UO Transformers, 2020 discussion

Rock

I thought it might be useful to list all the various transformations available to our characters.  I have some thoughts and likely corrections concerning several of them.  They have been ordered by how long they have been part of the game.

Magery

• Incognito -- Problem:  If you log out while transformed, next time you log on, your character will have the name of the Incognito character.  His UI will be set to default.  Once the spell expires, you can log back out and log back in, this time as yourself, with your normal UI.
  
• Polymorph -- Problem: I believe there is out of date information in the spellbook.  It says using the spell will flag you as a criminal, but I can see no sign that this is still the case.  If it is still true, um, why?  One can walk around any town as a vampire, cu sidhe, or a gosh-darn tree with no negative reapercussions.
  

Stealing

• Disguise Kit -- Problem (unsure): It's been a long time, but I believe it suffers from the same UI bug as Incognito.
  

Necromancy (108.1 Necromancy, 109.2 Spirit Speak)

• Wraith Form: +15% pysical resist, -5% energy and fire resists, +22% hit mana drain.  Note: cannot ride mount
  
• Horrific Beast: +20 hit point regen, +25% damage increase.  slower motion. Note: cannot ride mount.  Cannot cast unless have a "focused build".  Can use Spirit Speak and special combat moves even if non-focused.
  
• Lich Form: -5 hit point regen, +13 mana regen, -10% fire resistance, +10% cold and poison resistance
  
• Vampiric Embrace: poison immunity, 20% hit life drain, +15 stamina regen, +3 mana regen, -25% fire resistance
  

Ninjitsu (Animal Form)

• Rabbit/Rat: +20 stealth
  
• Cat/Dog: high health regen, rises with Ninjitsu skill.  35 at GM level
  
• Giant Serpent: inflicts low-level poison
  
• Bullfrog: splatters poison on attacker when hit
  
• Llama/Ostard: run at mount speed (as can all below native forms)
  
• Bake-Katsune/Wolf: plus hit chance and maximum hit points
  
• Ki-Rin: high stamina regen
  
• Unicorn: immunity to low-level poison
• White Tiger (mastery): +DCI, enhanced evasion, bleed attack
  
• (talismans via Heritage Tokens)
• *** Squirrel: no unique ability.  You look like a squirrel.  Umm, yay!
  
• *** Ferret: +10 stealing
  
• *** Cu Sidhe: occasionally auto-self-heal with bandages
  
• *** Reptalon: occasional fire breath attack
  
• (Notes): All forms are extremely limited in what they can do.  Besides their form's ability, they can only fight with a weapon or wrestle, transform back to their native form, hide, stealth, and cast Mirror Image and Shadow Jump.  That is it.  No special moves, no other spells, no spirit speak.  An argument could be made that with the extremely high (almost double cap) health regen on cat and dog forms, such limitations make sense.  But why are the other forms so limited?  I suggest all forms but cat/dog be able to do most things, but only if the ninja has a focused build.  This would bring it much more in line with the Necromancy transforms. If it is felt necessary to balance the special ability with a small nerf, give the transformed character a small swing speed penalty or something similar.
  

Mysticism (100 Mysticism, 100 Focus)

• Stone Form: resistant to most poison, -10 SSI, -2 cast speed, +8% all resists, +4% all resist caps, +16% damage increase, slower motion.
  

Spellweaving (97.7 spellweaving and no arcane circle except that granted by tier 2 mastery)

• Reaper Form: +12% SSI, +12% SDI, +7% physical, poison, cold, and energy resists, -25% fire resist, slower motion.
  
• Ethereal Voyage: 19 seconds of being ignored by monsters.  Cannot ride mount.
  

By listing all these transformations together, it is pretty obvious, at least to me, that the Ninjitsu transformations are far more limiting than any other.  I read a comment a while back with someone mentioning that originally these limitations did not exist, but dog-form archers had unbalanced the PvP dynamics.  I can believe that, but the nerf bat which came down was far too broad.  Again, if cat and dog forms were a problem, limiting them harshly is understandable.  But there was no reason to heavily nerf them all.  My suggestion for cat and dog forms is to at least allow them to use Spirit Speak and special moves in a focused build.  Considering that a focused Horrific Beast can do everything except ride a mount, I don't think it would balance, not unbalance things.

