Tarondor’s Guide to the
(First Edition)
Pathfinder Transmuter Wizard
Version 2.1
October, 2018
Recently, I decided I wanted to create a new Pathfinder character and decided that a Transmuter wizard was something I hadn’t tried so perhaps it would be fun. I went looking for ideas and could only really find variations on a single theme. It was a good theme, to be sure, but only one. I could find no comprehensive guide to the Transmuter wizard and so I decided that I would write one. Here it is.
I drew on many sources to write this guide, as cited in the “Other Guides” section. However, any mistakes are my own and I would be pleased to hear about them from you. I can be found at Tarondor on the Paizo boards.
Table of Contents
What This Guide Is And Is Not 6
OUT OF COMBAT TRANSMUTER ROLES 9
Arcane Bond For Master Transmogrifist 14
Opposition Schools For Master Transmogrifist 15
Ability Scores For Master Transmogrifist 16
Races For Master Transmogrifist 16
Traits For Master Transmogrifist 18
Feats For Master Transmogrifist 21
Combat Feats For Master Transmogrifist 21
General Feats For Master Transmogrifist 22
Item Creation Feats For Master Transmogrifist 23
Metamagic Feats For Master Transmogrifist 23
Monster Feats For Master Transmogrifist 24
Arcane Discoveries For Master Transmogrifist 24
Equipment For Master Transmogrifist 25
Armor (because you’re not always polymorphed) 25
Builds For Master Transmogrifist 27
Master Transmogrifist Build #1 - The Standard 27
Master Transmogrifist Build #2 - The Specialist 30
Master Transmogrifist Build #3 - The Muscle Wizard 31
Master Transmogrifist Build #4 - The Finesse Wizard 33
Master Transmogrifist Build #5 - The Eldritch Knight 35
Arcane Bond For A Puppet Master 37
Opposition Schools For The Puppet Master 37
Races For The Puppet Master 38
Traits For The Puppet Master 39
Feats For The Puppet Master 41
General Feats For The Puppet Master 41
Item Creation Feats For The Puppet Master 42
Metamagic Feats For Puppet Master 42
Arcane Discoveries For The Puppet Master 42
Equipment For The Puppet Master 43
Archetypes For The Puppet Master 45
Build For The Puppet Master 45
Bonded Object for a Warlock 48
Opposition Schools For A Warlock 48
Ability Scores For A Warlock 49
General Feats For The Warlock 52
Item Creation Feats For The Warlock 53
Metamagic Feats For The Warlock 53
Arcane Discoveries For The Warlock 54
Warlock Build #1 - Ranged Warlock 58
Warlock Build #2 - The Reach Warlock 60
Warlock Build #3 - Beastmaster Build 61
Brawler And Arcane Trickster 66
ALTERNATIVES TO THE TRANSMUTER 67
Arcanist (Brown-fur Transmuter) 68
Sorcerer (Wildblooded: Sylvan) 68
Inquisitor (Green Faith Marshall, Sanctified Slayer) 68
A Theory Of Spell Selection 69
The First Rule Of Wizard Spell Selection: The More You Know. 70
The Second Rule Of Wizard Spell Selection: Cover Your Bases. 70
The Third Rule Of Wizard Spell Selection: There Is No Spoon. 71
0-level Wizard Spells (Cantrips) 72
A SHORT PRIMER ON FAMILIARS 193
Rules for Familiars and Feats 193
Which Familiars Can Use Which Slotted Items 197
The Combat Assistant Familiar 199
Combat Assistant Archetypes 200
Combat Assistant Basic Familiar Choices 200
Combat Assistant Improved Familiars 201
Wand Choices for a Combat Assistant Familiar 203
The Direct Combatant Familiar 204
Improved Familiars as Direct Combatants 207
POLYMORPHING FOR FUN AND PROFIT 209
How To Calculate Your New Form’s Abilities 212
An Example Of Polymorphing 214
A Comparison Of Polymorph Spells And Forms 216
2nd Level Polymorph Spells 216
3rd Level Polymorph Spells 217
4th Level Polymorph Spells 221
5th Level Polymorph Spells 229
6th Level Polymorph Spells 243
7th Level Polymorph Spells 257
8th Level Polymorph Spells 269
9th Level Polymorph Spells 272
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE 276
This is not a guide to all forms of Pathfinder transmutation. Druids do one form of transmuting beautifully. So does the “Brown Fur Transmuter” arcanist archetype, as does the magus. This guide is primarily about the Transmutation arcane school of the wizard class and its options.
There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Treantmonk set the standard more than ten years ago with his classic guides and their color system. I’ll be using his color-coding system in this guide because many Pathfinder players will find that to be the most intuitive.
Each of the various options in this guide are color-coded to indicate my opinion of the utility of that option.
Magenta: This option is not valid for Pathfinder Society play.
Red: Warning. This is a poor option and should be avoided.
Orange: This option will have good utility for some strategies or styles.
Green: I recommend this option. It is a strong choice.
Blue: A must have. Your best possible option.
Guides such as this often use words not familiar to speakers of standard English, words which have arisen in the parlance of role-playing games or even more often in the slang of video gamers. At least to me, many of these words, abbreviations and acronyms are strange and incomprehensible. It is easy to forget that not everyone knows your slang. Thus I have striven to spell out words often abbreviated (e.g., Intelligence, not Int; hit points, not hp) and to explain the use of gamer slang. Here are a few words I’ve used which will be familiar to nearly every gamer, but not necessarily to those new to gaming.
Action Economy - Pathfinder is in many ways a game about resource management. You manage your spells, your items and your other resources. One of the rarest and most precious of resources in the game is the number of actions you can take in a single round, and how quickly you can take them. When four adventurers fight a single supervillain, they’re going to be able to take approximately four times as many actions, thus “winning” the action economy.
BBEG - “Big Bad Evil Guy” - the ultimate villain of an adventure, often very difficult to overcome.
Buff - A spell or effect that grants a bonus or advantage to the target. Thus, “buffing” is the act of casting spells to improve your combat abilities.
Build - A particular way of constructing a Pathfinder character.
Combat Assistant - My nickname for a familiar designed to support a combatant (like a Master Transmogrifist) in battle.
Damage Curve - The potential to deal injury to one’s foes that increases in power as the character’s level increases. One of the goals of the Master Transmogrifist build is to compete with the damage curve established by martial characters such as the fighter, or at least to remain close to their average damage.
Debuff - A spell or effect that imposes a penalty or disadvantage to on the target. Thus “debuffing” is the act of casting spells to degrade your enemies’ combat abilities.
Direct Combatant - My nickname for a familiar designed to enter into melee combat on a regular basis.
GM - The Game Master.
MAD - Multiple Ability Dependent. Some characters, such as most wizards, are reliant upon a single ability (e.g., Intelligence). They are called SAD (Single Ability Dependent). Others, such as monks or paladins must excel in several abilities in order to function well. These classes, archetypes and builds are known as MAD.
Master Transmogrifist - My nickname for the Transmuter build that is focused on changing his own shape to fight in melee in the form of a monster. I could have called it “The Shapechanger,” but Master Transmogrifist sounds cooler!
NPC - Non-Player Character. This is a character not directly under the control of a player (e.g., under the control of the Game Master).
PFS - Pathfinder Society. This refers to the real-world Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild, not the in-world name for Golarion’s premier society of adventurers.
Puppet Master - My nickname for the Transmuter build that is focused on changing his familiar’s shape to fight in melee in the form of a monster.
Servant - My nickname for a familiar with a generalist design, intended to be a help both on and off the battlefield.
UMD - The Use Magic Device skill.
Warlock - My nickname for the Transmuter build that is focused on staying out of melee and fulfilling the roles of buffing, debuffing and battlefield control
Transmuters are well-suited to many roles outside of combat and properly built can handle any of these roles well.
Diplomat - Every party needs someone who can talk with authority figures, negotiate with merchants and talk their way out of whatever mayhem the party has gotten themselves into. This is often called the party’s “Face”. Although Transmuters often have low Charisma scores, there are several ways they can improve their diplomacy. With the Student of Philosophy trait, you can use your high Intelligence to become an outstanding diplomat. However, others in your party may be just as good or better in this role. Spells like enhanced diplomacy, eagle’s splendor, human potential and visualization of the mind will help greatly.
Loremaster - Unless you are a Master Transmogrifist, your Intelligence will be very high. Use it. Even as a Master Transmogrifist, you will be more intelligent than most other party members. Knowledge skills can be critical, especially if you’re playing in Pathfinder Society. Even a single skill point in each type of Knowledge skill can help your team unravel mysteries and avoid costly mistakes.
Spy - Between using your transmutations to achieve a sky-high Dexterity and various spells that can turn you into somebody else, you can either sneak in or walk right through the front door. You are neck and neck with the illusionist when it comes to being the man (or woman) of a thousand faces.
Utility Caster - You can divine the future, summon helpers, translate ancient documents, transport the party, see remotely and a hundred other useful things. Your ability to solve problems out of combat is unparalleled. You are a fantasy toolbox. You are Batman.
Appraise - Drop a single point here. Gems and artwork occasionally need appraising. For everything important, there’s Spellcraft.
Craft - Fairly campaign-dependent. There are some nice alchemical items useful for many levels.
Fly - Many of the forms you can take will be flyers. You’ll want to hit a DC 20 fairly often.
Knowledge (arcana) - Keep this maxed out. It’s your job.
Knowledge (engineering) - Put a point in this. Occasionally useful.
Knowledge (dungeoneering) - If you’re going to be underground, max this out. Otherwise, put a point in it.
Knowledge (geography) - Put a point in this. Occasionally useful.
Knowledge (history) - Put several points in this. GM’s love to give you the lore of their world through this skill.
Knowledge (local) - If you don’t have a rogue, put several points in this. Otherwise, put in one point. Frequently useful.
Knowledge (nature) - If you don’t have a druid or ranger, put several points in this. Otherwise, put in one point.
Knowledge (nobility) - Definitely put in one point. Depending on your campaign, possibly more.
Knowledge (planes) - I like to keep this one maxed. Put at least several points in it.
Knowledge (religion) - Remember, your cleric probably has a low Intelligence. Put a few points in this.
Linguistics - Languages are fun, but you already get several through your Intelligence. For everything else, use comprehend languages and tongues. Put in one point for when asked to make a Linguistics roll.
Perception - A very useful skill, but one you’re not great with. However, you should have a reasonable wisdom and possibly Alertness through a familiar, so put a few points in it.
Spellcraft - You’ll use this all the time. Keep it maxed out.
In addition to the Transmuter arcane school, there are two sub-schools, Enhancement and Shapechange. Each is useful to a different Combat Role.
Physical Enhancement - This is an awesome ability, the more so because you can alter it day by day. For a Master Transmogrifist, this should almost always be Strength until you can exceed it with a belt. For any other role, leave it locked into Constitution.
Telekinetic Fists - This is a nice ability at low levels. It is bludgeoning damage, so is unaffected by energy resistance. It will give you some combat power before you can polymorph or cast more dangerous combat spells.
Change Shape - Change Shape is a nice bonus when you don’t want to use up a spell. Its short duration probably means you use this not for combat but for quick problem-solving, like a briefly-needed movement speed or sense.
Physical Enhancement - Same as above, but with better choices to go with it.
Augment - Augment starts off small but gets better and better as time goes on. Use it to buff your team or whichever ability score of your own could use it. Useful for any Transmuter, this is particularly good for a Warlock or Puppet Master.
Perfection of Self - A very strong ability that gives you an instant bonus to saves, hit points, skills or whatever is needed.
This sub-school is strong for a Master Transmogrifist and much less useful for other Transmuter builds. If you’re not planning on being a Master Transmogrifist, I would strongly urge you to pick either Transmutation or Enhancement instead.
Physical Enhancement - Same as above.
Battleshaping - Quite powerful at first, Battleshaping will become less useful later on as you can eventually gain claws, bite, and gore in a single form and you will also want your swift action for quickened defensive spells.
Change Shape - Same as above.
(Who Changes Himself into a Combat Beast)
This role is the one most people think of when they think of a Transmuter wizard. It is certainly the one for which I was able to find the most information online and I am indebted for its inspiration and details to many, many authors at www.paizo.com. Properly built, a Master Transmogrifist can inflict damage on the enemy that is on a par with the fighter and still be able to cast spells as a wizard.
The Master Transmogrifist takes some time in coming together. Until Level 5, to be specific, but that’s true of most wizard builds - they’re weaker in the beginning and stronger later. There are multiple valid approaches to building a Master Transmogrifist, as can be seen in the BUILDS section. However, each of these builds becomes viable at 5th level when the Transmuter acquires both the beast shape I (or the monstrous physique I) spell and the Arcane Discovery: Multimorph, which together grant the Transmuter the ability to transform into a powerful creature and take multiple attacks.
When building a Master Transmogrifist, there are three truths you must grapple with and overcome to build a viable melee combatant:
1) Wizards have low hit points. You have d6 hit dice and will be hurting for hit points. You’ll want to shore that up with a high Constitution, the Toughness feat, and as many Armor Class buffs as you can pile on. You’ll also want to avoid getting hit by using spells like mirror image and magic items like a minor cloak of displacement.
2) Wizards have a low Base Attack Bonus (BAB). You will need to compensate for this with a huge Strength, and as many bonuses to hit as you can find, such as an amulet of mighty fists. Also, take full advantage of positional bonuses such as higher ground, flanking and Prone.
3) You can’t spend too much time getting ready. If you spend several rounds buffing yourself up, you’ll miss the fight. The goal of the Master Transmogrifist is to be ready to rumble by round two. When the violence starts, you have only moments to prepare. Your fellow party members will expect you to be ready to fight in no more than a round. So you must plan ahead with three categories of buffs: pre-buffs, standard buffs and quickened buffs. A pre-buff is simply a buff spell or effect with a long duration so that it can be cast well ahead of combat. The mage armor spell is a good example of this. It lasts for hours and can be cast ahead of time. Standard buffs are usually good for no more than one or two combats. Don’t cast more than one of these at the start of combat. You want to be ready to go by round two. The final category is quickened buffs. Once you have access to the Quicken Spell feat, you can cast a quickened buff spell on yourself and change into your combat form in the same round.
The two choices for an arcane bond (familiars and bonded objects) are both quite useful to a Master Transmogrifist in their own way.
One of the most efficient means of buffing during combat is to have someone else do the buffing. This could be a fellow party member, but you can’t rely on that always being the case, so you need to provide your own NPC buffer. If your campaign and GM permit the Leadership feat, this is a great role for a cohort. A cohort capable of casting low-level buffs on you (or using a wand to do so) can quickly gear you up with spells like mage armor or aid or divine blessings like Bit of Luck. For most games, Leadership isn’t going to be allowed and the wizard must rely on a familiar to do the buffing.
Equipping one of the above familiars with wands of buff spells is quite useful, but costs at least one feat (Improved Familiar) to accomplish. Having a few extra buffs on you (such as bless, aid and mage armor) can make the difference between victory and running away.
A bonded object has two main advantages. First you gain the ability to cast any spell in your spellbook. Second, because a “wizard can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if he has the required Item Creation Feats...”, you can make your bonded object an Amulet of Mighty Fists for a much more reasonable cost than purchasing one, bringing this normally very expensive (and absolutely necessary for your build) item’s cost into line with a fighter’s magical weapon. It’s also the only PFS-legal method of crafting your own items.
It is also possible to create a Master Transmogrifist build with a bonded object that is an Amulet of Spell Storing, but Amulet of Mighty Fists will be useful much more often.
The only real objection to a bonded object is that you don’t have a familiar who can buff you up as you go into combat. You’ll already be spending the first round of combat polymorphing into a combat form. Your allies are not going to be happy if you’re spending a second round buffing up with shield or false life.
Abjuration - You’re an unarmored wizard. You’re going to want the buffs available in Abjuration.
Conjuration - You really don’t want to miss out on summoning and teleport spells.
Divination - Many very useful spells, like detect magic, true strike and see invisibility are divination.
Enchantment - Some of the best spells in the game are enchantments, including many excellent buffs.
Evocation - When you want to damage something, become a four-armed gargoyle and tear it apart.
Illusion - It’s tempting to think you don’t need illusions, but aside from their great utility, you’re really going to want to cast quickened mirror image a lot in your later career.
Necromancy - There isn’t much you need from necromancy, with the exception of false life. If you really want that spell, get a wand.
The Master Transmogrifist is a very MAD (Multiple-Ability Dependent) build. You need Strength, Constitution and Intelligence, and frankly you need as much Dexterity as you can afford, too.
There are three rational ways to approach ability scores as a Master Transmogrifist. The first is to keep your Intelligence high, while the second is to get it only as high as it needs to be to cast spells and boost your Strength and Constitution instead. The third goes a completely different route and concentrates on keeping Dexterity as high as possible.
Method #1: Intelligence>Strength>Constitution>Dexterity>Wisdom>Charisma
Method#2: Strength>Constitution>Intelligence>Dexterity>Wisdom>Charisma
Method#3: Dexterity>Intelligence>Constitution>Wisdom>Charisma>Strength
Method #1 Example
20 points
STR: 14 (+Transmuter)
DEX: 12
CON: 14
INT: 16
WIS: 12
CHA: 7
Method #2 Example
20 points
STR: 16 (+Transmuter)
DEX: 12
CON: 14
INT: 14
WIS: 10
CHA: 8
Method #3 Example
20 points
STR: 8
DEX:16 (+Transmuter)
CON:14
INT: 15
WIS: 12
CHA: 8
Improved physical abilities and Intelligence are desirable, as are improved saving throws and defensive abilities.
Here are all the core races plus a few standout non-standard races.
Dwarf - Dwarves make great Master Transmogrifists. Bonuses to Constitution and Wisdom make them more survivable and the bonus to saves vs. spells is awesome.
Elf - The bonus to Intelligence is great, but the penalty to Constitution isn’t really quite balanced out by the bonus to Dexterity. The other features aren’t particularly great for this build.
Gnome - The bonus to Constitution is nice, but the penalty to Strength is terrible and the rest of this race’s features don’t do much for you.
Half-Elf - If you plan to remain a single class, half-elf is nice but not great. But if you plan to multiclass into an Eldritch Knight, Half-Elf is great!
Half-Orc - With the toothy Alternative Racial Trait and the +2 bonus to any ability score, as well as darkvision, half-orcs can make excellent Master Transmogrifists. They also have a Favored Class Option that gives them bonuses to Concentration checks (but should instead just take hit points!) Note: Toothy will mostly be useful in the first few levels. Once you begin to polymorph, you will lose the bite and the forms you assume will have their own bite attacks.
Halfling - The bonus to Dexterity is nice, but the penalty to strength makes halfling a poor choice for a Master Transmogrifist. However, there are many Dexterity based forms (generally the smaller ones) and combined with weapon finesse this may work reasonably well.
Human - Humans rock! The +2 bonus to any ability score, extra skills and extra feat make humans awesome as always.
Aasimar - Most variations of aasimar are merely okay for this build. Their bonus to Wisdom is nice and their resistances are always welcome. But the Angel-blooded aasimar replaces that wisdom bonus with a Strength bonus. Now you’re talking!
Dhampir - Similarly, most versions of the dhampir gain a Dexterity bonus and a Constitution penalty. That’s a net loss for these builds But the Jiang-shi born dhampirs are great Master Transmogrifists. Although they suffer a penalty to Dexterity, they gain bonuses to both Strength and Intelligence.
Oread - A bonus to Strength and Wisdom, plus the Granite Skin Alternative Racial Trait, which grants a natural armor bonus. Awesome!
Tengu - Bonuses to Dexterity and Wisdom plus a bite attack from level 1. Able to get claw attacks with an Alternative Racial Trait. You lose these attacks when you polymorph, but your can get in three attacks at level 1... so pretty cool!
Tiefling - Bonuses to Dexterity and Intelligence plus resistances. Can also use the Maw or Claw Alternative Racial Trait to get natural attacks from level 1. Finally, a tiefling can use their Favored Class Option to gain extra uses of the level 1 arcane school power. Note: Like half-orcs Toothy ability, Maw or Claw will largely be useful in the first several levels before you gain access to polymorph spells.
Duergar - Like dwarves, but with an even bigger penalty to Charisma.
Wayang - Bonuses to Dexterity and Intelligence are both awesome, but the penalty to wisdom hurts a bit.
Android - Bonuses to Dexterity and Intelligence plus a nanite surge. Very good.
A Master Transmogrifist must be more concerned with combat-related traits than the average wizard. I list here only those most related to the Master Transmogrifist.
Ambush Training - Bonuses to initiative are always welcome, and trait bonuses to damage stack with just about everything. Also, if you work at party stealth, you can make sure many combats start with a surprise round.
Arcane Temper - A bonus to both Initiative and Concentration checks, both of which are good for you.
Axe to Grind - You’re going to spend a lot of time as a large or larger melee combatant. There will be many foes only you threaten, so this is a free bonus to damage.
Balanced Education - I don’t understand how it works, but using your awesome strength for a Knowledge check or your Constitution for Diplomacy? I’m all in!
Careful Combatant - You don’t have a huge reservoir of hit points. Sometimes you will want to be able to get away cleanly.
Demon Smiter - It’s only once per day, but how often in a single day do you fight demons? A +4 bonus to hit is something you can certainly use.
Desperate Focus - A bonus to Concentration checks is very useful for a character who will be in melee far more than most wizards.
Desperate Resolve - Probably better off with Arcane Temper, but if you think you’ll get grabbed a lot, this becomes better.
Elven Reflexes - A +2 bonus to Initiative that uses a less common trait type.
Finish the Fight - This is a great trait for half-orcs. +1 trait bonus to attack rolls and usable quite frequently.
Focused Mind - A +2 bonus to Concentration checks is a big deal. You’ll use this frequently.
Indomitable Faith - A bonus to a will save is always good. Best not to be turned against your allies when you’re in the form of a huge red dragon.
Life of Toil - +1 trait bonus to Fortitude saves.
Magic is Life - Automatically stabilize if you’re affected by a spell...which is always. Also, you have low hit points. This will come up.
Magical Knack - Very useful if you’re going to pursue the Eldritch Knight prestige class.
Magical Lineage - Maybe get this to help cast quickened mirror image. But it’s a long wait before this is useful.
Pragmatic Activator - Use Magic Device is great, but this is not as good as for you as for some other wizard types because your Intelligence won’t be as high.
Reactionary - +2 bonus to Initiative. Acting first is good!
Resilient - Most melee combatants have high Fortitude saves, but you don’t. Every little bonus helps.
Resilient Caster - Helps stop enemy spellcasters from dispelling your combat form.
Scarred by Space Pirates - It’s a +1 bonus to attack rolls against by far the most numerous opponent type.
Seeker - Perception is sometimes called “the most important skill”. It’s certainly very useful. And this gives you an effective +4 bonus!
Shrouded Casting - You’ll be able to cast while in dragon form. That’s good.
Tactician - Bonuses to Initiative are always good and you’ll have plenty of chances for attacks of opportunity.
Tenacious Shifting - Many of your spells are measured in rounds per level. An extra two rounds can be a great help!
Transmuter of Korada - (Called “Transmuter” at www.d20pfsrd.com) - An awesome trait for a transmuter.
Vengeful - Your AC isn’t super high. This bonus to hit will get used a lot!
Warrior of Old - A +2 bonus to Initiative that uses a less common trait type.
Wayang Spell Hunter - Almost the same as magical lineage with just a slightly more cheesy feel if you’re not a wayang. Unlike magical lineage, this trait is limited to spells of 3rd level or less.
A Master Transmogrifist has to cover a lot of ground with a small number of feats. He’s a melee combatant and a full wizard. He needs feats to make him more deadly, feats to keep him alive and feats to make his spells more effective. Ummm... good luck! Here are some of the most consistently useful feats.
Agile Maneuvers - Terrific if you have a good Dexterity or like high-dexterity forms.
Arcane Strike - Bonuses to damage. Practically a must-have for these builds.
Barroom Brawler - Gain a combat feat you don’t have 1/day. Flexible enough to complement your many forms. This feat is rated GREEN if you’re in a campaign where once a day is the usual number of encounters (Kingmaker!)
Defensive Combat Training - You’ll need this if you plan to grapple.
Dodge - You can use all the Armor Class you can get, but you don’t have many feats to waste.
Eldritch Claws - Your natural weapons count as magic and silver to bypass Damage Reduction.
Furious Focus - You’re probably going to use Power Attack a lot. This lifts the attack penalties for the first attack.
Hammer the Gap - Multiple attacks is what you do. This is free extra damage at higher levels.
Improved Grapple - You won’t need this feat because you’ll have Grab and Constrict. However, the +2 CMB is a nice addition.
Lunge - By the time you qualify for Lunge, most of your forms will already have reach. But more reach never hurts!
Martial Focus - +1 damage from all natural attacks. Also qualifies you for Weapon Mastery feats with natural attacks.
Multiattack - Occasionally useful, but most of your attack forms have multiple primary attacks. Not PFS-legal.
Power Attack - You need this. You won’t get as much out of this as a fighter, but the extra damage on multiple attacks is absolutely worth it. The higher your BAB is, the more use you will get out of it. Rated GREEN for straight wizard Master Transmogrifists and BLUE for those with levels in Eldritch Knight.
Rending Claws - It’s specific to claw damage and you have to hit twice. Good for a form with many claws.
Rending Fury (and Improved and Greater) - Makes Rending attacks easier, and there are plenty of good forms with Rend.
Vital Strike (Improved, Greater, Devastating Strike) - Many forms
have one big attack. These feats will make those forms terrifying.
Weapon Finesse - All natural weapons can be used with Finesse. If you have a high Dexterity and a low Strength, this is a must.
Weapon Focus - This will only work with one set of weapons, but most forms have claws. With your low BAB, you can always used bonuses to attack.
Spell Focus (transmutation) (and Greater Spell Focus) - First of all, you’re not just going to be fighting in melee. You will be throwing transmutation spells (and there are some great ones) and you’ll want the DC’s high. But also, all of your special abilities while polymorphed (like poisons and breath weapons) depend on your spell’s DC.
Tenacious Transmutation - If some wise guy dispels your transmutation, you’re probably best advised to just cast it again. I’m not sure this comes up often enough to merit using this feat.
Toughness - You’re in the thick of melee and have a low to middling Armor Class. You need all the Hit Points you can get.
Craft Wands - Wands are very useful, but you’re going to spend a lot of time in shapes that can’t use wands (animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin).
Craft Wondrous Items - Like a license to print money, you really can’t go wrong with this feat. Most of the items in the game just became cheaper. Still, you are short of feat slots and you can already add magical abilities to your bonded object as if you had this feat.
Extend Spell - You cast a lot of buff and other spells with durations.
Heighten Spell - Great for other transmuters, but you have other feats you need more.
Persistent Spell - Great for other transmuters, but you have other feats you need more.
Quicken Spell - You will absolutely want this at higher levels. Quickened mirror image is where it’s at!
Silent Spell - You can’t cast spells in many of your polymorph forms unless you have Silent Spell and Still Spell.
Still Spell - You can’t cast spells in many of your polymorph forms unless you have Silent Spell and Still Spell.
Flyby Attack - If you’re going to be concentrating on flyers and will frequently have the room to move, this is very useful.
Improved Natural Attack - A tiny bonus on one attack per round isn’t worth it.
Noxious Bite - Great for dragons and anything else with an acid breath. Now your bite nauseates your enemy.
Snatch - Adds grab to forms that don’t already have it, and lets you toss your enemy about.
Idealize - Get this! Improves every polymorph spell and every buff spell that grants enhancement bonuses to ability scores!
Knowledge is Power - Add your Intelligence bonus to both Combat Maneuver checks and your CMD. This makes you a better grappler and tripper and also helps ensure you won’t be the victim of the same.
Multimorph - This can dramatically improve the utility of your polymorph spells. You can be a Master Transmogrifist without it, but you probably shouldn’t.
Psychic Preparation - Can be the functional equivalent of Silent Spell and Still Spell at the cost of only one spell level increase.
Werewolf Form - You can become an actual werewolf when you cast beast shape IV. There are better combat shapes at that level, but are they cooler? I think not...
Javelins - You have a lot of strength. Throwing these could be more powerful at low-levels than using acid splash or Telekinetic Fists.
Mithral buckler - It’s not cheap, but you can improve your AC by adding bonuses to the buckler. As is, it grants a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Haramaki - This tummy-warmer gives a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Lamellar cuirasse - It’s a +2 AC bonus with only a 5% spell failure. Definitely worth it at low levels when mage armor doesn’t last long enough.
Silken ceremonial armor - Heavier and more expensive than a haramaki, it
nonetheless looks awesome and also grants a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Amulet of Mighty Fists - This is pretty much the signature item which allows
polymorphing wizards to keep up with the damage curve. Don’t bother adding special abilities - you need sheer bonuses. Keep the bonuses as high as you can afford. It’s very expensive but you’ll be making a lot of attacks, so this bonus on every one of those attacks will repay the expense handily. As discussed in the Arcane Bond section, you can halve the cost of the Amulet by making it your arcane bond and making it yourself.
NOTE: On December 4, 2012, the Paizo team officially made the Amulet of Mighty Fists cheaper.
Belt of Giant Strength - One of the first magic items you should acquire.
Keep the bonus as high as you can afford. It will stack with the size bonuses you’ll receive from polymorphing. Now you can move your Physical Enhancement over from Strength to Constitution.
Belt of Physical Might - Once you can afford a Belt of Physical Might, increasing two physical ability scores, you can move your Physical Enhancement over from Constitution to Dexterity.
Bodywrap of Mighty Strikes - Less expensive than an Amulet of Mighty Fists, but usable less often. Good for forms with one big attack, or a few attacks at higher levels.
Deliquescent Gloves - You get to add 1d6 acid damage to a single attack per round, or even more if you’re using a weapon.
Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone - +1 insight bonus to AC
Gauntlets of Rending - For some reason, these gloves are not yet on www.d20pfsrd.com, but can be found at The Archives of Nethys. +2 damage with claw attacks and +2 damage per claw used in rending. Very good if you’re going to concentrate on giant form and fighting as a troll.
Headband of Vast Intelligence - Yeah, you need this too. You’re still a full caster and many of your best spells require saving throws. Also, even in combat form, your special abilities (such as poison and breath weapons) rely on your spell DC. Finally, if you ever want to cast higher level spells, you need to pump up your merely genius-level intellect.
Metamagic Gems - Quite expensive, but in an emergency, they can really save the day.
Polymorphic Pouch - This bag of holding-style pouch doesn’t merge with your form when you polymorph so you can access equipment inside as needed. Not necessary if you’re polymorphing into a form that leaves your equipment intact (such as a humanoid, fey, giant, monstrous humanoid or undead), but quite useful if you’re going to be an elemental or a dragon.
Ring of Eloquence - This inexpensive ring allows you to speak four specific languages even when polymorphed into a form that can’t otherwise speak. It also gives you a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Perform (Oratory).
Shifter’s Headband - In addition to acting as a Headband of Vast Intelligence, this item also grants you increasingly powerful benefits, starting with +1 caster level and getting better. Definitely worth the slight increase in price!
Spell Totem - This allows you a quickened buff when you assume the form of one specific animal. It’s only that one animal form, but given the amount of time you’re likely to spend as a dire tiger, this is a pretty good bet.
Trident of the Storm Captain - Very expensive, but in addition to some cool
weather effects, this gives you a +4 enhancement bonus to hit and damage on your polymorphed bite attacks. If you like forms with one big bite attack and have the Vital Strike line of feats, you can reduce the cost to merely ruinous by making this your arcane bond and crafting it yourself.
Here I demonstrate five builds, each designed to go into melee combat through the use of polymorphing spells. I’ve looked at each build up through Levels 11 or 12.
This Build synergizes well with: Eldritch Knight, Hellknight Signifer or Brawler-and-Arcane Trickster
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:19, D:12, C:14, I:14, W:10, Ch:8
(STR: +2 Human, +1 Transmuter)
Race: Human
Arcane School: Transmutation (Shapechanging sub-school)
Opposition Schools: Evocation and Necromancy
Arcane Bond: Object (Amulet)
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Balanced Education
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Arcane Strike (1st), Scribe Scroll (free), Toughness (Human)
Initial Spells: Enlarge Person, Mage Armor, Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Stunning Barrier
1st Level: You’re very strong, so grab a bag full of javelins and hurl them into combat, doing 1d6+4 damage, much better than acid splash. Wear a lamellar cuirass. At this level your spells should be mostly focused on your allies (enlarge person and magic weapon will make you very popular... and effective.) If you’re absolutely forced into melee, use Battleshaping to gain a bite attack with a +1 enhancement bonus. You’ll have +5 to hit and do 1d6+4 damage with your bite.
2nd Level:
Spells Gained: Shield and touch of gracelessness.
Follow the same tactics as above.
3rd Level:
Feat Gained: Spell focus (transmutation)
Spells Gained: Bull’s strength, visualization of the body
If you’ve really saved your copper coins, you might have an Amulet of Mighty Fists +1 by now. If not, be sure to get it by 4th level.
4th Level:
Ability Score Increase: Strength becomes 20. Your javelins are now +7 to hit and do 1d6+5 damage. With an enlarge person, an Amulet of Mighty Fists +1 and battleshaping, you should now be able to use a large bite attack with +8 to hit and 1d8+6. Not too shabby! But beware. You have 30 hp and an AC of maybe 13 or 14. Ouch!
Spells Gained: Alter self, visualization of the mind
You can now assume any humanoid shape and have begun down the path of polymorphing.
5th Level:
Feat Gained: Power Attack, Arcane Discovery (Multimorph)
Spells Gained: Haste, monstrous physique I
NOW you’re a Master Transmogrifist! Use monstrous physique I to assume the form of a popobala and get busy fightin’! Using Battleshaping, you can add a gore attack for a total of six attacks, four of them primary and two secondary.
The attack routine should look like this: bite +9 (2d6+7), 2 talons +9 (1d6+8), 2 wings +4 (1d6+4), gore +9 (1d6+7). Let your fighter allies try to match 7d6+38! You have an AC of 16 (mage armor and natural armor) or 20 (with shield) and approximately 37 hp.
6th Level:
Spells Gained: Ablative barrier, heroism
7th Level:
Feat Gained: Hammer the Gap
Spells Gained: monstrous physique II and calcific touch
By this time you should have advanced your Amulet of Mighty Fists to +2 and added a Belt of Giant Strength +4 and a Shifter’s headband (Intelligence) +2. Your +2 bonus from Physical Enhancement is now going to you Constitution. Your adjusted ability scores are now: S:22, D:12, C:16, I:16, W:10, Ch:8
In addition to buff spells like bull’s strength, enlarge person and haste, you have attack spells like molten orb, telekinetic volley and calcific touch. You can also turn into a four-armed gargoyle and unleash a torrent of attacks on your foes.
8th Level:
Spells Gained: Stoneskin, greater invisibility
9th Level:
Feat Gained: Greater Spell focus (transmutation)
Spells Gained: Baleful polymorph, monstrous physique III
You’re now attacking as a huge gegenees with six big slam attacks, each with grab.
10th Level:
Feat Gained: Arcane Discovery (Idealize)
Spells Gained: Overland flight, passwall
11th Level:
Feat Gained: Quicken Spell
Spells Gained: Beast shape IV and disintegrate
Now you can cast quickened mirror image at the start of a fight and you fight as a chimera, breathing destruction on your foes.
12th Level:
Spells Gained: Flesh to stone and mage’s lucubration
This character specializes in forms that used special attacks like poison or breath weapons.
This Build synergizes well with: Eldritch Knight, Hellknight Signifer or Brawler-and-Arcane Trickster
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:16, D:15, C:14, I:18, W:10, Ch:6
(STR:+1 Transmuter)
Race: Tiefling
Arcane School: Transmutation (Shapechanging sub-school)
Opposition Schools: Evocation and Necromancy
Arcane Bond: Object (Amulet)
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Alternative Racial Trait: Maw or Claw (bite)
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Scarred by Space Pirates
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Planes), Perception, Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Dodge (1st), Scribe Scroll (free)
Initial Spells: Enlarge person, mage armor, magic weapon, snowball, stunning barrier
1st Level-8th Levels: These levels play much the same as with the standard build, only doing a little less damage and relying more on spells with saving throws.
Feats:
3-Spell focus (transmutation)
5- Toughness, Arcane Discovery (multimorph)
7-Greater Spell Focus (transmutation)
9th Level:
Feat Gained: Quicken Spell
Spells Gained: Baleful polymorph, monstrous physique III
This is the first spell level with poison as a special ability. Your spell DC’s (and thus the DC of your poisons) will be quite high at this point. Use monstrous Physique III to take the form of a jorogumo, with a poison that does 1d6 Wisdom damage and requires 3 saves to stop or a huge thriae queen with a poison that does 1d6 Constitution damage and stuns and requires 2 saves to stop).
10th Level:
Feat Gained: Arcane Discovery (Idealize)
Spells Gained: Overland flight, passwall
11th Level:
Feat Gained: Noxious Bite
Spells Gained: Beast shape IV and disintegrate
You can use beast shape IV to assume the form of a catoblepas with a cone-shaped breath weapon that does 1d6 Constitution damage and stuns and requires 3 saves to stop or you can be a chimera, get 5 attacks and a variable breath weapon. Use the black dragon head and your noxious bite will also nauseate your opponents. Your GM just may cry.
12th Level:
Spells Gained: Flesh to stone and cold ice strike
This character is all about getting to one single spell: transformation. Along the way, he concentrates on spells and feats that make him stronger. I’ve rated this build as orange because it is quirky and not truly optimized. But it is all kinds of fun and fully viable. I recommend giving it a try. Rated BLUE for fun!
Another spell that works very well with the Muscle Wizard is emblem of greed. You still gain the advantage of having your level be your Base Attack Bonus, but don’t lose the ability to cast spells.
One of the main issues a Muscle Wizard will face is getting armored up. He can, of course, cast shield and mage armor and blur and the like, but that takes time. But conventional armor is a problem. Put it on before casting transformation and you have to deal with spell failure. Put it on after casting transformation and you’re wasting a lot of time. It would be lovely if you could use Folding Plate, or the swift girding spell, but you’re not proficient with armor. This argues for a one-level dip in Fighter or Warpriest.
This Build synergizes well with: Eldritch Knight, Master of Many Styles monk
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:18, D:14, C:14, I:15, W:7, Ch:10
(STR: +2 Half-Orc, +1 Transmuter)
Race: Half-Orc
Arcane School: Transmutation (Enhancement)
Opposition Schools: Divination and Enchantment
Arcane Bond: Object (Falchion)
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Traits: Indomitable Faith and Magic is Life
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Toughness (1st), Scribe Scroll (free)
Initial Spells: enlarge person, mage armor, magic weapon, shield, stunning barrier
1st Level: You’ll have 12 hp, an AC of 14 or 18 (with shield) , be +4 to hit and with a falchion you’ll do 2d4+6 damage. Use enlarge person to gain reach and even more damage.
3rd Level: Weapon Focus (falchion). At this level you’ll be +6 to hit and still doing 2d4+6 damage before buffs. False life will give you temporary hit points and bull’s strength will make you mighty.
5th Level: Power Attack, Extend Spell. Now your Strength will be at 20 (+1 at fourth level and +2 Physical Enhancement). With a +1 weapon and power attack, you’ll have +8 to hit and 2d4+11 damage. False life and mirror image will keep you alive while haste and keen edge will make you even more deadly.
7th Level: Furious Focus. You’ll now be at +11 to hit and doing 2d4+12 damage. Add in displacement, greater invisibility and stoneskin and you’re now a bit safer in combat.
9th Level: Quicken Spell. You’re doing +13 to hit and 2d6+18 damage plus you’ve got quickened buffs like quickened true strike and quickened enlarge person.
11th Level: Vital Strike. Now you’re finally there. You can throw a quickened buff spell, cast transformation, and wade into combat as a warrior.
This build is quite quirky, but can be a lot of fun if you’re not too worried about optimization. One thing to worry about is that transmutation is not dismissable. Once you’ve cast it, you’re stuck in that form for the duration
This character concentrates on Dexterity instead of Strength, assuming smaller and smaller forms. The keys to this are the weapon finesse and piranha strike feats, permitting you to use Dexterity for both attack and damage. While you will do less damage, you will hit more often because you are also gaining the size bonus to hit that smaller sizes give. An Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists will give you the weapon finesse feat. Your increased Dexterity will also benefit your Armor Class, as will your small size.
This Build synergizes well with: Eldritch Knight, Swashbuckler (Mouser archetype)
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:8, D:19, C:14, I:15, W:12, Ch:8
(DEX: +2 Human, +1 Transmuter)
Race: Human
Arcane School: Transmutation (Shapechanging)
Opposition Schools: Evocation and Necromancy
Arcane Bond: Object (Amulet of Mighty Fists (Agile))
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Scarred by Space Pirates
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Toughness (1st), Scribe Scroll (free), Weapon Finesse (Human)
Initial Spells: enlarge person, mage armor, magic weapon, shield, stunning barrier
1st Level: Initially, you will rely on your spells to buff your allies. Acid splash and a light crossbow are your friends. It’s a tough few levels.
3rd Level: Piranha Strike. At 4th level you’ll put your ability score bonus into Dexterity and have a 20 (+5 bonus).
5th Level: Multimorph, Agile Maneuvers. At Last! You’re ready to begin your career as a Master Transmogrifist. You’ll be taking the form of a velociraptor. You’ll have Move 60 ft., low-light vision, scent and 3 attacks (4 with battleshaping). By this time you should have an Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists and can use your Dexterity for both attack and damage. You should have +7 to hit and +5 to damage.
7th Level: Spell Focus (transmutation). An aurumvorax is a terrifying combatant. Or try a giant assassin bug and get a poison attack!
9th Level: Defensive Combat Training. A viper is a very good form for assassination.
10th Level: Flyby Attack
11th Level: Quicken Spell. Now you can cast quickened mirror image and become a stirge or a brain mole monarch. You are a master spy!
Ability Scores: S:18, D:12, C:14, I:14, W:10, Ch:8
(STR: +2 Human)
Race: Human
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Balanced Education
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Planes), Perception, Spellcraft
Initial Feats:
Class: Bloodrager
Bloodline: Elemental (Fire)
Initial Feats: Arcane Strike (1st), Combat Reflexes
1st Level: (Bloodrager 1).
Take a reach weapon and make the most of Combat Reflexes, backing up your primary warrior.
2nd Level: (Wizard 1).
Feat: Scribe Scroll (free). Spells: Enlarge Person, Mage Armor, Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Stunning Barrier
Switch over to wizard, becoming a Transmuter. Select bonded item as your arcane bond because a familiar won’t scale well with the multiclassing. Use enlarge person on yourself to get even more reach.
3rd Level: (Wizard 2).
Feat: Mad Magic, which allows you to cast spells while raging. Spells: Shield and touch of gracelessness.
4th Level: (Wizard 3).
Spells: Bull’s strength, visualization of the body
5th Level: (Wizard 4).
Feat: Favored Prestige Class (Eldritch Knight). Spells: Alter Self, visualization of the mind. Put your Transmuter bonuses into Dexterity, giving you a 14 Dex.
6th Level: (Wizard 5).
Spells: Haste, monstrous physique I
7th Level: (Eldritch Knight 1).
Feat: Prestigious Spellcaster. Bonus Combat Feat: Step Up. Spells: Ablative Barrier, heroism.
8th Level: (Eldritch Knight 2).
Spells: monstrous physique II and calcific touch
9th Level: (Eldritch Knight 3).
Feat: Following Step; Spells: Stoneskin, greater invisibility
10th Level: (Eldritch Knight 4).
Spells: Baleful polymorph, monstrous physique III
You’re now attacking as a huge gegenees with six big slam attacks, each with grab.
11th Level: (Eldritch Knight 5).
Feat:Quicken Spell; Bonus Combat Feat: Step Up and Strike. Spells: Overland flight, passwall
12th Level: (Eldritch Knight 6).
Your BAB is now +9, 3 better than if you had been a pure wizard, and your hit points are 101 instead of 86. Spells: Beast shape IV and disintegrate.
(Who Changes His Familiar into a Combat Beast)
The Puppet Master concentrates on buffing his familiar until the familiar can terrorize the enemy in combat while the Puppet Master supports the familiar from the rear.
Well, this one’s obvious. The Puppet Master has to take the Familiar arcane bond. You’ll want a Direct Combatant familiar, detailed in the section on Familiars.
Abjuration - You’re going to want the buffs available in Abjuration.
Conjuration - You really don’t want to miss out on summoning and teleport spells.
Divination - Many very useful spells, like detect magic, true strike and see invisibility are divination.
Enchantment - Some of the best spells in the game are enchantments, including many excellent buffs.
Evocation - You do your damaging with your familiar and with Transmutation spells.
Illusion - It’s tempting to think you don’t need illusions, but aside from their great utility, you’re really going to want to cast quickened mirror image
a lot in your later career.
Necromancy - There isn’t much you need from necromancy, with the exception of false life. If you really want that spell, get a wand.
ABILITY SCORES FOR THE PUPPET MASTER
The Puppet Master concentrates on using his familiar in combat, but that’s not to say he can’t also use polymorph spells on himself, following the path of the Master Transmogrifist. So you need to decide from the outset whether you’ll want to occasionally mix it up in melee. If so, you need to pump up your Strength. If not, you can dump Strength just like most wizards. Either way, you need to make your Constitution a priority.
