Continuing a series of articles explaining the minutiae of how some of the D&D rules, WotC has just recently finished up their official explaination of polymorphing. This includes the spells polymorph, baleful polymorph, and polymorph any object, alter self, shape change, and a number of class features and “special qualities” that some monsters have which have similar effects.

As a four-part series, it starts out slow. Really slow. Painfully slow. Definitions-of-terms slow. They move on to some tastier fare in the second part with almost 300 lines of text describing the Alter Self spell in painstaking detail.

The series really comes up to speed in the third part, which describes the Polymorph spell itself. It’s a little detailed. 837 lines of detail. If only for the sake of DM-sanity maintenance, this spell should probably be stricken from the game. In fairness to the author, a great deal of this mountain of text is simply a repeat of what exactly the “subtype” characteristics are. For every subtype in standard D&D 3.5. Yes, every subtype. While my eyes were glazing over and I was passing in and out of consciousness trying to read the thing I may have missed one or two. I’m pretty sure they’re all listed.

Part Four brings us a return to sanity, as multiple spells are described in short order. Relying upon an assumption that somebody would want to wade through the previous entry on Polymorph itself, it focuses more upon how Baleful Polymorph, Shape Change, Wild Shape, and Alternate Form differ from the previous spells.

This four-part Rules of the Game series brings to light the problems that the most versatile forms of magic introduce into game mechanics. Transmutation and Illusion, as schools of magic, are probably the most open to exploitation (and enjoyment) by players and DMs alike. As such they bring to light the some of the most awkward restrictions and gaping holes in the D20 ruleset. I can only hope that the next entry will be regarding such gems as Minor Image.