Polymorphing and Shapeshifting

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Is this possibly a bug?

My Avenger shapeshifted into a sword spider after casting a web spell on some gauths -- and then she got stuck in her own web!

Later on, my Kensai used his Cloak of the Sewers to shapeshift into a mustard jelly and attack a gauth -- and then got held by the gauth's first attack, no save. So much for magic resistance!

I absolutely HATE it when you try to do something that you obviously SHOULD be able to do, and yet it still just doesn't freakin' work!

 

Neither of those are bugs.

 

I think Jellies have 99% MR, so the chance that you'll get held is slim, but possible.

Also, Spiders don't have Free Action or anything like that. The Web spell summons a dense bush with briars and prickers and such, so it's no spiders web.

 

For all I knew, mustard jelly has 100% MR. It's is likely that although the battle message said that your polymorphed kensai failed his save for the hold person spell, he can still move. For example, when I cast chaotic command at Minsc, send his to attack a mage, and the mage cast a hold person on him which he failed his save, he was still able to move and attack.

 

Mustard Jelly does have 100% resistance. You don't acquire resistances whenever you polymorph into something, though.

 

Unless theres a patch or fixpack that changes it, the resistances of what your changing into are given to you when you polymorph - I do it all the time

 

I've always wondered this with the Baldur's Gate games. I've no experience of polymorph in D&D PnP either, but somehow the whole idea of the spell seems useless since you can't change into anything that powerful relative to your level anyway, and even after that you can't get the natural abilities of the creature you change into. You're 10 times more powerful putting those spellslots on other destruction / protection spells. The only thing polymorph really seems to have is roleplay value and grant flight in a not-too-obvious form (bird for example). I even managed to change one of BG2:s enemies into a rabbit once, and he still took 80+ hitpoints of damage, and kept attacking my warriors. A rabbit! What use is polymorph if all it changes is a fraction of hitpoints and your appearance? Or is there a ninth level spell called "true polymorph" somewhere that works as it should?

 

@Rastor:
I have tried that many times on Minsc, my own char or other npcs(usually when facing lich) and when anyone of them polymorphed into the mustard jelly, they have have the 100%MR on their stats screens. I am confirm about this, and I don't have any mods installed, but the latest patch is installed.

 

There are a few Polymorphs that can be useful

Mustard jelly has 100% res to magic and electric. 50% res to cold and magic cold. 30% res to slashing damage, 60% res to piercing damage, 100% resistance to crushing damage, and 85% resistance to missile (I got these off gamebanshee.com and that site is pretty accurate)

Rats have 90% res to all physical damage types and its attack deals damage as if using weapons - whatever that means??

Flind's attack with +3 weapons and I think adds fire damage - its easy to get a +3 weapon early in the game but if like me, you usually go to the d'arnise keep straight away its handy to have against the Iron Golem.

Finally, the only other Polymorph worth noting is the Sword spider which has 4 attacks per round and adds poison to attack as well.

Like I said before your character will get these resistances when they polymorph, but if someone knows for a fact that any of this is wrong please let me know

 

"I even managed to change one of BG2:s enemies into a rabbit once, and he still took 80+ hitpoints of damage, and kept attacking my warriors. A rabbit!"

ROFLMAO

Obligatory famous movie quote: "That's no ordinary rabbit!"

 

I too find the computer version of these spells to be next to useless. In PnP, you can use polymorphing to achieve stealth (what's one more chipmunk watching a column of soldiers?) or travel abilities (flight, burrowing, swimming, etc.) In the computer game, I'd rather have a fire shield or spell breaking spell in my slot (polymorph is a 4th level, right?)

The cloak, well, I use it to regenerate sometimes, but that's about it. By the time your Druid has a decent weapon, he's better off sticking with it than shapeshifting, and your mage, well, many of the forms he can shift into are melee forms, and no one in his right mind sends a mage into melee under normal circumstances, no matter what his shape.

 

Yes, but the avenger is supposed to be an even better shapeshifter than a vanilla druid: baby wyvern, sword spider, etc. It...just...makes...me...so...mad...!

 

well, IMHO, a vanilla druid's shapeshifting abilities are handy up until the time he hits around level 10 or so, after which point my comment about him being better off with enchanted equipment stands. An avenger's abilities might be useful until around level 12 or so, and perhaps after in certain situations (fire salamander vs trolls, for instance) but then after that, spells and enchanted weapons are the way to go, IHMO.

This goes double for Jaheira, whose multiclass as a fighter makes it even more sensible for her to use a good melee weapon and shield.