Method #1: Constitution>Intelligence>Dexterity>Wisdom>Strength>Charisma
Method#2: Constitution>Strength>Intelligence>Dexterity>Wisdom>Charisma
Method #1 Example
20 points
STR: 8
DEX: 13
CON: 17 (+Transmuter)
INT: 16
WIS: 10
CHA: 7
Method #2 Example
20 points
STR: 14
DEX: 12
CON: 16 (+Transmuter)
INT: 14
WIS: 10
CHA: 8
Here are all the core races plus a few standout non-standard races.
Dwarf - Dwarves make great Puppet Masters. Bonuses to Constitution and Wisdom are an awesome combination.
Elf - A penalty to Constitution is terrible for this build, but the bonuses to Intelligence and Dexterity are good.
Gnome - The bonus to Constitution is great, but the rest of this race’s features don’t do much for you.
Half-Elf - A +2 bonus to any ability score is solid, but nothing else stands out about this race.
Half-Orc - Like half-elves but better, because of the darkvision.
Halfling - A puppet master halfling is thematically strong, but this race’s abilities don’t particularly lend themselves to the role.
Human - Humans rock! The +2 bonus to any ability score, extra skills and extra feat make humans awesome as always.
Duergar - Like dwarves, but with an even bigger penalty to Charisma.
Wayang - Bonuses to Dexterity and Intelligence are both awesome, but the penalty to wisdom hurts a bit.
Android - Bonuses to Dexterity and Intelligence plus a nanite surge. Very good.
Hobgoblin - Bonuses to Dexterity and Constitution and no ability score penalties, plus darkvision. Hobgoblins are a great choice for Puppet Masters.
Munavri - A very unusual but playable race from the Occult Bestiary. –2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma. If your GM will let you play one, jump on this!
Alluring - You may like the bonus to Diplomacy to offset your low Charisma, but the prize here is the daze spell that scales with your level. Have your familiar deliver this as a touch attack.
Balanced Education - Use your awesome Constitution for Diplomacy!
Elven Reflexes - A +2 bonus to Initiative that uses a less common trait type.
Focused Mind - A +2 bonus to Concentration checks is a big deal. You’ll use this frequently.
Indomitable Faith - A bonus to a will save is always good. Best not to be turned against your allies when you’re in the form of a huge red dragon.
Life of Toil - +1 trait bonus to Fortitude saves.
Magic is Life - Automatically stabilize if you’re affected by a spell...which is always. Also, you have low hit points. This will come up.
Magical Lineage - Maybe get this to help cast quickened mirror image. But it’s a long wait before this is useful.
Pragmatic Activator - Very useful if you’re using Method #1 to calculate your Intelligence.
Reactionary - +2 bonus to Initiative. Acting first is good!
Seeker - Perception is sometimes called “the most important skill”. It’s certainly very useful. And this gives you an effective +4 bonus!
Tenacious Shifting - Many of your spells are measured in rounds per level. An extra two rounds can be a great help!
Transmuter of Korada - (Called “Transmuter” at www.d20pfsrd.com) - An awesome trait for a transmuter.
Warrior of Old - A +2 bonus to Initiative that uses a less common trait type.
Wayang Spell Hunter - Almost the same as magical lineage with just a slightly more cheesy feel if you’re not a wayang. Unlike magical lineage, this trait is limited to spells of 3rd level or less.
Boon Companion - If you multiclass (say, by taking two levels of Eldritch Guardian fighter in order to give your familiar more combat feats), Boon Companion will help unlock your familiar’s abilities earlier.
Evolved Familiar - The abilities gained by the evolution will not carry over to the familiar’s polymorphed form as they are Extraordinary or Spell-like. Very nice for the rest of the time, though. Give your familiar an extra bite or hoof attack or the ability to do some minor spellcasting. Better yet, give it the Skilled evolution and give it a job in the party.
Familiar Spell - Imbue your familiar with shocking grasp and let it carry that into battle.
Greater School Familiar - Not really worth it for the Transmutation school.
Spell Focus (transmutation) (and Greater Spell Focus) - First of all, you’re not just going to be fighting in melee. You will be throwing transmutation spells (and there are some great ones) and you’ll want the DC’s high. But also, all of your special abilities while polymorphed (like poisons and breath weapons) depend on your spell’s DC.
Spirit’s Gift - Taking the Stone spirit animal gives your familiar DR 5 / adamantine.
Tenacious Transmutation - If some wise guy dispels your transmutation, you’re probably best advised to just cast it again. I’m not sure this comes up often enough to merit using this feat.
Toughness - Seriously, get this. Don’t think twice. Your poor familiar has only half your hit points, so the more you have the more likely it is to survive each battle.
Craft Wands - Wands are awesome. There are so many great low-level buffs you’ll want to just get a wand for. Why not get them half price?
Craft Wondrous Items - Like a license to print money, you really can’t go wrong with crafting wondrous items. Most of the items in the game just became cheaper. If you want an Amulet of Magical Fists and don’t want to pay through the nose for it, you’re going to need this feat.
Extend Spell - You cast a lot of buff and other spells with durations.
Heighten Spell - Great for other transmuters, but you have other feats you need more.
Persistent Spell - Great for other transmuters, but you have other feats you need more.
Quicken Spell - You will absolutely want this at higher levels. Quickened mirror image is where it’s at!
Faith Magic - There are some divine spells that would be very useful to a Puppet Master. Barkskin and divine power, for instance.
Idealize - Your combat familiar is going to need all the bonuses it can get.
Multimorph - Great if your GM agrees that casting a spell on your familiar counts as casting a spell on yourself for purposes of this feat. Somewhat less useful otherwise.
Staff-Like Wand - This is a great ability for any wizard. Wands add vast flexibility to your spell selection, but quickly fall into uselessness if you don’t have this ability as you advance in power. It’s too bad there isn’t a way to give this ability to your familiar.
Generally, you’ll want most of the same equipment as a Master Transmogrifist, only you’ll want it sized to your familiar. An Amulet of Mighty Fists (agile or otherwise) is absolutely required after level 5 or so. And as many ways to pile on hit points, Strength and Armor Class as possible. But not Constitution. A familiar ignores its own Constitution when calculating hit points.
If you’re going to go into polymorphed combat alongside your familiar, you’ll want all the same stuff as the Master Transmogrifist in addition to gear for your familiar. You’ll need to invest in Craft Wondrous Item or go broke.
Mithral buckler - It’s not cheap, but you can improve your AC by adding bonuses to the buckler. As is, it grants a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Haramaki - This tummy-warmer gives a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Lamellar cuirasse - It’s a +2 AC bonus with only a 5% spell failure. Definitely worth it at low levels when mage armor doesn’t last long enough.
Silken ceremonial armor - Heavier and more expensive than a haramaki, it nonetheless looks awesome and also grants a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Barding - Remember that your familiar has no armor proficiency and you really can’t afford the feat slots to acquire it.
Amulet of Mighty Fists - Your familiar needs one of these. And if you’re wading into melee, so do you! Make sure your familiar has a neck slot and at least one Extra Item Slot feat.
Belt of Giant Strength - Your familiar won’t need this once you start polymorphing it. But you will if you’re going to be in melee.
Belt of Mighty Constitution - You need this. And keep the bonus as high as you can. Remember that your familiar’s hit points are half your own.
Bodywrap of Mighty Strikes - Less expensive than an Amulet of Mighty Fists, but usable less often. Good for forms with one big attack, or a few attacks at higher levels.
Deliquescent Gloves - Your familiar is probably never going to have enough Extra Item Slot feats for this. But if you’re in melee you could use them.
Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone - +1 insight bonus to AC. Needs no slot to use.
Gauntlets of Rending - Not for your familiar, but for you if you’re going to be in melee and using rend attacks.
Headband of Vast Intelligence - You definitely need to raise your Intelligence for spells and save DC’s.
Horseshoes of Speed - Get your goat familiar a +30' speed!
Ring of Eloquence - This is for you if you polymorph into other shapes.
Scrolls - If you have a familiar capable of using magic scrolls (faerie dragons or any avian or biped with a high enough Use Magic Device skill), you should supply that familiar with bags and bags full of useful scrolls and let them double your action economy.
Shifter’s Headband - This is BLUE if you polymorph into combat forms.
Wands - Familiars with wands to buff their masters and allies is a very standard tactic.
Spirit Binder
There is one archetype that is particularly useful for a Puppet Master and that is the Spirit Binder. Unfortunately, it is NOT legal for PFS play. You lose Scribe Scroll as a feat, and that’s a real blow, but you gain a familiar whose Base Attack Bonus and Saving Throws are determined by the spirit’s former class. Clearly, you’ll choose paladin and give your familiar not only a Full BAB, but also some of the best saving throws in the game.
Unlike the Master Transmogrifist, I’m only going to show one build here. It is a build wherein the wizard does not himself engage in polymorphed melee. If you want to engage in melee, I suggest the Master Transmogrifist build with a Familiar arcane bond.
This Build synergizes well with: Eldritch Guardian Fighter
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:8, D:13, C:20, I:16, W:10, Ch:7
(CON:+1 Transmuter, +2 Dwarf)
Race: Dwarf
Arcane School: Transmutation (Enhancement sub-school)
Opposition Schools: Evocation and Necromancy
Arcane Bond: Bonded Object
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Balanced Education
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Planes), Perception, Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Toughness (1st), Scribe Scroll (free)
Initial Spells: Enlarge person, mage armor, magic weapon, snowball, stunning barrier
Familiar: Fox with the Mauler archetype
Familiar Feats: Swap out the fox’s native feat and replace with Mauler’s Endurance.
1st level: You have 15 hit points. The Mauler fox familiar has 9 hit points (half his master’s plus 2 for Mauler’s Endurance). The Mauler fox is tough, but does little damage and is best used as a perceptive scout. At this level you’ll be using a light crossbow for damage and using your spells to support your allies.
2nd Level: Spells: Mirror strike, shield
3rd level: Feat: Spirit’s Gift (stone), Spells: Callback, bull’s strength
You have 37 hit points. Your Mauler fox familiar has 24 hits points and its base Strength is now 10.
At this stage, your familiar’s Mauler archetype kicks in. It gains +4 Natural Armor (and can gain DR 5/adamantine once per day from Spirit’s Gift). Your Mauler fox can now enter Battle Form three times per day, giving it a strength of 16. You can use Augment to get that Strength to 18. The medium battle fox has a bite that does 1d6+4 damage!
At this level, you can cast alter self on the fox, giving it the form of a Sewer Troll (with 3 attacks and 10 ft. reach!).
4th Level: Spells: Mirror image, visualization of the mind
5th Level: Feats: Craft Wondrous Item; Idealize (discovery). Spells: haste, polymorph familiar
You have 59 hit points. Your Mauler fox familiar has 39 hits points and its Strength is now 11.
Now you’re using monstrous physique I and polymorphing your Mauler fox into a euryale. Instead of Augment, you’re now using bull’s strength to give the fox a +6 Strength (with Idealize) (for a total of 23). In euryale form, it has a +2 bonus to natural armor and is doing a weapon attack, 6 bites +8 (1d6+7 plus poison).
6th Level: Spells: Ablative sphere, shield companion
7th Level: Feat: Improved Familiar. Spells: calcific touch, share senses.
Time to retire your Mauler Fox. Instead you have a caypup improved familiar and have replaced its Improved Initiative feat with Extra Item Slot to let it carry an Amulet of Mighty Fists, currently at +1.
Now you’re using monstrous physique II and polymorphing your caypup into a four-armed gargoyle. This brings the caypup’s Strength to 19 and gives it and AC of 18. Bull’s strength gives the caypup a +6 Strength (with Idealize) (for a total of 25). In four-armed gargoyle form, it is doing 4 claws +11 (1d6+8) and 1 bite +11 (1d4+8), all with 10’ reach.
8th Level: Spells: Familiar melding, greater invisibility
9th Level: Feat: Spell Focus (Transmutation). Spells: Baleful polymorph, duplicate familiar.
You’re now wearing a Belt of Mighty Constitution +4. You have 117 hit points. Your caypup familiar has 76 hits points. Now you’re using monstrous physique III and polymorphing your caypup into a euryale again. Sure, you could turn him into a huge gegenees, but the euryale’s poison is so ridiculously powerful you won’t want to.
10th Level: Feat: Greater Spell Focus (Transmutation). Spells: Break enchantment, hungry earth.
11th Level: Feat: Quickened spell. Spells: Disintegrate, fluid form.
12th Level: Spells: Eyebite, mage’s lucubration.
While the Master Transmogrifist and the Puppet Master concentrate on melee, the Warlock handles three different in-combat roles: buffing, debuffing and battlefield control.
Warlocks primarily see familiars as helpers and servants, rather than bodyguards, and choose the familiars largely for their utility in a wide variety of situations. A Greensting Scorpion or Compsognathus for a big bonus to Initiative or a Thrush for a bonus to Diplomacy are frequent choices.
The Sage and Valet familiar archetypes are particularly useful to scholars and crafters, respectively.
An excellent choice for a bonded object is a ring. It can’t easily be stolen and there are many useful ring types that can later be crafted from the bonded object. Remember, A wizard can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if he has the required Item Creation Feats.
Abjuration - There are too many great buffs in abjuration, not to mention dispel magic.
Conjuration - You really don’t want to miss out on summoning and teleport spells.
Divination - Many very useful spells, like detect magic, true strike and see invisibility are divination.
Enchantment - Some of the best spells in the game are enchantments, including many excellent buffs.
Evocation - Less an obvious choice than for the Master Transmogrifist, but you can still do without blasting spells. Let the warriors do the damage; you tell the laws of physics to sit down and be quiet!
Illusion - There’s so much you can do with illusions, but you need to pick two schools and this one is a pretty good choice.
Necromancy - There isn’t much you need from necromancy, with the exception of bestow curse and false life.
Above all, a Warlock needs Intelligence, and lots of it. Transmutation has some of the best single-target debuffs and attack spells in the game. If you want them to land, you’ll need a very high spell DC. Constitution is also quite important for a wizard. Your defenses aren’t great so more hit points is a great way to survive taking damage. It also helps to shore up that weak Fortitude save.
Priorities: Intelligence>Constitution>Dexterity>Wisdom>Charisma>Strength
Example
20 points
STR: 8
DEX: 12
CON: 14 (+Transmuter)
INT: 16
WIS: 12
CHA: 13
Pretty much the usual suspects for a wizard.
Dwarf - Dwarves get a +2 bonus to Constitution and Wisdom, which makes them durable as characters. The +2 saving throws versus spells and Darkvision are both awesome.
Elf - The bonus to Intelligence is great. The penalty to Constitution hurts worse than the bonus to Dexterity helps, but what pushes this race into the Blue category is the +2 to Penetrate spell Resistance.
Gnome - The racial bonuses to illusions make gnomes fearsome Illusionists, but only moderately successful Transmuters. Still, the bonus to Constitution is very helpful and Charisma doesn’t hurt. And many Transmuters like to cast illusions, too. The gnome alternative race trait Utilitarian Magic is a very nice bonus.
Half-Elf - The ability bonus will go into Intelligence. There is not much else on offer that will really assist a Warlock. You’re not going to multiclass.
Half-Orc - The ability bonus will go into Intelligence. Darkvision is wonderful.
Halfling - This isn’t a bad race for a Transmuter; it’s just not a particularly good one, either.
Human - Humans are awesome! The ability bonus will go into Intelligence. More skills and an additional feat are good for every class and build.
Hobgoblin - Bonuses to both Dexterity and Constitution are useful, and Darkvision is awesome.
Ratfolk - Bonuses to Intelligence and Dexterity, darkvision, small size, and bonuses to many useful skills all combine to make ratfolk excellent Transmuters.
Sylph - Bonus to Intelligence and Dexterity, but a penalty to Constitution. Darkvision, feather fall and resistances.
Tiefling - Bonus to Intelligence and Dexterity. Darkvision, darkness and several resistances. Great choice.
Wayang - Bonus to Intelligence and Dexterity. Darkvision, darkness and small size.
Android - Bonus to Intelligence and Dexterity. Darkvision, and Nanite Surge all combine to make androids good Transmuters.
Arcane Temper - A bonus to initiative and a bonus to Concentration checks.
Balanced Education - Use your Intelligence to make a Climb check, your Wisdom to make an Acrobatics check or your Constitution to make a Bluff check!
Deft Dodger - +1 to a weak save.
Elven Reflexes - A +2 bonus to Initiative that uses a less common trait type.
Hedge Magician - Saving 5% on crafting over a career can save you thousands of gold pieces.
Life of Toil - +1 trait bonus to a weak save.
Pragmatic Activator - Use Intelligence for Use Magic Device checks. Even though you have access to some of the best spells in the game, there are
many great spells you don’t have access to.
Reactionary - +2 bonus to Initiative. Acting first is good!
Seeker - Perception is sometimes called “the most important skill”. It’s certainly very useful. And this gives you an effective +4 bonus!
Tenacious Shifting - Many of your spells are measured in rounds per level. An extra two rounds can be a great help!
Transmuter of Korada - (Called “Transmuter” at www.d20pfsrd.com) - An awesome trait for a transmuter.
Warrior of Old - A +2 bonus to Initiative that uses a less common trait type.
Combat Casting - You shouldn’t be in melee combat enough to justify this.
Augment Summoning - If you’re going to summon monsters, this is well worth it.
Escape Route - If you have a valet familiar in your pocket (toad!), you will never trigger Attacks of Opportunity by moving.
Improved Familiar - So many great options for crafting, infiltration, scholarly research and combat.
Improved Initiative - Seize control of the battlefield first.
False Focus - You can save quite a bit on the cost of casting spells if you use an expensive divine focus in your casting.
Preferred Spell - Make sure you always have your favorite spell available!
Spell Focus (Conjuration) - Summoning is a powerful method to control and overwhelm the action economy.
Spell Focus (transmutation) (and Greater Spell Focus). A Warlock needs the highest possible spell DC’s. Never let up.
Spell Perfection - One of the best possible feats for a warlock, but it comes up very late in the game.
Spell Penetration - And Greater Spell Penetration. Many creatures from the later game have spell resistance. This will help you shatter those defenses.
Spell Specialization - Other than duration, most Transmutation spells don’t have a lot of level-dependent variables.
Craft Wands - Wands are awesome. There are so many great low-level buffs you’ll want to just get a wand for. Why not get them half price?
Craft Wondrous Items - Everyone in your party wants wondrous items.
Bouncing Spell - Give your spells twice the chance to succeed!
Echoing Spell - This feat takes up a much higher spell slot. But combine
Echoing Spell with Spell Perfection and you get to cast some of your best spells twice for the cost of one.
Empower Spell - Great if you have evocation spells.
Extend Spell - You cast a lot of buff and other spells with durations.
Intensified Spell - Great if you have evocation spells. It will stretch out the usefulness of spells like burning hands and shocking grasp.
Persistent Spell - Make your target save twice against your ridiculously high save DC’s.
Quicken Spell - At higher levels, the benefits to action economy from quickened spells are fairly standard. You fall behind if you don’t have this.
Reach Spell - A lot of your spells are buff spells that require touch. A few debuffs, too. With Reach Spell, you can cast them at short range, meaning you can remain safely out of combat.
Toppling Spell - A force spell gives you a trip attempt. A magic missile spell gives you up to five trip attempts in a single round.
Alchemical Affinity - There is a lot of crossover between the alchemist and wizard spell lists. This also becomes more useful if you have an alchemist in your party.
Arcane Builder - Crafting some items can take an inordinately long time. This can help.
Defensive Feedback - Deeply underwhelming for a resource you can acquire only a few times in your career.
Faith Magic - There are some very good divine spells you’d like access to.
Fast Study - Has preparation time for spells ever been an issue in one of your games? Ever?
Forest’s Blessing - There is some crossover between druid and wizard spell lists. But I’m not sure it’s enough to justify this.
Golem Constructor - You can create your own golem. Make your own nigh-invulnerable engine of destruction! Uh, check with your GM first.
Idealize - Heck yeah! You’re going to be throwing a lot of buffs in your time. This just makes them better. Don’t be thrown off by the “enhancement bonus trap”. Your party has lots of unenhanced ability scores. So do your summoned monsters and familiars.
Ioun Bond - Incredibly bad idea. Make all your magic keyed to a shiny object that whizzes around your head and is child’s play to snatch away from you!
Knowledge is Power - This is great for the Master Transmogrifist, but not for you. A Warlock should be standing far from melee.
Multimorph - A Warlock is quite capable of casting polymorph spells and mixing it up in melee. But unless you’ve optimized for it, you really shouldn’t. In which case you don’t need this.
Opposition Research - Actually, this is pretty cool. Been regretting that you listed evocation as your opposition school? Now you get to take it all back!
Psychic Preparation - You have less need for silent spell and still spell than your melee-loving brethren. I’d skip this one.
Split Slot - Just keep the higher-level slot. It’s nearly always more useful.
Staff-Like Wand - I love this discovery. Suddenly, wands become dangerous in your hands again.
Time Stutter - What’s better than improved action economy? Getting a whole round to go when no one else can, without using up a spell!
Werewolf Shape - Leave this to the Master Transmogrifist. You’re not optimized for this.
Mithral buckler - It’s not cheap, but you can improve your AC by adding bonuses to the buckler. As is, it grants a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Haramaki - This tummy-warmer gives a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Lamellar cuirasse - It’s a +2 AC bonus with only a 5% spell failure. Definitely worth it at low levels when mage armor doesn’t last long enough.
Silken ceremonial armor - Heavier and more expensive than a haramaki, it nonetheless looks awesome and also grants a +1 AC with 0% spell failure.
Light Crossbow - For the first 2-3 levels, you’re gonna need it!
Amulet of Mighty Fists - You don’t need it. You won’t be entering melee.
Amulet of Natural Armor - AC is nice, but not a priority.
Annihilation Spectacles - Convert any prepared transmutation spell into any other transmutation spell you know and cast a free disintegrate spell. These are great!
Belt of Mighty Constitution - You should get one of these, and eventually a Con/Dex belt.
Bracers of Armor - Overrated for wizards. Cast mage armor instead. What are you doing with your first-level spell slots, anyway?
Cloak of Resistance - There are a lot of cool shoulder-slot items, but you’ll be wearing this. It’s an absolute staple and missing saving throws can ruin your day.
Crystal Ball - There are dozens of versions of far-seeing spells. Skip ‘em all and get a crystal ball instead.
Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone - AC is nice, but not a priority.
Efficient Quiver - Buy many wands of low-level spells and have them ready to hand at any moment.
Glove of Storing - Have your metamagic rod ready as a free action.
Handy Haversack - Not only can you access your stuff quickly, but this is how you carry a lot of stuff with your low Strength score.
Headband of Vast Intelligence - You definitely need to raise your Intelligence for spells and save DC’s.
Lore Needle - A needle into your brain! Just what every smart wizard needs! Actually, it will help expand your Knowledge skills.
Pearl of Power - These are really very cost-effective ways to get more spells, at least for 1st and 2nd level spells. Buy several!
Ring of Protection - Like all other AC items, it’s nice but not necessary.
Ring of Sustenance - You only need 2 hours of rest to prepare your spells.
Ring of Wizardry - Very nice, but also very expensive.
Rod of Absorption - If you can afford one, by all means, get one. They’re incredibly useful defenses against spells.
Rod of Metamagic Extend - You’ll use this rod with great frequency. Transmuters cast more spells with duration than perhaps any other arcane school and doubling their length for free is a big deal.
Rod of Metamagic Quicken - In the later game, being able to cast quickened versions of your best spells is an absolute requirement for efficiency and survival.
Rod of Metamagic Persistent - If someone saves against your high-DC transmutation spell, they have to try to do it again!
Rod of Metamagic Silent - You won’t need it often, but when you need it, you really, really need it.
Scrolls - Any wizard worthy of the name is constantly crafting scrolls. Every spell you like but don’t have memorized should be available to you via a scroll you carry with you. Also, give them to your familiar to increase your action economy.
Staff of Transmutation - Neat if you can pick one up in your adventures, but probably not worth the cost. You’re better off with a few scrolls.
Tome of Clear Thought - Who makes these things? Well, great if you can afford it, but only quite late in the game.
Wands - Wands are awesome. Especially 1st level wands which are fairly cheap. Get several wands of the spells you like to cast and have them in you Efficient Quiver. Also, make sure your familiar has them and can use them.
This build can still polymorph into fun and interesting forms, particularly the smaller more dextrous sort, but isn’t built for melee combat. The warlock is strictly a spell lobber, firmly placed as far from the clash of arms as possible.
This Build synergizes well with: Magaambyan Arcanist
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:8, D:12, C:15, I:18, W:12, Ch:13
(CON:+1 Transmuter, +2 Human)
Race: Human
Arcane School: Transmutation (Enhancement sub-school)
Opposition Schools: Evocation and Necromancy
Arcane Bond: Familiar - Toad (with Valet archetype)
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Hedge Magician
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Planes), Perception, Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Improved Initiative (1st), Craft Wondrous Items (Human), Scribe Scroll (free)
Initial Spells: Enlarge person, mage armor, magic weapon, snowball, stunning barrier
1st Level: Much like the other Transmuter builds above, you’re mostly supporting your allies at this level with spells like enlarge person and magic weapon and then using a light crossbow. However, snowball gives you a nice combat spell when you need one.
2nd Level: Spells: Shield, touch of gracelessness
3rd Level: Feat: Spell Focus (Transmutation). Spells: alter self, bull’s strength.
4th Level: Spells: Human potential, visualization of the mind
5th Level: Feat: Extend Spell, Opposition Research (Necromancy) (discovery). Spells: Ablative sphere, slow
6th Level: Spells: Excruciating deformation, hostile levitation
7th Level: Feat: Greater Spell Focus (Transmutation). Spells: False life, greater; bestow curse
8th Level: Spells: Calcific touch, stone shape
9th Level: Feat: Craft Rods. Spells: stoneskin, communal; baleful polymorph
10th Level: Feat: Time Stutter (discovery). Spells: Break enchantment, hungry earth
11th Level: Feat: Quicken Spell. Spells: Disintegrate, human potential, mass.
12th Level: Spells: Battlemind link, enervation
This build is all about gaining weirdly long reach and striking the enemy with dangerous transmutation touch attacks.
This Build synergizes well with: Magaambyan Arcanist
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:8, D:16, C:14, I:17, W:10, Ch: 13
(CON:+1 Transmuter)
Race: Elf
Arcane School: Transmutation (Enhancement sub-school)
Opposition Schools: Evocation and Necromancy
Arcane Bond: Bonded Object - Ring
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Balanced Education
Initial Skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Planes), Perception, Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Skill Focus (Knowledge (Dungeoneering)) (1st), Scribe Scroll (free)
Initial Spells: Enlarge person, long arm, mage armor, magic weapon, snowball.
1st Level: Your high Dexterity means you’ll be good with a light crossbow, which you’ll need for the first few levels. For the most part, you’ll be firing that crossbow or supporting your teammates, but even now you’re capable of casting enlarge person and long arm on yourself and delivering touch attacks from 15 feet away.
2nd Level: Spells: Feather fall, touch of gracelessness.
3rd Level: Feat: Eldritch Heritage (aberrant). Spells: bull’s strength, touch of idiocy.
4th Level: +1 ability score: Intelligence. Spells: Mirror image, visualization of the mind.
5th Level: Feats: Spell Focus (transmutation), Opposition Research (necromancy). Spells: displacement, haste
6th Level: Spells: Ablative sphere, excruciating deformation
7th Level: Feats: Lunging Touch Attack. Spells: Calcific touch, greater invisibility. The apotheosis of this build. You can deliver touch spells 10' away with no preparation. Combined with enlarge person and long arm, you can deliver your spells a whopping 20' away! Also, calcific touch is a great attack spell for this build.
8th Level: Spells: Mass enlarge person, shocking image
9th Level: Feat: Greater Spell Focus (transmutation). Spells: Baleful polymorph, overland flight.
10th Level: Feat: Time Stutter (discovery). Spells: Echolocation, passwall
11th Level: Feat: Quicken Spell. Spells: disintegrate, greater teleport. Alternately, replace Quicken Spell with Improved Eldritch Heritage to gain an extra 5’ reach.
12th Level: Spells: Greater break, mass human potential
This build feels like a Puppet Master but is mechanically a Warlock. It acquires an animal companion through the Animal Ally feat and turns that into the combatant instead of the familiar. The animal companion’s hit dice, Base Attack Bonus and feats not only scale but are better than those of the familiar. You are now free to either build a Combat Assistant or Servant familiar, or simply take a Bonded Object. Furthermore, the familiar continues to scale whether you take levels in other classes or not. Thus, Eldritch Knight or Magaambyan Arcanist become possibilities. Notice that your Constitution need not be sky-high with this build.
This Build synergizes well with: Eldritch Knight, Magaambyan Arcanist
Points: 20
Ability Scores: S:8, D:12, C:14, I:18, W:12, Ch:13
(CON:+1 Transmuter)(INT: +2 Human)
Race: Human
Arcane School: Transmutation (Enhancement sub-school)
Opposition Schools: Evocation and Necromancy
Arcane Bond: Familiar
Favored Class Bonus: All into Hit Points
Traits: Transmuter of Korada and Balanced Education
Initial Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft
Initial Feats: Nature Soul (1st), Eye for Talent (Human), Scribe Scroll (free)
Initial Spells: Enlarge person, mage armor, magic weapon, snowball, stunning barrier
1st Level: For the first few levels, your role is to buff the party fighter and fire a light crossbow.
2nd Level: Spells: Shield, magic fang
3rd Level: Feat: Spirit’s Gift (stone). Spells: alter self, bull’s strength.
4th Level: Spells: Human potential, visualization of the mind
5th Level: Feats: Animal Ally. Discovery: Idealize. Spells: Ablative sphere, slow. Gain a wolf animal companion. With Eye for Talent its statistics are:
Wolf Size Medium; Speed 50 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6+2 plus trip); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent. In addition, it can gain DR 5/adamantine through Spirit’s Gift. Casting bull’s strength (with Idealize) will bring that Strength up to 21. Add in a Dire Collar and you now have a Large wolf with a mighty bite.
6th Level: Spells: Greater magic fang, hostile levitation
7th Level: Feat: Boon Companion. Spells: Greater flaming sphere, warp metal. Boon Companion catapults the wolf animal companion to a 7th level companion. We put the Increased Ability Score in Intelligence, permitting new options. The wolf is now large on its own. With Eye for Talent its statistics are:
Wolf Size Large; Speed 50 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack bite (1d8+2 plus trip); Ability Scores Str 23, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent. In addition, it can gain DR 5/adamantine through Spirit’s Gift. Casting bull’s strength (with Idealize) will bring that Strength up to 29. Add in a Greater Dire Collar and you gain Animal Growth for 1 minute a day.
You should have also purchased an Amulet of Mighty Fists +1 for the wolf by this time.
From here on out, that wolf only gets more dangerous.
8th Level: Spells: Calcific touch, stone shape
9th Level: Feat: Spell Focus (Transmutation). Spells: Animal growth, shapechanger’s gift
10th Level: Feat: Greater Spell Focus (Transmutation). Spells: Break enchantment, hungry earth
11th Level: Feat: Quicken Spell. Spells: Disintegrate, human potential, mass.
12th Level: Spells: Battlemind link, enervation
I’ve already discussed the Spirit Binder archetype for a Puppet Master. Other wizard archetypes are discussed here. Transmuters cannot take the Arcane Bomber, Exploiter Wizard, Scroll Scholar, Spellslinger, Spell Sage or Spirit Whisperer archetypes because they each replace your arcane school.
Familiar Adept - You lose scribe scroll -and- gain an additional opposition school in order to gain a few more castings of your 1st level school ability. That’s just awful.
Pact Wizard - (This refers to the Pact Wizard archetype from Animal Archive.) You do gain an extra opposition school, but you also gain Sacred Summons and Improved Familiar for free.
Pact Wizard - (This refers to the Pact Wizard archetype from Horror Heroes, which is not PFS-legal). Extra spells, rerolls and an oracle’s curse.
Primalist - You might gain some free spells or you might fatally reduce your effectiveness in combat. In exchange you lose arcane bond and two feats.
Scrollmaster - The ability gained at 10th level to cast spells from scrolls as if they were written at your level is great for any wizard, but you lose arcane bond, which is horrible.
Shadowcaster - Gain extra spells, darkvision and bonuses on shadow spells. Lose arcane bond and two feats. More or less an even trade if you’re interested in shadow magic.
Siege Mage - Not really for Player Characters. You enhance siege engines.
Cruoromancer (dhampir) - The abilities granted aren’t directly relevant to being a Transmuter and cost a lot of feats.
Spellbinder (elf) - A very cool ability. You lose arcane bond for the ability to spontaneously cast a small set of chosen spells.
Wind Listener (sylph) - In the unlikely event that you’re playing a sylph transmuter, these are some great abilities. Spontaneously casting divinations, detecting abjurations, taking on an awesome wind form and even free legend lore spells.
The Transmuter has good synergy with many other classes. Here are a few suggestions for a few of the more interesting ones.
The Eldritch Knight has excellent synergy with any of the Master Transmogrifist builds as well as the Reach Warlock, bringing a better BAB, more hit points, more combat feats and the ability to wield martial weapons (a great addition for many of the monstrous humanoid or giant forms.) They lose arcane discoveries and bonus spells as well as two levels of spellcasting (one for the first level of Eldritch Knight and one for the level of martial class that let them qualify for the class).
To qualify for Eldritch Knight you need to take one level of a martial class. I think the best choice is one level of Bloodrager. Pick up Combat Reflexes to make the best use of a reach weapon. At 2nd level multiclass into wizard and use enlarge person to get even more reach. At 3rd level, take the Mad Magic feat, which allows you to cast spells when raging. At 5th level take the Favored Prestige Class feat. At 7th level you qualify for Eldritch Knight. At that point, take the Prestigious Spellcaster feat, giving you back one of your lost levels of spellcasting.
What an interesting and useful prestige class! Every level of the Magaambyan Arcanist gives you something useful. You gain access to certain druid spells (barkskin, anyone?). Through Superior Spell Mastery, Immediate Spell Mastery and Spontaneous Spell Mastery you gain the ability to ensure you always have your favorite spells ready (which means you can prepare a wider range of spells than usual). Free protection from evil, the ability to burn through the spell resistance of evil creatures, the list just goes on and on.
In exchange for all this goodness you lose the wizard’s bonus feats and bonus free spells each level. That’s a more than fair trade. Yeah, get this.
As with Eldritch Knight, multiclassing into a Hellknight Signifer gives the Muscle Wizard or the Reach Warlock a better BAB, more hit points and the ability to wield martial weapons. This prestige class will provide less in the way of BAB, hit points and combat feats than will Eldritch Knight, but with the Hellknight Signifer, you learn to wear cast spells while wearing heavy armor.
A level of monk with the Master of Many Styles archetype may help the Muscle Wizard, especially if he wants to fight with his bare fists rather than with a big sword. If you go this route, be sure to also pick up Dragon Style and Dragon Ferocity to take advantage of your huge strength.
There is a surprisingly good synergy to be had between the Master Transmogrifist builds and the following combination: Brawler 1 (Snakebite Striker, Strangler), Wizard 3 (Transmutation: Shapechange), Arcane Trickster.
This combination is a good sneak attack build. You’ll need to spend a feat on Accomplished Sneak Attacker in order to qualify for Arcane Trickster. Get a familiar to flank with and start getting multiple sneak attack as a deinonychus or a giant octopus.
Seriously, a sneak-attacking intelligent giant octopus is terrifying!
A level of Swashbuckler with the Mouser Archetype is a great addition to the Finesse Wizard because the finesse wizard will spend quite a bit of time in small forms and the Mouser is adept at fighting larger opponents.
A two-level dip into Eldritch Guardian Fighter is an interesting choice for a Puppet Master because it permits your familiar to use your combat feats.
Pathfinder contains a great many paths to excellent polymorphing and it is not my goal to cover them all. Here are just a few of the best means for a spellcaster to become a melee combatant.
Druids are master shapechangers, able to use beast shape, elemental body and plant shape without using up spells and can maintain those shapes for hours, not minutes. Plus, they get animal companions that make much better combatants than do familiars.
On the other hand, wizards have a much wider range of polymorph spells available to them, including monstrous physique, form of the dragon and form of the giant, which include some of the best combat forms and nearly all of the forms that let you cast spells.
Both classes are excellent shapechangers for different reasons. I’d give the edge to wizards for breadth of abilities.
An alchemist with the Beastmorph archetype can gain some aspects of the various beast shape spells while retaining his ability to use all his alchemist abilities. It’s pretty flavorful but it’s no match for a Transmuter when it comes to polymorphing.
Not to be confused with a Transmuter wizard, the Brown-Fur Transmuter is an arcanist archetype. The BFT’s Powerful Change ability is similar to wizard’s Idealize discovery, but gained at 3rd level. At 9th level, the BFT can start using beneficial polymorph spells on others. So, the BFT is adept at polymorphing others, but not nearly as good as a Transmuter wizard at polymorphing himself.
This is somewhat similar to the Beastmaster Warlock build, above, except that it saves you the cost of the Nature Soul and Animal Ally feats.
Our last suggested alternate class for polymorphing is the inquisitor with the Green Faith Marshall and Sanctified Slayer archetypes and the Fur Domain. This build’s polymorphing options are limited to beast shape I and beast shape III, but it’s quite good at those. It gets Sneak Attack, Bane and Studied target and an animal companion to help set up flanking attacks.
A Survey of Every Wizard Spell in the System Reference Document
This is an attempt to examine the utility of every spell in the SRD as of the time of this writing and compare it to the needs of one or more of the Transmuter builds found in this guide. I’m drawing upon the resources of www.d20pfsrd.com. I know that some of the names there are unofficial, but unless I’m personally aware of the correct spell name I’m just going to use the name found there.
I am not attempting to separate “good” spells from “bad” ones. I am rating them for their utility to Transmuter wizards. Many spells are useful to one build but not another, but as long as I think the spell is a good one for any of the builds herein, I’ll rate it highly.
Note that in general polymorph spells are not good choices for wizards (including Warlock Transmuters), at least not in battle. When I rate those spells Blue or Green, I’m thinking specifically of Master Transmogrifists or Puppet Masters who have carefully outfitted themselves (or their familiars) with the appropriate traits, feats and magical items to take best advantage of polymorph spells in combat.
In general, I think most Transmuters would be well-advised to take Evocation as one of their opposition schools. Master Transmogrifists and Puppet Masters will be dishing out most of their damage in melee and for Warlocks, both Conjuration and Transmutation are filled with useful damage spells. However, I have not taken this philosophy into account in the reviews below. When I’ve reviewed evocation spells it is with the understanding that you have chosen not to take them as an opposition school. However, I still rate them with an eye towards being a transmuter, not a blaster.
The limits on spells a wizard can know are only opportunity, time and finances. If the number of spells he can potentially know is not actually infinite, it is in still vast. However, the number he can memorize is not. A wizard can memorize only a very small number of spells and therefore must be highly selective in those he chooses. His vaunted flexibility is not available to him on a minute-by-minute basis and only comes into play when he next decides what spells to memorize.
Absent a foreknowledge of events, a wizard is forced to choose a general selection of spells useful across a broad range of possible challenges. This means he must have offense, defense and utility spells memorized that are useful in the largest possible set of circumstances and that means he is often memorizing the same spells day after day. These facts have led me to three rules when choosing wizard spell selections:
If you read the paragraph above, it starts with “absent a foreknowledge of events”. That’s crucial. To the extent possible, every adventuring party worthy of the name should seek out every bit of possible information about the situation into which they are about to tread. Not doing so is both stupid and probably short-lived. Seek out knowledgeable persons, treatises on the location or monster or event you are about to face. Use divination spells, spies, invisible familiars and whatever other information-gathering resources you have before you blunder into an adventure and you will be able to make much more intelligent and useful spell selections. You can take that rare but oh-so-perfect spell if you happen to know this is likely to be the one time you’ll use it to its full effect.
Regardless of whether you like to concentrate on blasting spells, crowd control or buffs and debuffs, you will need to cover your bases. You can concentrate on any one role, but not to the exclusion of all others. You are the team’s primary problem solver, not its primary damage-dealer. Your mental self-image should be a toolbox, not a flamethrower (though your toolbox ought perhaps to include a flamethrower.)
What this means in practice is that you should first think about defense. How will you mitigate damage? Mirror image, protection from evil, blur, and cloaks of displacement are all good ideas, as are the old standards mage armor and shield.
Next, consider Utility. You’re the party member who has to solve magical riddles, read ancient languages, manipulate strange levers at a distance and perhaps even provide unusual forms of motion. How many of these bases have you covered? Detect magic, comprehend languages, mage hand and mount are all examples of this.
Last, offense. Let’s face it: your party is already full of damage machines. Your role is to make them better at it. Buffs, debuffs and battlefield control spells are generally superior to directly damaging spells. However, that stuff isn’t as much fun as reducing an enemy to a pile of dust settling over a pair of untouched boots a la Daffy Duck. So take a few of each if you can, but be sure that at the least you take a few spells designed to make your whole party better, whether it be haste or black tentacles.
Like the enlightened little kid in The Matrix who tells Neo that all his limitations are just illusions, I’m telling you that you can have every single spell you want with you. The “spells per day” chart is just an illusion.
The spells you memorize are just the tip of the iceberg. They should be first and foremost any spell with a saving throw, because your memorized spells will have the highest DC’s. But there are three relatively easy ways to get more spells and several other ways that require a bit of planning.
Bonded Object - If your arcane bond is an object, you can use that bonded object to cast any spell in your spell book. So right there you can have some confidence that even the most arcane, rare and unused spell is right at your fingertips if you really need it.
Scrolls - You have the Scribe Scroll spell. Use it every chance you get. You should be carrying around a library full of occasionally-useful spells on scrolls. Stuff with real utility that just doesn’t come up all the time. Look at your wizard character. How many scrolls does he have? Not enough, that’s how many. Go write some more scrolls!
Wands - Wands are for the kinds of spells you use all the time, but don’t care about a saving throw. You should have wands of protection from evil, wands of mage armor, wands of enlarge person, etc. 1st level spells are especially good for this. At 750 gp for 50 spells, that’s a spellcasting steal.
Note: For the most part, I used the website www.d20pfsrd.com to create the list of spells below. It’s an excellent tool. However, it turns out that there are more than just a few spells to be found on that website that aren’t shown on the list of sorcerer/wizard spells. If you find one I’ve missed, please let me know!
ABJURATION
Resistance - A +1 to saves is always welcome.
CONJURATION
Acid Splash - This spell requires an attack roll to accomplish very little. Just use a light crossbow and at least you might do some real damage.
Drench - How often do you need something wet and don’t have water?
DIVINATION
Detect Magic - Easily the most-used spell in the game. Always have it memorized.
Detect Poison - If you need it, you’ll really wish you had it. All the same, get it on a scroll or a wand.
Read Magic - You need this read scrolls. So get it already!
ENCHANTMENT
Daze - You lose your turn, but you can try to make someone else lose theirs, maybe.
EVOCATION
Breeze - How often are you going to need a light breeze?
Dancing Lights - A short duration movable light spell.
Flare - You can dazzle somebody...maybe. Dazzled is one of the least consequential conditions you can impose.
Light - The second-most used spell, after detect magic!
Penumbra - Useful if you have vampire and orc houseguests, maybe?
Ray of Frost - This spell requires an attack roll to accomplish very little. Just use a light crossbow and at least you might do some real damage.
Scoop - The spell for when you don’t have a bucket. Skip it.
Spark - Not terrible, just not terribly useful.
ILLUSION
Ghost Sound - Useful for distracting guards, spooking animals and frightening the neighbors.
Haunted Fey Aspect - Might be useful with an Intimidate check.
NECROMANCY
Bleed - I got news for ya. Any injury will cause a stabilized person to resume dying. Use acid splash or ray of frost instead.
Disrupt Undead - Useful if there are undead around; useless if not.
Touch of Fatigue - Fatigued is a good condition to bestow on your enemies, but this does require a touch attack.
TRANSMUTATION
Jolt - This spell requires an attack roll to accomplish very little. Just use a light crossbow and at least you might do some real damage.
Mage Hand - Manipulate stuff without touching it? Awesome.
Mending - Eventually, your stuff will break.
Message - Occasionally, you’ll want to talk at range.
Open/Close - Just use mage hand for most things.
Root - Could be useful if you’re facing opponents that love to trip or overrun.
UNIVERSAL
Arcane Mark - A cool idea in theory, but rarely used.
Prestidigitation - How gentlemen adventurers remain clean.
ABJURATION
Adjuring Step - Meh. If you’re in melee, be a four-armed gargoyle and don’t worry about triggering AoO’s.
Alarm- Keep yourself alive in the dungeon or on campaign. A good spell for a wand.
Endure Elements - You should probably at least have a scroll of this always handy.
Hold Portal - When something’s chasing you, you’ll wish you had it. Keep a scroll of this handy!
Invisibility Alarm - Situational. Not a spell to have always handy.
Line in the Sand - Attacking an extra time, maybe, if your enemy happens to trigger it, is not an efficient use of a spell.
Obscure Poison - Are you an evil poisoner? No? No.
Peacebond - Very situational. Not a spell I’d memorize.
Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law - Especially at low level, protection from evil is a great defensive spell. I doubt you’ll have much use for the others.
Rite of Centered Mind - Takes an hour to cast, but gets you a bonus on mind-affecting spells and a reroll.
Shield - You’ll use this throughout your career.
Shock Shield - This spell is not fit to lace shield’s mighty shoes.
Stunning Barrier - Gain a bonus to AC and saves and daze an opponent who attacks you. What’s not to love?
