Polymorph — Complete D&D 5e Spell Guide

Table of Contents

• •Quick Answer
• •Overview
• •Stat Block
• •Best Beast Forms
• •When NOT to Use This
• •Spell Slot Efficiency
• •Pro Tips
• •Common Mistakes to Avoid
• •Usage Tips
• •Rules Notes
• •Synergies
• •Anti-Patterns
• •Tactical Modules
• •Countermeasures
• •Polymorph in the 2024 Rules
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Answer

Polymorph is a 4th-level transmutation spell for Bards, Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. It turns a creature within 60 feet into a beast for up to 1 hour (concentration). The beast's challenge rating can't exceed the target's CR, or its level if it has no CR. Cast it on an ally to turn a 7th-level fighter into a giant ape, or on an enemy (Wisdom save) to turn a hill giant into a frog.

Overview

Polymorph has two uses.

On an ally, it is an emergency hit point bank. The beast form's hit points sit on top of the target's own: when the form drops to 0, the target reverts with the hit points it had before. A badly hurt fighter turned into a giant ape gets 157 extra hit points (168 in 2024) and two 22-damage fists.

On an enemy, it is a removal spell. You pick the beast, so pick a CR 0 frog. The enemy loses its attacks, spells, and special abilities while you concentrate, unless your own party knocks it out of the form.

The limits are the CR cap, the Wisdom save on enemies, and concentration. In 2014 the spell also fails against shapechangers and creatures at 0 hit points.

Stat Block

Best Beast Forms

The form's CR can't be higher than the target's level. These are the SRD beasts worth knowing, with stats from both editions.

The 2024 rules made the giant eagle, giant owl, and giant elk Celestials, and the giant vulture a Monstrosity. None of them are legal Polymorph forms in 2024. For flight in 2024, the SRD beasts are the giant bat (CR 1/4, fly 60 ft.), pteranodon (CR 1/4, fly 60 ft.), and giant wasp (CR 1/2, fly 50 ft.).

When NOT to Use This

• •The enemy is a shapechanger and you are using 2014 rules. A vampire, doppelganger, imp, or quasit is unaffected.
• •The enemy has Legendary Resistance. It can turn a failed Wisdom save into a success.
• •The enemy has a strong Wisdom save. A mage (+4) succeeds half the time against DC 15.
• •The target is a low-level NPC ally. The CR cap uses its level, so a 2nd-level hireling can become nothing bigger than a giant boar or polar bear.
• •You can't keep concentration. If you drop it, the target reverts at once.

Spell Slot Efficiency

When worth the slot: A single dangerous enemy with a weak Wisdom save, or an ally of level 7 or higher who needs hit points and damage.

Upcasting

Polymorph has no higher-level effect in either edition. To turn a creature into something other than a beast, you need True Polymorph at 9th level.

Pro Tips

Tip #1: Turn enemies into the weakest beast you can.

Why it works: You choose the form. The CR cap only sets the maximum, so a CR 5 troll can become a CR 0 frog with 1 hit point, no attacks worth mentioning, and a 20-foot speed.

This avoids the mistake of: Turning an enemy into a bear and then fighting the bear.

Tip #2: Tell your party to leave the frog alone.

Why it works: In 2014 the form ends at 0 hit points and the target returns with the hit points it had before. Excess damage carries over, but one sword hit on a 1-hit-point frog wastes almost all of the spell.

This avoids the mistake of: Undoing your own spell with an attack of opportunity.

Tip #3: Polymorph the ally who is about to drop, not the one at 0.

Why it works: In 2014 the spell has no effect on a creature with 0 hit points. Cast it while the fighter still has a few hit points left.

This avoids the mistake of: Losing a 4th-level slot on an unconscious target.

Tip #4: The CR cap uses the target's level, not yours.

Why it works: A 9th-level wizard who polymorphs a 7th-level fighter can pick a giant ape, not a T. rex. Casting it on yourself uses your own level.

