This is an article in the continuing series, “Fun with Magic”, where I examine spells from the D20 System Reference Document, which corresponds to spells from the Player’s Handbook v. 3.5. These spells are in almost every campaign and form the foundation of spells used in Yön. Each article demonstrates strengths and weaknesses of a particular spell and some unique applications for each, to the limit of the author’s imagination, such as it is.
Animal Shapes
Transmutation
Level: Animal 7, Drd 8
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets: Up to one willing creature per level, all within 30 ft. of each other
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
As polymorph, except you polymorph up to one willing creature per caster level into an animal of your choice; the spell has no effect on unwilling creatures. All creatures must take the same kind of animal form. Recipients remain in the animal form until the spell expires or until you dismiss it for all recipients. In addition, an individual subject may choose to resume its normal form as a full-round action; doing so ends the spell for that subject alone. The maximum HD of an assumed form is equal to the subject’s HD or your caster level, whichever is lower, to a maximum of 20 HD at 20th level.
Often, the best use for this spell is to cast on a party of characters to assume forms better suited to fast travel where
teleport isn’t possible—and if you do have a druid but don’t have a cleric that can cast
wind walk. It’s hard to imagine any combination of animals that will have better fighting abilities than characters in their natural forms, unless you cast the spell on a bunch of high-level commoners. A suggested form for fast travel is eagles for 1 to 3 HD targets, giant eagles for 4-12 HD targets, and rocs for 19 or 20 HD targets. All have a fly speed of 80 feet.