Sunder Breaker - Spells that rely on an enemy to do anything reasonably rare are just wastes of your resources
Wave Shield - Only affects one attack? Pitifully bad.
Winter Feathers - Only affects birds...and maybe certain dinosaurs.
CONJURATION
Abundant Ammunition - You should not be engaged in archery.
Adhesive Spittle - Disgusting, but useful and cost-effective. Tanglefoot bags cost real money.
Air Bubble - This is a Blue spell if you’re in an underwater campaign, otherwise, don’t bother.
Celestial Healing - Although it is one of the few methods for a wizard to cast healing magic, it has a material component that is either impossibly rare or just plain expensive. Also, it is of extremely limited duration and not as useful as infernal healing.
Corrosive Touch - Pretty much the acid-using variant of shocking grasp. A good choice for a Master Transmogrifist, a Puppet Master or a Reach Warlock.
Desperate Weapon - Hopefully you’ll never need a weapon this badly.
Expeditious Construction - Instant cover is pretty cool, but I’d not bother memorizing this. Get one on a scroll.
Glue Seal - The reverse of grease, this is a giant-sized flypaper (look it up, millenials!) But it is a smaller area than grease and therefore less useful.
Grease - Grease has ended more fights than perhaps any other spell. Always memorize this, at least until high levels.
Guardian Armor - I...don’t know what to do with this spell. Not memorize it, that’s for sure.
Icicle Dagger - Create an icicle and turn it into a dagger.
Infernal Healing - This spell drives me crazy. As written, it’s flat-out better than either celestial healing or cure light wounds, with no penalty for trafficking in the infernal. The only real limit is the cost of the material component. It’s just a bad spell that should be removed from the game. But, as written, it’s a great spell to have.
Ki Arrow - If you’re strong, just throw a javelin instead. If not, there are many better attack choices.
Linked Legacy - Or you could just tell everyone what you know using your, you know, voice.
Mage Armor - Learn this first. Memorize it every time. +4 AC with no armor check penalty or spell failure. When you can, use a Rod of Metamagic Extend to make it last the whole day.
Mount - A free horse! Do you know how expensive those are? Transportation, beast of burden, door opener, trapfinder. Is there anything they can’t do? Get a few scrolls of this spell.
Mudball - Blinded is a powerfully negative condition. This can really take a powerful monster or armored fighter right out of the fight for a round or two.
Obscuring Mist - The problem with obscuring mist is that it can frustrate both sides in a battle. But it is a great way to frustrate sneak attacks and ranged attacks.
Secluded Grimoire - A great way to protect your spellbook until you need it. Going into a place that may be flooded? Or where you might get mugged? Here’s your solution.
Snowball - What was an amazing spell was drastically emasculated in Ultimate Wilderness. It also became an evocation spell. Look for it there.
Stone Shield - This would be great if it weren’t an armor bonus.
Stumble Gap - Grease is better for both size and result.
Summon Minor Monster - There are lots of creative uses for several tiny animals, but combat isn’t one of them. Good for disturbing party guests or distracting guards.
Summon Monster I - Summon monster is one of the most powerful lines of spells in the entire game. But most of these monsters aren’t worth the casting. In addition to the long casting time and general weakness, the spell only lasts 1 round per level. So what? You summon a goblin for a few seconds?
Unseen Servant - This is really more a lifestyle statement than an adventuring spell. However, it can be useful in a fight if you hand it battlefield control items like caltrops or smokesticks.
DIVINATION
Anticipate Peril - A bonus on initiative checks is great. A bonus on just one is... not so great.
Comprehend Languages - A useful spell. Just remember that it does not permit you to speak the languages you understand.
Cultural Adaptation - If you’re a diplomat, this spell may well be worth it.
Detect Charm - Very situational. Don’t memorize it without reason.
Detect Metal - Not very useful in most situations.
Detect Secret Doors - Very useful in certain locations...like dungeons, but a very short duration.
Detect Undead - Don’t worry. They’ll become obvious soon enough.
Discern Next of Kin - Very rarely useful.
Heightened Awareness - Bonuses to Perception, Knowledge skills and Initiative. Awesome!
Identify - Detect Magic will usually do it. Maybe have one of these on a scroll.
See Alignment - Not something you’ll use enough to justify memorizing.
Technomancy - Memorize if you’re in Numeria. Otherwise, maybe a scroll.
True Strike - Highly useful for a Master Transmogrifist, especially one with Vital Strike.
ENCHANTMENT
Aphasia - Very little use to a Transmuter.
Bungle - The reverse of true strike. It’s okay, but not great.
Charm Person - It’s a cruel world. Everyone needs more friends. End a battle before it starts.
Delusional Pride - Weird spell that makes your target bad at combat and skills but good at saves.
Hypnotism - It keeps you as immobilized as your victims. Not terribly useful.
Keep Watch - A potentially very useful spell in a dangerous location where you can’t afford to sleep.
Lock Gaze - Few are the wizards who can afford to have an enemy lock in solely on them, but a Master Transmogrifist might be such a wizard.
Memorize Page - Highly situational. Not really even worth a scroll.
Memory Lapse - Weird but interesting way to get a few re-rolls.
Moment of Greatness - Works best if you have a bard in the party.
Sleep - Fantastic at first level, but its utility very quickly fades.
Unprepared Combatant - Annoy your GM by insisting he remember all the exact initiative results.
EVOCATION
Burning Hands - A good low-level area-of-effect spell that requires you to get really close. It can retain good usability with Intensified Spell and Empowered Spell.
Dancing Darkness - Fiddly and hard to use well.
Ear-Piercing Scream - Does both damage and debuff, which is often better than straight damage because your allies can also take advantage of the debuff.
Flare Burst - Dazzle is still a nearly-pointless effect, even if you do it to a lot of people.
Floating Disk - I’ve been a big fan of this spell since it bore the name of Tenser’s Floating Disk. Wizard don’t carry sacks of loot - they let their magic do the hauling. However, this is a good one for an end-of-adventure scroll, not memorization.
Gentle Breeze - I’d like it better if it gave you immunity, not just a small bonus to effects you only occasionally encounter.
Hydraulic Push - Situationally useful. Don’t memorize.
Magic Missile - Pretty much the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Shocking Grasp - Yes, you have to get close enough to touch the enemy. But if you are a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock, that’s what you do for a living. Don’t forget that you get a bonus to attack versus armored opponents and that it gets even better when used with Intensified Spell and Empowered Spell.
Snowball - Formerly an awesome conjuration spell, this is just an okay spell now thanks to Ultimate Wilderness. It requires a ranged touch attack to hit and only hits one target, but does moderately decent damage at low levels.
Thunderstomp - A ranged trip attack can be powerful in the right circumstances. Best used in the hands of a Warlock.
Touch of Combustion - Useful at 1st level, but beyond that it’s tiny damage with a chance of more tiny damage.
ILLUSION
Alter Musical Instrument - Worst spell in all of Pathfinder? Keep reading and find out!
Auditory Hallucination - Lots of good ways to use this spell. Win without fighting.
Blend - Elf Only! Otherwise, not a bad way to improve stealth.
Blurred Movement - Never take a spell that depends on the other guy for its usefulness. Unless someone attacks you with an Attack of Opportunity, this spell is useless.
Clarion Call - Super situational. Rarely ever to be used by adventurers.
Color Spray - Possibly the most overpowered spell in the game. Devastating in the first few levels.
Darting Duplicate - Maybe you trigger a wasted Attack of Opportunity. Or maybe this never comes up. Again, don’t memorize spells that depend on what the other guy might do.
Dazzling Blade - A good spell for a magus; a complete waste for you.
Disguise Self - A nice utility spell before you get to alter self.
Disguise Weapon - Ummm... Nope. Alter musical instrument is still worse.
Illusion of Calm - Maybe if you have to cast a spell in combat. Still, I’d rather just step back out of combat.
Magic Aura - Oh Nystul, you joker you! A complete waste of time.
Negative Reaction - Shut down other folks’ diplomacy, bluff or intimidation. Situational, but I at least you probably know in advance if it’s going to be that sort of affair and can plan for it.
Open and Shut - I wish I had a deeper shade of red to express how bad an option this is.
Shadow Trap - This is kinda neat. Entangle the opponent with its own shadow. Doesn’t work in the dark.
Shadow Weapon - You’re a Transmuter. Carry a real sword if you want to use one.
Silent Image - Remains useful throughout the game. No save unless interacted with. A good spell for a scroll or wand.
Vanish - It’s a short-duration invisibility, which is often all you want or need.
Ventriloquism - Occasionally this is the spell you need, but ghost sound or auditory hallucination will do just as well most of the time.
NECROMANCY
Bed of Iron - Useful for your armored party members. Prevents those night time battles in your underwear.
Cause Fear - A useful debuff at low levels, but it fades quickly.
Chill Touch - Get into melee just to mildly annoy an enemy.
Decompose Corpse - Ghoulish and not particularly useful.
Grasping Corpse - Full marks for the ghastly visual. Of limited battlefield use, though.
Interrogation - Note that “Evil” is one of the descriptors of this spell. I’d not like to play in any game where this is a regular spell, but it does do well what it says it does.
Itching Curse - Another spell for which I love the visual component. A -1 isn’t huge, but a -1 to everything that lasts for hours? It could be useful.
Phantom Blood - Useful if you’ve got barbarian or bloodrager levels. See my section on multiclassing, above.
Ray of Enfeeblement - Bleeding the strength out of a foe can be devastating. Sadly, this spell requires both a ranged touch attack and a saving throw. It is a better spell for a sorcerer who can throw it a few times in a row, but it’s still a pretty good spell for you.
Ray of Sickening - Like ray of enfeeblement, this spell requires both a ranged touch attack and a saving throw, but needs succeed only one time to be worth doing. Sickened is a serious debuff condition.
Repair Undead - You are a Transmuter, not a necromancer.
Restore Corpse - You are a Transmuter, not a necromancer.
Sculpt Corpse - You are a Transmuter, not a necromancer.
Touch of Blindness - Requires a touch attack and a saving throw, but potentially useful for a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock.
TRANSMUTATION
Alchemical Tinkering - Very occasionally useful.
Alter Winds - Potentially gets more powerful as you go up in level, but can never increase the winds by more than one step. It also takes a minute to cast and never gets any larger or moves.
Animate Rope - A rope that ties and unties itself and can entangle opponents.
Ant Haul - Until you can afford a handy haversack, this spell is very useful, but fades after that. Try casting it on your mule!
Body Capacitance - If you get hit by electricity, you can give some of it back. But what if nobody hits you with electricity? Never memorize a spell the success of which depends on actions outside your control.
Bouncy Body - Very circumstantial. Useful if you’re often grappled or take the form of a monster with a lot of grab attacks.
Break - Breaking things is what your barbarian is for.
Blood Money - Turn your blood into expensive material components. Hopefully you won’t need to use it all that often.
Burning Disarm - Many warriors don’t have great reflexes and this can get them to drop their weapons. Good for a Warlock.
Crafter’s Curse - You will almost never get the chance to use this spell.
Crafter’s Fortune - If you’re a crafter, this is a great spell.
Damp Powder - How many guns do you face in your adventuring career? Mostly useless outside of the Mana Wastes.
Dancing Lantern - Just use the light spell. Even at the cost of two 0-level spell slots, it’s better than memorizing this.
Emblazon Crest - If you’re important enough to have a crest, get someone to stitch it onto your clothes.
Endothermic Touch - Staggered is a powerful debuff, but it only affects dragons and reptiles.
Enlarge Person - At low levels, use this on your party’s fighter. At slightly higher levels, use it on yourself if you’re a Master Transmogrifist or Reach Warlock.
Erase - Honestly, I wouldn’t bother learning this spell. It will literally never come up.
Expeditious Excavation - Create a 5' deep pit. Under an opponent. Or just dispose of your trash really well.
Expeditious Retreat - This extra movement can be useful. But in most cases mount is just superior.
Fabricate Bullets - If you’re carrying around a pound of lead, why not carry it already in bullet form?
Fabricate Disguise - This could be a fun spell under certain circumstances. Make sure you have a good disguise skill.
Feather Fall - A favorite old lifesaver.
Forced Quiet - Unless you’re a spy infiltrating the bad guy’s lair, I don’t see the point.
Gravity Bow - Transmuters should not be using bows.
Handy Grapnel - Very situational. Maybe have it on a scroll.
Jump - Give your party monk or rogue a big boost to Acrobatics. Or let the armored fighter get across that narrow ledge.
Jury-Rig - So situational as to be almost useless.
Liberating Command - You will use this a lot. Worth memorizing.
Lighten Object - Occasionally useful.
Long Arm - A key spell for a Reach Warlock. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Long Shot - Nearly all your combats will occur at a relatively short range.
Magic Weapon - You won’t usually need this, but some classic monsters have DR/magic. Then you’ll really be happy you have this memorized or on a scroll.
Marid’s Mastery - This might not even be worth casting when in the water. Out of water it’s terrible!
Mirror Polish - Superbly pointless, but alter musical instrument is still worse.
Mirror Strike - Hitting two opponents at once? Great! Having to split the damage between them? Pointless!
Monkey Fish - Worth it for the name alone. Grants two forms of movement you didn’t have before... probably.
Poisoned Egg - Make some moderately weak poison. Meh.
Polypurpose Panacea - In the real world, this would be one of the most useful spells around. It has a few useful minor effects.
Recharge Innate Magic - Great if you’re a gnome. Otherwise, not so much.
Reduce Person - Not an overly powerful debuff, this is actually a good buff for a Finesse Wizard, giving a bonus to attack and damage as well as AC.
Refine Improvised Weapons - Terrible and so situational that you’ll likely go several campaigns without needing it.
Reinforce Armaments - When was the last time you saw anything with the fragile quality in a game?
Snapdragon Fireworks - The damage is tiny and the dazzled condition is almost nothing, but you do get to launch one per round as a move action, so after 1st level it might be worth doing. Possibly more useful in conjunction with the Burning Amplification feat.
Stone Fist - This could be the very beginning of a life in melee combat for a Master Transmogrifist.
Sundering Shards - Maybe gets a fighter friend an extra 1d6 damage one time.
Swift Girding - Absolutely worth it to get all your companions armored when surprised by a fight.
Touch of Gracelessness - Requires both a touch attack and a saving throw, but can reduce the enemy's Dexterity and reduces their speed. Good for a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock.
Touch of the Sea - Good spell if you’re operating near open water.
Transfer Tattoo - This will probably never come up, but maybe you’re in a tattoo-heavy campaign?
Unerring Weapon - If your party warrior has a weapon with a high threat range or critical multiplier, this could be good.
Vocal Alteration - Combining this with a spell like disguise self could be useful in an intrigue campaign.
Weaken Powder - A -2 to hit imposed on a rare class of weapons is not that great.
Windy Escape - Note that this spell should require GM permission to use if you’re not a sylph. Still, an immediate action to gain DR 10/magic can be quite useful at low levels.
Wizened Appearance - Not likely to ever come up.
Youthful Appearance - This either!
ABJURATION
Anti-Summoning Shield - This spell is terrible at low levels, but slowly gets better.
Arcane Lock - One of the best ways to stop whatever’s chasing you!
Book Ward - Don’t take your main spellbook adventuring with you and this won’t be a problem.
Bullet Shield - Bullets are rare and also target touch AC. +4 probably doesn’t do you much good.
Bullet Ward - Better than Bullet Shield, but unless you face a lot of gunslingers, it’s not worth it.
Crimson Confession - Useful if you’re a shopkeeper, I suppose.
Death from Below - Decent if you’re a gnome. Otherwise, barely adequate.
Disrupt Link - This is just not going to come up often enough to justify. Even then, it’s fairly weak.
Endure Elements, Communal - Deserts, tundra, bridges over steaming lava, these are all places you’re likely to be adventuring. Your party will be thrilled you have this.
Escaping Ward - Immediate actions are always good. 5' movement... not so much.
Gird Ally - Awesome spell for a Conjurer. Just alright for you.
Miserable Pity - You’re not a pacifist. When you attack, you’ll regret this.
Obscure Object - You’ll literally never use this.
Protection from Arrows - Meh. When was the last time a Pathfinder enemy used a bow against you? This becomes RED once your foes get magic arrows.
Protection from Chaos, Communal - Highly situational. If you’re fighting a lot of proteans, go ahead.
Protection from Evil, Communal - Evil foes are common, so this is great!
Protection from Good, Communal - Not gonna come up all that often.
Protection from Law, Communal - Highly situational. If you’re fighting a lot of inevitables, go ahead.
Resist Energy - The best energy defense spell for its level. A very worthy candidate for a scroll, although level is a factor so you may wish to trade your scroll up every now and then.
Warding Weapon - Allows you to cast spells without triggering Attacks of Opportunity.
CONJURATION
Acid Arrow - Damage over time is always suboptimal. Combined with the minuscule damage amount, this spell is terrible.
Alter Summoned Monster - Wacky. Maybe somebody can explain why I’d ever want to cast this, but I can’t think of a reason.
Arrow Eruption - Great spell for an arcane archer. Terrible spell for you.
Blade Tutor’s Spirit - You’re going to use Power Attack or Piranha Strike a lot if you’re a Master Transmogrifist. This could help improve your attack.
Callback - Drags a Puppet Master’s injured familiar out of combat when they get hurt.
Cloud of Seasickness - Like a lower-level stinking cloud that sickens opponents. Great spell.
Create Pit - A marvelous battlefield control spell. It threatens a large area and is difficult to escape from without ranks in Climb. What really makes create pit shine is combining it with summon swarm.
Cushioning Bands - A very slight damage reduction against a grab bag of vaguely common attack forms.
Dust of Twilight - The opposite of glitterdust, only it has no effect on invisible creatures, instead dousing lights, and it gives the fatigued condition instead of blinded. Fatigue stacks with itself to become Exhausted, so cast it twice!
Euphoric Cloud - Not a great combat spell, but a great distraction.
Fiery Shuriken - I’m leery of any spell that requires an attack roll, but it is at least a touch attack. You should have a decent to good Dexterity, so this could be an effective attack spell.
Fog Cloud - The same as obscuring mist but can appear anywhere within range, not just around you. Meh. Not enough of a change to justify the higher level, in my opinion. You’ll do better to pick up euphoric cloud.
Glitterdust - Reveals invisible creatures and creates an area-of-effect temporary blindness.
Instant Weapon - More of a magus spell than a Transmuter thing. Even then, just carry another weapon in case you lose the first one.
Mount, Communal - Your party will certainly appreciate this spell when they can’t afford their own mounts.
Mud Buddy - This spell’s long duration make it a good scout, spy, servant and tripper. It fails to mention the mud buddy’s intelligence or wisdom, though, so don’t use it for anything complicated or for sentry duty.
Reloading Hands - If you’re carrying a gun, this might be worth it. It would be a better spell if it loaded the ammunition of your choice, like your adamantine bullets.
Retrieve Item - This isn’t going to be a thing very often. Maybe have a single scroll of this handy.
Returning Weapon - Early on you may be hurling javelins if you’re a Master Transmogrifist. But it’s better just to carry a sheaf of javelins and keep your spells for something more useful.
River Whip - Most Transmuter builds don’t use weapons, and you shouldn’t either. You have better means at your disposal if you must be doing damage.
Shackle - This is a cool spell that scales well with level. Just be sure to have a plan for what to do after your foe is manacled (or worse, isn’t!)
Slipstream - A moist way to hurry an ally along or to grant him a swim speed.
Stone Call - The small damage isn’t a big deal, although it does affect a large area so it can be perfect for taking out a roomful of minions. The real use of this spell is in creating a large area of difficult terrain. Consider pairing this with Dazing spell.
Stone Discus - An attack spell that somewhat scales, has a variable damage type and defeats various damage resistances would sound marvelous if it didn’t require a normal ranged attack. If you’re a Finesse Wizard or you otherwise have a good Dexterity, this becomes a fun little spell. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Summon Monster II - I’m a huge fan of the summon monster line of spells, but not until summon monster III. The list of creatures is simply too weak to be worth much at this level.
Summon Swarm - Swarms shouldn’t be seen as fighting machines (like summon monster), but as mobile debuffs. In that regard, this spell is moderately successful. Opt for the rats, as the Distraction DC is slightly higher. To make really good use of summon swarm, cast it immediately after create pit.
Vine Strike - My favorite new spell I discovered during the writing of this guide was nerfed by Ultimate Magic the day I finished it. It no longer grants bonus damage on every hit, merely on one per round. But because of the entangle, is better than elemental fist.
Web - One of the great low-level battlefield control spells. Immobilizes enemies and blocks line of sight. Just make sure you have anchor points available.
Web Shelter - Cover (not just concealment) that is waterproof and “insulated” (though that word is not defined) and can be easily camouflaged outdoors. It has some good camping- or ambush-related possibilities. Keep it on a scroll.
Whip of Spiders - I’m not sure I really get this spell, which feels like two unrelated spells in one. Makes a whip that does swarm damage and can also be a swarm.
DIVINATION
Blood Transcription - If you’re not evil, don’t learn this spell. If you are, well, beware. Drinking a pint of blood is probably really bad for your health. Not a doctor; just sayin’.
Carrion Compass - Super Situational, but really useful when it comes up. I’d maybe learn the spell but wouldn’t bother with a scroll.
Commune with Birds - Learn what the birds know.
Create Treasure Map - It’s a flavorful spell, but be aware that any decent GM will take this as an opportunity to create a side quest.
Detect Thoughts - Very useful if approached correctly. It only gets surface thoughts, but those are often quite handy.
Detect Magic, Greater - A useful spell, but not spectacular.
Determine Depth - I can’t think of a single time this would have been useful in my entire gaming career.
Elemental Speech - If you’re doing a lot of adventuring on the elemental planes or if you summon a lot of elementals.
Embrace Destiny - The duration is too short, but otherwise an nice preparatory spell.
Know Peerage - Ugh. An odd way to impart knowledge of a very narrow subject. Pass!
Locate Object - Occasionally useful method of finding something. Keep one scroll handy.
See Invisibility - Memorize glitterdust instead. Not only does it give you the area-of-effect blinding, but everyone can see the invisible guy, not just you.
Share Language - In most cases, you should just translate for the other guy. However it can be used to give you a “secret” language no one else speaks. Or to allow your party Diplomat to speak the correct language.
Share Memory - In almost every case, you can just describe the memory and get the same effect.
Spell Gauge - Knowing what spells the other guy has memorized and being able to do anything about it are two very different things.
Track Ship - Maybe some slight utility in a naval campaign. Useless in most adventures.
Twisted Futures - Never memorize spells that rely for their usefulness on something another person may or may not do. You will be disappointed.
ENCHANTMENT
Arcane Disruption - Forces spellcasters to make Concentration checks and makes existing concentration checks worse. Might be worth having a wand.
Bestow Insight - An “Aid Another” action that scales with level. Worth having on a scroll.
Bestow Weapon Proficiency - Not worth a 2nd level spell.
Compassionate Ally - Distractions are good, but distractions that help your opponent are less so.
Compulsive Liar - Good comedy, maybe, but not a very useful spell.
Daze Monster - Daze is a good debuff, but it only lasts one round.
Delay Pain - Pain penalties are rare. Preparing to stop them is generally a waste of time.
Heckle - Ruining diplomacy isn’t that hard. You don’t really need a spell for it.
Hidden Presence - But for the Will save, this spell would be far better than invisibility, as it affects multiple targets and lasts a decent amount of time. However, that Will save puts this in the “don’t bother” category.
Hideous Laughter - It does allow two saves, but can completely remove your foe from the fight. Combine it with aqueous orb for a deadly trap.
Investigative Mind - Reroll a number of Appraise, Knowledge, Linguistics or Spellcraft checks equal to your level.
Oppressive Boredom - The target gets a save every round, unlike hideous laughter.
Passing Fancy - Fascinate isn’t a particularly harsh condition, but it could distract your enemies without alerting their allies.
Qualm - You force an enemy to nothing for one round.
Seducer’s Eyes - A low-grade version of eagle’s splendor.
Tactical Acumen - Insight bonuses are hard to find and this spell makes tactical positioning even better.
Touch of Idiocy - A particularly good spell for a Master Transmogrifist or Reach Warlock. 1d6 damage to three different ability scores at once with no saving throw and no spell resistance.
Touch of Mercy - Force your enemy to use only non-lethal attacks.
Unnatural Lust - Yes, it potentially takes out two opponents at once, but the sheer sophomoric humor involved is wince-inducing.
EVOCATION
Admonishing Ray - The non-lethal version of scorching ray. However, many things that are resistant or immune to fire have no particular defenses to nonlethal damage.
Aggressive Thundercloud - The electrical version of flaming sphere.
Burning Arc - A one-person fireball that might catch a few others with minor damage.
Burning Gaze - Flavorful, but about as useful as carrying a torch. Can be made more interesting with the Burning Amplification feat.
Burst of Radiance - A blinding effect similar to glitterdust, but this does have the additional effect of injuring evil creatures and a lot of what you’ll face will be evil.
Contact Entity I - Contact an entity that will likely want to shatter your sanity and warp you into a mockery of all that is natural and good...ummm....no.
Continual Flame - A solid and useful spell. Combine it with Heighten Spell and you’ll overpower almost all darkness spells.
Darkness - Red or green depending on whether you personally have darkvision.
Defensive Shock - Shock people that attack you in melee.
Elemental Touch - I really want to like this more than I do. Even nerfed, vine strike is better.
Fiery Runes - Maybe if you’re a Muscle Wizard. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Fire Breath - Diminishing damage over time that takes up three standard actions. Not good.
Fire Sneeze - Comedic, self-limiting and suicidal. There’s a reason this is a goblin spell.
Flaming Sphere - Damage you can move around as a move action. That’s good action economy. See the Burning Amplification feat.
Flickering Lights - What is the point of this spell?
Force Sword - This could be alright for a Muscle Wizard or Eldritch Knight. Note that this spell does not give you proficiency with a sword.
Frigid Touch - Great spell for a Reach Warlock. Consider adding the Rime Spell or Chilling Amplification feats for even more fun.
Frost Fall - The tiny area makes this spell ineffective as battlefield control while the tiny damage makes it an ineffective blast spell.
Gust of Wind - One of those spells you think you’ll never use, then frequently wish you had. Dispels fog and cloud spells, blows away swarms. Get it on a scroll or maybe even a wand.
Gusting Sphere - The air version of flaming sphere. Affords some protection against ranged attacks, does bull rush attacks and minor damage, all for the cost of a move action each round.
Ice Slick - It’s the grease spell with a slight bit of damage thrown in. Not enough to make it worth 2nd level spell.
Imbue with Elemental Might - You very likely don’t have an elemental assault.
Pilfering Hand - A decent way to try to disarm a foe or grab that idol off the trapped altar.
Protective Penumbra - Are you a vampire?
Ricochet Shot - Yes you might still be using javelins or crossbows, but you still have better spells to cast than this.
Scorching Ray - In the hands of a dedicated blaster, this can be a great spell, but you don’t have the feats to dedicate to that. So it’s just an okay spell.
Shatter - Hit their potions or spell component pouch.
Sonic Scream - The sound version of fiery breath and shares that spell’s problems. This is slightly better because few things are resistant to sonic damage.
Spontaneous Immolation - Weak damage and minor damage over time.
ILLUSION
Blur - One of the best damage-avoidance spells at this level.
Dark Whispers - A decent way for the party to remain in communication when separated. But don’t split the party.
Disguise Other - Again, a good disguise kit may accomplish a lot of this.
Familiar Figment - Not to be confused with a figment familiar. This is a great spell, comparable to, but different from, mirror image for familiars. A must-have for a Puppet Master.
Ghostly Disguise - A decent Hallowe’en spell, maybe.
Haunting Mists - Obscuring mist plus shaken and Wisdom damage.
Hidden Blades - Useful that one time you try to slip into the king’s throne room, but never again. Ever.
Hypnotic Pattern - Fascinate is a weak condition.
Invisibility - One of the greatest spells in the game. Remember that casting spells like buffs and battlefield control do not end the spell.
Jitterbugs - If it gave a penalty to Reflex saves, I’d rate it more highly.
Mad Hallucination - –2 penalty on Will saving throws, caster level checks, Intelligence-based skill checks, and Wisdom-based skill checks. A good start to most enchantment spells.
Magic Mouth - This is a GM spell, not a player spell. You won’t use it.
Minor Image - Like the silent image spell but not silent. Quite powerful for its level.
Mirror Image - A great spell for any wizard, it’s particularly good for a Master Transmogrifist. This damage-avoidance spell will be with you throughout your career. Later, quickened mirror image will be a staple spell for you.
Misdirection - Very situational. Will almost never be used.
Phantom Trap - Again, more of a GM spell than a player spell.
Shadow Anchor - I like the visuals and the mechanics of this spell, but I wonder how useful it is.
Shifted Steps - Rarely useful.
Silent Table - Sounds like a good spell for a scroll.
Symbol of Mirroring - I’m not sure if the symbol creates mirror images of creatures you meet after activating it. If so, it becomes more harmful than helpful.
Twilight Haze - Combines fog cloud and darkness. I think either one alone is plenty.
Umbral Weapon - I have to admit I’m a sucker for great fantasy visuals in a spell and this one is very flavorful. However, of the Transmuter builds in this guide, very few will use weapons. If you use weapons, consider this spell.
NECROMANCY
Blindness/Deafness - A devastatingly effective spell.
Bloodbath - You definitely take damage every round and maybe your opponents do, too? No thanks!
Blood in the Water - Highly situational.
Bone Fists - This is actually a pretty good spell for a Master Transmogrifist or a Puppet Master.
Bone Shaker - Halfway decent single target attack spell.
Brow Gasher - This needs to be delivered by a melee weapon, so it is useful in the hands of a Muscle Wizard.
Command Undead - Free allies are always useful. Note that unintelligent undead get no saving throw.
Companion Life Link - Know when your friend is in trouble.
Curse Terrain, Lesser - This spell has an expensive material component, and long casting time, but does affect a large area.
Defending Bone - A decent early way to get Damage Reduction.
Defoliate - Unless you’re doing a lot of jungle adventuring, this won’t be useful very often if at all.
Dress Corpse - Ick.
False Life - Any wizard can use more hit points, and no one moreso than a Master Transmogrifist. Not a huge buff, but a good one.
Ghoul Touch - The paralysis is a great effect, but the stench is as likely to affect your allies as your enemies. Good for a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock.
Languid Venom - Good for assassins. Not so much for adventurers.
Life Pact - It could keep you from dying, but it could also make sure you die along with your comrades if they go down. Use with caution!
Limp Lash - This is an amazing spell for a Reach Warlock. Penalties to Strength, Dexterity -and- Constitution every round!
Pernicious Poison - A very good spell for a Specialist-build Master Transmogrifist. Make sure those poison attacks take effect!
Scare - As cause fear, but affects creatures of up to 6 HD.
Sentry Skull - Grim and grisly, and not a lot better than alarm.
Skinsend - Creepy, but it does represent one of your earliest polymorph spells. Becoming a construct means you are immune to a great deal of trouble. Better make sure your body is protected, though!
Spectral Hand - For a Puppet Master or Ranged Warlock, this is not bad, but does use up a standard action to cast.
Steal Voice - If the target fails its save, it can still cast spells 80% of the time. Not worth your time.
Stricken Heart - Touch attack does damage and causes the target to be staggered for a round (possibly more), with no save. Great spell for a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock.
Touch of Bloodletting - Exhaustion is a pretty great debuff, but this is also easy to cure.
Unshakable Chill - One creature takes nonlethal damage every ten minutes. Useless to an adventurer.
TRANSMUTATION
Aboleth’s Lung - If you’re playing an aquatic adventure, this becomes GREEN. Otherwise, losing the ability to breath air tends to be a big deal.
Accelerate Poison - Good for a Specialty-build Master Transmogrifist or any wizard trying to use poisonous forms.
Adhesive Blood - Possibly useful for a Master Transmogrifist. Other wizards would be well advised to use their spells to keep them out of melee instead.
Adoration - Still not as bad as alter musical instrument. But this is still terrible. There are several ways to get a +2 to diplomacy that don’t require you to cast a spell on someone else, or give them a saving throw.
Air Step - Not bad if you have ranks in fly (and if you don’t, why not? You’re a wizard, for crying out loud).
Alter Self - Yay! Your first real polymorph spell. If you’re a Master Transmogrifist or a Puppet Master, you’re going to get huge utility out of this. Even if you’re not, it’s one of the best disguise/scouting spells at this level. Plus, you can get darkvision, low-light vision, scent and/or a swim speed when you need it.
Amplify Stench - This spell stinks.
Angelic Aspect, Lesser - Low-light vision, protection from evil and resistance to acid and cold. Not bad!
Animal Aspect - I like the fact that this spell has so many uses, depending on your need. Gain bonuses to Acrobatics, Grappling, Climb checks, Disable Device and Stealth, movement speed, or gain a swim or climb speed.
Ant Haul, Communal - Everyone can carry a lot. Useful, but not spectacular.
Badger’s Ferocity - Gives everyone in your party a keen weapon, but takes you out of the fight. Its utility depends on how many bladed weapons are in use in the party.
Bear’s Endurance - Not only is this a great spell, it’s going to get even better when you take the Idealize discovery. Everyone can use more hit points, but most people will buy belts of giant strength or belts of incredible dexterity long before they begin to magically alter their Constitution, so this will remain useful for a long time.
Blood Armor - Useful for a Master Transmogrifist to increase AC. Note that the special enhancement bonus stacks with itself.
Blood Blaze - Wacky fun, but almost certainly useless.
Boiling Blood - Pitiful damage. Slightly less terrible if your friend is an orc (or half-orc).
Bull’s Strength - You need this spell for the first several levels. But once your martial characters are all wearing belts of giant strength, its utility will fade. It will get better with the Idealize discovery, but then begin to fade again.
Buoyancy - A better spell for an aquatic adventure. A decent candidate for a scroll.
Carry Companion - How do you get your goat familiar up a set of stairs? Well, you turn them into something that can fly, of course. But for a longer-term solution, there is this spell.
Cat’s Grace - Nice for archers and rogues and for yourself if you’re still relying on javelins or crossbows for damage.
Certain Grip - This is the sort of spell you don’t generally want to memorize, but would be great on a scroll.
Codespeak - The duration is too short to be generally effective. Maybe worth a scroll, but I wouldn’t.
Darkvision - Walking around in dark dungeons with a brightly lit torch is telling the enemy your location long before you can see them.
Destabilizing Powder - First of all, how many firearms will you face in your career? Second, even if you face them all the time, having to spend a spell and a standard action -and- have the gunslinger fail a save -only- to get a gun that misfires slightly more often? Definitely not worth it.
Disfiguring Touch - You’re better off with debuffs that don’t allow saves, or which target multiple targets, or which affect the target more seriously. A -2 to attacks rolls isn’t terrible, but with the saving throw and single target, isn’t great either.
Eagle’s Splendor - Hey, adoration, here’s how you get a +2 to Diplomacy. And to Bluff. And to Intimidate.
Eldritch Conduit - As a Swift action, this would be a great spell, but don’t waste two standard actions just to get your spell to start in a different location. Use your feet instead.
Extreme Flexibility - Great if you know you’re facing a grappling foe. Keep one on a scroll.
Fear the Sun - Terrible. The target is blinded for a round, then dazzled if you have a bright light and he fails his save.
Fleshcurdle - I like the multiplicity of results you can get from this spell. It is like the Swiss-Army-Knife of debuffs.
Fool’s Gold - Not really a combat spell, but a -2 penalty on all saves is a pretty great debuff if you can set it up.
Fox’s Cunning - A great way to buff your own spell DC’s at low level. Later, you’ll have a headband of vast intelligence.
Full Pouch - Make new alchemical fire or frost or tanglefoot bags for free. The text talks about a “slight reduction in quality”, but there’s no mechanic to back that up. In fact, if the DC of your spell is good enough, the item might even be better than the original.
Glide - In almost every way, levitate is better.
Greensight - Useful in a wilderness heavy adventure, but otherwise just get a scroll.
Hidden Knowledge - I’m sure there’s a use for this, but it’ll come up maybe once in twenty campaigns. Don’t bother.
Human Potential - The best part of this is that the target chooses the affected ability.
Kinetic Reverberation - A good chance to break an enemy’s weapon without having to spend actions on it. Cast it on your big fighter friends early on. If you’re a Master Transmogrifist, cast it on yourself once you start polymorphing.
Knock - If you have a rogue in the party, you don’t need this. If you don’t have a rogue, this spell is a must.
Levitate - One of the very best low-level defense spells there is. Get up above the fray and you’re safe from most attackers. Even once you have access to fly, this spell will remain useful.
Magic Siege Engine - What’s with all the siege engine spells? No, you don’t need this, he said, rolling his eyes.
Make Whole - You definitely want this spell in your spellbook, and probably on a scroll, but don’t bother memorizing it.
Masterwork Transformation - If there was a category lower than red, this spell would be there.
Merge with Familiar - Sometimes you need to be able to hide or transport your familiar. Maybe worth having on a scroll.
Mirror Hideaway - Similar to rope trick, only it doesn’t leave a rope dangling in mid-air. Nice for your lair, but there aren’t too many mirrors in the places you’ll normally adventure.
Molten Orb - Damage over time isn’t great, but at least it can affect multiple targets.
Owl’s Wisdom - You won’t use this that often. But a good way to pump up your Will saves if necessary.
Pouncing Fury - (new with Ultimate Wilderness) - Useful for forms with natural claws (like the tiefling’s Maw or Claw ability) or who are using Battleshaping. Harder to use once you begin polymorphing.
Pyrotechnics - A great debuff that will last for many levels, but it does require a fire as a source.
Quick Change - Sadly this doesn’t work in reverse, but quick changing back into your true form leaves you as an unarmed wizard, so not so helpful.
Raven’s Flight -Made obsolete by the fly spell, but a great way to escape or to get someplace otherwise inaccessible.
Recoil Fire - Firearm-bearing opponents aren’t common, and using this spell makes them flat footed, but does nothing else to harm them.
Reinforce Armaments, Communal - If you know you’re going to fight something that uses the Sunder attack a lot, maybe. But this is mostly useless.
Rope Trick - Still one the best early “camping” spells, and if you’re smart about where you put the rope, a great place to hide.
Scale Spikes - If you’re polymorphed into dragon shape, you won’t be wasting time worrying about whether your scales have spikes. You’ll be too busy laying waste to armies.
Sculpt Simulacrum - It’s going to be a long time, if ever, before you have to worry about sculpting simulacra. But since simulacrum and lesser simulacrum allow you to “create an illusory duplicate of any creature”, I’m not sure what you need this for.
Silk to Steel - Just cast shield instead. It’s better and lasts longer and leaves your hands free.
Snow Shape - Create walls and supports of iron-hard snow.
Spider Climb - Levitate is better in almost every way. This should have been a 1st-level spell.
Splinter Spell Resistance - Let your fighter buddy beat the spell resistance right out of your enemy.
Stabilize Powder -If you happen to use a gun, this might be useful. But misfires aren’t all that common, so tell your gunslinger to take his chances. It’s not like he isn’t awesome most of the time.
Staggering Fall - This could be an effective addition to the create pit line of spells.
Steal Breath - One of the best anti-wizard spells out there at this level (so beware!). Most wizards don’t have great Fortitude saves.
Steal Size - Two spells for the price of one. A great bargain. However, most large creatures have good fortitude saves, so if you haven’t kept your DC’s high, don’t bother.
Stone Throwing - It’s an okay ability in combination with enlarge person or monstrous physique II (and above). Downright terrible for a medium or smaller wizard.
Strong Wings - Maybe a good thing if you have a flying familiar. Otherwise, this spell is RED.
Tattoo Potion - Not sure how often you’ll need to conceal a potion.
Tears to Wine - In vino, veritas. Turn sewer water into knowledge!
Telekinetic Assembly - Siege engine spells. You’ll never use ‘em!
Telekinetic Volley - Somewhat better than firing a light crossbow or throwing javelins if you are a low-Dexterity or low-strength wizard. It has the added advantage of not having to lug around the weapon and if you’re using a crossbow, you can use your move action to do something other than reload.
Thunder Fire - Hey! Finally a firearm-related spell I like! If you’re actually fighting a lot of opponents with firearms, this may actually be rated GREEN.
Time Shudder - This...may actually be worse than alter musical instrument. I can at least conceive of a situation in which I’d use that spell. One would have to be mad to employ this spell. Whether you’re surrounded by your friends or your enemies, the net result of this spell is that you’re not helping.
Tremor Blast - Your CMB is pitiful. As will be your success with this spell.
Twisted Space - It works, if it works at all, for a single round on a single creature who may still hit someone you don’t want them to hit. Only marginally better than doing nothing at all.
Visualization of the Body - Duh-amn. This is good stuff. This spell would be blue even if it was only the increase to hit points. The other options are gravy. And a 24-hour duration! Master Transmogrifists, memorize this now!
Visualization of the Mind - If anything, this one is even better than visualization of the body. A 24-hour long bonus of +5 to a whole class of skills? +5 Intimidate, Bluff and Diplomacy, anyone? Or how about a +5 to all knowledge skills and Linguistics? One or both of these two spells should be memorized every day!
Whispering Wind - If the range were 10 miles per level, this would be really worth something. But at 1 mile per level, it’s really only useful in a single city or dungeon setting. Great in, say, Absalom or Ptolus, more or less useless in Kingmaker.
Winged Sword - Turn a melee weapon into a throwing weapon. Why not just carry a throwing weapon?
With the Wind - (new in Ultimate Wilderness) - It’s going to come up so rarely as to make this spell useless.
ABJURATION
Ablative Sphere - Works best for a Puppet Master or a Ranged Warlock. Even though it gains hit points as you level, its power will fade because martial characters will be able to cut through Hardness 5 fairly soon. But at 5th and 6th level, it’s a pretty darned good fortress to cast spells from.
Blade Snare - This is a great spell for any wizard and even better for those who seek out melee like the Master Transmogrifist. It’s ORANGE for wizards who mostly try to stay out of melee.
Cloak of Winds - Awesome against swarms... or brownies maybe? Otherwise, not so very useful. Keep on a scroll; don’t memorize.
Dispel Magic - One of the most commonly-used spells in the game. Your spell DC’s don’t matter - this isn’t about finesse. Only your caster level matters, so this is equally good for any wizard of a given level.
Explosive Runes - More funny than useful. Maybe worth learning, but definitely not worth memorizing.
Guardian Monument, Lesser - Okay, this is actually a great spell. But it’s for casting on your castle gates or your village well or something, not for going adventuring with. Keep a couple of scrolls with this spell in your sanctum. Obviously, only useful if you’re allied with a bunch of humans. A great spell for the Kingmaker Adventure Path.
Magic Circle against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law - Protect all your friends (in an admittedly very small radius)
Nondetection - Protecting yourself against something that’s unlikely to happen very often is a waste. But keep a scroll of it handy just in case.
Protection from Arrows, Communal - Not a bad spell in theory... I just don’ see that many bow-wielding bad guys in my games. Do you?
Protection from Energy - I strongly prefer the lower-level spell resist energy.
Quell Energy - Reduce or eliminate the energy attacks of a single creature.
Resist Energy, Communal - A much more useful spell than protection from energy. And it’ll make your friends happy.
Scales of Deflection - Raise your Touch AC to meet your regular AC for one attack. I’d like this a lot better if it worked against multiple attacks. This feels like a 2nd-level spell.
Selective Alarm - Alarm is a great spell, and maybe selective alarm would be as good if it were 2nd level, but it is definitely underpowered for a 3rd level spell.
Shield Companion - This spell will give a Puppet Master’s familiar a much longer life. Bonuses to AC and the ability to shift damage to you. The key to this spell is that unlike abilities like Life Link, you can choose whether to take the familiar’s damage or not on a case-by-case basis.
Stunning Barrier, Greater - A good spell for any wizard, this is a great spell for a Master Transmogrifist. A bonus to AC and saving throws is good; stunning your opponents over and over again? Priceless.
CONJURATION
Ablative Barrier - A bonus to AC and converts damage from each injury to nonlethal damage. Nonlethal will put you down as fast as lethal damage, but any sort of healing will heal both simultaneously, effectively doubling the value of any healing you receive.
Aqueous Orb - This is a fun battlefield control spell you can direct as a Move action. Combine it with hideous laughter and it becomes quite lethal.
Ash Storm - A large area of effect that blocks all sight and creates difficult terrain. This is a great way to block your retreat or screen your advance.
Conjure Carriage - A fine spell for an urban campaign, with a good duration, though it seems a bit high level for what it does.
Force Anchor - The movement limits here aren’t terribly limiting and the damage is small.
Gloomblind Bolts - Damage, multiple targets and blindness are all good, but requiring an attack roll and a saving throw reduce the spell’s effectiveness.
Ice Spears - Damage to multiple targets, plus trip and also you create an area-denial pillar of ice.
Infernal Challenger - Not only is casting this spell an evil act, but the devil is dispelled the moment it takes damage from anyone but its target. It is, however, a powerful ally to summon against a single foe.
Iron Stake - Subpar as a general attack spell, it is excellent against many demons and fey.
Mad Monkeys - Possibly the funniest spell in the game, it can deafen, nauseate, disarm and steal from your opponents.
Nauseating Trail - Like stinking cloud, but you can shape it with your movement. Situationally more useful, but not worth the higher level.
Pellet Blast - Even if you spend the money for the damage reduction, this spell is inferior in damage and effect to many others of this level.
Penumbral Disguise - An inferior disguise spell for the level. Try alter self instead!