This avoids the mistake of: Announcing a T. rex for a 5th-level ally and having to pick again.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Casting spells while in beast form

Why it's bad: The target can't speak or cast spells. In 2014 it also can't take any action that needs hands or speech. A wizard who polymorphs into a giant ape stops casting until the spell ends.

Do this instead: Polymorph the martial characters. If you transform yourself, accept that you are a beast now.

Assuming the target keeps its own mental scores

Why it's bad: The target's game statistics are replaced, including Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. It keeps only its alignment and personality (and in 2024, its creature type, Hit Points, and Hit Point Dice).

Do this instead: Use the beast's Wisdom for saves. A giant ape has Wisdom 12.

Using gear or magic items

Why it's bad: The target's gear melds into the new form, and it can't use or benefit from any of it. Armor, rings, and cloaks stop working.

Do this instead: Count the beast's own AC. A giant ape has AC 12 no matter what armor the fighter wore.

Forgetting concentration

Why it's bad: When your concentration breaks, the transformation ends. The enemy frog turns back into a hill giant next to your cleric.

Do this instead: Stay out of reach and read the concentration rules. Use a high-HP ally as cover.

Targeting a shapechanger (2014)

Why it's bad: The 2014 spell says it has no effect on a shapechanger. Check the stat block for the Shapechanger trait.

Do this instead: Use Banishment or Hold Monster on those targets.

Usage Tips

• •Worked example (enemy): A 7th-level wizard with 18 Intelligence has spell save DC 15 (8 + 3 + 4). A hill giant has Wisdom −1, so it needs a 16 on the d20. It fails 75% of the time and spends the fight as a frog. A troll also has Wisdom −1, so the odds are the same, and a frog can't regenerate the way a troll does.
• •Worked example (ally, 2014): A 7th-level fighter at 12 hit points becomes a giant ape with 157 hit points. Over the next few rounds the ape takes 165 damage. It drops to 0 after 157, the fighter reverts at 12 hit points, and the other 8 damage carries over. The fighter ends at 4 hit points and stays conscious. The spell absorbed 157 damage the fighter would otherwise have taken.
• •Worked example (ally, 2024): The same fighter keeps their 12 hit points and gains 168 temporary hit points from the giant ape. Damage comes off the temporary hit points first. When those run out, the spell ends and the leftover damage hits the fighter's real hit points.
• •What the ape does: Two fists at +9 for 22 each is 44 damage per round if both hit. Roll it with the dice roller.
• •Related guides: Animal Shapes (8th-level druid version for many willing targets), Banishment for removal by Charisma save, Dominate Beast, and Haste. Browse the spell guide index.

Rules Notes

These are the 2014 rules. The 2024 changes are in their own section below.

• •One creature you can see within 60 feet. Only an unwilling target makes the Wisdom save.
• •No effect on a shapechanger or a creature with 0 hit points.
• •The form is any beast with a CR equal to or less than the target's CR, or its level if it has no CR.
• •The target uses the beast's hit points. Excess damage carries over when it reverts at 0, and if that carryover doesn't drop the normal form to 0, it isn't knocked unconscious.
• •The form ends when the duration or your concentration ends, or when the target drops to 0 hit points or dies.

Synergies

• •Fighters and barbarians at level 7+: They lose the least by giving up their class features, and they gain the most from a giant ape or T. rex body.
• •Haste from a second caster: A hasted giant ape gets an extra Attack action (one weapon attack). That needs two casters, since each spell takes concentration.
• •Healing in 2014: Healing a polymorphed ally heals the beast form, which keeps the transformation going longer.
• •Grapple and restrain: A T. rex's bite grapples and restrains Medium or smaller targets in 2014 (Large or smaller in 2024).

Anti-Patterns

• •Polymorphing the party wizard in the middle of a fight that needs their spells.
• •Casting it on an enemy your party could finish this round. You trade a 4th-level slot for what two attacks would do.

Tactical Modules

• •Remove the brute: Frog the biggest melee enemy, then fight the rest of the encounter.
• •Travel form: Turn a willing ally into a giant eagle (2014) to fly over a chasm, or a giant shark to cross deep water.

