Travelling as a planar warlock (our house rules 2nd ed equivilent of a 3rd ed sorceror) I had to learn to find creative ways to use my spells because I didn't have very many (I can't say how many times the cantrip list in the 1st edition Unearthed Arcana saved my butt). Thus, through experimentation, I have discovered a good many ways to use spells beyond what they were originally meant.
Of all the powerful spells, I find the polymorph other spell the most overlooked. Through adventuring as a planar, I have discovered that not only can this be one of the most useful of spells, it is also, quite possibly, the most powerful. Truthfully I believe it should probably be a ninth level spell. Here are a couple of examples of how it can be used to create potent effects.
Once, in limbo, while my warrior companion and I were fighting a Slaad, I used a Poly-other on it as a last gambit. Fortunately, I got through its MR and save and the thing started changing. To my horror, however, it started becoming a Black dragon when I meant to change the thing into a cow. This was of course because we were in limbo (Duh berk!!). The next round, I dispelled and changed it back to its original form. The unexpected result was that the warrior got two free rounds of attacks on it. The spell states that a transformation takes a full round during which the subject cannot act, and is effectively prone. Thus, for the change and change back, the unfortunate Slaad took heavy damage from the warrior. A small side-effect in the grand scheme, but useful non the less.
I only discovered the full power of the spell during the Faction War. When the Blood Wars spilled into the cage in the Lower Ward, I found myself rather useless during the battle. Fiends MR is pretty tough and all the heavy hitting damage spells (lighting, fireball) they tend to be immune to. So, I decided to use my Poly-other spell on someone to turn them into something more suited for this sort of battle. When reading the description of the spell a bit closer, I realized what was fully possible. The spell states that a caster can turn a subject into any living thing, but if the difference between the hit dice of the original subject and its new form is great, then there is a chance that the subject will actually believe they are the new creature and thus acquire all of its magical abilities. The greater the difference of hit dice, the greater the chance. This is usually what keeps PCs from using the spell: they don't want to risk being turned into a creature and forgetting themselves in the process However, sometimes making someone forget who they really are is exactly what you want. I just pointed to some berk on the street and said "Puff, you're a great wyrm Gold Dragon!". Because the difference in hit dice was so enormous, he so failed his save and completely thought he was a gold wyrm and took to fighting off the fiends.
You can see what can of worms this opens. Theoretically, this means that any wizard capable of casting fourth level spells can effectively "summon" the most powerful of creatures by transforming the weakest. Got a nasty army coming your way? Just change one of their squires into a Tarasque. See how they like that! When it's done feeding on them, just dispell it (which, according to the spell, can be done anytime, but only by the original caster)
The only draw back is that if a subject believes themselves to be their new form, they will continue to do so even if changed back into their original form. In the case of the poor squire, who cares if you've made him barmy into thinking he's a tarasque. He was part of the invading army wasn't he? However, in the case of my dragon friend, both the Harmonium and my Church, though thankful for his help, didn't believe it proper to turning berks off of the street into dragons. Thus, I had to pay a substancial amount for a restoration spell to make things right, but it was worth the knowledge.
Now, this part gets technical, but what if that poor squire had already been dominated by the same caster before he was changed? Would that mean that his new form would also be dominated? Chances are, probably not. I just can't see a DM allowing it. It's just too unbalancing. He'd probably rule that the new form be allowed another save due to the change in psyche. However, another way to attempt the same thing is to change the berk, change him back at which point he has the psyche of a tarasque, but the saves of a squire, dominate him then, then finally change him back into a tarasque. However, the DM would probably rule this time, that due to the change in form, the new creature is allowed another save. So, chances are if you want to dominate a changed creature, you'll just have to do it the old fashioned way. Ever try to dominate the tarasque? Ain't happening berk!
However, this little magical argument does lend itself to a parting prize. If the DM ruled that changed creatures are allowed new saves for previous effects, then it gives Poly-other another use. Ever been poisened with no antidote, and no priest? A mage can change the PC into another form such as a dwarf. The change would allow a new save for the poison with the dwarfs additional save bonuses.
So there it is, that's why I think that Poly-other is indeed an extremely powerful spell.
It's my story and I'm sticking to it.
So there it is, that's why I think that Poly-other is indeed an extremely powerful spell.
And that's why it was fixed in 3rd Edition.
You can now turn someone into a creature with maximum HD equal to your caster level.
And that's why it was fixed in 3rd Edition.
And fixed. And fixed again. And is still being fixed ...