Phantom Driver - It’s kind of cool, but you’d be better off with conjure carriage.
Phantom Steed - A fast movement spell that will be useful for many levels, eventually gaining water walk, air walk and fly.
Planar Inquiry - This is a divination disguised as conjuration, and I love it. It allows you to gain knowledge you don’t have or gather information when you don’t have Diplomacy or don’t want people to know you’re asking the questions. Very much worth having a few scrolls of this handy.
Rain of Frogs - Swarms are great, and poisonous swarms are even better. But concentration spells eat up your actions in combat.
Returning Weapon, Communal - Super situational, like if your many dwarf friends all have axes they want to throw, for some reason.
Sepia Snake Sigil - It’s a solid protect-your-book spell, but do your spellbooks really need protection? Ever? This is a GM spell.
Silver Darts - It’s a cone of silver needles that does 1d6 damage per level, which is high for a non-evocation spell. But armored creatures or creatures with significant natural armor take only half damage.
Sleet Storm - A large area of effect that blocks all sight and creates slippery terrain. This is a great way to block your retreat or screen your advance.
Spiked Pit - A very effective area-denial spell that also swallows up large enemies. Frankly, these spells are probably overpowered if the GM doesn’t start giving most humanoids some ranks in the climb skill.
Stinking Cloud - A powerful debuff and area-denial spell that nauseates enemies and gives you a fog cloud. Stinking cloud is half of the well-known and deadly duo black tentacles+stinking cloud.
Storm Step - Close-range teleport and damage in a line. Meh.
Summon Monster III - Possibly the best summon monster spell for its level. So many good effects to be had. I’m a huge fan of the lantern archon and the leopard.
Summon Totem Creature - A less helpful collection of creatures than summon monster III, but you can summon more of some of them.
Sundered Serpent Coil - Like black tentacles but for a single target.
Swarm of Fangs - A fast swarm that does 2d6 damage without a save and which you can mentally direct as a Move action. Beware it doesn’t come to get you, though!
Urban Step - A medium-range teleport that requires two open doors within range and sight.
Waves of Blood - A cone-shaped bull rush and the sickened condition.
Web Bolt - This spell is underpowered for a third level spell.
DIVINATION
Arcane Sight - As detect magic, but faster. Personally, I like this one a lot, but for diviners, not transmuters.
Aura Sight - Know the alignment of every person and object within 120 feet.
Blood Biography - Interrogate captives or corpses with their blood.
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance - A terrific way to spy on the enemy, learn what’s beyond a door, or find out what your neighbors are doing.
Detect Anxieties - A very situational spell that gives you an advantage on intimidation.
Detect Desires - A third-level spell to gain a +2 on Diplomacy? Not worth it!
Discern Value - The worst sort of spell. Prior to this being published, any GM would have permitted a simple Appraise check to do everything this spell can do. It’s not like Appraise is an overused or overpowered skill.
Find Fault - Learn a target’s weaknesses as if you had made the appropriate knowledge skill with a roll of 20+your level. Plus, gain a +5 bonus to your first attack. Keen!
Harrowing - Fiddly and forces you to keep track of the results, but also can harm you as well as help.
Insect Scouts - The scouts slowly map out a location and help you with knowledge of defenses and traps, but know nothing about defenders or plans.
Locate Weakness - You’re not going to be doing an unusual amount of critical hits, even if you are melee. There are many more important spells to cast if you’re headed into melee.
Pack Empathy - Moderately useful if you split the party. But don’t split the party.
Perfect Placement - The bonuses are quite small, but insight bonuses are rare and should stack with the other bonuses you have.
Pierce Disguise - So situational as to be functionally useless.
See Beyond - Bonuses to the most commonly used skill are quite nice, but it’s the penultimate sentence that gets this spell its GREEN rating: you get X-Ray vision!
Seek Thoughts - A very useful spell when combined with asking the right questions.
Share Language, Communal - Most games will simply allow one person to translate for the rest and you would not need this spell.
Spherescry - A rather sickening spell that is also seriously underpowered.
Spirit Bonds - A one-hour casting time, but a 24-hour duration. Knowing location and emotional state are just okay, but being able to send a tersely-worded message is perhaps a little better.
Tongues - Much better than the Linguistics skill. Speak, read, write and understand any language.
Unravel Destiny - I have a HUGE problem with the philosophy behind this spell. Hero points are a reward from the GM to the player. If you can then turn them around and turn them into a negative, the player has lost the incentive to work in heroic ways. This is just terrible game design.
Voluminous Vocabulary - Just cast tongues. It’s better.
ENCHANTMENT
Bleed for Your Master - Not an “evil” spell, but evil is as evil does. On the other hand, this is a good way to block an incoming attack. Not sure it’s worth a third-level spell, however.
Burdened Thoughts - Heavy encumbrance caps your dexterity bonus at +1 and imposes a -6 penalty on certain skills. Neither of which necessarily impose much of a burden on the typical monster which is only trying to kill and eat you.
Charitable Impulse - Spells like this sap my enjoyment of the game. Rather than classic fantasy tropes, this strain of spell indulges in puerile bouts of “watch me screw with this guy in increasingly unrealistic ways.” Only one saving throw for several rounds worth of illogical behavior? Sigh. Oh, and I guess it’s worth casting the spell because you more or less neutralize an opponent.
Deep Slumber - This is a very good spell when you’re 5th level, but rapidly becomes a single-target spell as levels increase.
Deflect Blame - Extremely situational.
Draconic Malice - This spell doesn’t make anyone afraid of you. It simply negates the target’s immunity to fear. So unless you’re polymorphed into a dragon, you’re casting two spells to make this effective... and pretty much just against paladins.
Heroism - A +2 bonus on almost every d20 roll and it stacks with most other bonuses -and- lasts a reasonably long time. A great spell for any wizard, but particularly for a Master Transmogrifist, who needs all the help he can get on the attack.
Hold Person - Only works on humanoids and only against one creature.
Lover’s Vengeance - You don’t technically need a lover to cast this spell, as you can cast it on yourself. But you do need someone who has wronged you in the past. I like that the spell acts as a contingency for up to 1 day per level, saving you from having to cast the spell in combat.
Matchmaker - Not the sort of spell an adventurer is going to need to memorize.
Mindlocked Messenger - You’re probably better off casting whispering wind unless the recipient is far away.
Nixie’s Lure - You don’t want to lure all the bad guys to you. And Fascinated is not a great debuff.
Open Book - An interrogation spell. Not something you generally will want memorized if you’re an adventurer.
Psychic Leech - Fatigued is a good debuff condition, but the enhancement bonuses are likely to be meaningless to you if you’re a Master Transmogrifist.
Pugwampi’s Grace - Force your enemy to reroll all d20's and take the lower result.
Rage - Forces your party to accept a small bonus in exchange for a lowered AC. And you have to concentrate. Does not stack with heroism and is not as good. Cast heroism instead.
Reckless Infatuation - Force a creature to remain within 30' of another creature. This would seem to yield very little practical advantage most of the time.
Shadow Enchantment - Use a 3rd level slot to cast ineffective versions of 2nd and 1st level spells. Awful spell.
Stage Fright - Amusing to mess with rival thespians, I guess. In combat its primary use would be to make concentration checks difficult. Still not worth memorizing most of the time.
Suggestion - A classic charm effect, more effective out of combat than in. Requires a common language with the target.
Unadulterated Loathing - See reckless infatuation.
EVOCATION
Air Geyser - A one-target blast spell with a maximum target size of large that does less damage than either fireball or lighting bolt.
Battering Blast - By itself, battering blast begins very weak, doing only 2d6 damage. However, at 10th level, you gain a second ball and the damage is 1d6/level, falling again in power until 15th. Each additional ball is an additional chance to knock down your opponent. The key to this spell is two-fold. First, few opponents have any resistance to force spells. Second, as levels increase, more and more opponents will easily make a saving throw, while conversely, a touch attack will get easier and easier for you to land, eventually making touch attacks strongly preferred over spells that grant saving throws.
Blacklight - This is a great way to gain concealment from your foes while you can still see. A 50% miss chance is a great defense.
Call the Void - This is a pretty great way to shut down spellcasters, especially ones you’ve grappled.
Campfire Wall - An okay camping spell that hides your campsite.
Chain of Perdition - The Ghost Rider spell. It seems to attack on its own with no input from the caster necessary. That’s always a good force multiplier.
Channel the Gift - Give up your spell so someone else can cast it.
Contact Entity II - All the contact entity spells have the problem that you have to be barking mad to want to associate with these creatures!
Contingent Action - Pretty cool, actually. With proper planning, you can cast this ahead of time and grant an ally an extra action in combat. Just make sure that action is worth a 3rd-level spell.
Daylight - A useful spell that can light up an area and affect creatures with penalties in bright light.
Diamond Spray - Lots of things resist fire. Few things can resist cold iron and adamantine. It also can ignore certain amounts of hardness, meaning it’s as ideal for blasting through walls and doors as it is through bad guys.
Distracting Cacophany - The DC of the concentration check isn’t too difficult for most casters. But the +5 DC for existing checks is meaningful. Still, not a spell that will spell the difference for you very often.
Draconic Reservoir - Energy damage is common. Being protected from it and being able to redirect it into melee attacks is right up the alley of a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock.
Elemental Aura - This spell has two advantages: damage that doesn’t require an action (beyond the initial casting) and a secondary effect.
Final Sacrifice - The enemy’s summoned creatures are most likely to be adjacent to your allies or you. Of course, nothing says you have to cast it on the enemy’s summoned creatures.
Fireball - Yeah, it’s pretty much every bit as good as they say it is. It’s the single most iconic spell in the entire game for a good reason. Good damage in an area of effect. Boom. Good for a Warlock, less good (in fact RED) for a Master Transmogrifist who should be mixing it up in among those enemies.
Firestream - Bleah. Concentration spells are not good combat spells. Sure, it’s a pretty good arson spell, but in combat in means that not only is your damage negligible, it’s negligible for multiple rounds.
Force Punch - For most wizards, this would be a terrible choice, but for a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock, this is actually pretty great. Cast this, wade into battle and attack. Your first attack gets a nice extra bit of oomph.
Heat Stroke - Exactly like ray of exhaustion but it also does 1d4 points of nonlethal damage? Weird. But ray of exhaustion is a good spell and this one is slightly better.
Hydraulic Torrent - Another bull rush spell. Battering blast is slightly better for the same level.
Lighting Bolt - Less range than fireball and a less useful area. Seriously, take fireball instead.
Motes of Dusk and Dawn - I... have no idea what this spell is for.
Pain Strike - Great. Another creepy interrogation spell. Just what the game’s image needs. Damage over time is always terrible, but the bonus to Intimidate might be useful.
Sheet Lightning - Using the words “true power” in the spell description doesn’t make it so. True, dazed is a powerful debuff, but one round isn’t very useful and dazzled is pretty pointless.
Spotlight - Glitterdust is a lower level spell that does most of what this spell does.
Thunderstomp, Greater - A line isn’t a great area of effect (it should have been a cone), but multiple trip attacks could be worth it.
Tiny Hut - One of the most underrated spells. Sure, you can use it for camping, but tiny hut is really a combat spell. It gives total concealment to everyone inside while allowing them to see out at will. Let your archers have some fun with this. Try pairing it with lesser globe of invulnerability to stop incoming fireballs and the like.
Trial of Fire and Acid - Damage over time - it is always inferior.
Twilight Knife - An instant flanking partner - that’s pretty useful. An instant flanking partner with sneak attack - that’s awesome. Recommended for Master Transmogrifists.
Vengeful Comets - I give this spell full marks for visuals and style, but take a few points back for requiring an enemy to take a specific action before you can use it.
Wall of Split Illumination - I’m really not sure what this spell is intended to accomplish.
Wind Wall - You should always at least have a scroll of wind wall handy. It protects you against arrows, fog spells (like cloudkill) and gaseous breath weapons.
ILLUSION
Adjustable Disguise - Adjusting a disguise is nice. Know what’s better for a transmuter? Becoming something else. Use alter self instead!
Appearance of Life - Make your zombie servants appear alive! Fool your friends!
Audiovisual Hallucination- I think you can mostly get away with minor image, but the ability to program this for an additional three rounds has some promise.
Dazzling Blade, Mass - If you have several users of metal weapons in the party, then by all means. But if you have only one or two, it’s likely not worth the level increase.
Displacement - A 50% miss chance is comparable to doubling your hit points. This is an excellent buff for any wizard, but particularly great for a Master Transmogrifist who will be in combat a lot. True, mirror image has a better miss chance, but this can’t be dispelled by a simple barrage of magic missiles.
Fearsome Duplicate - What a great way to scout an area. The ability to use Diplomacy and Intimidate is just a nice addition to that.
Illusory Poison - This spell is just okay because the target gets two saves (one Will and one Fortitude).
Illusory Script - Just who is trying to read your spellbook, and why won’t you let them? Not a particularly useful spell for a PC.
Invisibility Sphere - Remaining tightly together is a burden, but the spell is still enormously useful in stealth missions.
Isolate - The few instances I can imagine where I’d need this are fantastically rare.
Loathesome Veil - A better battlefield control spell than most of the wall spells.
Major Image - Not a lot better than minor image. Perhaps you can fool everyone for another round with this.
Minor Dream - Like sending, but with the restrictions of dream and two levels earlier. The unlimited communications range is very nice.
Phantasmal Affliction - A variable use illusion is nice, but two saves is awful.
Phantasmal Reminder - Two saves again, this time against 1d6 damage / level.
Shadowmind - An illusion of darkness. It blows my mind. However, 1 level of light change is very minor for a 3rd level spell.
Vision of Hell - An area-of-effect fear spell. Not bad.
Wall of Nausea - A very interesting idea made nearly impotent by its 1-round effect. This is not a big enough deal for a 3rd level spell.
NECROMANCY
Accursed Glare - Forcing rerolls is always a good debuff. Letting your allies help is a fun mechanic, too. However, the 1 round casting time can be a problem.
Animate Dead, lesser - You can gain much stronger allies from Summon Monster III.
Aura of Cannibalism - Injure your foes and give yourself temporary hit points with an ongoing aura. Nice, especially for a Master Transmogrifist.
Barrow Haze - You’re not a witch and you don’t have hexes, but this allows you to cast a cloud-type spell that only you can see through. Nice!
Death Wine - Increasing your caster level (for neccromantic spells) at the cost of a potion might occasionally be a good choice, but the material component is expensive!
Eldritch Fever - Send a necromantic disease that interferes with spellcasting.
Gentle Repose - Have a single scroll ready in case you need to transport a dead companion to a temple to be raised from the dead.
Healing Thief - Non-player characters rarely receive healing mid-fight. This is a waste of your action economy.
Howling Agony - Impose the equivalent of either sickened (plus concentration checks) or staggered on an opponent.
Hydrophobia - If in an aquatic adventure, this spell rises to ORANGE. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Ki Leech - You’re not a monk and you don’t have ki.
Malediction - Notice the evil type. Hero points are very handy, and hard to come by if you’re not a hero. But you are a hero, right?
Marionette Possession - The target body must be willing. So that’s just not going to happen that often.
Ray of Exhaustion - This spell does require both a ranged touch attack and a Fortitude save. If successful, your foe is exhausted, which is a great debuff. If you fail, your foe is fatigued, which ain’t half bad. More importantly, if you hit him with this spell a second time you guarantee exhaustion. So if you have one, make sure you have two!
Sands of Time - This spell has no saving throw and works on mortals, constructs and the undead. But against mortals it generally imposes a –1 to Str, Dex, and Con, which isn’t that big a deal.
Symbol of Exsanguination - Pretty horrible, but you can’t get into the area either. Unless you’ve got a lot of undead or constructs on your side?
Toxic Gift - You need to be poisoned first. ‘Nuff said.
Unliving Rage - You may have necromancy spells, but you are a transmuter, not a necromancer. Presumably you don’t have an army of undead at your call.
Vampiric Touch - Just okay for most wizards, good for a Reach Warlock and awesome for a Master Transmogrifist. This spell has no saving throw. Take your foe’s health while you battle him hand to hand!
TRANSMUTATION
Air Breathing - How often do you need a fish to breath air?
Ancestral Regression - So circumstantial you’ll probably never even wonder if you need it.
Anchored Step - Maybe worth having in your spellbook if you’re going to be adventuring near volcanoes or icy crevasses, but you’ll almost never use it.
Anthropomorphic Animal - When you need your horse to be your butler...
Ape Walk - You can fly at this level. Climbing is passé.
Aristocrat’s Nightmare - Ruin some dude’s lunch money. Yay.
Armor Lock - Many foes you will fight aren’t in armor, or this would be GREEN. The fact that has an effect on heavy armor regardless of the save is nice.
Assume Appearance - A decent way to infiltrate an enemy stronghold. Of course, lower-level illusions could do it as well.
Beast Shape I - This spell has so many uses. Become a dog or an eagle for spying and infiltration. Gain a really good fight speed if you just need to get somewhere quickly. Become a deinonychus for a great combat form. This spell line (and monstrous physique) are why the Master Transmogrifist is here.
Blast Barrier - I can see a few circumstances where this spell would be better than useless, but not many.
Blink - The enemy misses you 50% of the time but you miss them 20% of the time. That’s a pretty good trade, plus the ability to walk through walls. I’ll take it!
Blood Scent - You gain scent, but only to smell injured creatures.
Blood Sentinel - Create a familiar (a weak creature almost by definition) and then if it’s killed you suffer 2 points of Intelligence drain. Great for those shopkeeper wizards, but you’re an adventurer. Your familiar is going to die from time to time.
Blot - Incredibly circumstantial.
Burrow - Burrow is a good movement form for stealth and for entry. Soon enough you’ll be acquiring this from beast shape III, of course. But until then, there’s this spell.
Control Vermin - Have you ever wanted to ride giant cockroaches into battle? Here’s your chance.
Countless Eyes - A third-level spell just to avoid being flanked seems a bit much.
Darkvision, Communal - Darkvision is a big deal in many subterranean adventuring areas. It’s a bigger deal if no one needs light.
Deft Digits - A good way to manipulate objects at a distance. This spell becomes GREEN if you happen to have a good Disable Device skill.
Devolution - Eidolons aren’t exactly common. You’ll probably only use this spell once or twice in a career.
Disable Construct - Constructs, on the other hand, come up a lot. Be sure to have this one on a scroll.
Earth Tremor - (new in Ultimate Wilderness) - I love spells that accomplish two or more things at once, like damage and creating difficult terrain. What makes this green is that it also allows you to select the area type (line, cone or spread).
Enter Image - Fun and creepy, but a spell much more likely to be used by your GM than by you. Can be a decent spy spell.
Eruptive Pustules - Extremely gross, but potentially effective for a Master Transmogrifist.
Excruciating Deformation - A particularly powerful spell for a Master Transmogrifist, it is also quite useful for a Reach Warlock. 1 touch attack causes ongoing nonlethal, Constitution and Dexterity damage. This is an exception to the “damage over time is bad” rule, because the damage has so many types and the fortitude saves resist the effect only for a round.
Fins to Feet - Now your pet porpoise can walk! If you’re a merman, this is rated BLUE.
Fire Trail - Create a weak but long wall of fire as you go. Could be useful to shape a wall to your liking.
First World Revisions - Who knew wayangs used to be gnomes? Anyway, you can’t use this unless you’re a wayang. And even then it only turns you into a gnome. So...what’s the point?
Flame Arrow - You’re probably not an archer, but your archer buddies will appreciate this. If you’re commanding a large unit of archers, this spell suddenly becomes BLUE.
Flashfire - An area of effect blinding spell is a decent thing to have, but glitterdust doesn’t require the enemy to have a gun.
Fly - One of the very best spells at third level. This will be useful for the rest of your adventuring career. Note that the Fly skill is not strictly necessary, but is a very good idea.
Fractions of Heal and Harm - There aren’t many ways for wizards to self- heal, and most of those are necromancy. So dishing out less damage to gain some healing is a nice idea, but it doesn’t save you on the action economy and you’re a transmuter, so you may not be throwing fireballs anyway.
Gaseous Form - A good spell for slipping under doors, but if the enemy has magic weapons (and they probably do at this level) you are still vulnerable and not particularly fast.
Haste - If you’re a Warlock, this spell is a must. For Puppet Masters and Master Transmogrifists, it is still at least a GREEN spell. There are few things you can do in combat that are more effective than giving all your allies an extra attack, extra movement and a bonus to hit and AC.
Heart of the Metal - Give your whole party adamantine weapons (or cold iron or silver). It’s an expensive spell to cast, but when you need it, you really need it. Keep this one on a scroll.
Hollow Blades - This should have been a 2nd-level spell. If successful, the difference in damage will be negligible.
Hostile Levitation - Lots of fun can be had by hoisting the big dumb fighter into the air.
Imbue with Addiction - Other than being really mean and petty, I’m not sure what the point of this spell is.
Improve Trap - Are you setting a lot of traps? This is a GM spell.
Keen Edge - Your warrior pals will like this spell, and it lasts long enough to cast before battle, but it only affects one melee weapon. There are many better buffs (haste, for instance).
Magic Weapon, Greater - This spell gets better with level. It’s really not very good at 5th level (when you can first acquire it), but once you hit 8th, it begins to be quite good. Its long duration means you can cast this at the start of the day and not have to worry about it during fights. However, see versatile weapon, below.
Monstrous Extremities - After a lengthy period, your friend can make a secondary attack...with a hoof.
Monstrous Physique I - Yeah! This is the first in a line of monstrous physique spells. When people think of a Transmuter wizard, they’re thinking of this spell. Okay, probably they’re thinking of beast shape, but they should be thinking of this one. Become a popobala, gain flight and five attacks. Go to town. Ideal for Master Transmogrifists and Puppet Masters, but even Warlocks may want to have access to this for the movement types alone.
Paragon Surge - This is a pretty great buff, but it’s only for half-elves.
Polymorph Familiar - You can already cast beast shape on your familiar via the “Share Spells” ability. So the only difference is that as you level up, you can use this 3rd-level spell to cast the equivalent of a 4th and 5th level spell on your familiar.
Prehensile Pilfer - If you are a vanara, or other creature with a prehensile tail, maybe. If you’re a person polymorphed into a form with a prehensile tail, you’re too busy in melee to be stealing stuff with your tail.
Pup Shape - This spell does nearly as much harm as good.
Raging Rubble - Neither the slight damage nor the low-DC distraction are worth a 3rd-level spell.
Resinous Skin - A collection of many small abilities, the most salient of which for a Master Transmogrifist are the damage resistance and the bonus to grapple attempts. Many of the forms you will assume have grab attacks.
Scale Spikes, Greater - If you’re going to be polymorphed into a reptilian form (or at higher levels, into a dragon), maybe. Dragons don’t do a lot of grappling, though.
Secret Page - Seriously, who is trying to read your books and why would you spend a 3rd level spell to stop it?
Shifting Sand - A decent, but not spectacular, area denial spell.
Shrink Item - This is an awesome way to transport your stuff. You can bring along a cart in your pocket. Or a ballista. Or cart away a giant statue.
Slow - When you’re facing a demon or dragon or, you know, a polymorphed transmuter with half a dozen attacks, this is how you shut them down. A vrock that can only attack once a round isn’t nearly so terrifying.
Spellsword - Just terrible. When are you going to have a sword, but can’t reveal that you have a staff?
Spider Climb, Communal - You can fly now, but maybe your team can’t. Getting your archer and cleric up on the ceiling can save them from a lot of damage.
Strangling Hair - Any combat spell with a duration of concentration is by definition a poor combat spell.
Tail Strike - Want to get even more attacks when you’re polymorphed? Grow a dragon tail!
Touch Injection - Most potions are helpful and poison entails a chance of poisoning yourself. Stick with other spells.
Undead Anatomy I - As discussed in Polymorphing for Fun and Profit, below, the undead anatomy line of spells is generally inferior to beast shape and monstrous physique, save for highly situational applications (like a scouting mission into the necropolis.)
Versatile Weapon - Functions like greater magic weapon, but also permits the weapon to bypass damage reduction of one the following types: bludgeoning, cold iron, piercing, silver, or slashing.
Water Breathing - Great when you need it. Keep a scroll of it around.
ABJURATION
Conjuration Foil - Very circumstantial, but a useful way to harm summoned creatures at the moment of their summoning.
Curse of Magic Negation - The concentration check imposed is fairly minor, on average.
Dimensional Anchor - An important debuff against teleporting foes (like many outsiders) who try to flee and come back on a hit-and-run basis.
Dream Shield - Getting messed with in your sleep isn’t a common occurrence. If it happens, it might be time to research this spell... but it probably won’t happen.
Enchantment Foil - Enchantment effects are common, and a long-lasting +4 bonus against them is a useful buff.
Fire Trap - Uh-oh! A bad man is touching my stuff! I know! I’ll injure him just ever so slightly. Not too much. Don’t want to seem... effective.
Firewalker’s Meditation - DR 5/magic and resist fire 10 are solid defenses. Being able to supercharge them for a short time makes this spell really solid.
Globe of Invulnerability, Lesser - Sure, it won’t stop the higher level spells you’re facing by now, but it will stop dangerous effects like fireball and vampiric touch.
Medusa’s Bane - Gaze effects aren’t too common, but they can be devastating. Well worth having on a scroll.
Nondetection, Communal - If you’re running from a supervillain, you’ll want this. Otherwise, just have it in your spellbook.
Protection from Energy, Communal - This is a really good buff, even though due to its nature it will be short-lived.
Remove Curse - Curses can be devastating. This is a good candidate for a scroll, but not for regular memorization.
Spellcrash, Lesser - You spend a 4th level spell to maybe eliminate a 3rd level spell. That’s just bad math. Don’t do it!
Stoneskin - This is an expensive spell to cast, but really worthwhile against a powerful adversary.
Suppress Primal Magic - Primal magic is very rare. If it happens in your campaign, then consider this spell.
Tough Crowd - Generally just an okay spell, this could become pure gold in, say, the First World or when up against a powerful enchanter.
True Form - The Master Transmogrifist’s bane! Maybe worth a scroll.
Ward Shield - A decent way to protect your meat shield martial ally. But you won’t be casting it on yourself.
CONJURATION
Acid Pit - All of the pit spells are solid battlefield control spells.
Bind Sage - You need to be very close to a very rare creature for this to work...and you need its true name.
Black Tentacles - Legendarily overpowered. This spell ends fights and makes your friends superfluous! No saving throw and no Spell Resistance. An awesome area denial spell and more or less kills enemy casters. However, black tentacles doesn’t really come into its own until you add stinking cloud on top of it. The fight, she is over.
Celestial Healing, Greater - Gain Fast Healing 4 for several rounds. One of the few methods of arcane healing. Just okay at 7th level, it will soon become quite a solid spell, giving 20 hp at 10th level.
Conjure Deadfall - I love the visual, but the spell shouldn’t allow spell resistance - it’s not directly affecting the target. Anyway, it’s a halfway decent single-target blasting spell, but a pitifully bad area of effect spell.
Create Armaments - The only thing this spell saves you is time. It’s just not worth a 4th level spell.
Dimension Door - One of the best escape spells in the game. Use it to get out of trouble! Best of all, it is verbal only, so you can use it when grappled.
Fleshworm Infestation - Disgusting and effective. Again, the rule that Damage over Time is bad is overcome by the three different ways that this spell punishes the target (injury, Dexterity damage, staggered).
Ghost Wolf - You could ride the ghost wolf into battle since it requires no concentration to skill to direct. But beyond that, just use phantom steed.
Infernal Healing, Greater - Pretty much the same as Greater Celestial Healing.
Master’s Escape - Since your summoned creatures are usually in melee with the enemy, switching places with them is often not the escape this spell seems to envision.
Minor Creation - You’re a mighty wizard. If you want something plain made of wood or cloth... just buy it.
Phantom Chariot - This very flavorful spell is a great way to travel. It’s not quite as useful as communal phantom steed, but it does last longer.
Phantom Steed, Communal - Until overland flight and teleport become available, this is likely your primary mode of transport.
Secure Shelter - With this spell you can begin camping in style. However, rope trick may be less luxurious, but it is lower level and accomplishes much the same thing.
Solid Fog - No save and no spell resistance. Slows movement, eliminates ranged attacks and 5' steps. This is a fairly decent way to reduce the threat of archers and gunslingers as well as slowing down pursuers.
Summon Accuser - Accuser devils are superior spies and worth summoning for the right mission. However, the spell itself has the evil descriptor (duh!)
Summon Monster IV - A solid array of combatants (bison and hound archon) and utility assistants (mephits). However, one of the best uses is to summon 1d3 lantern archons from the 3rd-level list.
Touch of Slime - A really solid combat spell for Master Transmogrifists and Reach Warlocks. Green slime is usually just a dangerous nuisance, but if you’re being attacked while you try to deal with it, it can be quite lethal.
Trade Items - A cool thief spell. You’re not a thief.
DIVINATION
Akashic Communion - +10 to three knowledge skill rolls and a reroll any failed knowledge skill checks. However, it has a long casting time and you can’t reuse it on a specific subject until you gain a level.
Arcane Eye - This is an excellent way to scout out an area unseen.
Detect Scrying - Very rarely useful and doesn’t stop the scrying.
Insect Spies - The bugs are slow and somewhat stupid. Check out arcane eye instead.
Locate Creature - Moderately useful, limited by range. Can be used to track fleeing enemies or recently separated allies.
Meticulous Match - CSI: Golarion. For certain sorts of adventures, this spell might be quite useful. For the average high adventure story, it won’t be.
Named Bullet - This is an excellent spell to cast for a gunslinger buddy, but you are a Transmuter and probably not using a gun.
Scrying - Just a flat-out superior means of information gathering. Not just for diviners.
Share Senses - Generally inferior to scrying, except that you can use it to observe locations, not just people.
Symbol of Revelation - It’s immobile, rarely useful and very expensive.
Tongues, Communal - Not really necessary if you have tongues. One character can usually translate for all.
Vicarious View - Other than not requiring the expensive focus, this spell is inferior to scrying.
Watchful Animal - A longer-lasting version of share senses without all the sharing...of senses.
ENCHANTMENT
Antithetical Constraint - This spell seems purposefully designed to make the already shaky alignment system even less logical. As if a paladin must be more opposed to a demon than to a devil or daemon. It’s mechanics over story and that’s always a bad choice. Okay, putting the soapbox away, the real problem with this spell is that it doesn’t do much. Or at least it doesn’t do much to a foe that has any choices that don’t require attack rolls. So many more effective spells at this level (and lower!)
Aura of the Unremarkable - A great spell for criminals or freedom-fighters. Nothing to see here, folks! Probably not so useful to the average adventurer, but perfect for certain sorts of urban adventures.
Charm Monster - The big deal here is that your charm person is no longer limited to humanoids. Useful at times but not a primary spell for a transmuter.
Confusion - One of the most common spells in the game. A truly devastating group debuff that can end encounters with all your foes attacking each other while you safely stay away. Once a confused creature is attacked, it will lock onto its attacker and keep attacking until the spell is over.
Control Summoned Creature - Summoned creatures can shift the tide of battle, and taking control of the enemy’s summoned creatures can shift it back just as surely. But your enemy might never summon a creature, or according to the spell, might regain control from you. Note that the spell doesn’t permit you to continue contesting the control once the original caster has regained control. All in all, a decent spell if you know your opponent is given to summoning, but generally a weak choice because it relies on the actions of another.
Crushing Despair - Not nearly the equal in area of the spell it attempts to mirror (good hope) and it allows a Will save. Still, not a bad debuff.
Daze, Mass - A decent area, but the pitifully short duration plus Will save mean just skip it.
Demanding Message - An interesting spell, but not one you will ordinarily want to memorize.
Emergency Force Sphere - I love immediate action spells. This may not come up all the time, but when it does, you’ll want it!
Forgetful Slumber - For an urban or intrigue campaign, this could be marvelously useful. But again, not a spell to memorize every day.
Geas, Lesser - A classic fairy tale spell, but not one of great use to an ordinary adventurer.
Hollow Heroism - So circumstantial as to be almost never of any use.
Mad Sultan’s Melody - Fascinate is a fairly unhelpful debuff and this works on only a limited array of creatures -and- costs you sanity. No thanks!
Malfunction - This spell rises to GREEN if you’re playing a construct-heavy campaign like Iron Gods.
Malicious Spite - A mean-spirited spell best used in an intrigue/urban adventure setting. Definitely not something to memorize.
Moonstruck - Worse in nearly all particulars than confusion.
Overwhelming Grief - Crushing despair does much the same thing to more people.
Symbol of Laughter - A very expensive spell. Most “symbol” spells are just not worth it.
Terrible Remorse - The damage the target does to itself is not the point. Making it waste its actions is.
Triggered Suggestion - A good spell for intrigue and mayhem. Not so much for standard adventuring. Not something to memorize.
EVOCATION
Aggressive Thundercloud, Greater - Like its lesser counterpart, but doing twice as much damage. Once again, the ability to direct it around the battlefield as a move action makes this a solid blast spell.
Agonize - Besides being creepy and evil, if an outsider is powerful enough to be a useful ally, it’s powerful enough to be a harmful enemy. Torturing them is just a stupid and short-sighted idea.
Ball Lightning - Distinctly inferior to greater aggressive thundercloud.
Contingent Scroll - Contingency spells are useful methods of leveraging the action economy if the conditions are worded well. At the level where you acquire this spell you’re using up a 4th level spell to gain the effect of 1st- or 2nd- level spell, so that may not be a useful tradeoff, but this spell gets better as you gain power.
Controlled Fireball - The spell for terrorists who want to pose as victims. However, it can be repurposed as something like a fireball with the selective spell feat.
Creeping Ice - Seems more like conjuration. Anyway, you can make an ice bridge.
Deadman’s Contingency - The ability to send a post-mortem sending or teleport object could be quite useful.
Detonate - Slightly more powerful but much more personally dangerous than a fireball.
Dragon’s Breath - The same damage as fireball, but at the cost of a higher level spell and with a less useful area of effect and zero range. It also requires a rare material component. It does, however, have a variable effect.
Fire Shield - A short duration minor defense that only works on you.
Flaming Sphere, Greater - As greater aggressive thundercloud, above.
Hurricane Blast - The one-round duration of this spell makes it essentially useless as a defense.
Ice Storm - This spell does slightly more than the 2nd level spell stone call. The difference is not worth two spell levels.
Mydriatic Spontaneity - It doesn’t matter if you’re nauseated and blinded or nauseated and dazzled, either way you’re about to lose a fight.
Pyrotechnic Eruption - Another exception to the rule against damage over time: When the initial damage is quite as good as some of the best blast spells, and then it goes on to do more damage. Of course, it’s only a single-target spell, but it is a nasty one.
Resilient Sphere - A very effective offense or defense spell.
River of Wind - Mild damage, an unhelpful line effect and maybe knocking your enemy prone is not worth a 4th level spell.
Shout - Moderate damage plus a mild condition (deafness). Not worth it.
Telekinetic Charge - Your martial allies will enjoy this spell. What’s better than throwing a fireball at your enemies? Throwing an angry barbarian at them.
Unbearable Brightness - For most opponents, you merely dazzle them. Dazzle is, of course, the least of conditions. If you’re in an underdark/darklands campaign, this spell becomes ORANGE.
Vitriolic Mist - As fire shield, but slightly better because fewer things resist acid.
Volcanic Storm - The hot version of ice storm.
Wall of Fire - Pitiful damage that will do very little harm to anyone of your level. Maybe a good way to separate the villain from his flunkies?
Wall of Ice - A solid wall to divide your enemies and allow you to take them on a few at a time. It is breakable, but that takes time and does damage.
ILLUSION
Complex Hallucination - I’m sure there are all sorts of marvelous hijinks you can get up to by fooling people with smell, touch and heat, but I still think that for a Transmuter, minor image is going to cover you for most situations.
Dreadscape - Another spell you’ll never use, but the GM might. It also refers to the “scared” condition, which is evidently something from Horror Adventures I’m not familiar with.
Fool’s Teleport - A lot of work just to go invisible but convince others you’ve fled instead. Wouldn’t it have made more sense just to be invisible from the start?
Hallucinatory Terrain - I can see very few uses for this. Maybe you can hide a crevasse into which your enemies fall?
Horrific Doubles - As a big fan of mirror image, I like any spell that makes that spell even better. This is mirror image that can render your enemies shaken or even frightened and possibly even damage their wisdom or sanity.
Illusion of Treachery - So circumstantial as to be practically useless.
Illusory Wall - A permanent duration spell with no material component cost is nice, and the fact that it functions as a one-way window is also useful. But it is small and no barrier at all once discovered.
Instant Fake - A cool spell for a thief or spy. For any other sort of wizard, this spell is RED as being somewhat useless.
Invisibility, Greater - Let’s be clear: invisibility is a utility spell. Greater invisibility is purely a combat spell. As a combat spell its short duration is unimportant while its persistence is everything. Not only is this one of the very best spells to put on the party rogue, it is often very useful to put on the party fighter or even yourself.
Magic Aura, Greater - Slightly less totally useless than magic aura, with this spell you can fool various detect spells.
Majestic Image - I still can’t envision a use for this line of spells.
Minor Phantom Object - Just like the mostly-useless minor creation, only worse!
Phantasmal Asphyxiation - This would have been a pretty cool nonlethal takedown spell, but it provides the target with at least three saving throws.
Phantasmal Killer - Perhaps the earliest save-or-die spell, but it provides the target with two saving throws. Possibly good for an illusionist who has pumped their DC’s through traits and feats, but not so great odds for a Transmuter.
Quieting Weapons - If you are fighting a number of opponents, the odds of preventing all of them from shouting an alarm are pretty low. Useful for assassins, I suppose.
Rainbow Pattern - As always, fascinate is not a great condition to impose. Plus, you’ll be able to affect possibly 3-4 likely opponents with this and only while you concentrate. Compares very poorly to confusion.
Shadowform - The target (you, if you’re a Master Transmogrifist) takes only 20% damage if the attacker fails a will save, and the attacker has to make that will save every round. Combine this with mirror image and foes may just give up in disgust.
Shadow Barbs - This spell is truly awful for most wizards, given their low BAB, but for a Muscle Wizard or an Eldritch Knight, this could have real potential.
Shadow Conjuration - Spend a 4th level spell to get a weakened version of a lower-level spell. The only possible reason to use this is versatility, and even then it is not worth it. Pick your spells well and make that selection work for you.
Shadow Step - Worse than dimension door in almost all particulars, save that you can still act after shadow step.
Shocking Image - I like horrific doubles better, but I like any sort of improved mirror image spell. The shocking part will actually be far more useful to a Master Transmogrifist than to the average wizard, since he will be in melee.
Simulacrum, Lesser - You’re creating a thinking, independent person! Even if it’s not a combat spell, you can create companions, assistants and guards. That’s a pretty amazing ability. The casting time is long and the duration is short, however.
Wandering Star Motes - Two chances to daze an opponent, then the spell jumps to another foe and starts again. The more foes you have the more useful this spell is.
NECROMANCY
Aggravate Affliction - Very circumstantial.
Animate Dead - The ability to summon a force of undead skeletons that will follow and serve you permanently is very powerful.
Bestow Curse - Since it is a touch spell, many wizards avoid it. This is an excellent spell for a Master Transmogrifist or Reach Warlock. Those curses are permanent! It is very flexible and powerful.
Bloatbomb - Combines a weak save-or-die with a very weak bomb.
Bloody Arrows - Your party archer is already the deadliest guy in the party. Make him deadlier and give your GM even more numbers to track!
Boneshatter - Decent damage and either exhausted or fatigued.
Contagion - Terrible. Diseases take a long time to affect their targets.
Contingent Venom - What kind of weird adventure are you playing that you’d need this?
Curse Terrain - More of a GM spell. You’re unlikely ever to use this.
Earsend - Like skinsend but even creepier. I think I’d just use clairaudience/clairvoyance instead.
Enervation - A truly powerful debuff that ranks with disintegrate on the list of spells you don’t want pointed at you.
False Life, Greater - Hit points are one of the things your Master Transmogrifist needs most. Here’s one of the easiest ways to get them.
Familiar Melding - Leaving your own body helpless is just about never a good idea.
Fear - An excellent debuff and crowd control spell. Many of your foes will have a -2 penalty to their saves. Be ready to capitalize on that by using this spell as a precursor to another more imporant spell.
Flesh Puppet - Horrific but powerful. Having a creature that obeys you and whom you can mentally control as a swift action is a huge advantage in combat and about town.
Hunger for Flesh - Turn your neighbors into ghouls. Yay.
Masochistic Shadow - It does allow saves each round, but the STR damage is powerful.
Sadomasochism - This spell is “bad choice” defined. Your enemy does more damage to you, but if he fails a save -and- you manage to hit him, you do more damage, too. Do I need to explain the cost/benefit failure here?
Shadow Projection - This is an admittedly useful spying spell, but you are a Transmuter and have many great spying options available to you already.
Skeleton Crew - I have visions of “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” in my head, but sadly these skeletons can’t fight. They can crew your crazy ghost ship, so if you’ve got one, this spell is for you.
Umbral Infusion - Make your zombie stronger.
Wall of Blindness/Deafness - Marginally more useful than wall of fire, less than wall of ice or wall of bone.
Wall of Bone - A short-lived wall comparable to wall of stone that can also grab unwary combatants.
TRANSMUTATION
Absorbing Inhalation - An interesting way to clear the field of a dangerous fog spell, but not worth memorizing most of the time. Keep a scroll handy.
Abyssal Vermin - Make your bugs more evil.
Adjustable Polymorph - This is just alter self that you can change as a swift action. Not worth the two-level increase, especially if you have the Multimorph discovery.
Age Resistance, Lesser - As wonderful as this sounds in real life, it’s just not going to come up unless your character starts at middle age. Even then, it’s not so great.
Animal Aspect, Greater - As with the lesser version, I love the flexibility of this spell, but given that you’re going to be have beast shape II and monstrous physique II, you don’t really need this.
Assume Appearance, Greater - If you need to assume a specific person’s identity, this is one way to do it... or a much lower-level illusion spell. Also, claim identity does it better.
Beast Shape II - Discussed at much greater length in the Polymorphing for Fun and Profit portion of this guide, beast shape II is where the beast shape line of spells really starts to get good, because of the addition of grab, pounce and trip. The dire tiger and giant octopus are amazing combat forms. You’re better off using monstrous physique II because you can still easily cast spells in those forms, but you’re a transmuter and you’ll want the flexibility available afforded by having beast shape II in your spellbook. For a Puppet Master, this may arguably be a better spell than monstrous physique due to the varied forms of movement.
Calcific Touch - What an amazing spell for a Master Transmogrifist or a Reach Warlock! You get one touch attack per level from a single casting of this spell. It both slows your opponent and does 1d4 Dexterity damage -and- the Dexterity damage does not allow a saving throw. Hit your foe with this a few times and turn them to stone!
Claim Identity - This seems like a fun spell with lots of role-playing potential.
Cloud Shape - For really, really slow escapes, I guess? Not sure why you’d want to be a cloud otherwise.
Conversing Wind - A solid communications spell, but like most communications spell, it should have been a level lower.
Create Holds - Why this spell is two levels higher than spider climb, I can’t imagine. This would be a great 2nd level spell.
Curse of Burning Sleep - Spells that pester or annoy the enemy over a long period of time rarely have much of a real effect on the game.
Darkvision, Greater - For most uses, plain old darkvision will do just fine.
Earth Glide - Just cast elemental body I instead. It lasts longer and does more. Only use this spell if you really don’t want to do the gliding yourself.
Elemental Body I - The best I can say for the elemental body line of spells is that while they’re not great, they’re not completely useless, either. Inferior in most ways to beast shape II or monstrous physique II, this spell does come with a fairly survivable form (small water elemental) and a fairly fast form (small air elemental).
Enlarge Person, Mass - A good spell if you have several martials in the party. Otherwise, avoid it.
Eyes of the Void - Darkness spells are common for certain denizens of the Darklands. This spell is GREEN if you’re going there.
Fey Form I - This spell hangs in with its on-level rivals for combat power and even exceeds them in one way since it offers extra Constitution rather than Natural Armor. However, it is less useful when it comes to Utility such as movement and infiltration.
Firefall - The burst is large and the range is long, but the damage is mediocre. The chance for blindness is the real prize.
Hellmouth Lash - Yes, you can choose your energy type, but you can’t cast spells while this is in effect and it’s not dismissible. Terrible! Also, if you’re a Master Transmogrifist, you don’t need to use a reach touch attack and if you’re a Reach Warlock all your touch attacks are at reach anyway.
Ignoble Form - So circumstantial as to be essentially useless.
Innocuous Shape - There’s a little bit of enchantment in this spell that elevates it above the usual polymorph spell and differentiates it from beast shape II or alter self.
Irregular Size - Not spectacular as curses go. See bestow curse for an illustrative comparison.
Liquefy - In interesting way to make an item temporarily useless, but not something I’d memorize.
Magic Siege Engine, Greater - See comments on every siege engine spell.
Make Whole, Greater - Definitely worth having on a scroll or two. But not something to regularly memorize.
Miasmatic Form - A gaseous body is very easily harmed at this level. This is a trap. Not only that, it costs 100 gp per casting. I generally avoid spells with expensive material components.
Mirror Transport - I really like this spell for its flavor, but question its utility. How often do you need to camp out in a place that is civilized enough to have mirrors?
Mnemonic Enhancer - However you slice this, it’s giving up a fourth level spell for three spell levels. A lousy trade.
Monstrous Physique II - The best of the polymorph spells at this level. Master Transmogrifists and Puppet Masters will want this as soon as it’s available and should consider memorizing it multiple times.
