Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration
, up to 1 hour
You alter your physical form. Choose one of the following options. Its effects last for the duration, during which you can take a Magic action to replace the option you chose with a different one.
Aquatic Adaptation. You sprout gills and grow webs between your fingers. You can breathe underwater and gain a Swim Speed equal to your Speed.
Change Appearance. You alter your appearance. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair length, coloration, and other distinguishing characteristics. You can make yourself appear as a member of another species, though none of your statistics change. You can’t appear as a creature of a different size, and your basic shape stays the same; if you’re bipedal, you can’t use this spell to become quadrupedal, for instance. For the duration, you can take a Magic action to change your appearance in this way again.
Natural Weapons. You grow claws (Slashing), fangs (Piercing), horns (Piercing), or hooves (Bludgeoning). When you use your Unarmed Strike to deal damage with that new growth, it deals 1d6 damage of the type in parentheses instead of dealing the normal damage for your Unarmed Strike, and you use your spellcasting ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls rather than using Strength.
Verbal Component:
Varia Memet
Verbal Component (Alternative):
To weather the oncoming storm, I have a need to change my form.
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard, Rogue, Artificer
Tags: Shapechanging
Source: Player's Handbook (2024) (page 239)
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Other Planes and Effects
Below is information about this spell as it relates to other planes and area of effects (i.e. underwater). Some of the information is pulled official D&D sources (such as books and the twitter feeds of D&D officials), but other information is derived from forums and online discussions. As always, it is up to the DM to decide how they wish to handle spell effects.
Underwater - Verbal Component
Official rules have been verified by Jeremy Crawford - "No rule prohibits verbal components from working underwater. Keep in mind that if you're talking, you're not holding your breath." Hence, while submerged underwater and holding its breath, a creature can cast a spell that requires a verbal component. After casting the spell, if the creature can't breathe underwater, it immediately runs out of breath. The creature can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round).
