If the active MMF players tell me which forms of that book (or other books) are missing from the bible, or which rules have changed since then, if any, I'll be happy to include them!
There are some potential useful forms in MM5.
I like the Spawn of Jubilex, mostly the Gargantuan one: you're a Gargantuan Snail/Ooze elemental that deals Con damage on a trample like attack and if you have Brutal Throw even has a usable ranged attack. Lesser Spawn of Jubilex: Large elemental (extraplanar, water), 8HD, blind sense 60', DV 60', move 40', climb 30', +8 NA, DR 5/-, Str 25, Dex 12, Con 19, Sludge form (AoE immunity, ignores difficult terrain, DC 18 Fort or take 2d6 damage and be sickened) Greater Spawn of Jubilex: Huge elemental (extraplanar, water), 11HD, blind sense 60', DV 60', move 40', climb 30', +16 NA, DR 5/-, Str 31, Dex 10, Con 24, Sludge form (AoE immunity, ignores difficult terrain, DC 22 Fort or take 4d6 damage, 1 Con damage and be sickened), Sludge Orb ranged attack (20' increments) Greater Spawn of Jubilex: Gargantuan elemental (extraplanar, water), 16HD, blind sense 60', DV 60', move 40', climb 30', +18 NA, DR 10/-, Str 39, Dex 8, Con 29, Sludge form (AoE immunity, ignores difficult terrain, DC 27 Fort or take 6d6 damage, 2 Con damage and be sickened and knocked prone), Sludge Orb ranged attack (30' increments)
Siege Beetle: Gargantuan Vermin, 20 HD, +27 NA, move 40', fly 50' clumsy, electriciy, sonic immunity, cold, fire resistance 10, DR 15/piercing, DV 60', Str 40, Dex 10, Con 27, Fort DC 28 Paralysis on bite, Improved Grab, Blinding Musk (60' cone), Surging Trample
Shaedling are medium Fey 4 HD, like Drow pixies, move 30', fly 60' (good), DR 5/cold iron, Str 10, Dex 18, Con 15, Shadow Gossamer: at level 7 you can create any item 15 pound or less, including weapons and armor, it dissipates one round after you let go of it. Occasionally useful.
Thoon Elder Brain: Large Abberation 12 HD, + 15 NA, move 10' fly 20', swim 30', fast healing 10, telepathy 1 mile, DV 60', 8 tentacles with +2d6 acid, Dual Action (Probably level 7+): You make two initiative checks and can do a (mental?) action on one and then do all normal stuff on the other initiative, like move+standard action. wording is a bit vague but it gives the potential to act twice a round. Unfortunately it only gives it's (Su) blast as an example of what it can do in the extra action you get.
Bladerager Troll: Large Giant, 6 HD, +5 NA, move 20', regeneration 5 (fire/acid), DV 60', LLV, immune to mind-affecting, Str 28, Dex 16, Con 28, Pounce, Rend, Death Throes, at level 7 Tortured Mind. Nice lower level form although you might explode if something kills you (hard after you get regeneration, but by then there are better things).
Potentially there's the Arkamoi, which let's you cast as a 4th level sorcerer as an (Ex) ability.
I noticed that this www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/200... was never confirmed or denied. The fact that a humanoid transformation causes the equipment to meld into the body does not seem to be true. Now originally when reading this article I thought I found somthing that re-approved the notion that the items are melded into the form "The druid's wildshape ability provides an exception: all equipment is subsumed into the new form and becomes nonfunctional while the druid remains in the assumed form." but this actually lead me to the following theory. A master of many forms wildshape ability, called "Greater Wildshape" states the following "A master of many forms knows how to use her wild shape ability to assume a wider range of forms. At 1st level, she can assume a humanoid form with wild shape." Now I propose that Greater Wildshape is either it's own different version of wildshape, or that all wildshape from earlier levels are now considered greater wildshape. Either way due to it not being a "druid's wildshape" it does not qualify for this limit. I know that the original wildshape does come from druid, but when it becomes greater wildshape it no longer qualifies for the retraints that the article above mentions, thus causing it to act more like alternate form. This would in turn make a humanoid wildshape keep all equipt items. Now that being said I am not so sure about monstrous humanoids, equipment growing and such.
I noticed that this www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/200... was never confirmed or denied. The fact that a humanoid transformation causes the equipment to meld into the body does not seem to be true. Now originally when reading this article I thought I found somthing that re-approved the notion that the items are melded into the form "The druid's wildshape ability provides an exception: all equipment is subsumed into the new form and becomes nonfunctional while the druid remains in the assumed form." but this actually lead me to the following theory. A master of many forms wildshape ability, called "Greater Wildshape" states the following "A master of many forms knows how to use her wild shape ability to assume a wider range of forms. At 1st level, she can assume a humanoid form with wild shape." Now I propose that Greater Wildshape is either it's own different version of wildshape, or that all wildshape from earlier levels are now considered greater wildshape. Either way due to it not being a "druid's wildshape" it does not qualify for this limit. I know that the original wildshape does come from druid, but when it becomes greater wildshape it no longer qualifies for the retraints that the article above mentions, thus causing it to act more like alternate form. This would in turn make a humanoid wildshape keep all equipt items. Now that being said I am not so sure about monstrous humanoids, equipment growing and such.
Personally, we've houseruled the whole thing as there are so many variants of the rules and a lot of them don't make sense or are just broken.
In our group we have two rules for items, which work in all alternate shape variants, wildshape, polymorph, shapechange, alternate form, etc. - Magical items can be used by any creature of the same type and will resize/reshape to fit, humanoids can use items for humanoids but not for dragons or vice versa. - Magical items otherwise become meld into the shape and become non functional, unless they have the Wild propery. We have redefined the Wild property as doubling the cost of a magic item, similar to making it slotless like an ioun stone. We don't use the wilding clasp. This means a Wild Hat of disguise becomes 3600 gp.
These rules seem to work quite well for Druids and MoMF. We now have another character in the party who uses Polymorph in combination with these rules and it gets a bit abusive, but that might be more a problem of the specific build than of the general houserule.
These houserules have been mainly chosen to get a simple set of rules and prevent a lot of arguing. Other options are possible as well. I suggest you pick some houserules that you're comfortable with, I don't think any version of the rules from WotC are playable. What I mean by that is that you want to avoid having to decide for each possible shape what items work or don't work. you want one rule to rule them all.
i would just like to thank everybody involved in this thread that has helped it become what it is now. ive been wanting to play a MoMF for such a long time and im finally in a campaign where i can do that. this thread really helps clarify things that are stupid confusing due to wording and it lets me actually get in the game instead of spending time rumaging through books to find exactly what i want. just want to say it again, thank you everyone.
i would just like to thank everybody involved in this thread that has helped it become what it is now. ive been wanting to play a MoMF for such a long time and im finally in a campaign where i can do that. this thread really helps clarify things that are stupid confusing due to wording and it lets me actually get in the game instead of spending time rumaging through books to find exactly what i want. just want to say it again, thank you everyone.
Please note that while the OP has a nice list of forms, it still depends on the situation what is most useful to you.
For example my MoMF was at some point afflicted by a Confusion spell and turned into a Shrieker (0 movement) so the other members of the party had an easy time capturing her.