Obsidian Flow - Spells that multitask are always worth a look. This spell gives area of effect damage, entangles and creates difficult terrain.
Rags to Riches - The benefits of even several masterwork items are not the equal to a fourth level spell.
Reduce Person, Mass - Even fewer of your allies will want this cast on them than will mass enlarge person. And as a debuff to your enemies, it’s just about as useful to them as harmful.
Resilient Reservoir - This is a rather cool effect that most wizards should avoid like the plague. However, for a Master Transmogrifist or Puppet Master, this could not only give you a free bonus, but also absorb a little damage.
Revenant Armor - Turns your fighter’s armor into a mobile casualty recovery platform. But actually winning the fight and bringing direct aid to your downed fighter is a more efficient solution.
Ride the Waves - A useful spell to have on a scroll. In aquatic campaigns this spell is BLUE.
Rigor Mortis - Very few living things are resistant to nonlethal damage.
Scorching Ash Form - As previously stated, gaseous forms are quite vulnerable at this level, and doing a small amount of damage isn’t going to change that.
Shadowy Haven - Rope trick, but cast as a 4th level spell. Why?
Stone Shape - One of the most useful spells. Its uses are many and limited only by your imagination and the availability of rocks.
Symbol of Slowing - Like most symbol spells, this is simply not worth the cost.
Tail Current - (new in Ultimate Wilderness) - Speed in overland (overwater) movement is rarely a factor in adventures, but it’s worth noting that this can affect every creature within 120 ft. That’s potentially a lot of people.
Tailwind- (new in Ultimate Wilderness) - See tail current.
Temporary Graft - Beast shape II and monstrous physique II will get you most of these abilities without having to graft a dead body part onto you.
Vermin Shape I - Honestly, this spell is RED for most wizards. As a transmuter, you may want to collect the whole set, but generally the vermin shape spells are flat-out inferior to the beast shape and monstrous physique spells of the same level.
Warp Metal - Versatile and affects many objects simultaneously.
ABJURATION
Banishing Blade - Possibly of use to a Muscle Wizard, who will have fewer attacks per round than a martial opponent and may therefore wish to force the martial to move each round, thus limiting him to one attack per round. Otherwise, not of much use to a wizard.
Break Enchantment - You will definitely want this spell in your spellbook, but the one minute casting time means don’t bother memorizing it. Just keep a few scrolls handy.
Calm Air - Suppresses the various cloud and wind spells. Those, however, are not all that common.
Covetous Aura - Don’t rely on spells that rely on other’s actions to make them worthwhile. You don’t know that anyone will cast a beneficial spell during this spell’s short duration. However, one possible predictable use of this spell is to gain the use of a personal spell cast by an ally.
Darkvault - How often do you want to make sure things stay really, really dark?
Dismissal - Outsiders can be some of the most powerful and difficult foes. I’ve seen more than one deadly encounter ended suddenly with use of this spell.
Globe of Tranquil Water - A difficult spell to use, what with needing to breathe and all. Even in an aquatic adventure, the benefits it brings seem minor for a 5th level spell, except for its ability to hedge out water elementals. That makes this spell ORANGE in an aquatic adventure.
Guardian Monument, Greater - The only situation in which this becomes a useful spell is if you’ve got a small army of humans about to defend against non-humans in a very small area, and they’re going to do it very soon. Then it’s a great spell.
Life Bubble - Combines water breathing with the ability to survive in a vacuum, endure elements and protection from cloud spells and permits you to share it with the whole party. This is a spell to have several scrolls of.
Mage’s Private Sanctum - This spell protects your base from scrying or spying and lasts all day. Worth having in your spellbook.
Peacebond, Greater - Allows both a Will save and a Strength check. Most foes will be good at one or the other.
Siphon Magic - Steal an enemy’s spell. Of course, it only works if the enemy has a spell on it, and you must touch the enemy. Probably best for a Reach Warlock.
Soothe Construct - Player characters almost never have constructs under their command, especially the type with a berserk chance.
Spell Absorption - Counterspelling is a deeply broken mechanism and is rarely attempted.
Spellsteal - The target gets a Will save and has to have a spell to steal, but under certain circumstances this could be very useful, particularly if a specific buff or defense spell is giving you trouble. Still, dispel magic is more widely useful.
Stoneskin, Communal - The cost (granite and diamond dust worth 250 gp per creature affected) is prohibitively expensive and the duration short if you spread it among many people. Still, there is no denying that sometimes this spell is the difference between life and death.
Unbreakable Construct - Expensive, short duration and much more circumstantial than stoneskin. This should have been a 4th level spell.
Wreath of Blades - Expensive, with an option to be even more expensive, but providing a pretty good reason to avoid melee with you.
CONJURATION
Acidic Spray - The line area of effect makes it less useful than any other sort of area. The damage over time aspect is the only thing that makes this worth more than a 3rd level spell, and it permits a second save. This should have been a 4th level spell. However, if evocation is an opposition school and you need an area of effect damage spell, this isn’t terrible.
Callback, Greater - Another spell that should have been a 4th level spell. Even for a Puppet Master, this spell isn’t very useful. Don’t send your familiar miles away from you.
Cloudkill - The dreaded cloudkill is an amazing spell made even more amazing by any effect that locks the enemy into place and doesn’t let them escape (e.g., black tentacles, hold person, web or the various pit spells). Even a successful saving throw doesn’t stop all the Constitution damage; only escaping will do that.
Companion Transposition - (new in Ultimate Wilderness) - Kind of interesting. You can send your familiar to someplace you can’t easily go, then dimension door in, trading place with the familiar.
Corrosive Consumption - There is no saving throw, but the acid can be easily removed.
Damnation Stride - Minor damage aside, this is dimension door a level higher. Not worth it.
Duplicate Familiar - If you are a Puppet Master, this spell is a must-have. Two combat familiars are twice as nice as one. For everyone else, this spell is ORANGE at best.
Flash Forward - Being able to return to safety after a charge isn’t really worth a 5th level spell, nor is it what Master Transmogrifists are all about.
Geyser - Single target, allows a save and does mediocre damage, and maybe knocks the target prone. Not worth it.
Hostile Juxtaposition - Link to a target, then yank it into the line of fire when you’re attacked. Pretty cool.
Hungry Pit - Better than acid pit because it doesn’t destroy the target’s stuff. Even at this level there are still many creatures who can’t fly. Combine this spell with an immobilizing effect like hold person and it’s all over for the enemy.
Mage’s Faithful Hound - It’s always worth having a guard when you sleep. But note that alarm is a first level spell.
Major Creation - The duration makes this spell mostly useless.
Planar Binding, Lesser - A time-consuming way to gain an ally less powerful than you.
Release the Hounds - Moderate swarm damage, but no save and no attack roll needed.
Roaming Pit - A pit you can move around as a Move action. Scary!
Secret Chest - An excellent way to secure your spellbooks. The chest is expensive but reusable.
Straitjacket - This spell can be used offensively against an enemy spellcaster or defensively against one of your own who’s gone ‘round the bend due to confusion.
Summon Infernal Host - The gaavs and magaavs are decent combatants for the level, but summon monster V gives you more choices and some better choices.
Summon Lesser Psychopomp - The esobok and nosoi pyschopomps do not compare with what you can summon with summon monster V.
Summon Monster V - Bralanis, bearded devils and earth elementals are all great choices for a combat companion.
Teleport - One of the most useful spells in the game. Once you get teleport, you’ll no longer use horses or overland flight very often. You and your party are no longer epic heroes; you’re superheroes.
Unseen Crew - Another way to crew your ship with creepy ghosts.
Wall of Stone - A permanent stone wall is a great way to control the battlefield, but you can also bridge gorges or build castles with it.
Whip of Centipedes - Because you need more than one “whip made of vermin” spells?
DIVINATION
Contact Other Plane - It is a sad truth of wizardry that clerics are simply more efficient diviners than are Diviners. This spell is a case in point. This spell lies far too often to be of any practical use.
Fortell Failure - A 5th level spell just to tell you whether or not you have a 50/50 chance of success? No thank you.
Glimpse of Truth - There is some real utility to having true seeing that only lasts a round. It’s enough to tell you whether what you’re seeing is real and what the immediate truth is. Worth knowing until you get true seeing itself at 6th level.
Locate Gate - If gates and teleportation circles are common in your campaign, this might be rated ORANGE. Ask your GM.
Mask From Divination - The “Man in the Iron Mask” spell seems designed to obscure the identity of prisoners, but could work just as well to protect you from most divinations. However, it costs 200 gp a day.
Prying Eyes - A deceptively powerful spell that is perfect for scouting out an enemy lair or dungeon before setting foot in it.
Symbol of Scrying - Yet another expensive symbol spell that is not worth the cost.
Telepathic Bond - I wish the duration were longer. Hours would be good. But being able to silently coordinate your actions is an amazing ability for parties that include stealth or, you know, tactics.
Trace Teleport - An interesting detective spell, but not something likely to come up in the average game.
ENCHANTMENT
Apparent Master - Charm person for constructs. Its utility depends on the frequency of constructs in your campaign.
Charm Person, Mass - How to make friends and influence people. Note the hit die limit, making this a way to influence lower-level crowds.
Compelling Rant - Terrible. First, the spell is poorly written, failing to define what “confound” means. Second it imposes a Wisdom drain on you!
Constricting Coils - Hold monster plus some minor damage. Hold monster is clearly the better spell. You may not want to harm the creature held by the spell. And if you do, there’s always a coup de grace.
Curse of Disgust - While the spell is flavorful, bestow curse is 3rd level and should be capable of replicating everything about this spell.
Dominate Person - One of the best enchantment spells there are. The total control offered by this spell is like charm person with almost no limits.
Feeblemind - Devastating when it lands. The fact that it is permanent makes it almost too good.
Grand Destiny - +4 to just about any roll seems pretty good, but compared to what other spells are accomplishing at this level, also feels sort of weak.
Hold Monster - Will saves become harder to target about this level, but there are many, many monsters with weak will saves.
Mind Fog - A massive area of effect debuff that sets up its victims to be dominated or feebleminded or just plain suckers for illusion.
Passing Fancy, Mass - A decent spell for sowing confusion.
Pessimism - As crushing despair, but it also denies any morale bonuses. Potentially powerful, but also potentially very minor for a 5th level spell.
Sleepwalking Suggestion - Very gothic, but waiting for your enemy to fall asleep means this spell is very circumstantial.
Smug Narcissism - As crushing despair but also gets the target to act defensively. Definitely not worth a 5th level spell.
Symbol of Sleep - No surprises here. Symbol spells are too expensive and circumstantial to be worthwhile.
EVOCATION
Augmenting Wall - Dopey in the extreme. First of all, how many PCs in your party are throwing weapons at this level? I’d be surprised if the number is as high as one. Then, unless you want this to work just as well for the enemy as for you, the duration is so short as to be pointless. Finally, +1d6? Really? Hard pass on this spell.
Cone of Cold - A blast spell that does 1d6/level and nothing else? Fireball is a 3rd level spell with a much longer range.
Contact Entity III - A bad idea at 3rd level is still a bad idea at 5th.
Fire Snake - A blast spell that does 1d6/level and lets you deselect your allies. Not terrible, but not great for 5th level, either.
Icy Prison - A long duration save-or-be-useless spell that can easily kill if the enemy has no resistance to cold and no one to break them out. Even if they make their save, the spell entangles and damages until they break the ice.
Interposing Hand - This spell provides you with +4 AC that stacks with anything... for a few rounds. This should have been a lower-level spell. 3rd, maybe.
Lightning Arc - This is lightning bolt that doesn’t require the targets be in line with you, just with each other. Not worth a 5th level spell.
Pain Strike, Mass - Damage over time is bad. This is just bad a lot of times.
Runic Overload - Thematically cool, but only worth it in its “rune giant” form. The raised damage cap is also nice.
Sending - Instant communications regardless of distance? Awesome!
Sonic Thrust - The telekinesis spell does this and more, better.
Wall of Force - Along with wall of stone, this is one of the very best wall spell. It has a better hardness, hit point, size and casting requirements than wall of stone, but has a short duration and less utility. Get both spells to be sure!
Wall of Light - Blinded is a powerful debuff. Forcing your enemies to walk through this wall can really hurt them.
Wall of Sound - Not nearly as useful as wall of force, wall of light or wall of stone.
ILLUSION
Charnel House - First of all, few PCs are evil, and this spell is decidedly evil (as well as disgusting to contemplate). Second, it’s just grease plus the sickened condition and requires 10 minutes to cast.
Dream - The message can be longer than sending, but only when the recipient is dreaming.
False Future - Taa daa! A spell worse than alter musical instrument! Oh my, where to begin? First, what is the point of this spell? To foil someone else’s attempt at using a really rare and let’s-be-honest-it-will-never-happen spell? And it costs 100 gp? And doesn’t even last a whole day? Tell ya what! Just throw your gold into the sea. There is a better chance a magical mermaid will come along and bless you with three wishes than that you will ever, ever need this spell.
False Vision - Despite the fact that this spell is a waste of your time and energy I’d rather keep talking about what a waste of time and energy false future is. At least I can conceive of a scenario where I’d use false vision.
Impossible Angles - Area of effect sickened plus difficult terrain plus everyone heads in the wrong direction. The only real downside is its small area.
Major Phantom Object - Just like the terrible major creation, only worse!
Mirage Arcana - Similar to illusory wall, only on a much larger scale.
Nightmare - The spell has roleplaying potential, but not much practical use in most games.
Persistent Image - Powerful, includes all the usual senses, scripted and requires no concentration.
Phantasmal Web - The utility of this spell depends on your GM’s interpretation of the phrase “treated as if in a web spell.” If that phrase is taken to mean your victims also get a Reflex save (as with web), then this spell is terrible. If not, and the victims get only the Will save from phantasmal web, then it is a solid spell. I would rule that there is no reflex save, but check with your GM. Targeting will saves is nice, and the spell affords them only a single save. Also, you can choose your targets, effectively allowing you to cast it into melee without affecting your own allies.
Scripted Hallucination - Functions fairly similarly to persistent image, but only affects specific individuals. In nearly every case, persistent image will be the superior spell.
Seeming - A form of mass alter self, but it still requires a Disguise skill because the spell itself only affords a +10, which is not particularly strong at this level.
Shadow Evocation - Just a terrible spell. Trade a 5th level slot to get a very weak version of a 4th level spell.
Symbol of Striking - As with all Symbol spells, the effect is simply not worth the cost.
NECROMANCY
Absorb Toxicity - Highly circumstantial; not very useful.
Astral Projection, Lesser - Heading to the astral plane? This spell is for you. Worth having in your spellbook, but not memorizing or keeping a scroll.
Black Spot - A fairly specific curse that should be accomplishable with the 3rd level spell bestow curse.
Blight - A single target-blase that only works on plants. There are several single target blasts that aren’t restricted to a single type of creature - go memorize one of those.
Blood Boil - This is pretty cool spell. Yes, it allows three saves, but not to end the spell. This is effectively three separate spells: one that causes fatigue, one that does Con damage and one that does lethal damage, but those three separate spells require only one casting.
Conditional Curse - Is the +5 DC really worth two spell levels? I don’t think so. I suppose, with the addition of two spell levels, it is effectively +7 to DC but I still don’t see the long-term utility of curse spells in most Pathfinder games.
Daywalker - Okay, this spell might be terrifying in the hands of your undead nemesis, but what is the average PC going to do with it? If you’re in to disguising the undead, well, maybe have it on a scroll.
Decollate - I have no idea what the point of this spell is.
Empathy Conduit - Super circumstantial and needlessly complex.
Feast on Fear - The HD limit makes this spell less than it could be, but the multi-round, multi-target nature of the effect is useful.
Flesh Puppet Horde - The roleplaying potential of this spell is clear, though it’s definitely more of a villain thing.
Ghoul Army - This is a powerful spell! In less time than any summon monster spell, you surround yourself with blindly loyal undead who also act as bombs when slain.
Magic Jar - This is a powerful spell, but with serious flaws I don’t think enough GM’s pay attention to. It leaves your body completely vulnerable, making destroying your body the number one priority of your victim’s allies. Also, the range is quite short. Still, it can be a combat-ender if it succeeds.
Plague Carrier - The onset time of a disease is far too long to have any appreciable effect on a combat, so save for the rare roleplaying effect, this spell is functionally useless.
Possess Object - Interesting. You could possess a statue and create some mayhem. But you’ll do far more damage with monstrous physique or magic jar.
Red Hand of the Killer - A straight-thrust to the heart of storytelling. Reduce a murder mystery to a show of hands!
Repair Undead, Mass - A useful spell if you’re a necromancer. Considerably less useful to a Transmuter.
Soulswitch - If you want to take advantage of your familiar’s form, assume it via beast shape or monstrous physique.
Suffocation - A save or die spell. It does permit three saves to avoid the actual death, but if the target fails even one of the three Fortitude saves, it falls unconscious and is reduced to 0 hit points.
Summoner Conduit - Too circumstantial to be of regular use.
Symbol of Pain - Too much cost for too little effect.
Torpid Reanimation - There is a truly awesome roleplaying scene this sets up, when all the corpses on the battlefield rise up to support the necromancer. But you can really only set that up once before it becomes old hat. As a practical matter, just use animate dead instead.
Vampiric Shadow Shield - On the one hand, this is just fire shield one level higher, but on the other, it’s negative energy, against which few opponents will have any defenses.
Waves of Fatigue - A no-save area of effect spell that causes fatigue. Fatigue is a fairly minor debuff, however.
TRANSMUTATION
Angelic Aspect - This is a pretty great suite of abilities, from flight to energy resistance to damage resistance. But perhaps the best part is that angelic aspect is not a polymorph spell. That means that you can polymorph into, say, a four-armed gargoyle or a troll or dragon and still cast this spell on top of that. Nice!
Animal Growth - This is enlarge person for animals, but three spell levels higher. Despite that, enlarging your summoned animals or your ranger’s animal companion can be a great support tactic.
Baleful Polymorph - This save-or-die spell can be truly satisfying when it lands. Mighty dragons become fluffy bunnies.
Beast Shape III - The broadest array of abilities and movement types available at this level come through beast shape III. Of particular note are the Emperor Cobra for its deadly poisons, the Allosaurus for sheer brute combat ability and the Behemoth Hippopotamus for vital strike goodness. Nonetheless, monstrous physique III holds the edge for best combat form and because it allows spellcasting. Naturally, this spell is best for Master Transmogrifists and Puppet Masters.
Caustic Blood - I really like this spell for flavor and for the damage potential. It is most useful for a melee based character like the Master Transmogrifist.
Dissolution - This spell is so very circumstantial you’ll probably never even think of using it. After right now; I know you’re thinking of it right now.
Echolocation - Blindsight is a nice sense to have, but it is nearly always going to be used to defeat invisibility or to see in the dark, and those can be done with much lower-level spells.
Elemental Body II - Flat-out inferior to beast shape III, monstrous physique III and even vermin shape II. Simply not worth casting unless you’re heading to the elemental planes.
Energy Siege Shot - You will almost never need a spell that changes a siege engine’s attacks to energy. And you can probably just do away with the word “almost” in that last sentence.
Fabricate - You can build things or make things quickly. Fairly useful if you need a new wagon wheel or perhaps a bridge or suit of armor. Worth having on a scroll.
Fey Form II - In combat terms, this spell is only a little behind beast shape III and monstrous physique III because its maximum size is Large, not Huge. But the Ankou and Escorite are solid combat forms that grant Constitution bonuses, not Natural Armor and thus provide a worthwhile variant depending on your preferences. Less utilitarian because it offers fewer modes of travel, it nonetheless offers many forms for roleplaying in and around the First World.
Fickle Winds - The ultimate in anti-archer spells.
Flexile Curse - Could occasionally be useful. But as a practical matter most of the time you only face a foe for a few seconds before he’s dead or you are. A long-acting spell like this is unlikely to have much effect.
Geniekind - A nice suite of buffs and immunities as well as a great Diplomacy bonus to certain types of genies. However, as a combat form, this spell lacks the power of beast shape III or
Gift of the Deep - Only works on sahuagin. ‘Nuff said.
Half-blood Extraction - Very expensive, not very much change, only works on half-orcs.
Hungry Earth - Useful as an area denial spell, but the DC for the grapple checks is fairly low for this level, meaning that this spell is mostly useful for destroying low-level minions, something done much better by fireball at a lower level.
Lighten Object, Mass - I’m having trouble envisioning a use for this that wouldn’t be better solved by mass ant haul.
Master’s Mutation - Summoning monsters is a very powerful tactic. Being able to customize their abilities makes summoning even stronger.
Monstrous Physique III - For a Master Transmogrifist or Puppet Master, this is the prize of fifth level spells. Transform into a huge-sized gegenees or thriae queen and lay waste to your enemies while retaining your full ability to cast spells!
Ooze Form I - As a combat spell, the ooze form line is disappointing, if highly survivable. As a utility spell, it’s practically nonexistent.
Open Arms - Worth having in the spellbook, but not worth memorizing unless you know you’ll be facing a cavalier, inquisitor or paladin/antipaladin.
Overland Flight - A good long-term movement spell, but unlike teleport, you can’t take friends with you so it’s unclear how often you’d want to use it. For short-term flight you’re better off with beast shape or monstrous physique.
Passwall - You’re better off with stone shape, which is 4th level, and wall of stone.
Planar Adaptation - Planar travel is somewhat rare at this level of play, but it’s useful if you do wind up traveling on other planes. Consider, though, that like overland flight, this spell will only affect you. You’ll be unharmed on a dangerous plane while all your companions are dead.
Plant Shape I - If your GM allows you to assume the form of the Green Man, this spell is awesome. Otherwise, don’t bother. It is inferior in nearly every way to beast shape III and monstrous physique III.
Polymorph - Being able to turn your friends into powerful combat forms may be a winning strategy, provided that you have a martial ally who is amenable to it. Turn your fighter into a dire tiger. He may not gain more direct attacks, but he will gain speed, size, grab and rake.
Rapid Repair - If you have a construct ally, this is a must-have.
Rubberskin - There are much better alternatives to falling damage mitigation and not too many attacks are purely bludgeoning damage.
Rune of Ruin - Temporarily destroying an enemy’s equipment could be a game-changer.
Slough - There are low-level spells that will do Constitution damage and the other effects are minor.
Telekinesis - The “Combat Manuever” form of the spell will rarely be effective because of the low CMB involved. The “Violent Thrust” form of the spell is okay. The real utility of this spell is in manipulating objects at a distance via the “Sustained Force” version of the spell.
Transmute Mud to Rock - This should have been one spell with transmute rock to mud. It’s not a bad spell, but you simply don’t run into mud nearly as often as rock. The best use of this spell is as a follow-up to transmute rock to mud.
Transmute Rock to Mud - A reasonably good battlefield control spell, this spell becomes downright dangerous when combined with its twin, transmute mud to rock.
Transplant Visage - An icky spell that is as much necromancy as transmutation. Useful for infiltration of enemy strongholds. You’ll need a good disguise skill to pull this off.
Treasure Stitching - This is an amazing spell. Better than merely being a mass version of shrink item, because the only limit is volume. You can take a vast treasure hoard with you stitched to a single piece of cloth.
Shapechanger’s Gift - (new with Ultimate Wilderness) - You can spend a 5th level spell to give a friend all the least cool abilities of a 3rd or 4th level spell. I suppose you can still use it to have your friend (one friend) pass as some other species.
Undead Anatomy II - Inferior to beast shape III or monstrous physique III, this spell is on a par with elemental body II, plant form I and vermin shape II for combat and utility. More situational than those spells, but definitely worth having in the spellbook for a transmuter.
Vermin Shape I - The bluetip euryptid and giant hornet are fairly solid combat forms, and the house centipede is a reasonable tiny form for infiltration. However, this spell still lacks the many excellent forms and movement modes provided by beast shape III and monstrous physique III.
Vile Dog Transformation - Leave the dogs alone, you monster! Okay, aside from being evil and needing a lot of dogs to cast this spell, it’s somewhat better in power, if not flexibility, than summon monster III.
UNIVERSAL
Permanency - Make permanent spells like darkvision, see invisibility, arcane sight, or even enlarge person.
ABJURATION
Antimagic Field - A sovereign defense against more powerful magicians than you. Dispel magic does nothing to it.
Dispel Magic, Greater - A very powerful debuff that affects multiple targets and spells.
Dust Ward - If you’re fantastically rich, possessive and vengeful, and also lose your stuff a lot, this is the spell for you. Otherwise, stop destroying your own stuff just because someone else touches it!
Globe of Invulnerability - Only blocks spells of level 1-4 which by now are not the front-line spells.
Guards and Wards - If you have a stronghold, you’ll want this spell just for the fun of planning out where to put all the fun wards. Most characters will never use this...but they’ll wish they had a reason to.
Repulsion - A huge area denial spell that requires a Will save to approach you. A very strong option with one flaw - it affects your allies as well. This is a good option for the Selective Spell feat.
Spellcrash - Spending a 6th level spell to maybe deprive an enemy of a 5th level spell is a poor exchange. Pass!
Symbol of Sealing - As always the cost of Symbol spells makes them very hard to recommend.
Undeath Ward - I wish this had a long duration so you could cast it on your sanctum like guards and wards. But its short duration means it is strictly a combat spell, a way to move past low-level undead without having to fight hordes.
CONJURATION
Acid Fog - The slight damage does not justify the two-level increase over solid fog.
Chains of Light - Combines hold monster with dimensional anchor.
Conjure Black Pudding - A black pudding is a solid combatant, but this spell is inferior to summon monster VI in every other way. It is less flexible, permitting the conjuration of only a single creature type, and does not put the monster under your control.
Cruel Jaunt - I’m having trouble picturing the situation where this would be useful.
Getaway - Super useful to escape from a battle going very poorly or out of a prison, this is also a great way to teleport home without error. I do wish the duration was 24 hours, but it’s still a precaution worth taking. Note, however, that it only works on “creatures”, so cast it before your allies start dying. Once they’re dead, they’re no longer creatures and their bodies will be left behind when you escape.
Ice Crystal Teleport - I think the purpose of this spell is to immobilize your enemy and them teleport them far away. Downside: your enemy is still alive to wreak revenge. On the other hand, you could also use this to encase a fallen ally and teleport him to safety.
Planar Binding - You can extract some fairly major services from some scary creatures with this spell, up to and including wish.
Summon Monster VI - This line of spells just keeps on getting better. No longer just combat monsters, many of the creatures you can summon have valuable Spell-Like Abilities that can aid you in or out of combat. The lillend and succubus make excellent assistants and combatants.
Summon Vanth - A vanth makes a fine summoned creature, but this should have just been an option for summon monster VI. As it is, this spell lacks that spell’s marvelous flexibility.
Treacherous Teleport - How often will you ever use this spell? It’s so very situational as to be a waste of space in your spellbook.
Wall of Iron - When you really need a strong barrier, this is better than wall of stone. But it’s not as flexible in its uses and also costs 50 gp.
Whip of Ants - Falling far behind the power of other 6th level spells.
DIVINATION
Analyze Dweomer - This is sort of a “greater identify” spell. It’s useful and flavorful, but I don’t think I’d ever memorize it except when a special item came into my hands.
Battlemind Link - Oh my. This spell is pretty good for the average wizard, but it’s awesome for a Master Transmogrifist. Not only do you and your ally get to take the better of your Initiative rolls, but you get to take the better of your attack rolls. It’s like a free reroll on every attack.
Legend Lore - I love this spell. The game is simply more fun when I know what’s happening and understand the ancient legends. This is a bard-in-a-spell.
Named Bullet, Greater - Not enough of an improvement over named bullet to be worth the increased level.
Telepathy - In almost every case, tongues will get the same job done.
True Seeing - This spell lays bare a vast number of tricks, spells, disguises and transformations. It does cost 250 gp, but it is often well worth it at this level.
ENCHANTMENT
Cloak of Dreams - A good defensive spell for any wizard, this spell is particularly strong for Master Transmogrifists and Puppet Masters. Master Transmogrifists can force Will saves on the creatures they fight and Puppet Masters can cast this on their familiars and cause all sorts of hijinks. Unlike many sleep spells, this has no HD cap.
Envious Urge - Not that there isn’t some hilarity in watching your foes try to grapple each other, but isn’t this substantially less powerful than the fourth-level confusion?
Geas/Quest - This has a long casting time, but is a very powerful roleplaying tool.
Heroism, Greater - One of the things that makes regular heroism such a great spell for a Master Transmogrifist or Puppet Master is its long duration (10 minutes/level). You can cast it long before a battle and not waste precious rounds during battle. Although this spell gives you greater bonuses and some free hit points, its short duration forces you to use up a round during battle, and the benefits of this spell probably aren’t worth that extra time. Stick with heroism.
Phobia - Permits two saves and requires the enemy encounter a specific situation.
Serenity - Affects multiple creatures and permits only a single saving throw, but on the other hand the creatures affected do not lose their actions. Better for diplomacy than combat when so many deadlier options present themselves at this level.
Shadow Enchantment, Greater - As awful as all the other shadow enchantment spells.
Suggestion, Mass - Lots of fun to be had with this spell. Great for social interactions, intrigue, infiltration and just plain messing with the enemy before combat.
Symbol of Distraction - An overly expensive immobile enchantment spell.
Symbol of Persuasion - I love it! No, not really. Symbol spells are terrible.
Unconscious Agenda - It’s got some really interesting roleplaying potential, but mostly for the GM. Geas is a better “make people follow your agenda” spell.
Utter Contempt - What is the point of this spell? When would you ever cast it?
Vengeful Outrage - Dominate person (5th level) and geas/quest (6th) both do this spell’s job better.
EVOCATION
Chains of Fire - More or less the same effect as a selective fireball (a 4th level spell). Not worth giving up the two extra levels not to have to learn Selective Spell.
Chain Lightning - Just like chains of fire, only for electricity.
Cold Ice Strike - It’s exactly a quickened cone of cold, but at 6th level instead of 9th.
Contagious Flame - A version of scorching ray with more rays and they continue to attack for two additional rounds.
Contingency - What a great spell. It has a 10 minute casting time, so cast it well ahead of any conflict. Use it to get you out of unexpected jams: mirror image as soon as you’re targeted by a melee attack; fly as soon as you begin to fall; vampiric touch as soon as you enter battle in a polymorphed form.
Decapitate - Okay, okay, this should probably be ORANGE, but I’m giving it extra points both for style and for it’s casting time of “immediate”. This spell isn’t just for making your own attacks more deadly; a Warlock can use this to make his fighter ally’s attacks even more deadly, too. In fact, if you have a martial ally with a build that focuses on critical hits, this spell may actually be BLUE.
Defending Sword - I was hoping this was an upgrade to defending bone, but no such luck. It’s a 6th level spell that does the work of the 1st level spell shield until someone hits you, then it takes away the shield and maybe applies some moderate damage over time to them.
Elemental Assessor - You should have some high skills in the various knowledge skills that let you know the resistances of various monsters, but this spell lets you determine their defenses in a very aggressive way. Not only does it do an 8d6 ranged touch attack, it then does up to another 16d6 of the most damaging type. Neat!
Forceful Hand - Sounds great on paper, but do the math. You are going to fail nearly every time.
Freezing Sphere - Eight times the volume (twice the radius) of a fireball and even deadlier to water creatures, along with some additional water-based utility, plus you can hold the spell as if it were a touch spell.
Hellfire Ray - A single-target attack requiring multiple ranged touches. Does half fire and half unholy damage. There are simply better options at this level.
Leashed Shackles - A decent divide-and-conquer spell if you can get the rest of the battle away from the leashed individual.
Mage’s Decree - You can basically yell commands to anyone and everyone within range. More Doctor Doom than Gandalf, but why not?
Path of the Winds - Essentially a mobile wind wall. I’d just stick with wind wall, personally.
Sirocco - The damage isn’t huge and does permit a save. On the other hand, it fatigues characters regardless of the save and if they stay in its area, can eventually cause them to become exhausted, a particularly strong debuff. Thus, sirocco becomes a very solid area-denial spell. However, sirocco’s true glory comes when you combine it with tar pool (or to really make things awful for the enemy, sirocco+tar pool+dazing wall of fire.)
Spellblight Jinx - This feels more like necromancy or transmutation to me. Anyway, it can make spellcasting moderately taxing and if used at the start of a long fight, can be a good spell.
ILLUSION
Baleful Shadow Transmutation - This is a weaker form of baleful polymorph. Transmuters should memorize the real thing instead.
Illusion of Treachery, Greater - Alright, this is really kind of cool. I’m not certain it should be a 6th level spell, but for a trickster character or one with a good reason to hide their identity and actions, this is a pretty good spell.
Mislead - Another nice getaway spell. Not sure how often you’ll want or need this spell, but it’s a nice effect when you do need it.
Night Terrors - Most adventures will not give you the option of messing with your opponent for days on end
Permanent Image - A permanent image you can move around at will? That’s pretty amazing.
Phantasmal Putrefaction - A multi-target Wisdom damage and sleep effect. Targeting both Will and Fortitude means that your targets are likely to fail one or the other but not both.
Programmed Image - Permanent until triggered, creative use of this spell could bamboozle enemies, distract them and lead them into danger.
Shadow Transmutation - You’re an actual transmuter. Just cast the actual polymorph spells... no save!
Shadow Walk - Inferior to teleport and phantom chariot.
Transfer Familiar - Never, ever give your familiar to someone else. It never ends well.
Triggered Hallucination - A single-target version of programmed image, which is better in almost every way.
Veil - On the one hand, you can change your target into almost anything. On the other hand, you still need ranks in the disguise skill.
NECROMANCY
Banshee Blast - Less damage than a 3rd level spell, but contains the possibility of panicking those who fail two saves in a row. The problem is that those who survive the damage are least likely to fail two saves.
Circle of Death - A mass save-or-die spell that affects only lesser opponents, killing some and leaving others unaffected. Less useful than a the 3rd-level spell fireball save only in area.
Contagion, Greater - A plot spell for evil NPCs. Useless to PCs because of its slow spread.
Create Undead - The undead created by this spell are weak compared to the creatures summoned by summon monster VI, but they are permanent. Note also that they are not under your control.
Curse, Major - You can create the same curses as bestow curse, but make their removal much more difficult. The real advantage of this spell is its range (close, rather than touch.) However, nearly every use of curse for an adventurer will be on someone who is dead a few seconds or minutes later, so the advantage is mostly moot. Great spell for a villain, though.
Curse Terrain, Greater - Useful before a battle between armies or to really let the peasants know you want to be left alone, but its practical uses for an adventurer are almost nonexistent.
Eyebite - Although this spell requires a standard action to cast, each round thereafter you can hit a foe with a long-duration debuff that ranges from powerful to devastating at the cost of a swift action.
Flesh Wall - Creepy and flavorful, but not nearly as powerful as the lower-level wall of stone or the on-level wall of iron.
Symbol of Fear - Another overly-expensive trap.
Undeath to Death - Has an expensive material component but is one of the few mass save-or-die spells that target undead.
Unwilling Shield - I like this one for a Master Transmogrifist. It’s not GREEN because most Master Transmogrifists are not going to have the best spell DC’s by this level.
Wither Limb - As an evil thing for villains to do, it’s very flavorful. But it’s not an efficient in-combat tactic.
TRANSMUTATION
Age Resistance - If your character is old, then by all means. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Bear’s Endurance, Mass - Some of your party likely have Constitution- enhancing belts, but most won’t. Free hit points and better Fortitude saves are welcomed by every class.
Beast Shape IV - Arguably the best of the nine polymorph spells available at this level, this is the last of the beast shape spells. At this level you get rend and breath weapons as well as some resistances. The most notable forms are the chimera with 5 attacks (but no reach) and a variable breath weapon, the death worm with a powerful breath weapon and the dragon horse with 2 strong attacks and a variable breath weapon.
Break, Greater - This can shatter potion bottles, wands, swords, armor, shields, rings, doors, carriage wheels, the bars to your prison window, etc. But it can also shatter your own things or those of your allies. This makes for an interesting opportunity for a Master Transmogrifist. When polymorphed, all your equipment is subsumed within your new form - you have no items to break. So just be sure your allies are out of range and have fun with this.
Bull’s Strength, Mass - Less useful than mass bear’s endurance because not everyone needs increased strength and at this level those that need it, have it and this won’t stack. Nice if you’re leading a unit of lower-level fighters, but otherwise, don’t bother. The exception here is if you have the Idealize discovery. Then, your spell will add +6 to Strength and while many characters may have +4 Belts of Giant Strength, they may not yet have +6.
Cat’s Grace, Mass - See mass bull’s strength.
Claim Identity, Greater - A greater version of a fairly weird spell. Note that you still need some Disguise ability to pull this off.
Control Water - Devastate harbors, create ditches in the ocean, use rivers to break line of sight... or even part rivers to let your army pass by with only slightly wet boots.
Dimensional Blade - A 6th level spell designed to let you (and nobody else) bypass armor with a melee weapon...for a single round. Just objectively terrible.
Disintegrate - One of the most feared single-target blast spells in the game. Whole builds are built around delivering this single spell. In addition to being a very effective blast spell, it works very well against objects, too. And walls of force. Best for a Warlock with a high spell DC.
Eagle’s Splendor, Mass - Sometimes one guy in the party needs a higher Charisma. You’re rarely going to need the whole party to be able to conduct Diplomacy.
Eldritch Conduit, Greater - Just not worth a 6th level spell.
Elemental Body III - Just plain not as good as beast shape IV or monstrous physique IV or even than plant shape II. Its one strong benefit is that now you’re finally immune to bleed damage, critical hits, and sneak attacks while in elemental form.
Emblem of Greed - A perfect spell for a Muscle Wizard and a fairly good one for any Master Transmogrifist using a humanoid form.
Enemy Hammer - Amusing, but low odds of success for low damage.
Energy Siege Shot, Greater - Terrible. Now you can affect larger siege engines with the same low-level effect.
Flesh to Stone - A true single-target save-or-die spell, with no secondary saving throws.
Fluid Form - Slashing damage is very common, but many attacks (bites, for instance) are piercing and bludgeoning. The 10' reach is better. Still, this rides the low edge of utility for a 6th level spell.
Form of the Alien Dragon I - The “form of the dragon” spells will get truly awesome later, but for now they don’t measure up to beast shape IV, monstrous physique IV or even form of the giant I in terms of raw combat power. However, there is nothing like seeing a dragon on the battlefield to cause the enemy to run, so the sheer visuals may win the day for you. Of the forms available here, the Astral, Nightmare and Occult dragons are probably your best bets.
Form of the Dragon I - See notes above for form of the alien dragon. Of the forms available at this level, the standouts are the green and copper dragons.
Form of the Exotic Dragon I - See notes above for form of the alien dragon. Of the forms available at this level, the standouts are the sovereign and umbral dragons.
Fox’s Cunning, Mass - Party dumb as stumps? Brighten up their conversation with this little beauty! Also, they gain a few ranks in skills they might need.
Hardening - Castle walls, armor, swords, walls of stone, your archer’s bow can all benefit from this permanent-duration spell.
Human Potential, Mass - Nice because you never know in advance which ability score you’ll wish to enhance. But it only grants a +2 enhancement. You should know your own party’s weaknesses and carry the appropriate +2 enhancement spell instead.
Impart Mind - Some of the more difficult-to-acquire powers are very nice, but the prohibitive cost of the spell simply makes this poor choice to cast.
Mage’s Lucubration - Another in the list of spells that just give you another, lower-level spell. Terrible.
Monstrous Physique IV - As with all the best polymorph spells, this spell is BLUE for Master Transmogrifists and Puppet Masters, ORANGE for all others. It competes with beast shape IV for best of the 6th level polymorph spells. Last of the monstrous physique spells, it brings you tremorsense, breath weapons, rend, roar and spikes. It also adds energy resist 20 as well as +8 vs. poison. The Annunaki and the Thriae Queen are terrifying.
Move Earth - I see this as the go-to spell for shaping a town site or a battlefield. In a game (Kingmaker) that concentrates on large-scale battles and town-building, this spell moves up to GREEN.
Oasis - Honestly, if your campaign is set in the desert or jungle, this spell may be BLUE. Create an oasis in the desert, you can create a town or a caravan route and charge tolls. A string of these across the desert and you could have an empire on your hands. But for most Pathfinder campaigns, it’s a nice source of water.
Ooze Form II - The utility of being an ooze is supplanted by other spells available by this level. And the combat usefulness is simply weak compared to beast shape IV and monstrous physique IV.
Owl’s Wisdom, Mass - Wisdom headbands may the least used of the various headbands. That means that most if not all of your party could benefit from the increased wisdom (and Will saves) this spell permits. If you’re going up against something known to use enchantments or other Will saves, this becomes a very good idea.
Plant Shape II - The large plants available at this level (including the alaraune, crypt flower, shambling mound and viper vine) are actually pretty solid combat forms. However, they pale in comparison to the flexibility, power, utility and sheer badassery of beast shape IV and monstrous physique IV.
Sabotage Construct - Confusion that only affects constructs. Situational, but ideal for certain campaigns (Iron Gods!)
Sonic Form - You become a creature of semisolid sound. For a Master Transmogrifist, this would be sub-par because you cannot use it with any other polymorph spell. For other Transmuters, it’s an okay defensive form, but there are easier ways to become incorporeal. However, for the Muscle Wizard, there may be some utility here. The Muscle Wizard can still use all his normal attacks -and- gain the sonic attack as well.
Stone to Flesh - Sooner or later, you’re going to want to bring a comrade back from being petrified. Also, it’s a fun and disgusting way to undermine your archenemy’s castle.
Tar Pool - By itself, tar pool is a good area-denial spell, but underpowered for 6th level. However, add sirocco or sirocco and dazing wall of fire and you’ve got a real death trap.
Transfiguring Touch - Turn lead into gold! Wreak havoc on badly-balanced fantasy economies! Watch your GM house rule this thing lickety-split! Like stone to flesh, this is also a great way to undermine a structure. Turn that bridge into paper!
Transformation - Are you a Muscle Wizard? No? Then avoid this spell like the plague! If you are a Muscle Wizard, congratulations! You’ve finally arrived at the holy grail.
Undead Anatomy III - The undead anatomy line of spells finally gets the upgrade it needs to begin competing well with other polymorph spells. While the combat utility of these forms is still inferior to beast shape IV and monstrous physique IV, the utility of undead anatomy III’s forms should not be ignored. Good damage reduction and many useful abilities are now available. Most importantly, the untyped +8 bonus to mind-affecting spells is unparalleled in the game. It’s better (because it is untyped), though less enduring, than the 8th level spell mind blank.
ABJURATION
Banishment - Technically this works against multiple creatures, but the 2 HD/Level limit means it will rarely work against many creatures. The best part of this spell is that you can improve the DC through careful research and preparation.
Circle of Clarity - The bonuses against illusion seem a bit underpowered for a 7th level spell.
Expend - A silly idea. Eliminating a single casting of some supernatural ability without knowing which ability you are eliminating and how many more times a foe can cast it effectively means you may not have slowed down the foe at all. Or it means you traded a 7th level spell to prevent a power that might as inconsequential as a cantrip.
Magnetic Field - I’m unclear on why you would want or need to drag metal objects or armor-clad opponents towards you.
Sequester - If you need to hide a person or thing, this spell does the trick.
Spell Turning - A useful defense with a small chance of danger.
Teleport Trap - A great spell for defending your location, but not one you’ll want to memorize often.
CONJURATION
Caustic Eruption - A zero-range blast with a built-in lingering effect and no spell resistance.
Create Demiplane, Lesser - Create your own world for a very, very low cost. Why wouldn’t you want your very own world?
Dimensional Bounce - You get multiple teleports between two locations fairly close to each other. There are a limited number of circumstances where this would be useful.
Hostile Juxtaposition, Greater - Still a fun spell.
Instant Summons - The 5th level spell secret chest will generally do all that this spell does, but for a shorter duration. Both spells require you to have a focus item (a miniature chest or an inscribed gem), so you can’t use them if captured and stripped of your possessions. Instant summons lasts forever until used and costs less, but secret chest doesn’t place the same limits on the size of the item stored.
Joyful Rapture - Relieving your allies of harmful (presumably magical) emotions is nice, but having an arcane method to cure ability score damage (only mental mental abilities) is well worth having.
Mage’s Magnificent Mansion - One of the very best “camping” spells. Your door is invisible and you’re almost perfectly secure against wandering monsters. Only determined foes who know where you are have a chance.
Phase Door - The lower-level spells passwall and stone shape will probably do all you need from this spell.
Planar Refuge - If you need a base of operations from which to explore a hostile plane, this is your spell. Probably worth having on a scroll.
Plane Shift - Better late than never. Your divine companions have had this spell since they were 9th level. Begin to explore the cosmos like the superhero you now are!
Rampart - Compare this to magnificent mansion and plane shift and you’ll see that this should have been a 6th level spell. Nonetheless, it’s a great way to quickly throw up defenses before a large-scale battle.
Summon Monster VII - So many great monsters to summon! The bebelith, bone devil, vrock and behir are all fantastic choices.
Teleport, Greater - No more misses. The world is yours to toy with.
Teleport Object - You’re taking the whole dungeon hoard with you, even the really big pieces.
Walk through Space - A little underpowered for 7th level. In most cases, just use dimension door.
DIVINATION
Arcane Sight, Greater - The extra two spell levels don’t really justify the slight benefits over regular arcane sight. Also, why couldn’t the duration of this be hours instead of minutes? That would have been worthy of a 7th-level spell.