Countermeasures

• •Threat: The enemy breaks your concentration. Response: Cast from 60 feet away, behind your front line. Fallback: Recast on the same target if it is still the biggest threat.
• •Threat: The target saves. Response: Pick enemies with weak Wisdom saves, such as giants and brutes. Fallback: An ally's Bane subtracts 1d4 from its saving throws.

Polymorph in the 2024 Rules

The 2024 version keeps the level, classes, range, components, 1-hour concentration duration, and CR cap. How the transformation works changed a lot.

• •Hit points: The target keeps its own Hit Points and Hit Point Dice. It gains Temporary Hit Points equal to the beast form's Hit Points. The spell ends early when those temporary hit points are gone. Leftover temporary hit points vanish when the spell ends.
• •Creature type: The target keeps its creature type. A humanoid turned into a giant ape is still a Humanoid, so Hold Person can still affect it. In 2014, its whole stat block is replaced by the beast's.
• •Saving throw: The text says "the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw," with no exception for willing creatures. Under the 2024 saving throw rules, a creature that doesn't want to resist an effect can choose to fail the save without rolling.
• •No exclusions: The lines about shapechangers and creatures at 0 hit points are gone. A creature at 0 Hit Points still has the Unconscious condition, and the 2024 rules say temporary hit points don't restore consciousness. Polymorph won't wake a downed ally.
• •Actions: The target "can't speak or cast spells." The 2014 line about actions that need hands or speech is replaced by "limited in the actions it can perform by the anatomy of its new form."
• •Ongoing effects: The 2024 Shape-Shifting rule says conditions, spells, and other ongoing effects carry over between forms unless the spell says otherwise.
• •Forms: The giant eagle, giant owl, and giant elk are Celestials in 2024, and the giant vulture is a Monstrosity. They are no longer valid forms. The 2024 giant ape has 168 hit points and a Boulder Toss; the T. rex's tail now deals 25 damage, reaches 15 feet, and knocks targets prone.

Against enemies, the frog trick works differently. In 2014 the enemy frog has 1 hit point, but dropping it returns the enemy at full health. In 2024 the enemy frog has 1 temporary hit point on top of its real hit points. A single point of damage still ends the spell.

Circle of the Land druids who choose tropical land always have Polymorph prepared from druid level 7.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Polymorph do in 5e?

It turns a creature you can see within 60 feet into a beast for up to 1 hour (concentration). The target makes a Wisdom save, and the beast's CR can't exceed the target's CR or level. The target uses the beast's stats and can't speak or cast spells.

What is the best Polymorph form?

For a target of level 8 or higher, the tyrannosaurus rex. For level 7, the giant ape. In 2024 the giant ape has 32 more hit points than the T. rex (168 to 136), so at level 8 the choice is closer: the ape lasts longer, the T. rex grapples and knocks targets prone. For flight, the giant eagle in 2014, or the giant bat or giant wasp in 2024.

Can you Polymorph yourself in 5e?

Yes. You are a valid target, and the CR cap uses your own level. You can't cast spells while transformed, but you keep concentrating on Polymorph itself.

Does Polymorph work on shapechangers?

Not in 2014. The spell has no effect on a shapechanger, such as a vampire, doppelganger, imp, or quasit. The 2024 version removed that line.

What happens when a polymorphed creature drops to 0 hit points?

In 2014 it reverts to its normal form with the hit points it had before, and any excess damage carries over. In 2024 its temporary hit points run out, the spell ends, and leftover damage comes off its real hit points.

Can a polymorphed creature cast spells?

No. In both editions it can't speak or cast spells.

Does Polymorph get better when upcast?

No. Polymorph has no higher-level effect in either edition.

Can I turn an enemy into a frog with Polymorph?

Yes, if it fails its Wisdom save. You choose the form, and the CR cap is only a maximum. A frog is CR 0, so any creature qualifies. Keep your allies from damaging it, because breaking the form returns the enemy to its normal body.

Citations: SRD 5.1 (2014 rules), SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules)

Includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, licensed under CC BY 4.0.