeus wasn’t just satisfied with gorgeous body and gifted Belial with a similarly powerful mind, the creativity and imagination necessary to shape themselves into inhuman beauty translating dangerously into the creativity of crafting all manner of weapons, armors, magic items, and even new creatures never before seen. Thankfully, despite their bottomless inspiration, Belial shows little care for any of their projects once completed, discarding the designs to begin working on the next one and leaving any flaws they overlooked or improvements that need to be made for someone else to deal with.

As for that imagination regarding their shapeshifting body, though, Belial has one of the most powerful versions of Change Shape in the entire game, not only capable of shifting freely as a move action as many times per day as they desire, but capable of taking on any form they can conceive, even ones that don’t exist. Thankfully, to keep that from getting TOO insane, they can only take on the powers and abilities listed in Beast Shape IV, Elemental Body III, Plant Shape II, Alter Self, and Form of the Dragon I. While still a tremendously impressive toolbox of potential tricks and natural attacks, it means they don’t have access to things like the incorporeality of Undead Anatomy, the stat bonuses from Giant Form, or the extremely long ability list of Monstrous Physique. Take the time to remember that Belial can still take on any form their imagination allows, they just don’t get the powers of that form unless it’s from one of the previously listed spells; hey can still freely shift into any Ooze, Outsider, or Aberration they need to in order to tempt you into walking into the fires of Hell.

Their Baleful Beauty ability causes just that to happen, forcing any creature within 30ft whose creature type matches whatever form they’re displaying (their default humanoid/devil form, however, affects all humanoid creatures regardless of creature type) to abandon all reason and higher thought processes and run straight into Belial’s melee range through whatever means they possibly can to smooch all over them. A DC 39 Will save resists this diabolic pull and prevents one from falling for the same trick, but anyone who fell for it the first time not only loses their turn but is also subject to Belial’s draining Caress, automatically gaining 2 negative levels with no save and needing to make a DC 39 Fortitude save or else take 1d4 Int, Wis, AND Cha damage.

And this is just the surface of what Belial can inflict once in melee...

And we’re not even done talking about Caress! I just ran out of room above the Keep Reading split. The Caress is a melee touch attack Belial can weave in with their Full-Attack action, a single lascivious touch or--more commonly--a draining kiss delivered in the middle of the beatdown that inflicts the same penalty as it would to anyone failing their save against Baleful Beauty. What’s worse is that anyone suffering any penalty from the Caress--and remember it inflicts negative levels with no save!--can further be afflicted by Belial’s spell-likes. They can inflict the dreaded Misfortune effect as a swift action against any caressed creature when targeting them with any tool on their belt, including Baleful Polymorph and Dominate Person at will, as well as Quickened Mass Suggestion or Prismatic Spray at 3/day.

We’ve gone over just how dangerous turning the party against one another is time and time again, but hopefully by level 25+ the party has some level of defense against mind-affecting effects, though remember they’re likely to be held back by Misfortune... And even more unfortunately, that’s not the only trick Belial has: their Ranseur Mastery turns their chosen weapon, a +4 Speed Unholy Ranseur, into a 10ft threat radius that’s incredibly difficult to fight in. Each blow deals 2d4+26 damage (+2d6 vs Good), and when doing a Full-Attack they can strike five times instead of four. At any point during the Full-Attack, they can forego weapon damage to use the Disarm property of their ranseur (+49 to Disarm) to tear weapons from their foes’ hands and hurl them away with Greater Disarm, leaving victims stranded in their threat radius without a way to fight back.

Monk and Brawler DPS, perhaps?

This is all in addition to any natural attacks gained from their current form, but Belial also has a handful of natural attacks to spice up their Full-Attack on their own... even if they’re more for show than anything else. Their gore deals a paltry 1d6+6, and their two wings 2d8+6 each. Anyone struck by their wings must make a DC 41 Fortitude save or be staggered for 1 round and dazzled for 1d4, but this Fiendish Fluttering is more of a ribbon atop the potential level drain and stat damage from the Caress being woven into the Full-Attack. Just an extra little kick in the pants for someone who got stabbed four times already and just needs and extra 7~12 points to actually die.

On the defensive side, Belial can cast Waves of Ecstasy 3/day and Overwhelming Presence 1/day, the former of which staggers the entire party even if they all succeed their save (stunning and staggering anyone who fails for multiple rounds), the latter of which can end a combat the moment it begins as the Archdevil saunters up and coup de graces helpless targets... or simply ignores whoever failed to focus their efforts on anyone still standing. They can also utilize their Baleful Beauty in reverse, shifting into a form so violently repulsive that any creature who sees it becomes nauseated for 1d6 rounds and takes 1d8 Strength damage unless they succeed a DC 39 Will save.

Anyone who makes it past their spells and fights back must deal with not only the suit of resistances and immunities conferred by the Archdevil status, but Belial’s Amorphous Anatomy and Reflexive Shapeshifting. Amorphous Anatomy allows them to cancel out Sneak Attacks, critical hits, and other precision damage by winning a coin flip, shrug off polymorph effects immediately, and regrow lost or damaged sensory organs to assure blindness and deafness don’t last for more than a round. Reflexive Shapeshifting is usable only once a battle (1/minute) but is their more powerful defensive option, granting them an immediate +10 AC against an incoming melee attack. If that attack misses, Belial can then flutter up to 30ft in any direction without provoking AoOs, usually slipping past the party’s buffed frontline.

Oh, yes... And all those buffs? Best avoid morale bonuses! Belial can copy any morale bonuses near them with Hedonistic Hope, gaining those bonuses as well and rendering them effectively meaningless. Even worse, if they manage to critically strike someone (with a x3 crit modifier on their ranseur!), any morale bonuses they have are automatically suppressed for 1 minute, leaving the Pale Kiss the only one reaping the rewards of everyone else’s work.

Terrifying power in such a beautiful package! And we’re barely halfway down the roster...

You can read more about them here.