Insect Spies, Greater - I think I’d just stick with scrying or greater scrying.
Scrying, Greater - So good. In addition to many new detection spells usable through the sensor, the casting time is a standard action instead of an hour, and the duration is measured in hours instead of minutes.
Vision - The spell leaves you fatigued, so not the best choice for a melee combatant like a Master Transmogrifist, but for anyone else, it gets you the information much faster than legend lore. Very worth having, at least on a scroll.
ENCHANTMENT
Crime Wave - Fun and chaotic, but not particularly useful. Confusion is three levels lower and much more lethal.
Demanding Message, Mass - Very situational. You won’t be casting this spell often.
Hold Person, Mass - Humanoids are a common foe type, and in many campaigns, are by far the most common. Paralyzing whole groups is a great way to end a fight.
Hollow Heroism, Greater - How often do you betray groups of high-level characters? I can’t imagine using this, and certainly not more than once.
Insanity - There are much better single-target save-or-lose spells. This is a permanent confusion without multiple targets.
Lost Legacy - Very role-playing heavy and therefore circumstantial. Most adventurers will never use this, but it is a way to strip a character of all its allies and goodwill.
Power Word Blind - This spell has no saving throw (though it must still get through spell resistance). Knock your foe down below 200 hit points, then put his lights out.
Pox of Rumors - A curse you can apply from any distance is kind of neat. Get your enemy driven out of his sanctum where you can get at him.
Symbol of Stunning - Surprise! Symbols are expensive and underpowered. Still.
Waves of Ecstasy - The best part is that the spell staggers even those who make their saves. However, it’s still underpowered for a 7th level spell.
EVOCATION
Archon’s Trumpet - Paralyzed is a really deadly condition. Still, it’s short-range and just a straight-up fortitude save, so the spell is just okay.
Contact Entity IV - Again, you contact a dangerous entity that is not then under your control and which causes madness all around you. Bad. Idea.
Delayed Blast Fireball - This is almost never going to be better than a straight fireball spell. Casting it during time stop is one of the few instances I can imagine. Its best feature is that it has no damage cap.
Forcecage - An excellent way to keep your enemies in or out, depending on where you put it. But the spell’s duration is short. This is a good one to combine with various gas and mist spells like cloudkill or acid fog.
Grasping Hand - The hand’s chances of success are relatively low against melee combatants, but decent against spellcasters. You could instead summon a powerful monster to grapple your foes with much greater success.
Hungry Darkness - A large area-denial spell. The damage is minimal, but the Constitution damage is significant, particularly if combined with a lockdown spell like forecage.
Ki Shout - Terrible. A single-target damage-and-stun spell with a short range.
Mage’s Sword - Similar to the divine spell spiritual weapon in that it is a fire-and-forget melee weapon, but doing much more damage.
Mydriatic Spontaneity, Mass - The nausea is the real benefit. Only a few creatures will be blinded and dazzled is so weak it doesn’t matter. This spell is effectively a 7th-level version of stinking cloud in that regard.
Prismatic Spray - A large area of effect with some chaotic results.
Scouring Winds - Tiny area of effect and tiny damage. Not really worthwhile.
Vortex - In an aquatic campaign, this spell is a ship-killer. But most campaigns will never see it used.
ILLUSION
False Vision, Greater - If you’re in a game where the enemy is scrying on you, this is a useful option. Otherwise, it’s useless.
Invisibility, Mass - A very useful spell both in and out of combat. I wish it were a 6th-level spell.
Lunar Veil - In addition to being highly circumstantial, the effects of this spell might better be accomplished with deeper darkness and true form, a 3rd and 4th level spell, respectively.
Permanent Hallucination - A powerful way to mess with your target’s perceptions on a permanent basis.
Phantasmal Revenge - Mostly inferior to phantasmal killer.
Project Image - Cast your spells from greater safety and also draw out ambushes.
Shadow Conjuration, Greater - As with all shadow spells, you’re trading a higher-level spell slot for a weak version of a lower-level spell. Terrible!
Simulacrum - Not quite game-breaking, this spell is nonetheless an easy way to gain a very powerful companion. Expect your GM to houserule this pretty quickly.
Subjective Reality - Wow. Ignore anything or anyone you want, no save.
NECROMANCY
Control Undead - Right here is the start of your evil undead army destined to make you a warlord.
Create Variant Mummy - You’re probably better off with standard undead, but the variants are more powerful, so have at it!
Epidemic - Faster-moving than most disease-causing spells.
Finger of Death - Inferior to disintegrate.
Hunger for Flesh, Mass - Inferior to confusion.
Plague Storm - Inferior to epidemic.
Plundered Power - Besides just being generally horrible, it has a long casting time, expensive and difficult material components, and nets you only a single spell. Bleah.
Symbol of Weakness - The damage is significant, but the cost is just silly.
Temporary Resurrection - For when you need a fallen ally’s aid to finish a quest and there’s no cleric nearby.
Umbral Strike - Single target spells should be fairly deadly at this level, and this is underpowered. Damage plus blindness is pretty good, though.
Waves of Exhaustion - A large area of effect that imposes a -6 to Strength and Dexterity.
TRANSMUTATION
Age Resistance, Greater - Just not going to come up that often.
Arcane Cannon - Far too expensive and slow to be more than a curiosity.
Aroden's Magic Army - Called “magic army” in the PFSRD, this spell can give several large army units powerful magic weapons. Very much worth it if you’re commanding an army.
Artificer’s Curse - While you’re out (maybe) suppressing an item’s abilities, its owner is blasting your allies to bits. Very circumstantial in its use.
Black Tentacles, Greater - The original of this spell was a powerful fight- ending effect. But by now many foes will have efficient means of avoiding or escaping ground-based attacks. Moreover, now that the spell is alignment-based, it is useless against neutral creatures like dinosaurs or dire tigers.
Control Construct - The concentration requirement ruins this spell.
Control Weather - An excellent battlefield control spell.
Elemental Body IV - In addition to picking up huge elemental shapes and their 15' reach, you gain DR 5/-. Huge air elementals can drop several foes from a height and a huge earth elemental is a solid if uninspiring combat form.
Ethereal Jaunt - Both for its utility as a means of walking through walls and for its use as an escape from combat, this is a great spell.
Fey Form III - The huge tunche compares favorably to giant form II’s mountain troll. Transform into this vast three-legged predator and lay waste to your enemies. Or turn into a diminutive sprite for infiltration. Second only to form of the dragon for combat mayhem and then only barely.
Firebrand - Particularly good if you’re going to be launching fire spells, but still not bad if you aren’t. Everyone gains +1d6 fire damage from weapons and can launch a fire attack as a swift action.
Fly, Mass - Not only will this save you a lot of casting time casting 3rd level spells, the movement rate is much faster. Still, your allies should begin to get flight items by now.
Form of the Alien Dragon II - The three form of the dragon spells are just flat-out better than most of the other polymorph spells at this level, rivaled only by giant form I and only because that spell doesn’t interfere at all with spell casting. A large dragon is a terror on the battlefield and with this spell you add considerable bonuses to Strength, Constitution and natural armor, doubles your fly speed, add Blindsense, add a sixth attack and a second use of a breath weapon.
Form of the Dragon II - See form of the alien dragon II.
Form of the Exotic Dragon II - See form of the alien dragon II.
Giant Form I - Take on the form of a two-headed troll and tear into the enemy with claws, weapons, regeneration and rend all while in a body that can cast spells as well as your own body.
Ice Body - A nice set of immunities and damage reduction.
Legendary Proportions - A great spell to cast on your party’s companion animals or on your own familiar if you are a Puppet Master.
Magical Beast Shape - The chimera (with however many heads your GM will allow) is a terrifying combatant. And whoever knew a clam could be so frightening?
Memory of Function - Timeworn and broken items are more common in some campaigns than others. Ask your GM if it’s something you’ll be encountering a lot.
Ooze Form III - Continues to be the weakest of the polymorph spells.
Particulate Form - I particularly like that this is not a polymorph spell, so you can benefit from it even in polymorphed forms. This is a powerful defensive tool, making you immune to bleed damage, critical hits, sneak attacks, and other forms of precision damage and also granting fast healing. Finally, it grants an arcane method of healing, which is rare.
Planar Adaptation, Mass - Your plane-hopping friends will appreciate this when you drop in on the Plane of Fire.
Plant Shape III - Now that huge plants are available, this line of spells is finally coming into its own...just in time to be overshadowed by form of the dragon and giant form. Its outstanding forms are the green man, the corpse lotus and the quickwood.
Polymorph, Greater - You don’t need this for yourself. It lets you assume any of several lower-level forms. This would be a great choice for a sorcerer with limited spells known, but you can know every spell. You’re better off using form of the dragon II or giant form I. However, casting this spell on your party’s main fighter could be quite powerful!
Resonating Word - I don’t care for either single-target spells or damage over time, but staggered and stunned are good effects and the damage, for once, isn’t negligible.
Reverse Gravity - No save, no spell resistance. If your foes can’t fly, this spell is amazing.
Shapechanger’s Gift, Greater - (new with Ultimate Wilderness) - You can give the base form (without combat abilities) of a wide range of creatures to a friend. Useful for infiltration, spying, diplomacy and a host of other things.
Statue - An interesting disguise plus a way to gain 8 hardness when it’s not your turn.
Submerge Ship - Lots of utility, but little to no combat usefulness.
UNIVERSAL
Limited Wish - There are times you’d spend 1500 gp to gain access to a spell you don’t have. This spell is very versatile!
ABJURATION
Dimensional Lock - A very long duration area of effect dimensional anchor. It does succumb to spell resistance, though.
Mind Blank - Completely absents you from divination and gives you a +8 bonus against mind-affecting spells. Even defeats limited wish, miracle and wish.
Prismatic Wall - Potent and difficult to overcome. It is a very strong wall spell.
Protection from Spells - You and your party should already have resistance bonuses to spells (via cloaks of resistance and the like), but this spell grants a +8 bonus which likely means a +3 or +4 effective bonus. It’s expensive and it doesn’t last long, but when you’re about to fight the BBEG, it may be the difference between life and death.
Spell Absorption, Greater - Counterspelling is a suboptimal strategy made only slightly less suboptimal if this spell succeeds. You’re still trading an 8th level spell to gain a 6th level spell or less.
Spellscar - Never rely on spells that require the enemy to take a specific action, especially not a specific action in a very small space.
Symbol of Dispelling - Like all symbols, the high cost and moderate effect are simply not worth it.
CONJURATION
Call Construct - An expensive way to move a construct. Just bring it with you.
Create Demiplane - You’re making your own world! Your... own... world!
Fey Gate - (new in Ultimate Wilderness) - Like all things dealing with the First World, this spell is dangerous. It might be easier to find an existing portal to the First World and teleport to the portal.
Incendiary Cloud - Cloudkill is three levels lower and more dangerous.
Instant Summons, Greater - Ridiculously expensive. Just use secret chest.
Maze - A very potent single-target lockout. Just don’t use it on minotaurs. No save and it’s not mind-affecting. Just remove a bad guy from the fight.
Planar Binding, Greater - You can require service from some very powerful figures. It’s a great spell.
Rain of Arrows - A straight-up area damage spell that is smaller than fireball. Don’t bother.
Rift of Ruin - A strange combination of create pit and summoning. But it is an evil spell.
Seamantle - Useful to a Master Transmogrifist for the cover bonus alone. You’re unlikely to already have a cover bonus. The more-or-less immunity to fire effects is just pure gravy.
Spellcrash, Greater - Terrible. You lose an 8th level spell so that your enemy maybe loses a 7th level spell? Someone is bad at math!
Summon Monster VIII - A barbed devil or an elder elemental can be a potent ally, but your best bet seems to be summoning 1d3 bone devils or vrocks.
Trap the Soul - When you know who you’ll be facing, this spell can be a very potent means of ending a fight before it begins.
Wall of Lava - A weaker, less versatile wall of stone that can heal itself. Not worth the three level increase.
DIVINATION
Discern Location - Nothing short of mind blank or a god can stop you from finding your quarry. Neat!
Moment of Prescience - Gain a huge advantage on a single die roll. Nice duration, too.
Prediction of Failure - Your target becomes both shaken and sickened for at least 15 rounds. Failing the save makes it permanent. That’s a good debuff.
Prying Eyes, Greater - The ultimate spying / scouting spell. Keep one eye with you for the extended true seeing without the component cost.
ENCHANTMENT
Antipathy - A decent spell to ward your inner sanctum, though it takes a full hour to cast. It’s nice that it even has an effect on creatures that make their save.
Binding - Works best when cast with the assistance of many spellcasters. This may be your best solution when faced with a foe you can’t beat outright.
Charm Monster, Mass - You’re unlikely to have the high charisma necessary to really make this work, but you also have moment of prescience if you need to enforce it.
Demand - When you need to send a long-range suggestion, I guess.
Euphoric Tranquility - Touch-range attack with no saving throw. Suddenly that raging monster is your bestest buddy.
Irresistible Dance - It only works on the living and is a single-target touch spell. Still, it’s an hilarious and powerful lockout spell. Maze is typically a better choice because of the lack of a save.
Life of Crime - I’m not sure how this isn’t an evil spell. Well, it’s definitely evil, just without the evil descriptor. Anyway, I can’t see how this is going to help you.
Power Word Stun - There are better single-target lockout spells at this level (maze, irresistible dance). Power word stun requires you to beat down your foe a bit first before it works.
Symbol of Insanity - Ugh. You’d think one of these wouldn’t be awful. But no.
Sympathy - For 1500 gp, you entice your target into a trap. Useful with the binding spell. But not really in the Transmuter oeuvre.
EVOCATION
Clenched Fist - The damage is negligible for the level, but the Stun chance is what makes this spell shine. A good fire-and-forget spell similar in concept to the lower level mage’s sword, only more versatile.
Curse of Night - Very expensive, but the area is huge. A way to kill crops (or protect vampires?) over a large area.
Polar Ray - A single-target no-save damage spell with minor Dex damage. Okay, but not awesome.
Shout, Greater - A decent Area of Effect stun with a large area. Even if creatures make their save, they are deafened, which is good against spellcasters.
Stormbolts - Particularly good for a Master Transmogrifist who is likely in the thick of melee. This powerful area of effect blast also has a chance of stunning and lets you deselect targets at will!
Sunburst - Huge area of effect and permanent blindness. The damage is really only worthwhile against oozes, undead and light-sensitive creatures.
Telekinetic Sphere - This can be used offensively (move the trapped creature into some dangerous area) or defensively (cocooning you and your friends from harm long enough to heal up and buff up).
ILLUSION
Scintillating Pattern - Confusion is an awesome spell. This is confusion without saving throws. The only thing that keeps it from being rated blue is the hit dice limit.
Screen - Hide your secret village, or the entrance to your fabulous underground lair... or whatever.
Shadow Evocation, Greater - Once again class: shadow magic is a terrible waste of resources. Trade an 8th level spell slot for a reduced version of a 7th or lower-level spell.
NECROMANCY
Clone - This is a way to return from the dead even if your whole party is slain. Grow clones of your whole party!
Create Greater Undead - The creatures you can create are relatively low- level, but they are permanent servitors and even cannon fodder can be valuable.
Curse Terrain, Supreme - Let the peasants know you really, really want to be left alone in your tower.
Death Clutch - A true save-or-die spell. Spellcasters are probably dead when you target them with this.
Horrid Wilting - It’s pretty much a larger-area fireball.
Orb of the Void - Very similar to flaming sphere, only it imposes negative levels.
Symbol of Death - Okay, finally a symbol spell I don’t hate. I just don’t like it, either. For 5,000 gp, you can kill one guy with 150 hp or less. If he comes within range. Or you could hire a thousand archers for less than a tenth the price, but who’s counting?
Umbral Infusion, Mass - If you have a horde of undead servants, this spell is for you. But you’re a transmuter. Don’t have a horde of undead servants.
TRANSMUTATION
Angelic Aspect, Greater - You are a transmuter. If you’re not polymorphed into a battle form, then consider taking on the awesome senses, damage resistance, immunities and movement provided by this spell. Heck, even if you are polymorphed, there is a lot here to love, especially the Damage Resistance!
Form of the Alien Dragon III - This is it! The three form of the dragon III spells are the pinnacle of polymorph forms. You become a devastating huge dragon, laying waste to whole battlefields. This means bigger ability bonuses, faster fly speed, longer darkvision, bigger breath weapon and better damage resistance. But it also means the addition of frightful presence (DC based on the spell), Blindsense, and you can use your breath weapon much more frequently.
Form of the Dragon III - See form of the alien dragon III.
Form of the Exotic Dragon III - See form of the alien dragon III.
Frightful Aspect - If you are a Master Transmogrifist, you have much more terrifying forms to assume (form of the dragon III and giant form II). If you’re not a Master Transmogrifist, this okay for the no-save shaken condition, but the rest of the benefits are wasted.
Giant Form II - If you like regeneration and using your own manufactured weapons, take on the form of a mountain troll. Otherwise, form of the dragon III is superior.
Iron Body - Some very strong defenses on offer here, but the arcane spell failure is bad. Greater angelic aspect is better.
Phasic Challenge - I’m not really seeing how this benefits you or your party, but it has some strong role-playing flavor and your big stupid fighter friend might love it.
Polymorph Any Object - This spell is amazing. No matter what kind of Transmuter you are... no matter what kind of wizard you are, you need this spell now! Permanently transform your team into deadlier forms! Turn castle walls into cotton candy or your familiar into a dragon. If there was a color rating higher than blue, this spell would rate that color.
Temporal Stasis - The spell is quite expensive, but a great way to neutralize a foe you can’t kill. Or to survive into the far future?
Undead Anatomy IV - As a combat spell for a Master Transmogrifist, this spell is mediocre at best. But as a defensive spell it can give you a fast fly speed, energy resistances and a +8 bonus against mind-affecting spells and effects.
Wandering Weather - (new in Ultimate Wilderness) - The 7th-level spell Control weather is probably all you need.
ABJURATION
Echean's Excellent Enclosure - Called “mage’s excellent enclosure” at www.d20pfsrd.com. This is the ultimate lock-down spell, combining a resilient sphere with an antimagic field. Use it to lock down a dangerous enemy or to lock in a now-helpless spellcaster with your deadliest fighter.
Freedom - Super circumstantial. Keep it in your spellbook, but you will probably never use it.
Impenetrable Veil - If your target has a good Stealth score, this is a great way to let it hide in plain sight.
Mage’s Disjunction - The ultimate in dispel magic, destroying multiple magical effects and items. Your foes will hate you.
Mind Blank, Communal - As mind blank, but you must divide the 24-hour duration up. Either you must cast this several times to protect your party the whole day or you must cast mind blank several times to protect your whole party for one day. You’re better off using the 8th level spell unless you don’t need a whole day’s protection.
Prismatic Sphere - A terrific defensive spell that can also be used offensively (cast it on someone who gets too close, then simply leave).
Spellbane - Sort of like an antimagic field that only suppresses certain spells. Could be useful if your foe uses certain spells more than others.
Symbol of Vulnerability - 15,000 gp? Not worth it!
Wall of Suppression - For the cost of 1,000 gp each time, I sure do wish the wall lasted a whole day. Anyway, this could be very powerful in defense, but adventurers are so rarely on defense.
CONJURATION
Clashing Rocks - An area of effect attack with a main target. At the worst it probably leaves everyone prone and somewhat injured.
Create Demiplane, Greater - You can truly make your own world, having to reinforce only every few weeks. With the timeless quality you can gain all the extra crafting and research time you’ll ever want. You may want to check out these threads on the Paizo boards:
What Would Your Demiplane Be Like?
How would you use Create Demiplane?
Gate - This spell is primarily a form of precision interplanar transport, such as a great way to get to your new demiplane. As a means of calling an outsider it is both expensive and dangerous and therefore primarily a story-driven spell rather than a good strategy.
Interplanetary Teleport - If you need to go to other planets, this beats taking a spaceship. For terrestrial teleportation, however, greater teleport is all you need.
Maze of Madness and Suffering - Like maze, but harder to leave and more uncomfortable.
Refuge - Not a bad means of extracting your party rogue from a tight spot.
Resplendent Mansion - This line of spells peaked at magnificent mansion, but the 1 day/level duration means this is much more than a camping spell.
Summon Monster IX - Most of the monsters available here are underpowered for your level. You’d be better off summoning multiple monsters from a lower list.
Teleportation Circle - This is how you move an army or a large caravan. Permanency on this spell could solve a kingdom’s transportation problems.
Tsunami - Good for destroying armies or whole cities.
Wooden Phalanx - For combat, use summon monster IX. But for utility or construction, the duration here is unbeatable.
DIVINATION
Foresight - For the only 9th level divination spell, this one is underwhelming, and almost pointless for a diviner. A transmuter might get some use out of it, though.
ENCHANTMENT
Dominate Monster - Dominating a monster in combat is generally going to backfire fairly quickly. Dominating one out of combat is a situation rife with possibility, however.
Heroic Invocation - Holy, uh, Aroden! That’s just terrible. I mean, this is just a stupid choice. It’s got a 10-minute casting time and only lasts 10 minutes per level, which means you need to be very close to whatever you’re about to fight but far enough away that it won’t attack while you’re casting this spell. Then it gives you a few okay bonuses and then makes you Fatigued when it’s all over. How is this a 9th-level spell?
Hold Monster, Mass - Eh, okay. Paralysis is a strong effect and being able to hold many monsters is nice. But nothing amazing.
Overwhelming Presence - Better in most ways than mass hold monster, this save-or-lose spell nonetheless gives its victims a new save every round. On the plus side, even saving really hurts with this spell.
Power Word Kill - I want this to be so much better than it is. It’s harmless to anyone with 101 hp or more. So you’ll need to beat most opponents down for some time before this spell has any effect. On the plus side, there is no save.
Symbol of Strife - 15,000 gp for what amounts to a simple confusion spell? Yuck.
EVOCATION
Crushing Hand - You can summon monsters to do this work much more effectively.
Defending Sword, Mass - See my thoughts on the base defending sword spell.
Icy Prison, Mass - Now this is how you do an area of effect lockdown spell. Trapped creatures without cold resistance are just going to die. Others will be at least entangled.
Meteor Swarm - Not as terrible as its reputation would have it. You can either launch four minor fireballs or what amounts to one 24d6 fireball with a possibility of a further 8d6 in bludgeoning damage. Not bad at all.
Ride the Lightning - Zip around the battlefield as a standard action and do a little damage. When you could otherwise be bending the universe to your will with actual useful spells.
Winds of Vengeance - Flying is nice, but the real gem here is that it deflects all ranged attacks. Archers and gunslingers are suddenly inconsequential. The “vengeance” portion of this spell is something you need to hope you never trigger because it requires to get hit first.
ILLUSION
Shades - Whether this spell is awful or pretty good depends on whether you believe that it is merely a more powerful version of shadow conjuration (which is limited to sorceror/wizard spells of the summoning and creation types) (in which case this spell is as terrible as all the other shadow spells) or that it “mimics conjuration spells of 8th level or lower”, meaning all conjuration spells, not just sorcerer/wizard spells. In which case this is a great spell! Talk to your GM about it.
Shadow Transmutation, Greater - Just straight-up terrible, like most shadow spells.
Weird - Phantasmal killer that affects multiple targets.
NECROMANCY
Astral Projection - One of the best and safest ways to travel to other planes.
Canopic Conversion - A blast spell that creates a minor undead. Meh.
Cursed Earth - This is a GM spell. You won’t gain much by using it.
Energy Drain - A powerful means of taking down a powerful foe.
Massacre - Line spells are just difficult to use to take down more than two foes. So your massacre is more probably a double homicide. A basic save-or-die spell.
Soul Bind - Very circumstantial, but prevents resurrections.
Suffocation, Mass - A mass save or die spell. At the worst, your foes will be staggered for a round. At best, you’ll kill several of them.
Wail of the Banshee - A mass save or die spell. No secondary effects like mass suffocation, though.
TRANSMUTATION
Curse of Fell Seasons - Spend 15,000 gp and give an area bad weather permanently. Perfect if you’re a rich supervillain.
Etherealness - Mass ethereal jaunt with a much longer duration.
Fey Form IV - The improvements over fey form III are slight. This feels more like an 8th level spell than a 9th level spell.
Fiery Body - Some very useful immunities with a short duration.
Salvage - ORANGE in an aquatic campaign. Otherwise, you’ll never use it.
Scribe’s Binding - Expensive, but you can learn everything about a character by reading it.
Shapechange - The ultimate polymorph spells. If you are a Master Transmogrifist, the duration alone should appeal to you.
Time Stop - An amazing spell. Gain several rounds to buff and prepare the battlefield. Best if you have a high initiative.
Transmute Blood to Acid - A single-target save or die spell that requires concentration. There are so many better offensive spells at this level.
Transmute Golem - Upgrade your golem... at a very expensive price.
World Wave - A very weird spell that combines movement with destruction. The tsunami version is good for leveling cities while the swell version is good for high-speed travel (although why you wouldn’t just use greater teleport I don’t know.
UNIVERSAL
Wish - Very expensive, but incredibly powerful and versatile. Giving yourself a +5 inherent bonus in one ability score is amazing, but it would cost 125,000 gp.
There is no way to adequately cover the many facets of familiars in the Pathfinder rules in a short chapter. I’m limiting myself to familiars acquired by Transmuters and the ways in which they can be built, used and optimized. Even then, I’m only going to skim the surface of the subject.
A Transmuter’s familiar can fill several different roles in the Pathfinder game. A familiar can be a spy, infiltrator, servant, assistant or combatant. For purposes of this guide, I’m going to break those down into three essential roles: Combat Assistant, Direct Combatant and Servant. In general, a Master Transmogrifist will want to have a Combat Assistant, a Puppet Master will want to have a Direct Combatant and a Warlock will want a Servant, but these roles are flexible and the Transmuter’s build need not dictate the Familiar’s build.
Familiars have whatever feats the base creature has. You can swap out these feats for a very limited selection of Familiar Feats, listed below. Beyond that, there are only a few ways to gain other feats (such as combat feats) for your familiar, including the Eldritch Guardian fighter and the Beastbonded Witch.
Familiar Feats
You can swap out the base creature’s feats with any of the following feats, provided the familiar meets the prerequisites:
Critical Conduit - Doubles the Critical Threat Range of your familiar’s touch spells. Good for a Direct Combatant.
Extra Item Slot - By default, familiars have no magic item slots (although they can carry ioun stones and slotless items like wands and scrolls). For every item you wish your familiar to wear, it needs to unlock a slot with this feat.
Familiar Focus - This will make those combat buffs last longer. Good for a Direct Combatant.
Familiar Spell - Imbue your familiar with shocking grasp and let it carry that into battle. This is different from the “Deliver Touch Spells” ability because casting a subsequent spell does not dissipate the spell held by the familiar. Good for a Direct Combatant.
Lithe Attacker - The ability to attack from narrow spaces is too highly specialized to waste one of your few feats on.
Master of Your Kind - Depending on the type of creature, this may or may not become useful. See the Animal Exemplar archetype.
Mauler’s Endurance - If you have a familiar with the Mauler archetype, this is a no-brainer.
Narrow Frame - It just won’t come up often enough to justify the feat.
Spell Sponge - Only affects spells with a target of “you”, but it doubles their duration. So things like mirror image and shield will last much longer. Good for a Direct Combatant.
Stable Gallop - I haven’t even gotten into the issue of riding your familiar. But this is really for a magus or other martial character.
Sure-Footed - As Stable Gallop.
Valiant Steed - As Stable Gallop.
Familiars can have archetypes just like other characters. Here are those useful to a Transmuter:
Ambassador - This is a great way for a low-charisma wizard to gain a solid Diplomacy - let your familiar do the talking! I can see some really great role-playing potential here, too. It’s also one of the few archetypes that will work with an Improved Familiar. This is a good archetype for a Servant familiar.
Animal Exemplar - The ability to interact with animals like Doctor Doolittle will rapidly fade as you enter the mid-levels of Pathfinder. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Decoy - Very interesting role-playing abilities on offer here. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Egotist - I love the flavor of this archetype, but doubt its utility. Works with Improved Familiars.
Emissary - A little touch of the divine in your familiar. Can be used with Improved Familiars. This is a great archetype for a Combat Assistant or a Servant familiar. Works with Improved Familiars.
Figment - On the one hand, the Figment is a possibility for a Direct Combatant because it is effectively immortal and has an eidolon’s evolutions, but on the other hand, it has only ¼ of your hit points, so it won’t be around to battle for long.Another way to go is to use the Figment as a Combat Assistant or a Servant familiar, giving it the Skilled evolution. It is also worth noting that the Figment archetype can stack with the Sage archetype. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Infiltrator - It doesn’t enhance the combat abilities of the familiar, but it really does make for a nice spy. Makes for an excellent Servant familiar. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Mascot - A familiar for the whole team. The Lucky Mascot ability makes it a good Combat Assistant at low levels. The Heart of the Team ability doesn’t come into play until 13th level, but can then make a powerful Direct Combatant or still be a very viable Combat Assistant. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Mauler - This is one of the very best archetypes for a low-level Direct Combatant familiar. However, the Battle Form ability is a polymorph effect and so does not stack with polymorph spells (this is a new change as of Ultimate Wilderness). Still, even when polymorphed by beast shape or form of the dragon, the Mauler retains its Increased Strength and eventually, Damage Resistance (because although they are Extraordinary and Supernatural abilities, they do not rely on the familiar’s form.) So the Mauler is still an excellent option even for a higher-level Direct Combatant. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Pilferer - An interesting choice for a Combat Assistant familiar. It also works well for a Servant in the spying role. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Prankster - Useful as a Combat Assistant or Servant familiar, but many of its abilities seem designed to mess with the master, so you’re probably better off without it. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Protector - The Protector is a good Combat Assistant, with plenty of ways to aid its master in a fight. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Sage - A strong choice for a Servant familiar. Can be combined with the Figment archetype (allowing you to choose the Skilled evolution). Works fine with Improved Familiars.
School Familiar - A strong choice for a Combat Assistant. Not only can it buff your allies with Augment, freeing you up for combat, it can intercept a dispel magic with Dispel Bait, preventing an enemy from turning you from a dire tiger back into a puny wizard in the middle of melee. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Soulbound Familiar - A strange choice, but with some utility after 8th level. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
Valet - A great choice for both a Combat Assistant and a Servant familiar. The Able Assistant and Magical Manipulation abilities make for a great assistant and the rest of the abilities make this an awesome aid in combat. Cannot be used with Improved Familiars.
According to Paizo Blog #310 of June 22, 2017, “[b]y default, familiars do not have any magic item slots, but they can unlock magic item slots associated with their respective body shape. See below for a list of which body slots each familiar is eligible to unlock. To unlock a magic item slot, a familiar must take the Extra Item Slot feat... In the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild, familiars of all body shapes may take this feat, including humanoid-shaped familiars. When you gain a familiar, you may exchange one of its feats for Extra Item Slot for free. Familiars may also carry slotless magic items and activate ioun stones.” So if you want your familiar you carry a slotted magic item, it must have the Extra Item Slot feat.
However, slotless items like wands and scrolls don’t require items slots. They do require the right sort of body shape to use, however. The following familiar types can use spell trigger and spell completion magic items, including wands and scrolls, as well as magic items with a command word: arbiter, brownie, cassisian (in small humanoid form), faerie dragon, imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any type), nosoi, nuglub, pooka, pyrausta, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, and zhyen. Of course, just like player characters, if the familiar doesn’t have the spells on its list (e.g., faerie dragon), that familiar will need Use Magic Device (UMD) to trigger the item.
Most familiars cannot grasp and carry items. Those that can are arbiters, avians and bipeds (including, strangely, faerie dragons).
Most familiars cannot wield weapons in combat. The following familiars can wield weapons: arbiter, brownie, cassisian (in small humanoid form), imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any), nuglub, pooka, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, and zhyen.
These are the magic item slots that can be unlocked with the Extra Item Slot feat.
Arbiter (eyes, hand, headband, wrist): Arbiter
Auger (eyes, headband): Auger
Avian (armor, belt, chest, eyes, headband, neck, ring, wrist): Archaeopteryx, arctic tern, bat, chicken, clockwork familiar, dodo, dove, flying fox, hawk, kakapo, mockingfey, nosoi, osprey, owl, parrot, peacock, penguin, pseudowyvern, ptarmigan, puffin, raven, rhamphorhynchus, snail kite, snowy owl, thrush, toucan
Biped [claws/paws] (armor, belt, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, right, shoulders): Compsognathus, petrifern, wallaby
Biped [hands] (all item slots): Brownie, cassisan (Small humanoid form), coral capuchin, faerie dragon, homunculus, imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any type), monkey, nuglub, pooka, pyrausta, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, xiao, zhyen
Cassisian (headband): Cassisian (helmet form)
Doru (eyes, head, headband): Doru
None (no item slots): Eyeball, harbinger, paracletus, wysp
Piscine (belt, chest [saddle], eyes): Popoto dolphin, pufferfish, seal
Quadruped [claws/paws] (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders): Almiraj, arctic fox, arctic hare, armadillo, brain mole, calligraphy wyrm, cat, cat sith, caypup, chuspiki, dire rat, donkey rat, ermine, flying squirrel, fox, hedgehog, koala, lemming, mole, mongoose, otter, platypus, pseudodragon, pseudosphinx, rabbit, raccoon, rat, red panda, silvanshee, skunk, sloth, squirrel, weasel
Quadruped [hooves] (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, feet [horseshoes], head, headband, neck, shoulders): Goat, pig
Quadruped [squat body] (armor, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders): Snapping turtle, toad, turtle
Saurian (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck): Dwarf caiman, lizard, marine iguana, tuatara
Serpentine (belt, eyes, headband): cacodaemon, leopard slug, mamiwa, nehushtan, nycar, pipefox, raktavarna, sea krait, viper, voidworm
Verminous (belt, eyes): Blue-ringed octopus, clockwork spy, elemental (any type), giant flea, giant isopod, greensting scorpion, house centipede, katroome, king crab, octopus (young template), scarlet spider, stirge, trilobite, typhilipede
The Combat Assistant is rarely if ever intended to deal melee damage. Instead it is called on to fulfill three basic roles in combat: The Bomber, the Buffer and the Flanker. Although any Transmuter can use a Combat Assistant familiar, these are written with the Master Transmogrifist in mind.
The Bomber
During low-level play, flying familiars who drop objects like alchemist’s fire, tanglefoot bags and caltrops can play an important role in harming the enemy or degrading his ability to move and harm you.
The Buffer
This is perhaps the most important role of a Combat Assistant familiar and the one it will perform most often during its term of service to your character. By using wands, scrolls and spell-like abilities to buff you (or your allies), the Combat Assistant familiar drastically improves your action economy. Buffers are often invisible, flying or both and position themselves as far from the action as possible.
The Flanker
The flanker assists in combat by moving to an advantageous position, granting a flanking bonus to you or an ally, especially one with sneak attack who can take advantage of the enemy’s being denied his dexterity bonus. But in addition actual flanking, the flanker can deliver touch spells to the enemy, debuffing him or effectively increasing your damage output.
The most directly useful archetypes for a Combat Assistant are Mascot, Protector, Sage School Familiar and Valet.
The Mascot permits the familiar to work well with the entire team. Its greatest ability doesn’t come until 13th level, when it can use the base attack bonus, Hit Dice, hit points, saving throws, and skill ranks of any team member it chooses as a basis for calculating its own. Suddenly, your combat assistant may have become a Direct Combatant with the full BAB and half the hit points of the party fighter.
The Protector can improve your armor class, take damage for you and at 11th level can use In Harm’s Way to take all the damage for you and also gains hit points equal to yours.
The Sage can have its own skills independent from your own, so you don’t have to put your precious skill points into Use Magic Device.
The School Familiar can use some of your school abilities and can intercept a dispel magic that might leave you vulnerable in melee.
The Valet is highly mobile, able to move in and out of melee, delivering buffs and Aid Another. At 13th level, it can use Aid Another to help up to three allies simultaneously.
Among the best choices for a Combat Assistant familiar are:
Bat - Good flier, easily capable of making the DC 20 Fly check to hover. Good for a bomber and occasionally as a flanker. Grants +3 fly checks.
Centipede, House - Good move and climb speeds. Good for a bomber and a flanker. Grants +3 Stealth.
Compsognathus - A higher movement, Strength and poison DC than the Greensting Scorpion. Grants +4 initiative. Great flanker and can deliver touch spells well.
Hawk - Good flier, good armor class, Perception and Stealth. Makes a good bomber.
Octopus, blue ringed - Amazing stealth. Great flanker in an aquatic campaign.
Owl - As the hawk, but with better vision in dim light.
Seal - Much less stealthy than the octopus, but can move on land.
Ramphorhynchus - Flier, good armor class, good stealth. Grants +2 Initiative.
Scorpion, Greensting - A higher Armor Class, Dexterity and Stealth than the Compsognathus. Grants +4 initiative. Great flanker and can deliver touch spells well.
Thrush - Excellent flier, good armor class and stealth. Speaks 1 language. Grants +3 Diplomacy.
In addition to their many unique abilities, improved familiars have more item slots and critically, some of them can carry and use wands and scrolls. Having a familiar with a wand is like having quicken spell. It enables you to win the Action Economy.
With a few exceptions, most improved familiars are not spellcaster (spell-like abilities aside) and can only activate wands by rolling a DC 20 Use Magic Device (UMD) check. Thus, it is important to choose familiars with a good Charisma and make sure to maximize their ranks in Use Magic Device.
There are several dozen types of improved familiar and nearly all of them are better Combat Assistants than any of the basic familiars. Here are some of the best improved familiar choices for a Combat Assistant (along with the level at which they can be called to service.) Each of them has hands and can wield a wand:
Brownie - (5th) - High Charisma, High Dexterity. Mirror image and dimension door make for a survivable form.
Cassisan angel - (7th) - Has hands in its small humanoid form - Damage Resistance. Can cast commune, which is hugely useful. Grants bonuses to Armor Class and saves versus evil creatures.
Faerie dragon - (7th) High Charisma, Dexterity and Intelligence. Breath weapon. Because the faerie dragon can cast spells as a sorcerer, it can use wands of arcane spells without UMD.
Imp - (7th) High Dexterity. Damage Resistance. Fast Healing 2. Invisible at will. Poison. Can cast commune.
Liminal sprite - (7th) High Dexterity. Excellent flier. Can add +2d4 to Charisma-based skill checks.
Lyrakien azata - (7th) High Charisma, High Dexterity, Damage Resistance. Excellent flier. Can cast commune. Truespeech. Can remove conditions.
Dust Mephit - (5th) Breath weapon. Fast healing 2. Blur and wind wall are useful to avoid damage.
Pyrausta - (3rd) On the list because you can recruit it at 3rd level and later trade up. Fast flier with a breath weapon and fast healing 1.
Ratling - (7th) Evasion. Can cast commune, summon swarm. A ratling treats all scrolls as though it had that spell on its list. Meaning it needs no UMD roll for scrolls. Not PFS-legal.
Since these wands will be activated through the Use Magic Device skill most of the time, there is no reason to limit the wands to wizard spells.
Wand of Barkskin - 4,500 gp. +2 enhancement bonus to your natural armor.
Wand of Bless - 750 gp. +1 morale bonus on attack rolls to allies.
Wand of Blur - 4,500 gp. Concealment is an awesome thing to have in melee. If you’re a Master Transmogrifist, this is a huge advantage.
Wand of Cheetah’s Sprint - 750 gp. Charge or run up to ten times your normal speed. Great for long jumps, too!
Wand of Entangle - 750 gp. An awesome area-denial spell.
Wand of Haste - 11,250 gp. It’s really expensive, but when you really need it, the cost is worth it. Consider this a quickened haste because you didn’t have to cast it.
Wand of Ill Omen - 750 gp. The familiar hits the target with this, then you hit the target with your favorite save or die spell.
Wand of Invisibility - 4,500 gp. When you need to get out of a jam and can’t stop to cast the spell yourself.
Wand of Limp Lash - 4,500 gp. A direct attack spell with no saves. Good for a Combat Assistant or a Direct Combatant.
Wand of Lockjaw - 4,500 gp. The familiar gives you the Grab ability when you are polymorphed.
Wand of Longstrider - 750 gp. Can grant you +10 movement.
Wand of Mage Armor - 750 gp. One less thing you have to do before battle.
Wand of Magic Fang - 750 gp. Let the familiar buff up your attacks when you polymorph.
Wand of Magic Weapon - 750 gp. At low levels, the familiar can grant your fighter a magic weapon while you are casting other spells.
Wand of Mudball - 750 gp. If it hits, blindness is automatic until at least the target’s turn. Have the familiar blind your foe, then you move in and pummel him as a Master Transmogrifist.
Wand of Protection from Evil, Communal - 4,500 gp. The familiar can grant everyone in the party protection while you keep casting or fighting.
Wand of Remove Fear - 750 gp. Great for when the party fighter turns tail and runs.
Wand of Stabilize - 375 gp. The familiar can prevent you from dying until the party healer arrives. It’s cheap! Get one!
Wand of Shield Other - 4,500 gp. Let the familiar take half your damage. Particularly good for the familiar of a Master Transmogrifist.
Wand of Silent Image - 750 gp. No save unless interacted with. A great way to distract the enemy.
Wand of Swift Girding - 750 gp. This is a really great wand for the familiar of a Muscle Wizard. Once you hit yourself with transformation, your familiar can instantly dress you in armor.
It’s worth saying at the outset that this is not a build for the optimizer. If you want to be an arcane caster with a powerful pet, play a summoner. Or if you want to be a nine-level caster with powerful pets, play a druid. This is for the obstinate among us who want to play a wizard, dagnabbit!
It is possible to build a Direct Combatant familiar that, with the addition of polymorph spells, can be fairly damaging in battle. Their Achilles’ Heel, however, is the fact that a familiar’s hit points are half of your hit points, and you’re a wizard. The combat familiar will always have low hit points. So the key to this build is anything that piles on hit points, and that will primarily mean raising your own Constitution score as much as possible.
The other major limitation is that the familiar’s BAB is that of its master, meaning that it improves only slowly. However, with proper planning, your combat familiar can remain relevant for a long time.
Obviously, the Direct Combatant familiar is going to enter into melee combat on your behalf. Any of the three Transmuter types identified in this guide (Master Transmogrifist, Puppet Master and Warlock) can effectively use a Direct Combatant familiar, but what follows assumes that the most likely master for a Direct Combatant is the Puppet Master, and that sooner or later, you will be casting polymorph spells on your Direct Combatant familiar.
The most straightforward route to an effective Direct Combatant familiar is via the Mauler familiar archetype. The key to the Mauler is the Battle Form ability, which increases its size to Medium, regardless of the original size. Because Pathfinder grants bonuses to Strength with each size increase, it may behoove you to choose a Tiny familiar (taking advantage of Strength increases from Tiny to Small and then again from Small to Medium).
The Mauler archetype does not work with improved familiars because it exchanges the “speak with animals of its kind” ability, which improved familiars do not get.
It is a common misconception that a Mauler familiar doesn’t work well with polymorph spells like beast shape and monstrous physique because the Battle Form ability is a polymorph ability. This is untrue. When polymorphed by a spell, the Mauler will not gain the bonuses of Battle Form, but it will nonetheless receive identical bonuses when it polymorphs into Medium form and even better ones as the polymorph forms get larger. But your Mauler won’t always be under the effects of a polymorph spell and when it’s not, you have Battle Form.
Familiar Choices for a Mauler
Among the best choices for a Mauler familiar are:
Compsognathus - Tiny; Strength: 8; Strength at Medium Size: 14; Move 40 ft.; Perception +4; Stealth +10; Master’s Bonus: +4 Initiative
Crab, King - Tiny; Strength: 7; Strength at Medium Size: 13; Move 40 ft., Perception +8; Stealth +10; Master’s Bonus: +1 to natural armor. Nice stealth. Plus, the AC may come into play if you’re a Master Transmogrifist.
Fox - Tiny; Strength: 9; Strength at Medium Size: 15; Move 40 ft.; Perception +4; Stealth +10; Master’s Bonus: +2 Reflex saves.
Goat - Small; Strength: 12; Strength at Medium Size: 14; Move 30 ft.; Perception +0; Stealth +0; Master’s Bonus: +3 Survival. The wallaby is a better choice for a small familiar, but a goat may draw less attention in most settings.
Octopus, Blue-Ringed - Small; Strength: 8; Strength at Medium Size: 10; Swim 30 ft.; Perception +1; Stealth +21; Master’s Bonus: +3 Swim. It’s the amazing stealth that gets this green status. For an aquatic campaign only, of course.
Raccoon - Tiny; Strength: 8; Strength at Medium Size: 14; Move 20 ft., Climb 20 ft.; Perception +3; Stealth +10; Master’s Bonus: +3 Sleight of Hand
Red Panda - Tiny; Strength: 8; Strength at Medium Size: 14; Move 20 ft., Climb 20 ft.; Perception +4; Stealth +16; Master’s Bonus: +3 Acrobatics
Wallaby - Small; Strength: 12; Strength at Medium Size: 14; Move 40 ft.; Perception +3; Stealth +6; Master’s Bonus: +3 Acrobatics
A strange but effective choice for a Direct Combatant familiar is the Figment familiar archetype. The Figment has only ¼ of its master’s hit points, making it a very temporary combatant, but it can’t be killed, coming back to life after its master rests. In addition, it gains an evolution point than can be changed daily. Claws, Reach and Skilled are all excellent 1-point choices. Later, the Figment can choose increasingly powerful evolutions.