Arroth_Thaiel

Ninja Mastery White Tiger Form

Aren't there statues that let you change form as well? And Costumes?

Rock

@Arroth_Thaiel Thank you for quick response.  I was still able to update main post.  My ninja does not yet have 90 Ninjitsu, so a mastery ability did not occur to me.  Is it as limited as the Animal Form transformations?

The forms under "Heritage Tokens" are the ones I think you mean by "statues".  What you get from the token is a talisman that when worn adds that specific transformation to the Animal Form spell.  I don't know about special ninja costumes.  Can anyone elaborate?

Arroth_Thaiel

Sorry @Rock, that was two different thoughts not well expressed.

1. Ninja White Tiger Form
2. (Unrelated to Ninjitsu.) If you're just looking for transformations, there is a goblin statue in the store and there are costumes that let you change into other things as well. Might also be a quest ring and/or fishing pole that produce transformations, but I've never played with them.

I have a ninja, but have only dabbled in the skill. No idea how Tiger form compares to other animal transformations.

Rock

It occurred to me I had not checked the relationship between Bushido and the ninja forms.  I went to Test Center.  As expected, none of the Bushido "spells" work in Animal Form.  However, the Honor::Perfection mechanic still functions normally.  That's cool, but a Bush/Ninja build is really tight, with no room for Focus, Meditation, or any sort of direct healing.  Still, with the right armor it could be pretty interesting to play.  Also, I guess you could bypass Parry and just use Bushido like a Bush Archer does.  Or become a Bush Archer Ninja!

WornOutYourTool

Ninja forms aren't that limiting.  Having access to that many different bonuses is a huge boon.  If you're only looking at ninja forms in a bubble, sure I can see why you'd want to do it all.  

There is just too many beyond broken things that take place when you allow ninja forms to cast and use specials.  We've been down this road, it isn't just dog archers that were ridiculous.

Odd also you use horrific beast as an example of a higher bar.   Run speed only, un mountable, small di increase that USES the item cap, half the regen of dog/cat, yeah can use spells and specials, but its hardly a perk when stuck on foot in an easily dispelled form that offers little benefit.  I'd vote horrific beast and lich need to be looked at before ninja forms personally.

Bake/wolf, dog/cat, white tiger, cu, rabbit, squirrel llama/ostard still all great.

Kirin/unicorn could use some love perhaps.

Rock

@WornOutYourTool thanks for your comment.  It gives me something to think about.  Can forms be dispelled?  None of my guys have ever experienced it, in any form.  Concerning Horrific Beast specifically, I've brought my Necro Poisoner to past GM now, mostly using HB form.  I find it very powerful.  Unlike Ninjitsu Animal Form, it can use Spirit Speak, and that's focused or not.  That in itself makes a big difference.

The one thing I don't like or understand is why Wrestling damage is nerfed.  Tactics and Anatomy only raise it about 25% to 50% of what they raise everything else. This is not a nerf to HB specifically.  Wrestling damage in general is useless and nerfed.  HB stands out because its base wrestling damage is not bad.  It would already be self-limited by not granting any of the bonuses or properties weapons can have.  Why bother limiting it further?

Squirrel form?  It surprises me that it is in your list of "greats". I never spent a token to get the talisman.  What can it do?  I guess if it's a giant squirrel, that would be kind of neat on Halloween.

I asked before above about White Tiger.  Is it as limited as the Animal Form transforms?

Can you give examples to justify your statement?

There is just too many beyond broken things that take place when you allow ninja forms to cast and use specials.  We've been down this road, it isn't just dog archers that were ridiculous.

A main purpose of this thread was to compare the advantages and limitations of all the various forms.  To my eyes, the Animal Forms are the ones that stand out as underwhelming.  I'd like to understand why this perception might be mistaken.