How big should the biggest creature be? If `Strength = Potency`, then the biggest possible Strength is 4. This helps balance the system, but prohibits creating horrifying monsters and giants, which are fun. (Side Note: Potency was a limit, rather than a bonus, to ensure that fighters would always prefer to buy more Strength than to buy magic which increases Strength) It also seems odd that mages can take an animal of any size - dogs, rats, et c., and they all reach the same size in the end. ## New Suggestion `Strength = Potence + 1/2 Strength` A fighter with Strength +1 might spend 20 XP to gain Earth 1 + Water 1 (and therefore Polymorph 1), increase his size to (`1 + 1/5 =`) +2 for an interval, but it would be better to just increase Strength. ### Polymorph Potency 2 | Basic Str | Final Str | |:---------:|:---------:| | -2 | 1 | | -1 | 2 | | 0 | 2 | | 1 | 3 | | 2 | 3 | | 3 | 4 | | 4 | 4 | | Max | 4 | Note that even if polymorph spells stack (perhaps because someone has made a permanently durable spell, with 5 MP), they have a maximum. ### Polymorph Potency 3 | Basic Str | Final Str | |:---------:|:---------:| | -4 | 1 | | 1 | 4 | | 2 | 4 | | 3 | 5 | | 4 | 5 | | Max | 6 | ### Polymorph Potency 4 | Basic Str | Final Str | |:---------:|:---------:| | 1 | 5 | | 2 | 5 | | 3 | 6 | | 4 | 6 | | Max | 8 | ## General Penalties There should probably be some general penalties associated with such radical shape-shifting. Maybe any one of: - -1 Dexterity - -1 Dexterity per potence (too harsh?) - 1 Fatigue per Potence - 1 HP lost per spell potence (so creatures must heal between spell-casting sessions) I'm rather a fan of that last one - it stops almost all potential for abuse, but allows great big monsters to be unleashed.