Basic familiars with the Mauler or Figment archetypes make excellent Direct Combatants and require no additional feats. However, several improved familiars also make viable combatants. It’s worth noting that both tiny and small Familiars can use either their Strength or their Dexterity when calculating its melee attack bonus with natural weapons.
Among the best choices for an improved familiar as a Direct Combatant are:
Arbiter Inevitable - Dexterity 16. Flight, Regeneration and the ability to cast commune. Neat! But beware: the Arbiter will lose its regeneration ability when it is polymorphed. Two starting feats.
Aether Elemental - Dexterity 15, always invisible! Two starting Feats.
Caypup - Strength 15. Hardy and with some useful spellcasting abilities and Damage Resistance. Two starting feats.
Dust Mephit - Dexterity 15. Fast Healing 2, blur.
Faerie Dragon - Dexterity 17, Intelligence 16, plus spellcasting and a breath weapon. Two starting feats. Not PFS-legal (without boon).
Hellfire Ignis - Dexterity 20. Damage Resistance and immune to fire. Three starting feats. Not PFS-legal.
Nycar - Strength 13, with a poison bite and Damage Resistance. Two starting feats.
Shadow Drake - Dexterity 20, Concealment in dim light, Speed Surge, Two starting feats. Not PFS-legal.
Tidepool Dragon - Dexterity 20. 3 natural attacks. Lots of spell-like abilities. Two starting feats. Not PFS-legal.
Xiao - Dexterity 16. 3 attacks plus sneak attack. Two starting feats.
The Nycar and the Caypup are the only two good Strength combatants to compare with the basic familiar and a Mauler archetype. However the remaining choices above make excellent choices for delivering touch attacks or for polymorphing into dexterous/finesse forms.
The Servant familiar focuses on utility out of combat, though there is no reason that a Servant familiar cannot also be a good Combat Assistant. Several archetypes make excellent servants, particularly the Ambassador, Emissary, Infiltrator, Figment, Sage and Valet.
One of the best knowledge-based combinations uses both the Figment and Sage archetypes. This makes any familiar a highly intelligent familiar. From Figment you can take the Skilled evolution, giving the familiar a +8 on a knowledge skill. The Sage archetype gives you many skills and bonuses.
The Valet archetype’s Able Assistant ability means you can craft more items more easily.
Being a Treatise Most Learned on the Art of Changing Shapes
The Master Transmogrifist is going to change his own shape to do battle or to accomplish other goals such as spying, infiltrating and moving through unusual modes (e.g., flying or tunneling.) He or she will accomplish this through a specific set of spells: alter self, beast shape, monstrous physique, giant form, plant shape, vermin shape, elemental body, undead anatomy, form of the dragon, as well as adjustable polymorph, polymorph, greater polymorph transformation and shapechange. Collectively these are known as “polymorph spells”.
It’s important to note that none of these spells actually give you all of the powers of these forms. Instead they give you powers based on the form chosen.
WHAT YOU GAIN
When you cast a polymorph spell, you gain several advantages:
• THE SHAPE - You gain the shape of the creature. That is, you look like the creature you are emulating. Specifically, you gain a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks. However, you cannot assume the form of a specific creature, only a generic member of that race.
• ENHANCEMENTS - When you assume a form, you will gain bonuses to your physical abilities. These will generally be bonuses to Dexterity for smaller forms and bonuses to Strength and/or Constitution for Medium and larger forms. Either way, you will also gain some natural armor bonuses.
• ABILITIES - Each of the polymorph spells grant a different set of abilities, but ONLY if the chosen form also grants some version of those abilities. If spell grants flight, but the form doesn’t fly, you don’t fly. If It grants a slower speed than the form’s speed, you take the spell’s lower speed. If the form has a special ability (say, breath weapon), but the spell doesn’t grant one, you don’t get a breath weapon.
• SPEED - You gain the form’s base land speed. Which can be awesome. Your base speed changes to match that of the form you assume. If the form grants a swim or burrow speed, you maintain the ability to breathe if you are swimming or burrowing.
• NATURAL ATTACKS - This is what really defines most forms as useful in combat or not. Generally, more attacks are better than fewer attacks, but some forms with a single huge attack may be better for those with the Vital Strike feat chain. Other forms may be desired for their reach, special attacks, out-of-combat special abilities or movement.
WHAT YOU LOSE
When you cast a polymorph spell, you also lose several advantages:
• THE ABILITIES - You lose all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (such as keen senses, scent, and darkvision), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form. You also lose any class features that depend upon form.
• THE EQUIPMENT - When you cast a polymorph spell that changes you into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, ooze, plant, or vermin type (but not the fey, giant, monstrous humanoid or undead type), all of your gear melds into your body. Items that provide constant bonuses and do not need to be activated continue to function while melded in this way (with the exception of armor and shield bonuses, which cease to function). Items that require activation cannot be used while you maintain that form. If your new form does not cause your equipment to meld into your form, the equipment resizes to match your new size.
• THE SPELLS - You can freely cast spells when in a humanoid form such as those gained from using alter self, monstrous physique, giant form or undead anatomy. However, while in the form of a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type (but not the monstrous humanoid, giant or undead type), you cannot cast any spells that require material components (unless you have the Eschew Materials feat), and can only cast spells with somatic or verbal components if the form you choose has the capability to make such movements or speak, such as a dragon. You are a full spellcaster and giving up that power and flexibility to be a dire tiger should make you think twice.
Creature Type
Humanoid
Animal
Dragon
Elemental
Fey
Giant
Magical Beast
Monstrous Humanoid
Oozes
Plant
Undead
Vermin
Can Freely Cast
✔
✖
✖
✖
✔
✔
✖
✔
✖
✖
✔
✖
With Eschew Materials
✔
✖
✔
✖
✔
✔
✖
✔
✖
✖
✔
✖
WHEN YOU GET IT
2nd Level - Alter self
3rd Level - Beast Shape I, Monstrous Physique I, Undead Anatomy I
4th Level - Adjustable Polymorph, Beast Shape II, Elemental Body I, Fey Form I, Monstrous Physique II, Vermin Shape I
5th Level - Baleful Polymorph, Beast Shape III, Elemental Body II, Monstrous Physique III, Ooze Form, I, Plant Shape I, Polymorph, Shapechanger’s Gift, Undead Anatomy II, Vermin Shape II
6th Level - Beast Shape IV, Elemental Body III, Fey Form II, Form of the Dragon I*, Monstrous Physique IV, Ooze Form II, Plant Shape II, Transformation, Undead Anatomy III
7th Level - Elemental Body IV, Fey Form III, Form of the Dragon II*, Giant Form I, Greater Polymorph, Magical Beast Shape, Ooze Form III, Plant Shape III, Greater Shapechanger’s Gift
8th Level - Form of the Dragon III*, Giant Form II, Undead Anatomy IV
9th Level - Fey Form IV, Shapechange
* And “Form of the Alien Dragon” and “Form of the Exotic Dragon”
Here are the steps to follow when you polymorph into a new shape.
CREATURE SIZE
SIZE | SIZE MODIFIER* | SIZE MODIFIER TO FLY | SIZE MODIFIER TO STEALTH |
Diminutive | +4 | +6 | +12 |
Tiny | +2 | +4 | +8 |
Small | +1 | +2 | +4 |
Medium | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Large | -1 | -2 | -4 |
Huge | -2 | -4 | -8 |
* Size modifiers to armor class, attack bonus, and Combat Maneuver Bonus.
George is a 10th level human wizard. He frequently casts polymorph spells, preferring beast shape and monstrous physique. He has a base movement of 30 ft. and normal vision. He also wears a ring of protection +1, a cloak of resistance +1, a belt of giant strength +4, and a shifter’s headband (intelligence)+2 and an Amulet of Mighty Fists +2 (his bonded item).
George’s ability scores are: S:23, D:12, C:17, I:16, W:10, Ch:8
(STR: +2 Human, +4 belt)(CON: +3 Transmuter)(INT: +2 headband)
George casts mage armor and shield, giving him an AC of 19. He then casts beast shape III and assumes the form of an Allosaurus. His gear disappears inside his new form, but he maintains all their bonuses.
Looking at the spell description for beast shape III, we see that if the form you take is that of a Huge animal, you gain a +6 size bonus to your Strength, a -4 penalty to your Dexterity, and a +6 natural armor bonus.
So George’s new ability scores while in this form are:
S:29, D:8, C:17, I:16, W:10, Ch:8, and his AC is 25.
The allosaurus has 3 attacks (a bite and two claws) as well as pounce and rake. George uses Battleshaping to also give himself a gore attack. The allosaurus form also gives George 50' of movement, low-light vision, scent, and a 15' reach.
George’s new allosaurus attacks use his own BAB (+5), modified by his strength (which is a +9 modifier) and his amulet (+2), giving him the following attack routine, all before any feats or traits are applied:
Melee bite +16 (2d6+11/19–20 plus grab), 2 claws +16 (1d8+11), gore (1d6+11)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 talons +16, 1d8+11)
Pretty terrifying, eh? Remember that George really should have heroism or some other long-term buff going, too.
There are a lot of awesome Transmutation spells in Pathfinder and the wise Transmuter will learn a great many of them. But here we are considering only the utility of the various polymorph spells. It is worth noting that for purposes of the Pathfinder Society Role-Playing Guild, the only legal options are those found in Bestiaries 1-6, and not even all of those.
Alter Self
At this point, only alter self is available. It allows you to assume the form of any small or medium creature of the humanoid type. That is a huge array of creatures and the uses of the spell for spying, diplomacy and infiltration are numerous. Many also bring useful special abilities and a few are even passable combatants. There are dozens of small and medium humanoids, so I’ve listed just a few of the most notable here:
Small Humanoids:
Charau-ka - Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision -and- scent. 2 attacks. A very solid choice. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Goblin - Goblins go everywhere, right? darkvision 60 ft.
Ratfolk - Ratfolk go everywhere, right? darkvision 60 ft.
Medium Humanoids:
Adlet - Low-light vision, scent and 2 attacks.
Bugbear - Darkvision 60 ft. and scent.
Changeling - Look like a human, but with darkvision 60 ft. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Dhampir - Look like a human, with darkvision 60 ft. and low-light vision.
Gillman - Lacks the Merfolk’s low-light vision, but is amphibious.
Lizardfolk - Swim 15 ft. and 2 attacks.
Merfolk - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision
Merfolk, Deep - Swim 30 ft., Darkvision 60 ft.
Sasquatch - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Scent.
Sewer Troll - Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; 3 attacks (2 with 10’ reach) and sneak attack! This is your best combat form at this level. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Tabaxi - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Scent and 3 attacks. This is a third-party property and so not PFS-legal.
Troglodyte - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks.
Xulgath - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
At this point, you are really ready to take on the title of Master Transmogrifist. You can choose between Beast Shape I, Monstrous Physique I, and Undead Anatomy I. Let’s look at these choices.
BEAST SHAPE I
Beast shape I allows you to assume the form of any Small or Medium creature of the Animal type. Animal forms offer some excellent advantages for spying or infiltration. Who worries about a horse (or at this size, a dog or cat)? But we’ll be comparing the best choices for movement, senses and combat.
Small Animals:
Bird, Eagle - Fly 30 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks.
Cat, Margray - Move 40 ft., climb 30 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks. Third party material, so not PFS-legal.
Dog - 40 ft. movement, low-light vision, scent. Good for not being noticed.
Octopus - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks.
Velociraptor - Move 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks. Probably the best small combat form at this level.
Medium Animals:
Alligator - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks
Bear, black - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks.
Cat, Jaguar - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks. Amazing movement allotment, but third party material, so not PFS-legal.
Deinonychus - Move 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks. Unless you need a climb or swim speed, this is probably the best combat form at this level.
Orangutan - Climb 30 ft., low-light vision, scent, 2 attacks. Great climb speed and can hold objects and open doors.
MONSTROUS PHYSIQUE I
Monstrous Physique I lets you assume the form of any Small or Medium creature of the monstrous humanoid type. This line of spells gets much better later, but for now it will mostly grant you movement and senses as well as the ability to open a door. Here are some of the best forms. One advantage of this spell over beast form I is that it allows you to retain your weapons and armor.
Small Monstrous Humanoids
Charda - Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks! This is the best small combat form for this spell.
Medium Monstrous Humanoids
Adaro - Move 10 ft., swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 2 attacks.
Arach - Climb 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 7 attacks! Third party material, so not PFS-legal. For this level, this thing is just nuts!
Cecaelia - Swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with 10 ft. reach).
Churr - Climb 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks. Third party material, so not PFS-legal.
Euryale - Move 60 ft.; darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 6 attacks ( each with 10’ reach). Already awesome, this form will only get more nuts as the spell levels increase. Be prepared to have your GM house rule this out of existence! This is the best overall combat form for this spell. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the latest Additional Resources.
Gargoyle - Move 40 ft., fly 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 4 attacks, all primary.
Popobala - Fly 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks, one of them large. This is the second-best overall combat form for this spell.
Rokorubi - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks, one of them a large bite with a 20 ft. reach!
Sabosan - Fly 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., scent, 3 attacks.
Undead Anatomy I
Undead Anatomy I is a difficult spell to interpret. The rules on polymorph spells clearly state that they cannot be used to assume the form of a creature with a template or an advanced version of a creature. However, the spell itself uses templated undead as examples. Because of the templated examples and the fact that this line of spells permits you to use sizes for which there are no non-templated humanoid undead, I assume that certain templates are permissible. However, I have not presented any here.
The spell lets you assume the form of any Small or Medium corporeal creature of the monstrous humanoid type (which must be vaguely humanoid, like a ghoul, skeleton or zombie). Unlike beast shape I or monstrous physique I, this spell grants three natural attacks and darkvision 60 ft. for all forms.
You can retain your weapons and armor in these forms, but you detect as undead and are treated as undead for the effects of positive and negative energy.
Small Undead:
Burning child - Move 40 ft. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Shredskin - Fly 30 ft.
Medium Undead:
Bhuta - Fly 30 ft. and Scent.
Death, Lesser - Move 60 ft..
Draugr - Swim 30 ft.
Ghul - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
COMPARISON OF 3rd LEVEL SPELLS
Broadly speaking, polymorph spells have two different useful qualities, which I will call Utility and Combat. Utility is entirely dependent on the situation, but beast shape I lets you pretend to be an animal, which is really good for infiltration, spying and certain forms of wilderness travel as well as hiding in plain sight. Monstrous Physique I is better for being able to talk and open doors. The utility of undead anatomy I is largely limited to, I guess, hiding among undead.
In terms of combat, however, monstrous physique I is the clear winner. Beast shape I has the deinonychus and the velociraptor, but monstrous physique I wins with the popobala and the gargoyle. Undead anatomy I has nothing that competes with either of the other spells for combat efficiency.
Summary: Among 3rd-level spells, monstrous physique I is the clear winner with more attacks, higher damage and flight.
A broader palette of choices appears at this level. Not only do you get beast shape II and monstrous physique II, you get adjustable polymorph, elemental body I and vermin shape I.
ADJUSTABLE POLYMORPH
Adjustable Polymorph is substantially the same as alter self, but with the added benefit of being able to swiftly change between humanoid forms. It sounds like the recipe for a funny comedy, but not really a widely useful spell. I think this would have been more acceptable as a third level spell; adding two levels to alter self just for a few swift face changes doesn’t really seem worth it, especially if you’ve taken the Multimorph discovery.
BEAST SHAPE II
This is where beast shape really comes into its own. You can take the form of Tiny through Large animals, the allowable movement is much better, and you can get grab, pounce, and trip. Pounce is the real prize here, as it allows you to move and still make a full attack, a huge advantage when you’re sporting four or five attacks. Here are some of the most notable shapes.
Tiny Animal:
Cat, Common - Low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks.
Compsognathus - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., low-light vision, scent. A tiny dinosaur. Not exactly the sort to blend into many environments, however.
Hawk - Fly 40 ft.(average), low-light vision. Slightly faster than Rhamphorhynchus and much more stealthy in most cases.
Playtpus - Swim 40 ft., low-light vision.
Rabbit - Move 50 ft., low-light vision.
Rat - Move 15 ft., climb 15', swim 15', low-light vision, scent. A good form in which to stealth around and stay in the shadows.
Raven - Fly 40 ft.(average), low-light vision. Another good form for stealthy surveillance.
Rhamphorhynchus - Fly 40 ft.(good), low-light vision, scent. A pterosaur. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Small Animal:
Bird, Eagle - Fly 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks.
Velociraptor - Move 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks. Probably the best small combat form at this level.
Medium Animal:
Deinonychus - Move 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks. Still a contender at this level.
Leopard - Climb 20 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks, pounce.
Shark, Bull - Swim 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 1 relatively strong attack.
Squid - Swim 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks.
Large Animal:
Arsinoitherium - Low-light vision, scent, 1 very big attack. Good for someone with the Vital Strike feat.
Dire Ape - Climb 30 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks w/ 10 ft. reach.
Dire Hyena -Move 50 ft., low-light vision, scent, 1 big attack with trip and a 10 ft. reach.
Dire Tiger - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks (each with grab), pounce. One of the very best combat forms at this level.
Giant Octopus - Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft., low-light vision, 9 attacks (8 with grab and 20' reach!). This is an amazing form with a huge number of attacks. You won’t get poison, constrict or jet until beast shape III, but this is already super deadly. Based solely on its number of attacks and 20' reach, this may be the apex combat form at this level.
Horse - Move 50 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks. A great form for spying and infiltration, or just for long-distance travel.
Manta Ray - Swim 60 ft., low-light vision.
Megaraptor - Move 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (2 of them relatively large).Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Nothosaur - Move 20 ft., swim 40 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Vulture, Giant - Move 10 ft., fly 50 ft., low-light vision, scent, 1 relatively large attack.
ELEMENTAL BODY I
The elemental body line of spells is probably the most straightforward of all the many types of polymorph spells. The spell itself describes most of what you get with the transformation. All you need to do is look at the elemental’s description to see the size and scope of the unique special ability you’re getting.
Small Air Elemental:
First, you gain a +4 bonus to AC (size, Dexterity and natural armor bonuses). You gain 60 ft. flight (perfect), darkvision 60 ft. and the ability to create a whirlwind. The whirlwind isn’t powerful at this level, but the ability to pick things up (small things...) and drop them from a great height should not be underestimated. Don’t forget that the DC of the whirlwind is the DC of the spell, another reason to pump up your DC’s. Don’t let anyone tell you that Spell Focus (transmutation) is a waste. Mostly, this is an excellent way to get around and scout and infiltrate.
Small Earth Elemental:
This is the best combat form for this spell at this level. With the size and natural armor bonuses, you have a +5 bonus to your AC. The d6 slam attack is okay, but the earth glide ability is the real gem. Want to know what’s in the next room or cavern? Just slide through the floor and look around with your darkvision 60 ft.. It’s possible to scout out an entire dungeon this way.
Small Fire Elemental:
You gain an effective bonus of +5 to your AC, a 50 ft. movement, darkvision 60 ft., Resist Fire 20 (as well as a vulnerability to cold) and a d4 slam plus Burn. If you keep your spell DC’s high, the burn could affect many opponents.
Small Water Elemental:
With a bonus to Constitution, actually recommends itself to a Transmuter (who is always going to be hurting for hit points). It is otherwise nearly as good a combatant as the small earth elemental, although it is slow on land. Obviously the best form for a fight in the water.
FEY FORM I
Fey Form I grants you the form of any small or medium fey, including limited climb, fly and swim speeds, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, and boot stomp. Interestingly, if the fey has spell-like abilities and you can cast those same spells, you can now cast them without verbal or somatic components and the spell cannot be countered.
Small Fey:
Bagiennik - Aquatic. Swim 40 ft., DR 2/ cold iron, 2 attacks. No nasal spray at this level.
Boggart - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision, DR 2/cold iron, 2 attacks with 10’ reach. Sneak attack. No abduct at this level.
Gremlin, Nuglub - Climb 20 ft. Darkvision 30 ft. DR 5/cold iron. 3 attacks (1 with grab, 2 with trip). Spell-Like abilities.
Hellfire Ignis - Low-light vision, DR 2/cold iron, 3 attacks. Spell-Like abilities. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Redcap - Move 60 ft. DR 2/cold iron, Weapon attack plus kick and boot stomp. Spell-Like abilities. Does not suffer the irreligious penalty or gain Heavy weapons.
Medium Fey:
Alp - Darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, 3 attacks.
Baccae - Low-light vision. DR 2/cold iron. Rage. 5 attacks. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Erlking - Move 60 ft., fly 30 ft. (average), DR 2/cold iron, weapon attacks only. Spell-like abilities. Get in front of the right fey and you can scare the bejeesus out of them with this form.
Grimstalker - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., DR 2/cold iron, 2 attacks (no poison yet). Sneak attack. Spell-like abilities. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Ijiraq - Low-light vision. 5 powerful attacks. Spell-like abilities. This is your apex combat form at this level and spell.
Kamaitachi - Fly 60 ft. (good), Low-light vision. DR 2/cold iron, 4 big attacks. Spell-like abilities.
Thin Man - Burrow 20 ft. Low-light vision. 3 attacks (2 with 10’ reach and bleed). Compression. +4 bonus to saves against poison. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
MONSTROUS PHYSIQUE II
As with beast shape II, monstrous physique II begins to offer some real power in combat. In addition to increased stats and movement types, the spell offers freeze, grab, leap attack, mimicry, pounce, sound mimicry, trip and amusingly, speak with sharks. However, it is difficult to find any monstrous humanoids that offer some of these abilities. Here’s the best I could find:
Tiny Monstrous Humanoid:
There are no tiny monstrous humanoids.
Small Monstrous Humanoid:
Charda - Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks. Still a very respectable combatant at this level.
Kappa - Move 20 ft., swim 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks, both with grab.
Medium Monstrous Humanoid:
Deathsnatcher - Fly 50 ft.(average), scent, 6 attacks and pounce. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the latest Additional Resources.
Doppelganger - Darkvision 60 ft., mimicry. Mimicry makes you proficient in all weapons, armor and shields, but more importantly, it allows you to use all spell trigger and spell completion items (like wands and scrolls) as if the spell were on your list. Suddenly you don’t need Use Magic Device.
Euryale - Move 60 ft.; darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 6 attacks ( each with 10’ reach). Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the latest Additional Resources.
Gargoyle - Move 40 ft., fly 60 ft.(average), darkvision 60 ft., 4 attacks. Gains the freeze ability at this level. Useful in urban environments.
Kuchrima - Move 20 ft., fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent. 3 attacks. Good senses and best flyer at this level. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Popobala - Fly 60 ft. fly speed (average), darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks, one of them large. Still quite viable at this level and only going to get better.
Rokorubi - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks, one of them a large bite with a 20 ft. reach!
Witchwyrd - Darkvision 60 ft., 4 attacks, all with grab.
Large Monstrous Humanoid:
Annis Hag - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach, 3 attacks (2 with grab).
Annunaki - Move 50 ft., fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach, 6 attacks.
Calikang - Darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach, 5 attacks. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Formian Queen - Move 5', darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach and two very big attacks.
Four-Armed Gargoyle - Move 40 ft., fly 60 ft.(average), darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach, 6 attacks. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Girtablilu - Move 50 ft., darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 3 natural attacks (2 with grab).
Grendel - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 BIG attacks. A close second to the four-armed gargoyle.
Ichthyocentaur - Move 5 ft., 60 ft. swim speed, darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach, 3 attacks and pounce.
Minotaur - Darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach, 2 attacks, 1 of them big. Mostly mentioned because I think minotaurs are cool.
Tikbalang - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 10 ft. reach, 3 attacks and pounce.
VERMIN SHAPE I
Vermin shape I is substantially the same as beast shape I, but for vermin and costs you a higher level spell. It also grants the lunge ability, if the form has it, a bonus against mind-affecting effects and a slight bonus to armor class.
Small Vermin:
Coconut Crab - Swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks with grab.
Giant Assassin Bug - Fly 30 ft. (clumsy), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks.
Giant Solifugid - Move 50 ft., climb 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks.
Horn Caterpillar - Climb 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks.
Ochre Eurypterid - Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with 10 ft. reach). Reach is rare on a small creature. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Medium Vermin:
Cave Scorpion - Move 60 ft., climb 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 small attacks.
Common Eurypterid - Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with 10 ft. reach) Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Giant Ant Drone - Move 50 ft. , climb 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., scent, 2 attacks (1 with grab).
Giant Crab - Swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks with grab.
Giant Dragonfly - Move 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., 1 big attack.
Giant Mantis Shrimp - Move 40 ft., swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 big attacks plus grab. A close second to the xenopterid for combat supremacy at this level.
Pedipalp - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with grab.) Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Xenopterid - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 20 ft.(clumsy), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with grab.) The best combatant at this level and spell.
Comparison Of 4th Level Spells
The choices are a bit more complex at this level. Beast shape is probably the best spell for simply blending in. However, in combat both beast shape II and monstrous physique II offer up some very strong contenders (the giant octopus and four-armed gargoyle, respectively. Elemental body I gives some interesting movement options (perfect flight and earth glide, for instance). Fey Form I has the Ijiraq and the kamaitachi, each with powerful attacks, but neither has the size, and bonuses of the dire tiger, the flight of the popobala or the reach, flight and darkvision of the four-armed gargoyle.
The dire tiger has higher damage, grab and pounce, while the four-armed gargoyle has flight, freeze, reach, and twice as many attacks. Four-armed gargoyle is probably the apex combat form at this level.
Summary: For infiltration, go beast shape II. For combat, go monstrous physique II. For varied modes of travel, go elemental body I.
In addition to baleful polymorph, discussed elsewhere in this guide, 5th level brings you the spells beast shape III, elemental body II, monstrous physique III, plant shape I, polymorph, undead anatomy II, and vermin shape II.
BEAST SHAPE III
With beast shape III, you get huge and diminutive animal forms as well as small and medium magical animals. The bonuses and penalties to strength and Dexterity get larger and many of the huge animals have up to a 15' reach. Some more unusual attack forms come on line here: constrict, rake, trample, web and poison. Though many of the poisons are weak, some are very good. Remember, the poison DC is not based on the creature’s poison DC but on the DC of the spell. Keep those DC’s high! In addition to combat options, you get two new movement options (burrow and jet) and an awesome new sensory option (blindsense).
Let’s review some of the more interesting forms:
Diminutive Animal:
Bat - Move 5 ft., fly 40 ft.(good), blindsense 20 ft. , low-light vision. A good form for stealth and infiltration.
Tiny Animal:
Viper - Climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft., low-light vision, scent, 1 attack plus poison. The viper’s small size and poison make it ideal for assassinations.
Small Animal:
Badger - Burrow 10 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 small attacks.
Eagle - Fly 80 ft. (good), low-light vision. 3 small attacks. Still one of the fastest fly speeds.
Medium Animal:
Dogmole - Burrow 10 ft., 10 ft. swim speed, 3 small attacks. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Dolphin - Swim 80 ft.
Leopard - Climb 20 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks (1 with grab) plus pounce and rake.
Large Animal:
Arsinoitherium - Low-light vision, scent, 1 very large attack plus trample.
Dire Bat - Move 20 ft., fly 40 ft.(good), blindsense 40 ft.
Dire Tiger - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 fairly large attacks (all with grab), plus pounce and rake.
Emperor Cobra - Climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft., low-light vision, scent, Reach 10', 1 fairly large attack and a powerful poison.
Giant Octopus - Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft., jet 200 ft., low-light vision, 9 attacks (1 with poison and 8 with grab, constrict and 20' reach!). Although it is not huge, the amazing number of attacks combined with poison, grab and constrict makes one of the deadliest forms for this spell.
Note: Yes, there is a huge “Giant Lake Octopus” in Wake of the Watcher, but it is merely this octopus with the advanced template and polymorph spells can’t include templates.
Note: remember, when you polymorph into the form of an aquatic creature, it gains the amphibious subtype and can survive on land indefinitely.
Megaraptor - Move 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (2 of them relatively large) and pounce. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Huge Animal:
Allosaurus - Move 50 ft., low-light vision, scent, 15' reach, 3 attacks (1 with grab), plus pounce and rake. This is your apex combat form at this level.
Behemoth Hippopotamus - Move 50 ft., low-light vision, 15' reach, 1 huge attack. Given this monster’s speed, that one big attack is tailor-made for vital strikers.
Brontotherium - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, scent, 15' reach, 1 big attack plus a big trample.
Cameroceras - Move 5 ft., swim 20 ft., jet 90 ft., low-light vision, scent, 15' reach, two fairly big attacks.
Mammoth - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, scent, 10 ft. reach, 5 attacks plus trample.
Mastodon - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, scent, 15' reach, only 2 attacks but a bigger trample than the Mammoth.
Megalania - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision, scent, 10 ft. reach, 1 attack plus grab and poison.
Megatherium - Climb 10 ft., low-light vision, scent, 10 ft. reach, 2 attacks, both with trip.
Mokele-Mbembe - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision, scent, 15' reach, 2 attacks and trample.
Quetzalcoatlus - Fly 50 ft. (clumsy), low-light vision, 15' reach, 3 attacks.
Saltwater Crocodile - Swim 20 ft., 30 ft., low-light vision, 15' reach, 2 attacks (1 with grab). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Stegosaurus - Low-light vision, scent, 15' reach, 1 big attack with trip.
Small Magical Animal:
Aurumvorax - Burrow 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks (each with grab) plus 4 rakes.
Rat King - Climb 15 ft., Swim 15 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks.
Medium Magical Animal:
Aranea - Move 50 ft., climb 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, poison and web.
Baku - Fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks.
Caterwaul - Move 50 ft., climb 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent. 3 attacks (1 with grab), plus pounce and 2 rakes.
Galvo - Swim 20 ft., blindsense, darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with 10' reach)
Pard - Move 120 ft.! darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks.
Peryton - Fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks.
Riptide Horror - Move 20 ft., swim 40 ft., 12 attacks! (6 with grab and poison!) Sadly, this overpowered monster is a third-party property and thus not PFS-eligible.
Serpopard - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks (1 with 15' reach and two with grab). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
ELEMENTAL BODY II
Now you can assume the form of medium elementals. Each of the four forms have an effective +5 AC, so the difference is in the attacks.
Medium Air Elemental:
Actual medium air elementals have a flight speed of 120 ft. (perfect). However, with this spell you’re still limited to 60 ft (perfect), making it less useful than it could be. The slam attack is 1d6. You can now pick up small creatures with the whirlwind and maintain it for two rounds.
Medium Earth Elemental:
More or less identical to the small earth elemental, but now the slam attack is larger.
Medium Fire Elemental:
As small fire elemental, but with a d6 slam and a d6 burn attack.
Medium Water Elemental:
As small water elemental, but with a slightly higher Constitution, a d8 slam and a larger vortex.
MONSTROUS PHYSIQUE III
With Monstrous physique III you gain access to diminutive through huge monstrous humanoid forms, added burrow 30 ft., as well as expanding climb, fly and swim to 90 ft. and adding all-around vision and blindsense 30 feet to the usable senses. In addition, if the creature has the blood frenzy, cold vigor, constrict, ferocity, freeze, grab, horrific appearance, jet, leap attack, mimicry, natural cunning, overwhelming, poison, pounce, rake, sound mimicry, speak with sharks, trample, trip, and/or web abilities, you gain them.
Diminutive Monstrous Humanoid:
There are no diminutive monstrous humanoids.
Tiny Monstrous Humanoid:
There are no diminutive monstrous humanoids.
Small Monstrous Humanoid:
Agogwe - Climb 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 small attacks. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Charda - Move 20 ft., swim 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks. Gains cold vigor at this level.
Kappa - Move 20 ft., swim 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks, both with grab. Gains 2 rakes at this level.
Pukwudgie - Darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks with a strong poison.
Medium Monstrous Humanoid:
Ala - Fly 30 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (1 poison). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Cecaelia - Swim 40 ft., jet 200 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with 10' reach and grab). That 200' jet speed is an amazing way to get out of combat.
Deathsnatcher - Fly 50 ft.(average), scent, 6 attacks (1 with poison) and pounce. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the most recent Additional Resources.
Euryale - Move 60 ft., burrow 30 ft.; darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 6 attacks ( each with 10’ reach and an amazing poison). This is where the euryale becomes just plain nuts. Its poison does 1d4 Dexterity damage and 1d4 Constitution damage and makes you vulnerable to sonic attacks -and- requires 3 consecutive saves to overcome.). As I said, prepare to have your GM ban this from the game after you use it the first time. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the most recent Additional Resources.
Formian Warrior - Move 40 ft., blindsense, darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with grab, 1 with poison).
Jorogumo - Climb 50 ft., swim 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (1 with a very powerful poison) and web.
Maenad - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks, all with a strong poison.
Popobala - Fly 80 ft.(average), blindsenses, darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks, one of them large. Gains blindsense and a faster fly speed.
Witchwyrd - Darkvision 60 ft., 4 attacks, all with grab.
Large Monstrous Humanoid:
Annunaki - Move 50 ft. speed, fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., 6 attacks
Buggane - Burrow 30 ft., scent, 3 attacks and rend.
Calikang - Darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 4 attacks
Formian Myrmarch - Move 50 ft., blindsense, darkvision 60 ft., No reach, 4 attacks (1 with a powerful poison)
Formian Queen - Move 5', blindsense, darkvision 60 ft., two very big attacks.
Four-Armed Gargoyle - Move 40 ft., fly 60 ft.(average), darkvision 60 ft., 6 attacks. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Girtablilu - Move 50 ft., darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 3 natural attacks (2 with grab).
Grendel - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 BIG attacks.
Tikbalang - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks and pounce and trample.
Huge Monstrous Humanoid:
Gegenees - Move 50 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 6 attacks (each with grab).
Hungerer - Move 10 ft., Fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with additional acid). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Thriae Queen - Fly 50 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus a powerful sting poison that does both Constitution damage and staggers the opponent.
OOZE FORM I
Unlike most other polymorph forms, Ooze Form doesn’t allow you to assume the form of specific oozes, but instead grants you certain static abilities regardless of whether the ooze you transform into has those abilities. This is much easier to keep track of, but more limiting. Ooze Form I grants you base speed 10 feet, climb speed 10 feet, swim speed 20 feet, and blindsense 30 feet. You gain a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects and poison. A wood or metal weapon that strikes you takes acid damage as if from your slam unless the wielder succeeds at a Reflex saving throw.
The only choices at this level are small and medium ooze, both of which gain you slam attacks, acid, constrict and slightly different different bonuses to Constitution and penalties to Dexterity.
However, all the ooze form spells permit only a single slam attack plus constrict. Although these forms offer healthy bonuses to Constitution (much needed by wizards), they are simply not the combat equal to a form that gives your five or six or nine attacks per round.
PLANT SHAPE I
Plant shape I allows you to assume the form of any small or medium plant creature and if they have the ability, gain darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, constrict, grab and poison. Here are a few of the worthwhile forms:
Small Plant:
Archer Bush - Move 10 ft., 1 ranged attack. This is a third-party property and thus not PFS-eligible.
Calathgar - Move 20 ft., 30 ft. darkvision, low-light vision, Scent. 3 attacks (1 with cold damage, 2 with 10' reach). The cold damage isn’t called out as supernatural or extraordinary. It may be a typo, but it might not be. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Flytrap Leshy - Move 20 ft., 60' darkvision, low-light vision, 3 melee attacks (you do get the acid, but not the digest quality) as well as one ranged attack.
Mandragora - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with grab, 2 with poison).
Mire Nettle - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks (all with grab).
Medium Plant:
Bog Creeper - Move 10 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks (4 with grab). A third-party property and thus not PFS-eligible.
Bonethorn - Low-light vision, 3 reasonably large attacks. Sadly, you don’t get the spores effect.
Cerebric Fungus - Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (2 with a 15 ft. reach).
Fungus Queen - Move 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 6 attacks (4 with grab). Probably your best PFS-legal choice at this level and spell.
Green Man - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 8 attacks (6 with grab). It’s a CR 26 demigod from Bestiary 6. It would cause me no end of frustration as a GM because it is so overpowered for this level, but it is clearly the best combat choice for this spell and also the best combat choice of any polymorph spell at this level. Prepare to have your GM house-rule this thing. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the most recent Additional Resources.
Kampfult - Move 10 ft., 6 attacks with grab. A third-party property and thus not PFS-eligible.
Mi-go - Move 30 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks, all with grab.
Weedwhip - Move 10 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (each with 15' reach and a strong nauseate poison.) I don’t think you’d suffer the ‘languid whips’ penalty, since it is an extraordinary ‘ability’ and you don’t get the advantage of any of those. The real gem here is the poison. Rather than draining Constitution or some other ability, it nauseates the foe, a powerful debuff condition, and requires 2 consecutive saving throws to overcome.
POLYMORPH
The polymorph spell is actually pretty handy. It lets you target other willing subjects, so your friends can also change shape. It lets one willing target become the subject of alter self, beast shape II or elemental body I.
SHAPECHANGER’S GIFT
This spell is a close twin to polymorph, only more restrictive in form and longer lasting. Whereas polymorph allowed you to give your ally the benefits of alter self, beast shape II or elemental body I for 1 minute per level, this spell allows you to give them the benefits of beast shape I or monstrous physique I (without flight) for 10 minutes per level. Generally, polymorph will be the better bet for combat because beast shape II beats any of the effects granted by this spell. However, this spell is the clear winner for non-combat uses.
UNDEAD ANATOMY II
Undead anatomy II expands undead anatomy I to permit tiny and large undead forms as well as expanding climb, fly and swim to 60 ft. and adding blood drain, DR 5/bludgeoning, scent, freeze, grab, mimicry, pounce, shadowless, sound mimicry, and trip. You gain a +4 bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects, disease, poison, sleep, and stunning. If the form has a vulnerability, you gain it.
Tiny Undead:
Pickled Punk - Move 15 ft., darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/bludgeoning, 1 very small attack.
Small Undead:
Shredskin - Fly 40 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with grab). It’s debatable whether this meets the definition of “vaguely humanoid-shaped (like a ghoul, skeleton, or zombie).”
Tiyanak - Move 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks.
Medium Undead:
Berbalang - Move 40 ft., fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks.
Bloody Bones - Darkvision 60 ft., 2 melee attacks, 4 ranged touch attacks with grab! This is a third-party property and so not PFS-legal.
Brykolakas - Swim 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks. This is a third-party property and so not PFS-legal.
Draugr - Swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/ bludgeoning, 1 attack. The guecubu, skeletal champion and winterwight give you exactly the same without the swim speed.
Drowned Maiden - Swim 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks (1 with grab and 20' reach!) This is a third-party property and so not PFS-legal.
Guardian Phantom Armor - Darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks, freeze.
Grim Reaper - Move 60 ft., fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., weapon attacks.
Harionago - Darkvision 60 ft., 6 attacks (4 with 10' reach). Here’s your apex combat form for this spell and level.
Manananggal - Fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (1 with grab) plus blood drain. Vulnerable to “light blades”.
Mohrg - Darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks with grab.
Large Undead:
Giant Phantom Armor - Darkvision 60 ft., 1 big attack, freeze.
VERMIN SHAPE II
With the vermin shape II spell you gain access to tiny through large vermin forms, adding burrow 30 ft., as well as expanding climb, fly and swim to 60 ft. and adding scent and tremorsense 30 ft. to the usable senses. In addition, if the creature has the blood drain, constrict, grab, lunge, poison, pull, trample, and/or web abilities, you gain them. Moreover, +4 bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting effects.
Tiny Vermin:
House Centipede - Move 40 ft., 40 ft. climb speed, darkvision 60 ft., 1 attack (with a daze poison).
Small Vermin:
Coconut Crab - Swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks with grab.
Great Assassin Bug - Fly 30 ft.(clumsy), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (1 with a strong Dexterity poison).
Giant Ground Wasp - Move 20 ft., burrow 10 ft., fly 40 ft.(average), darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks (1 with a reasonably strong Dexterity poison). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Giant Solifugid - Move 50 ft., climb 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks.
Horn Caterpillar - Climb 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks.
Ochre Eurypterid - Move 20 ft., swim 40 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with 10 ft. reach and poison). Reach is fairly rare on a small creature. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Small Tick - Move 20 ft., climb 20 ft., 1 attack with grab and blood drain.
Medium Vermin:
Cave Scorpion - Move 60 ft., climb 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., 3 small attacks (1 with poison).
Common Eurypterid - Move 20 ft., swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with 10 ft. reach and poison). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Giant Ant Drone - Move 50 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., scent, 2 attacks (1 with grab).
Giant Crab - Swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks with grab.
Giant Dragonfly - Move 20 ft., fly 30 ft.(average), darkvision 60 ft., 1 big attack.
Giant Mantis Shrimp - Move 40 ft., swim 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 2 big attacks plus grab.
Great Diadem Urchin - Move 10 ft., low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 30 ft., 3 attacks (with a poison that does Constitution damage and stun). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Xenopterid - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (clumsy), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with grab, 1 with a strong Dexterity poison) and blood drain.
Large Vermin:
Bluetip Eurypterid - Move 20 ft., swim 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense, 3 attacks (1 with a 15' reach and a strong Constitution poison). Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Chain Worm - Climb 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense, 2 big attacks (1 with grab and 1 with a strong Constitution poison). This is a third-party property and so not PFS-legal.
Giant Ant (Knight) - Move 50 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense, scent, 2 attacks (both Strength poison).
Giant Bee Queen - Move 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., 1 attack with a strong Constitution poison.
Giant Hornet - Move 20 ft., fly 60 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks (1 with a strong Dexterity poison.)
Giant Jellyfish - Swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 4 attacks (each with a strong Constitution poison.)
Giant Mantis - Climb 30 ft., fly 40 ft.(poor), darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks with grab. Lunge (take a full-round action for a single attack with a 20' reach and a +4 to hit).
Giant Stag Beetle - Move 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (poor), darkvision 60 ft., 1 reasonably big attack plus trample.
COMPARISON OF 5th LEVEL SPELLS
Combat: Once again, beast shape and monstrous physique are the clear winners for straight up melee, with vermin shape providing some strong options for poison. Elemental body, ooze form, plant shape and undead anatomy simply remain a level behind in sheer combat ability (with the notable exception of the Green Man). With the addition of magical beasts, beast shape III has the broadest range of creatures and abilities. If your GM will let you assume the form of the Green Man, take plant shape I and go nuts. Otherwise, take monstrous physique III and the euryale for weapon attacks, lots of natural attacks and a ridiculously powerful poison.
For poison-based combat another possibility is vermin shape II with the bluetip eurypterid, with a 15' reach, 1d4 Constitution poison and 2 saves, or beast shape III with the emperor cobra, which has a 10' reach, 1d3 Constitution poison and 2 saves. Also worth mentioning is monstrous physique III for the jorogumo, which has an amazing 1d6 wisdom damage poison that requires 3 saves to defeat as well as the web ability.
Summary: For combat, go plant shape I or monstrous physique III.
In addition to the familiar beast shape IV, elemental body III, fey form II, monstrous physique IV, ooze form II, plant shape II, and undead anatomy III, sixth level brings you form of the dragon I, form of the alien dragon I and form of the exotic dragon I. Why this required three new spells I can’t say. I’m going to treat them as one spell from here on out.
It’s worth noting that this is the highest level of spells likely to be seen in a Pathfinder Society game.
A Note on Energy Resistance: The text of several spells at this level and hereafter includes the phrase “If the creature has immunity or resistance to any elements, you gain resistance 20 to those elements.” However, that must be read in conjunction with the rules on polymorph spells which says
“In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead.“
Thus, you get whichever is less, the Energy Resistance possessed by “the form”, or that granted by the spell.
BEAST SHAPE IV
The beast shape IV spell is the last in the beast shape line. It permits the caster to assume the shape any diminutive through huge animal or any tiny through large magical beast. In addition to what beast shape III gave you, this spell adds several new abilities, particularly rend and breath weapons.
Also, If the creature has immunity or resistance to any elements, you gain resistance 20 to those elements (or less). If the creature has vulnerability to an element, you gain that vulnerability.
The animals won’t change much from beast shape III, so I’m mostly going to be pointing out the changes for magical beasts.
Diminutive, Tiny, Small, Medium And Large Animals:
See beast shape III. Little has changed and there are few options as good as those available to the magical beasts at this level.
Huge Animals:
Most of the huge animals that were worthwhile at 5th level are still very good, particularly the allosaurus and the mammoth.
Megatherium - Climb 10 ft., low-light vision, scent, 10 ft. reach, 2 attacks, both with trip. This enormous ground sloth now gets 2 rend attacks.
Tiny Magical Beasts:
Brain Mole Monarch - Move 10 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 30 ft. A flying, burrowing tiny spy with fantastic senses and a +8 Dexterity modifier.
Stirge - Move 10 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, blood drain. Another option for tiny, high-Dexterity spying.
Small Magical Beasts:
The aurumovorax, though unchanged from the previous level, is still a viable small form.
Medium Magical Beasts:
Ahlinni - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 1 attack plus a breath weapon that produces hideous laughter.) This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Galvo - As with beast shape III, but it now gives you Resist 20 electricity.
Large Magical Beasts:
Ahool - Move 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (1 with grab) plus rend. 10' reach only with the 2 claws.
Androsphinx - Move 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks with grab (no reach). The androsphinx has a roar usable three times per day, with a different effect each time (frightened, paralysis and then damage, knocked prone and strength penalty).
Bukavac - Move 40 ft., swim 20 ft., blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 6 attacks (only two with 10' reach.) This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Catoblepas - Move 40 ft., swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 15' reach, breath weapon (60' cone of poison gas with 1d6 Constitution damage and 3 required saves). This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Chimera - Fly 50 ft. (poor), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 5 attacks (no reach) plus a breath weapon, the effect of which can be chosen when you assume the chimera’s form.
Death Worm - Move 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft., 1 moderately big attack (with a moderately strong Constitution poison) and a powerful breath weapon. Also Resist 20 acid and Resist 20 electricity.
Dragon Horse - Move 60 ft., fly 120 ft.(good), darkvision 90 ft., low-light vision, 2 strong attacks plus a variable breath weapon that can do cold damage, create a thick mist or a severe wind.
Dragonne - Move 40 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks and pounce. The big draw here is the roar attack which can fatigue and deafen opponents.
Girallon - Move 40 ft., climb 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 5 attacks and 4 rend attacks. Has hands so can open doors.
Gorgon - Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks, petrification breath weapon (a second breath makes the petrification permanent.)
Kamadan - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (only 1 with 10' reach), pounce and a sleep breath weapon, if you need to take your opponents alive.
Kirin - Move 60 ft., fly 120 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks plus a fire-based breath weapon. Also Resist cold 10, electricity 20 and fire 10. As a flying combatant, the dragon horse has better darkvision, but the kirin form has great resistances.
Manticore - Fly 50 ft.(clumsy), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks (no reach) plus 4 ranged attacks.
Raggoth - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 6 attacks (4 with grab)(no reach), pounce, rake. This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Sand Kraken - Move 10 ft., tremorsense 60 ft, 10 attacks with grab! And a 20' reach! Also, constrict. Because why not? This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Shedu - Fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks (no reach), plus trample. Also Resist electricity 10 and fire 10.
Sleipnir - Move 80 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks (no reach), plus trample. Also Resist cold 10.
Spider Eater - Fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (no reach)(1 with a paralysis poison).
Tetrolimulus - Move 50 ft., swim 50 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with a special poison - initial effect: staggered; secondary effect paralysis; 2 saves to end. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
ELEMENTAL BODY III
With elemental body III, you finally get large size. Two attacks, 10' reach and most importantly, you are finally immune to bleed damage, critical hits, and sneak attacks while in elemental form. Neat!
Large Air Elemental:
Fly 100 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft. and a +5 effective AC. Use the two slams if you’re fighting one opponent and use the whirlwind to attack multiple foes otherwise.
Large Earth Elemental:
The earth elemental is still the best combatant of the four elemental types, but it is sadly lacking in combat prowess compared to the best the other polymorph spells of this level have to offer.
Large Fire Elemental:
The burn attack is nice, and its DC is the DC of the spell, so once again, keep those spell DC’s high!
Large Water Elemental:
The strong bonus to Constitution, combined with the immunities conferred at this level make the large water elemental a very survivable form to assume.
FEY FORM II
Fey Form II grants you the form of any tiny through large fey, including improved movement, all-around vision, blindsense 30 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, see in darkness, and a host of special abilities. If the creature has immunity to mind-affecting effects or poison, you gain a +4 resistance bonus on saves against those effects. If the creature has any weaknesses, you gain them. As with fey form I, if the creature has spell-like abilities and you can cast those spells, you may now cast them more easily.
Tiny Fey:
Asrai - Move 20 ft., 50 ft. swim, low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 1 attack. A few spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Brownie - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, attack. Some spell-like abilities.
Danthienne - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 1 attack. Some spell-like abilities.
Fastachee - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 2 attacks with 30 ft. reach!
Gremlin, Fuath - Aquatic. Move 20 ft. l, climb 10 ft., swim 30 ft. Darkvision 60 ft. DR 5/cold iron. 2 small attacks. Vulnerable to fire and sunlight.
Gremlin, Grimple - Move 20 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (clumsy). Low-Light vision. 1 small attack plus putrid vomit.
Small Fey:
Bagiennik - Aquatic. Swim 40 ft., DR 5/cold iron, 2 melee attacks plus an acidic, fiery nasal spray (eew!).
Boggart - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 2 attacks with 10’ reach. Sneak attack. Abduct.
Gremlin, Nuglub - Climb 20 ft. Darkvision 30 ft. DR 5/cold iron. 3 attacks (1 with grab, 2 with trip). Kneecapper. Spell-Like abilities.
Hellfire Ignis - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 3 attacks (with burn). Vulnerable to cold. Spell-Like abilities. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Korred - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack. Animated Hair, rock throwing (50 feet, 1d6 damage), Spell-Like abilities.
Lemkin - Move 40 ft., Low-light vision. Weapon attack and poison. Spell-Like abilities. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Quickling - Move 90 ft., DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack. Spell-Like abilities.
Redcap - Move 60 ft. DR 5/cold iron, Weapon attack plus kick, heavy weapons and boot stomp. Weakness: irreligious. Spell-Like abilities.
Medium Fey:
Alp - Darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, 3 attacks. This form now gains DR 2/cold iron and crushing leap as well as light sensitivity and a number of spell-like abilities.
Baccae - Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron. Rage. 5 attacks. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Erlking - Move 70 ft., fly speed 60 feet (good maneuverability), DR 5/cold iron, weapon attacks only. +4 resistance bonus on saves against poison. Spell-like abilities.
Glaistig - Move 60 ft., burrow 30 ft., climb 60 ft.; DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attacks only (with 10 reach). +4 resistance bonus on saves against poison. Weakness: Airbane. Spell-like abilities.
Grimstalker - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., DR 5/cold iron, 2 attacks with poison. Sneak attack. Spell-like abilities. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Hamadryad - Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron, weapon attacks only. Tree meld. Spell-like abilities.
Ijiraq - Low-light vision. 5 powerful attacks. Spell-like abilities.
Kamaitachi - Fly 30 ft. (average). Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron, 4 big attacks with bleed. Spell-like abilities.
Thin Man - Burrow 20 ft. Low-light vision. 3 attacks (2 with 10’ reach and bleed). Compression. +8 bonus to saves against poison.
Large Fey:
Ankou - Fly 60 ft. (good), blindsense 120 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron. 5 attacks, 3 with bleed. Several spell-like abilities.
Escorite - Move 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (good); low-light vision, see in darkness; DR 5/cold iron; 4 attacks with Constitution damage. Spell-like abilities. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Gray Nisp - Aquatic. Move 10 ft, swim 60 ft. Low-light vision; scent. 3 attacks. Spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Grimm - Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron; 3 attacks. Spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
FORM OF THE DRAGON I
(includes form of the alien dragon I and form of the exotic dragon I)
Each of these three spells, which I shall hereafter treat as one spell (form of the dragon I) permits you to assume the form of a medium dragon of one sort or another. Each of the thirty forms is basically identical to each other except for appearance, breath weapon (usable once), resistances, vulnerabilities and special movement type or power.
Each form grants fly 60 ft. (poor), five attacks and a breath weapon, making it a fairly potent combat choice right out of the gate, even if the ability score modifiers are less potent than they will later become. Any breath weapon / special resistance / special ability combinations could become ideal under the right circumstances, but I’ve listed a few of my favorites below.
One more thing: The material component of the spell is non-trivial - you need a scale from the sort of dragon you want to emulate. Maybe you can find a white dragon scale in the local market (maybe), but good luck finding the scale of an occult dragon for sale.
FORM OF THE DRAGON I: I generally avoid any form that acquires a vulnerability, ruling out many of the otherwise classic choices. That leaves Black, Blue, Green, Bronze, Copper and Gold. Of these, Green gives you a 30' cone of acid, resist acid 20 and a swim speed, while Copper gives you a 60' line of acid, resist acid 20 and spider climb. Few things have acid resistance.
FORM OF THE ALIEN DRAGON I: Again, the basic combat forms of these dragons are identical to those of the classical chromatic and metallic dragons. But the differences are intriguing:
Astral Dragon: Few things are immune to force damage, and if you’re facing psychic opponents, the +4 to saves from psychic resilience can be a lifesaver.
Nightmare Dragon: See in Darkness is a great sense and the +4 to saves versus mind-affecting effects can be powerful in the right circumstances.
Occult Dragon: Because it gains +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against evil spells and effects, as well as an additional +2 natural armor bonus, the occult dragon may be the best sheer combat form.
FORM OF THE EXOTIC DRAGON I: Most of these forms are similar to those of the chromatic dragons, but a few are stand-outs:
Sovereign Dragon: Few things have resistance to sonic damage, but the real gem here is a pretty solid Spell Resistance.
Umbral Dragon: Negative Energy is another cool breath weapon form.
MONSTROUS PHYSIQUE IV
This spell doesn’t gain you any new sizes, but monstrous physique IV does extend some of the senses and add tremorsense, breath weapons, rend, roar and spikes. It also adds energy resist 20 if the creature has any energy resistance or immunity of that type. Similarly, if the creature has immunity to poison, you gain a +8 bonus on saves against poison.
Diminutive And Tiny Monstrous Humanoid:
There are no diminutive or tiny monstrous humanoids.
Small Monstrous Humanoid:
Charda - Move 20 ft., swim 60 ft., darkvision 90 ft., 5 attacks, cold vigor. Gains Resist cold 20 and a +8 bonus to saves vs. poison.
Medium Monstrous Humanoid:
Deathsnatcher - Fly 50 ft.(average), scent, 6 attacks (1 with poison) and pounce. Gains Resist cold 20 and Resist fire 20 at this level. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the most recent Additional Resources.
Euryale - Move 60 ft., burrow 30 ft.; darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 6 attacks ( each with 10’ reach and an amazing poison). Resist Sonic 20, +8 bonus on saves vs. poison. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the most recent Additional Resources.
Formian Warrior - Move 40 ft., blindsense, darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (2 with grab, 1 with poison). Gains Resist sonic 20 at this level.
Jorogumo - Climb 50 ft., swim 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (1 with a very powerful poison) and web. Gains a +8 bonus to saves vs. poison at this level.
Maenad - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks, all with a strong poison. Gains Resist fire 10 at this level.
Popobala - Fly 80 ft. (average), blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks, one of them large. Gains Rend and a +8 bonus to saves vs. poison at this level.
Large Monstrous Humanoid:
Annunaki - Move 50 ft., fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., 6 attacks. Gains Resist acid 20, cold 20, electricity 20, and sonic 20 as well as a +8 bonus to saves vs. poison at this level. Wow!
Calikang - Darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 4 attacks. Gains a very powerful variable energy breath weapon usable 1/ day. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Formian Queen - Move 5', blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., two very big attacks. Gains tremorsense 30 ft.
Girtablilu - Move 50 ft., darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus 3 natural attacks (2 with grab). Gains tremorsense 30 ft.
Grendel - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 3 BIG attacks. Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 20.
Vouivre - Fly 40 ft.(poor), swim 50 ft., darkvision 60 ft., 5 attacks (1 big with grab) and breathes an 8d6 cone of fire every 1d4 rounds.
Huge Monstrous Humanoid:
Hungerer - Move 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with additional acid). Gains Resist acid 20, electricity 10, and fire 10 as well as a +8 bonus to saves vs. poison at this level. Side note: worst monster name ever. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Thriae Queen - Fly 50 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., weapon attack plus a powerful sting poison that does both Constitution damage and staggers the opponent. Gains Resist acid 20, sonic 20 as well as a +8 bonus to saves vs. poison at this level.
OOZE FORM II
In addition to the benefits of Ooze Form I, Ooze Form II grants you a standardized large ooze form, blindsight 30 feet and immunity to critical hits and precision damage as well.
PLANT SHAPE II
Plant shape II adds the ability to assume the form of large plants. If the creature has immunity or resistance to any elements, you gain energy resistance 20 to those elements. If the creature has vulnerability to an element, you gain that vulnerability.
Here are a few of the worthwhile forms:
Small Plant:
Calathgar - Move 20 ft., 30 ft. Darkvision, low-light vision, Scent. 3 attacks (1 with cold damage, 2 with 10' reach). The cold damage isn’t called out as supernatural or extraordinary. It may be a typo, but it might not be. Gains Resist cold 20 at this level, as well as vulnerability to fire. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Flytrap Leshy - Move 20 ft., 60' darkvision, low-light vision, 3 melee attacks (you do get the acid, but not the digest quality) as well as one ranged attack. Gains Resist electricity 20, fire 5, sonic 20 at this level.
Mandragora - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with grab, 2 with poison). Gains Resist acid 5, cold 5 and fire 10 at this level.
Medium Plant:
Fungus Queen - Move 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 6 attacks (4 with grab). Gains Resist acid 10, cold 10 and electricity 20 at this level.
Green Man - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 8 attacks (6 with grab). Gains Resist electricity 20 at this level. Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the most recent Additional Resources.
Mi-go - Move 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (good), low-light vision, 4 attacks, all with grab. Gains Resist cold 20, electricity 10 and fire 10 at this level.
Weedwhip - Move 10 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (each with 15' reach and a strong nauseate poison.) This continues to be a powerful choice at this level.
Large Plant:
Alaraune - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks (each with grab), constrict.
Crypt Flower - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (each with grab and 2 with 20' reach), ranged poison (a 2-save Dexterity poison) and Resist acid 10.
Shambling Mound - Move 20 ft., swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 2 fairly large attacks plus grab and constrict. Resist electricity 20, fire 10.
Viper Vine - Move 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks (1 large, 4 with grab and 20' reach), constrict. Resist acid 20.
TRANSFORMATION
This is the “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” spell. It lets your wizard become a hulking combat brute rippling with mighty thews. It is the raison d'être of the Muscle Wizard build. Your character level becomes your BAB, you gain proficiency with all simple and martial weapons and you gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. You also gain a +4 natural armor bonus to AC and a +5 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. So far, so good.
However, notice a few things. First, those ability score bonuses are enhancement bonuses. It’s likely that two of your scores are already magically enhanced, so those bonuses might not actually be so big. It would be nice if they were untyped bonuses, but there you are. Second, you don’t gain any hit points or armor. You’re still the “fairly-tough-but-not-a-fighter” you were before. Third, you don’t have all the feats a fighter of this level does. So you’re in the ballpark with the big leaguers, but you’re not leading the league.
Fourth and most importantly, you’ve lost the ability to cast spells -and- transformation isn’t dismissable. Once you take on your mighty combat form, you have to survive it with nothing but a sword. It might be best to have some way to summon a suit of armor...but you’re probably not proficient with armor either. So make sure that prior to casting this spell, you’re fully buffed with defensive magic or it’s going to be a short fight.
One proposed solution I’ve encountered for the spell’s non-dismissability is to have a high Use Magic Device skill and a wand of dispel magic. Assuming you can activate the spell, you can automatically succeed when casting a dispel magic at yourself. A little cheesy, but given that it costs you 225 gp per casting, I’d allow it!
UNDEAD ANATOMY III
Undead anatomy III permits you to assume forms up to Huge in size. It extends some of the travel speeds and adds all-around vision and blindsense, as well as constrict, disease, fear aura, grab, jet, natural cunning, overwhelming, poison, rake, trample, trip, unnatural aura, and web. The problem is that without templates, few undead have some of these.
If the creature has immunity or resistance to any energy types, you gain resistance 20 (or less) to those energy types. If the creature has vulnerability to an energy type, you gain that vulnerability. In this form, you gain a +8 bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects, disease, poison, sleep, and stunning. If the form has a vulnerability to an attack (such as sunlight), you gain that vulnerability.
Here are a few of the worthwhile forms:
Diminutive, Tiny and Small Undead:
None worth a look.
Medium Undead:
Draugr - Swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/ bludgeoning, 1 attack. Gains Resist fire 10 at this level.
Guecubu - Darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/ bludgeoning, 1 attack. Gains Resist cold 10, electricity 20 at this level.
Grim Reaper - Move 60 ft., fly 90 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., weapon attacks. Gains 90 ft. flight speed at this level.
Harionago - Darkvision 60 ft., 6 attacks (4 with 10' reach). Still a great combatant at this level.
Manananggal - Fly 90 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., 3 attacks (1 with grab) plus blood drain. Vulnerable to “light blades”. Gains 90 ft. flight speed at this level.
Large Undead:
Daughter of Urgothoa - Fly 40 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., 2 attacks, including an immediate-onset disease that causes Constitution damage and fatigue and requires 2 saves to end. Not from Bestiary 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Huge Undead:
Gashadokuro - Darkvision 60 ft., 3 reasonably large attacks (1 with grab),
Nightwalker - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 2 big attacks, Resist cold 20. Light aversion.
COMPARISON OF 6th LEVEL SPELLS
The twelve polymorph spells at this level (beast shape IV, elemental body III, fey form II, the three form of the dragon I spells, monstrous physique IV, ooze form II, plant shape II, transformation and undead anatomy III) provide a vast array of shapes, sizes, movement types, senses and special abilities. Even among the most useful forms there are dozens of variations.
Breath weapons, rend, regeneration and energy resistance all become available at this level and really change the dynamics. Regeneration in particular can become more powerful for you than for actual trolls if you can cast spells that negate fire and acid.
Combat: Beast shape IV has the chimera with 5 attacks (but no reach) and a variable breath weapon, the death worm with a powerful breath weapon and the dragon horse with 2 strong attacks and a variable breath weapon. Monstrous physique IV has the annunanki with 6 attacks, lots of resistances and a big bonus versus poison, as well as the euryale, grendel, vouivre and thriae queen. Fey Form II has the ankou and escorite, both with DR 5/cold iron and multiple special attacks. Plant Shape II has the green man with 8 attacks (6 with grab) as well as the Viper Vine. Form of the dragon I, elemental body III, ooze form II and undead anatomy III lag behind in combat capabilities.
Note: Once again, I note my opinion that the green man and euryale are over-the-top overpowered for this spell. I would ban them from my game. Check with your GM. Or don’t! EDIT: Both are now PFS-illegal.
Utility: Dragon horse. It sort of explains itself. Super fast and it has an awesome variable-use breath weapon.
CONCLUSION: Combat is a near tie between beast shape IV, fey form II and monstrous physique IV. The utility of the dragon horse breaks the tie in favor of beast shape IV.
The beast shape and monstrous physique lines have now reached their ends and seventh level boasts elemental body IV, fey form III, form of the dragon II, greater polymorph, ooze form III and plant shape III.
ELEMENTAL BODY IV
In addition to picking up huge elemental shapes and their 15' reach, you gain DR 5/-.
Huge Air Elemental: Now with a 120 ft. fly speed (perfect). The huge air elemental form can pick up multiple opponents and drop them from a great height. If your spell DC is high enough, this can eliminate large numbers of the enemy at a single stroke.
Huge Earth Elemental: The Strength bonus continues to go up, as does the base slam damage. Still a solid if unexciting combatant form.
Huge Fire Elemental: 60 ft. speed and your slams and burn have increased to 2d6.
Huge Water Elemental: A +8 size bonus to your Constitution, and a +6 natural armor bonus, combined with the DR 5/- makes the huge water elemental a very survivable combat form.
FEY FORM III
Fey Form II I grants you the form of any Diminutive through Huge fey, including improved movement, all-around vision, blindsense 60 feet, blindsight 30 feet, darkvision 90 feet, low-light vision, scent, see in darkness, tremorsense 60 feet, and many special abilities including DR 5/cold iron. If the creature has immunity or resistance to any energy types, you gain up to resistance 20 to those energy types.If the creature has immunity to mind-affecting effects or poison, you gain a +8 resistance bonus on saves against those effects. If the creature has any weaknesses, you gain them. As with fey form I, if the creature has spell-like abilities and you can cast those spells, you may now cast them more easily.
Diminutive Fey:
Killmoulis - Move 40 ft., Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack only. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Sprite - Move 15 ft., fly 60 ft. (good). Low-Light vision. DR 2/cold iron. Weapon attacks. Luminous. Spell-like abilities.
Tiny Fey:
Asrai - Move 20 ft., 50 ft. swim, low-light vision, DR 5/ cold iron, 1 attack. Resist cold 20. A few spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Brownie - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, attack. Some spell-like abilities.
Danthienne - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 1 attack. Some spell-like abilities.
Fastachee - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 2 attacks with 30 ft. reach!
Gremlin, Fuath - Aquatic. Move 20 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 30 ft. Darkvision 60 ft. DR 5/cold iron. 2 small attacks. Resist cold 10. Vulnerable to fire and sunlight.
Small Fey:
Bagiennik - Aquatic. Swim 40 ft., DR 5/ cold iron, 2 melee attacks plus an acidic, fiery nasal spray (eew!). Resist fire 5, acid 5.
Boggart - Swim 30 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 2 attacks with 10’ reach. Sneak attack. Abduct.
Hellfire Ignis - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 3 attacks (with burn). Resist fire 20. Vulnerable to cold. Spell-Like abilities. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Korred - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack. Animated Hair, rock throwing (50 feet, 1d6 damage), Spell-Like abilities.
Lemkin - Move 40 ft., Low-light vision. Weapon attack and poison. Gains Trackless Step. Spell-Like abilities. Abilities. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Quickling - Move 90 ft., DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack. Supernatural Speed. Spell-Like abilities.
Medium Fey:
Alp - Darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, 3 attacks. DR 5/cold iron and crushing leap. Weakness: light sensitivity and a number of spell-like abilities.
Baccae - low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron. Rage. 5 attacks. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Erlking - Move 70 ft., fly speed 90 feet (good maneuverability), DR 5/cold iron, weapon attacks only. +8 resistance bonus on saves against poison. Resist acid 20, cold 20, electricity 20. Spell-like abilities.
Glaistig - Move 60 ft., burrow 60 ft., climb 60 ft.; Low-Light vision. DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attacks only (with 10 reach). +8 resistance bonus on saves against poison. Resist acid 20, cold 20, electricity 20, fire 20, sonic 20; Weakness: Airbane. Spell-like abilities.
Grimstalker - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft., DR 5/cold iron, 2 attacks with poison. Sneak attack. Spell-like abilities. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Hamadryad - Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron, weapon attacks only. Tree meld. Resist acid 20, cold 20, electricity 20; Spell-like abilities.
Ijiraq - Low-light vision. 5 powerful attacks. Spell-like abilities.
Kamaitachi - Fly 90 ft. (good). Blindsight 30 ft., low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron, 4 big attacks with bleed. Spell-like abilities.
Shadow Collector - Move 40 ft., Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron. 2 attacks. No Shadow. Tear Shadow. Spell-like abilities.
Large Fey:
Ankou - Fly speed 90 feet (good maneuverability), blindsense 120 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron. 5 attacks, 3 with bleed. Several spell-like abilities.
Escorite - Move 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (good); low-light vision, see in darkness; DR 5/cold iron; 4 attacks with Constitution damage. Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10. Spell-like abilities. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Gray Nisp - Aquatic. Move 10 ft., swim 80 ft. Low-light vision; scent. 3 attacks and rend. Spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Grimm - Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron; 3 attacks. Spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Huge Fey:
Tunche - Move 50 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; DR 5/cold iron; 5 big attacks (1 with poison) and rend. Spell-like abilities.
FORM OF THE DRAGON II
(includes form of the alien dragon II and form of the exotic dragon II)
The form of the dragon II spells add large dragons, adds considerable bonuses to Strength, Constitution and natural armor, doubles your fly speed, adds Blindsense, adds a sixth attack and a second use of a breath weapon. All breath weapons deal 8d8 points of damage and allow a Reflex save for half damage. Line breath weapons increase to 80-foot lines and cones increase to 40-foot cones.
See form of the dragon I, above, for some idea of which are the best dragon forms to take.
GIANT FORM I
Giant form I permits you to assume the form of any Large humanoid creature of the giant subtype. The spell gives you bonuses to Strength, Constitution and Armor Class as well as low-light vision and a penalty to Dexterity. If the form assumed has the ability, the spell also gives you darkvision, rend, regeneration, rock catching and rock throwing. It also adds energy resist 20 (or less) if the creature has any energy resistance or immunity of that type. If the creature has a vulnerability to an element, you gain that vulnerability.
While each form comes with slam attacks or claws, you can also use weapons and your weapon expands with you. If you have weapon-related combat feats, this is a great advantage. Beyond that, rend and regeneration are the real benefits of this spell and most of the various trolls come with both. For the most part, giant form should be used to become a troll. The various cave giant, fire giant, frost giant forms don’t gain you anything but rock throwing and rock catching. If you really need a ranged attack, go fire giant. Otherwise, go two-headed troll.
Troll - Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks, rend, regeneration 5. Really just here for the comparison. Go with a two-headed troll instead!
Moss Troll - As regular troll, but lose the rend and gain 15' reach on two of the attacks. Also, the moss troll’s regeneration is not negated by acid, but the moss troll gains a vulnerability to fire.
Rock Troll - Identical to the regular troll, only fire doesn’t affect its regeneration and sonic does. Sunlight petrification is not a “vulnerability”, so you don’t gain it.
Two-Headed Troll - Just better than a regular troll. You get an extra attack and lose nothing. Two-headed troll for the win! Sadly, not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
GREATER POLYMORPH
The greater polymorph spell permits the caster to assume any form he could gain using alter self, beast shape IV, elemental body III, form of the dragon I or plant shape II. All of these except alter self are 6th level spells. All in all, the Swiss-army-knife utility of the spell is outweighed by the fact that it uses up a 7th level spell slot. You don’t need this spell for yourself, but its possible use on an ally shouldn’t be overlooked.
MAGICAL BEAST SHAPE
This spell is an extension of beast shape IV, but also allowing Diminutive and Huge Magical beasts and disallowing any animal forms. Here are some of the best forms:
Diminutive Magical Beasts:
Pipefox - Climb 20 ft. darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Very stealthy.
Tiny Magical Beasts:
Brain Mole Monarch - Move 10 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 30 ft. A flying, burrowing tiny spy with fantastic senses and a +8 Dexterity modifier.
Stirge - Move 10 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, blood drain. Another option for tiny, high-Dexterity spying.
Small and Medium Magical Beasts:
None worth considering at this level.
Large Magical Beasts:
Ahool - Move 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (1 with grab) plus rend. 10' reach only with the 2 claws.
Androsphinx - Move 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks with grab (no reach). The androsphinx has a roar usable three times per day, with a different effect each time (frightened, paralysis and then damage, knocked prone and strength penalty).
Bukavac - Move 40 ft., swim 20 ft., blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 6 attacks (only two with 10' reach.) This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Catoblepas - Move 40 ft., swim 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 15' reach, breath weapon (60' cone of poison gas with 1d6 Constitution damage and 3 required saves). This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Chimera - Fly 50 ft. (poor), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 5 attacks (no reach) plus a breath weapon, the effect of which can be chosen when you assume the chimera’s form.
Death Worm - Move 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft., 1 moderately big attack (with a moderately strong Constitution poison) and a powerful breath weapon. Also Resist 20 acid and Resist 20 electricity.
Dragon Horse - Move 60 ft., fly 120 ft.(good), darkvision 90 ft., low-light vision, 2 strong attacks plus a variable breath weapon that can do cold damage, create a thick mist or a severe wind.
Dragonne - Move 40 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks and pounce. The big draw here is the roar attack which can fatigue and deafen opponents.
Girallon - Move 40 ft., climb 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 5 attacks and 4 rend attacks. Has hands so can open doors.
Gorgon - Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks, petrification breath weapon (a second breath makes the petrification permanent.)
Kamadan - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (only 1 with 10' reach), pounce and a sleep breath weapon, if you need to take your opponents alive.
Kirin - Move 60 ft., fly 120 ft.(good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks plus a fire-based breath weapon. Also Resist cold 10, electricity 20 and fire 10. As a flying combatant, the dragon horse has better darkvision, but the kirin form has great resistances.
Manticore - Fly 50 ft.(clumsy), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 3 attacks (no reach) plus 4 ranged attacks.
Raggoth - Move 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 6 attacks (4 with grab)(no reach), pounce, rake. This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Sand Kraken - Move 10 ft., tremorsense 60 ft, 10 attacks with grab! And a 20' reach! Also, constrict. Because why not? This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Shedu - Fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks (no reach), plus trample. Also Resist electricity 10 and fire 10.
Sleipnir - Move 80 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 5 attacks (no reach), plus trample. Also Resist cold 10.
Spider Eater - Fly 60 ft. (good), darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, 4 attacks (no reach)(1 with a paralysis poison).
Tetrolimulus - Move 50 ft., swim 50 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks (1 with a special poison - initial effect: staggered; secondary effect paralysis; 2 saves to end. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Huge Magical Beasts:
Do you have any idea how many Huge Magical Beasts there are? And nearly all of them are pretty amazing combatants. Suffice it to say the list below is far from all-encompassing.
Bandersnatch, Lesser - Move 60 ft., Climb 20 ft., Blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 90 feet, low-light vision, scent, 4 melee attacks and 4 ranged attacks. Pounce and rake. +8 resistance bonus on saves against poison. Pretty amazing.
Behir - Move 40 ft., climb 20 ft.;Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision. 1 attack plus grab, constrict and rake. Breath weapon (7d6 electricity). Resist 20 electricity.
Bulette - Move 40 ft., burrow 20 ft. Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision. 3 attacks (no leap or savage bite).
Giant Squid - Aquatic. No Land Move. Swim 60 ft., jet 260 ft.; low-light vision; 4 attacks (including 1 huge attack with grapple and 30 ft. reach) and constrict.
Gigas Clam - Aquatic. Move 20 ft., swim 60 ft.; jet (300 ft.). Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision. 3 bites (2 with grab) plus ranged attack with a strong Strength and paralysis poison. No devastating bite, siphon jet, or swallow whole. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Hydra, 12-headed - Move 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Fast healing 5; 12 attacks and pounce.
I think most GM’s are going to have a problem with the hydra. Why stop at 12 heads and not 127 heads? A million? Expect your GM to house rule this super-fast. A reasonable answer might be to limit it to no more than 1 head per two levels. Your mileage may vary. If you can take 12 attacks, this is your new favorite form.
Lukwata - Aquatic. No Land move. Swim 40 ft. 1 huge attack plus grab. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Mobogo - Aquatic. darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; 3 attacks or 1 attack with 45’ reach, grab and pull.
Mymecoleon - Burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; 1 huge attack with grab, plus blood drain, constrict and trample.
Thrasfyr - Move 50 ft., climb 50 ft., darkvision 90 feet, low-light vision; 6 attacks, breath weapon (limited to 12d6), Powerful Charge. Possibly the most powerful form for this spell.
Thunder Beast - Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; 1 attack (10 ft. reach only) and breath weapon (20 ft. cone, sickens), and trample. This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Ypotryll - Move 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; 4 attacks (including 1 huge attack) and trample.
OOZE FORM III
In addition to the benefits of Ooze Form II, Ooze Form III grants you a standardized huge ooze form, blindsight 60 feet and a +8 resistance bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects and poison as well.
PLANT SHAPE III
The end of the plant shape line, plant shape III allows the caster to assume the form of huge plants. In addition, if the plant has the appropriate ability, this spell grants Damage Reduction, regeneration 5, and trample.
Here are some of the stand-out choices.
Small Plant:
None worth speaking of.
Medium Plant:
Algoid - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks, DR 5/ bludgeoning and magic. Resist electricity 20, fire 20. Vulnerable to water. This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Fungus Queen - Move 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 6 attacks (4 with grab), DR 10/ cold iron or good. Resist acid 10, cold 10 electricity 20.
Green Man - Move 40 ft., climb 40 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 8 attacks (6 with grab and 30' reach.) 6 ranged attacks. DR 10/epic and slashing. Resist electricity 20. You knew this would be on the list… Specifically called out as not PFS-legal in the most recent Additional Resources.
Mi-go - Fly 50 ft. (good), 4 attacks, DR 5/slashing, Resist cold 20 electricity 10, fire 10.
Large Plant:
Ascomoid - Move 40 ft., low-light vision, 2 attacks, poison and trample. DR 10/piercing. Resist electricity 10 , fire 20.
Blood Bramble - Move 40 ft., climb 40 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks. DR 10/slashing. Vulnerable to fire.
Sargassum Fiend - Move 20 ft., swim 40 ft., 2 attacks with grab. DR 5/slashing. Resist cold 20.
Huge Plant:
Corpse Lotus - Move 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks with grab and constrict. 25' reach. DR 10/slashing. Resist acid 10, electricity 10.
Gallows Tree - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, 6 attacks with grab. DR 10/magic and slashing. Resist fire 10. This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Quickwood - Move 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks (3 with 60' reach!). Resist electricity 20, fire 20.
Tendriculous - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, 3 attacks with grab. Regeneration 10 (bludgeoning or fire), Resist acid 20.
Treant - Low-light vision, 2 attacks. Trample, DR 10/slashing. Vulnerable to fire.
Willow Dusk - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks with grab. DR 10/magic. Resist cold 10, fire 10. This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
Witch Tree - Move 20 ft., low-light vision, 4 attacks with grab. DR 10/magic. Resist electricity 10, fire 10. This is a 3rd-party property and so is not PFS-legal.
GREATER SHAPECHANGER’S GIFT
Shapechanger’s Gift allowed you to polymorph your ally into a small or medium animal, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid. This spell adds elemental, fey and vermin to the list.
COMPARISON OF 7th LEVEL SPELLS
Comparing elemental body IV, fey form III, form of the dragon II, giant form I, ooze form III and plant shape III, we see that fey form, form of the dragon and giant form pulled ahead in sheer combat ability, although a huge air elemental can drop a large party from a great height and plant shape III has the green man, the corpse lotus and the quickwood.
CONCLUSION: Dragons, fey and trolls are just better at this level. But mostly dragons.
This level boasts the pinnacle of polymorphing power: form of the dragon III, giant form II and undead anatomy IV.
FORM OF THE DRAGON III
(includes form of the alien dragon III and form of the exotic dragon III)
The form of the dragon III spells add huge dragons. This means bigger ability bonuses, faster fly speed, longer darkvision, bigger breath weapon and better damage resistance. But it also means the addition of frightful presence (DC based on the spell), Blindsense, and you can use your breath weapon much more frequently. Line breath weapons increase to 100-foot lines and cones increase to 50-foot cones.
See form of the dragon I, above, for some idea of which are the best dragon forms to take.
GIANT FORM II
Giant Form II permits the caster to assume the form of huge giants. You gain a +10 foot enhancement bonus to speed, and if the form has immunity or resistance to one element, you gain that immunity or resistance.
Large Giants:
Desert Giant - Gains immunity to fire.
Ice Troll - As regular troll, but gains immunity to cold and a vulnerability to fire.
Huge Giants:
Mountain Troll - Burrow 10 ft., climb 40 ft., scent, 3 attacks, rock throwing, rock catching, regeneration and rend. Vulnerable to sonic damage. Hands-down the best combat form at this level for this spell. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Ocean Giant - Gains swim 40 ft., rock throwing and Resist cold 20, electricity 20.
Storm Giant - Gains swim 40 ft., rock catching and is immune to electricity.
UNDEAD ANATOMY IV
Undead anatomy IV does not entail any increase in size, but it does extend some of the travel speeds and adds lifesense and tremorsense, as well as damage resistance 10/ magic and silver, DR 15/bludgeoning and magic, breath weapons, fast healing, fiery death, fire aura, incorporeal, roar, spikes and energy resistance (up to 30). The big deal here is the addition of incorporeal undead. However, note that while the base duration of the spell is 1 minute/level, it becomes 1 round/level if the form you assume is incorporeal.
A NOTE ON TEMPLATES: As I’ve noted elsewhere, polymorph spells are not permitted to apply templates. However, many of the abilities granted by the various undead anatomy spells are only accessible through templates. Cases in point: the only creature that has DR 15/bludgeoning and magic is a lich...which is a template. The only creature that has 10/ magic and silver is a vampire...which is a template. So a strong argument can be made both that the author of the undead anatomy spells either didn’t read the section on polymorph spells or meant to indicate an exception, but forgot. Either way, I’m not including any options in this guide that use templates, just to avoid you having an argument with your GM.
Here are a few of the worthwhile forms:
Diminutive, Tiny And Small Undead:
None worth a look.
Medium Undead:
Bhuta - Incorporeal, fly 30 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., scent, 2 BIG touch attacks.
Fallen - Incorporeal, fly 30 ft. (perfect), 60 ft. blindsense, darkvision 60 ft., weapon attacks, Resist acid 5, fire 5.
Festering Spirit - Incorporeal, fly 40 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., Constitution damage incorporeal touch, Constitution damage trample.
Guecubu - Burrow 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., 3 attacks, Resist cold 10, electricity 30.
Llorona - Incorporeal, fly 60 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., 2 BIG touch attacks. Sadly, no Constitution drain.
Nemhain - Incorporeal, fly 30 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., 1 BIG touch attacks. Sadly, no Constitution drain. Resist acid 10, cold 30, fire 10.
Voidstick Zombie - Darkvision 60 ft., lifesense 60 ft; fast healing 3, 2 attacks. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Yuki-onna - Incorporeal, fly 30 ft. (perfect), darkvision 60 ft., 2 BIG touch attacks. Sadly, no Chilling Touch. Resist cold 30. Vulnerable to fire.
Large Undead:
Ecorche - Darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 5, Resist acid 30, 2 big attacks.
Huge Undead:
Gashadokuro - Darkvision 60 ft., 12d6 bludgeoning breath weapon.
COMPARISON OF 8th LEVEL SPELLS
Comparing form of the dragon III, giant form II and undead anatomy IV, the dragons come in first place, giants second and the undead a distant third. The dragon’s amazing senses combined with great ability score bonuses, many attacks, frightful presence and a huge breath weapon are just flat-out dominant at this level.
CONCLUSION: Take giant form II if you want regeneration, weapon attacks or the ability to cast spells. Otherwise, take form of the dragon III and lay waste to your enemies.
FEY FORM IV
Fey Form IV grants no new forms, but expands movement and abilities granted including raising the energy resistance cap to 30 and granting spell resistance 6 + your caster level if the creature has spell resistance.
Diminutive Fey:
Killmoulis - Move 40 ft., Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack only. Spell resistance 6+level. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Sprite - Move 15 ft., fly 60 ft. (good). Low-Light vision. DR 2/cold iron. Weapon attacks. Luminous. Spell-like abilities.
Tiny Fey:
Asrai - Move 20 ft., 50 ft. swim, low-light vision, DR 2/ cold iron, 1 attack. Resist Cold 30, spell resistance 6+level. A few spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Brownie - Move 20 ft. low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 1 attack. Spell resistance 6+level. Some spell-like abilities.
Danthienne - Move 30 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 1 attack. Spell resistance 6+level. Some spell-like abilities.
Fastachee - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 2 attacks with 30 ft. reach!
Gremlin, Fuath - Aquatic. Move 20 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 30 ft. Darkvision 60 ft. DR 5/cold iron. 2 small attacks. Resist cold 10. Spell resistance 6+level. Vulnerable to fire and sunlight.
Small Fey:
Bagiennik - Aquatic. Swim 40 ft., DR 5/ cold iron, 2 melee attacks plus an acidic, fiery nasal spray (eew!). Resist acid 5, fire 5.
Hellfire Ignis - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, 3 attacks (with burn). Resist fire 30. Vulnerable to cold. Spell-Like abilities. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Korred - Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack. Animated Hair, rock throwing (50 feet, 1d6 damage), Spell resistance 6+level. Spell-Like abilities. abilities.
Quickling - Move 120 ft., DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attack. Supernatural Speed. Spell-Like abilities.
Shadow Collector - Move 40 ft., Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron. 2 attacks. No Shadow. Tear Shadow. Spell resistance 6+level. Spell-like abilities.
Medium Fey:
Alp - Darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, 3 attacks. DR 5/cold iron and crushing leap as well as light sensitivity and a number of spell-like abilities.
Baccae - low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron. Rage. 5 attacks. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Erlking - Move 70 ft., fly speed 90 feet (good maneuverability), DR 5/cold iron, weapon attacks only. Fast healing 5, +8 resistance bonus on saves against poison. Resist acid 30, cold 30, electricity 30. Spell-like abilities.
Glaistig - Move 60 ft., burrow 60 ft., climb 60 ft.; Low-Light vision. DR 5/cold iron. Weapon attacks only (with 10 reach). +8 resistance bonus on saves against poison. Resist acid 30, cold 30, electricity 30, fire 30, sonic 30; Spell resistance 6+level. Weakness: Airbane. Spell-like abilities.
Hamadryad - Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron, weapon attacks only. Tree meld. Fast healing 5, Resist acid 30, cold 30, electricity 30; Spell-like abilities.
Ijiraq - Low-light vision. 5 powerful attacks. Hide in plain sight. Spell-like abilities.
Kamaitachi - Fly 120 ft. (good). Blindsight 30 ft., Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron, 4 big attacks with bleed. Spell resistance 6+level. Spell-like abilities.
Nereid - Aquatic - Move 30 ft., swim 60 ft. Low-light vision. Beguiling aura. Transparency. DR 5/cold iron. 1 touch attack. Spell resistance 6+level. Spell-like abilities. You don’t gain the nereid’s drowning kiss or unearthly grace abilities. Not a great combat form, but the role-playing potential of the beguiling aura is strong.
Large Fey:
Ankou - Fly speed 90 feet (good maneuverability), blindsense 120 ft., low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron. 5 attacks, 3 with bleed. Several spell-like abilities.
Escorite - Move 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (good); low-light vision, see in darkness; DR 5/cold iron; 4 attacks with Constitution damage. Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10. Spell-like abilities. Not from Bestiaries 1-6, so not PFS-legal.
Gray Nisp - Aquatic. Move 10 ft., swim 80 ft. Low-light vision; scent. 3 attacks and rend. Spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Grimm - Low-light vision. DR 5/cold iron; 3 attacks. Spell resistance 6+level. Spell-like abilities. This is a third-party property and not PFS-legal.
Huge Fey:
Tunche - Move 50 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; DR 5/cold iron; 5 big attacks (1 with poison) and rend. Spell-like abilities.
SHAPECHANGE
This is a great spell. First of all it allows you to assume top-of-the-line forms from some of the best polymorph spell lines: alter self, beast shape IV, elemental body IV, form of the dragon III, giant form II, and plant shape III. Moreover the spell will last for hours, not minutes. Finally, you can switch between forms as a free action, allowing complete flexibility in both utility and combat.
Do you remember Merlin’s combat with Madam Mim in the Disney movie The Sword in the Stone? That’s this spell.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON SPELLS AND FORMS
These polymorph spells will give you great combat abilities. With the proper build, you can keep up with the damage curve of your martial allies through multiple primary attacks and the bonuses to ability scores given by your spells and your class features.
In this regard, the use of weapons is a trap for the unwary. If you were to use weapons you would quickly fall behind the damage curve as your low BAB and the penalties to iterative attacks would soon mean that most of your attacks had little chance to hit. Natural attacks use your full BAB and that is the key to your damage potential. Add to that the heroism spell, the Arcane Strike feat, and an Amulet of Mighty Fists and your damage potential will rival those of your martial allies for many levels, possibly all of them.
EXAMPLE: A 6th level Transmuter with a 20 Strength (initially 17, +1 at 4th level, +2 from Transmuter) has cast monstrous physique II and is in the form of a four-armed gargoyle (not even the most powerful form at this level). He has the Arcane Strike feat, has cast heroism and wears a +2 Amulet of Mighty Fists. He has a +13 to hit (+3 BAB, +6 STR, +2 Heroism, +2 Amulet) and he has four primary attacks each doing 1d6+10 damage (+6 STR, +2 Arcane Strike, +2 Amulet).
Compare this to a 6th level fighter with a 20 Strength (initially 17, +1 at 4th level, +2 from Belt of Giant Strength) wielding a +2 greatsword (not that I think a 6th level fighter is likely to have such a sword). He is using Power Attack and Furious Focus. He has two attacks, one at +14 to hit (+6 BAB, +6 STR, +2 greatsword) and one at +7 to hit, each for 2d6+11 (+6 STR, +2 greatsword, +3 Power Attack).
Assuming an enemy AC of 21, the Transmuter will hit 65% of the time, doing an average of (13.5x4x.65)= 35.1 damage. The fighter will hit 65% of the time on the first hit and 30% of the time on the second, doing an average of ((18x.65)+(18x.3))=17.1 damage.
Several previous guides to Transmutation were of help to me in the preparation of this guide. They include:
Pathfinder - Practical Guide to Polymorph
Pathfinder - Transmuter Wizard Handbook
Polymorphamory - The Love of Changing Form: A guide to shapeshifting
I also wish to acknowledge the assistance of Paizo.com user Rory. His ideas and builds were very helpful in framing my ideas for this guide. Also, I ransacked his posts for ideas like a horde of Goths running through Rome. Thanks, Rory!
Finally, the first version of this Guide was, well, a first version. My sincere thanks to everyone who posted a response for their opinions, guidance, constructive criticism, suggestions and gentle correction of wrong-headed ideas. I’d like in particular to thank avr, Ascalaphus, UnArcaneElection and Perfect Tommy for their detailed suggestions.
Version 1.0 (11/20/2017) | Initial publication. 245 pages. |
Version 2.0 (12/02/2017) | Fixed errors; added material from Ultimate Wilderness. Added a separate section on Familiars. 276 pages. |
Version 2.1 (10/28/2018) | Updated which choices were PFS-legal per “Additional Resources”. 277 pages. |
Tarondor’s Guide to the Pathfinder Transmuter Wizard
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