Magic and transgender people?

[Jon_Dahl]

In D&D 3.5 particular, what is the easiest and the most efficient method to change your sex through the use of magic? Core only, please.

[ThiagoMartell]

In D&D 3.5 particular, what is the easiest and the most efficient method to change your sex through the use of magic? Core only, please.

Alter Self spell.

[Mithril Leaf]

Permanently?
Polymorph Any Object

[Jon_Dahl]

Permanently?
Polymorph Any Object

Yes, permanently.

[Chilingsworth]

Yes, permanently.

Then definately PoA is your easiest bet. Since the change you'd be making is minor (by the spell's standards,) the duration would be permenant. However, using that spell would likely set your physical stats to the standard for whatever race you change into. (10 for humans) This is because it will turn you into a "typical example" of the desired thing. A better bet might be wish or miracle.

If you want a character that can change genders at will, play a changling from the ebberon campaign setting.

EDIT: You said core only, my bad.

[only1doug]

Easiest Permanent method? A cursed item with the Drawback of changing the persons gender (result 30-32 on the drawback table)

(Basically your standard girdle of masculinity/femininity)

(OK, its only permanent until curse is removed)

[Ashtagon]

Easiest Permanent method? A cursed item with the Drawback of changing the persons gender (result 30-32 on the drawback table)

(Basically your standard girdle of masculinity/femininity)

(OK, its only permanent until curse is removed)

For some people, that's not a cursed item.

[only1doug]

For some people, that's not a cursed item.

It's a cursed item because its a cursed item, the fact that the curse is providing you with an effect you want doesn't stop the item being cursed, just makes it harder for other people to remove the effect from you.

[Ashtagon]

It's a cursed item because its a cursed item, the fact that the curse is providing you with an effect you want doesn't stop the item being cursed, just makes it harder for other people to remove the effect from you.

"If money is the world's curse, then may the lord smite me with it! And may I never recover!"

[only1doug]

Cursed Items can be useful sometimes

[Darth Stabber]

I think reincarnation should have a chance at switching your gender.

I'm currently working a home brew reincarnation table to roll on, and I think I am just going to give every race 2 possible results, male odds, female evens. The problem is that 50 is a lot of races. Maybe 25, but that's not much better than the current table.

As far as doing it though pao is good. If alter self can be permanency'd (which I don't think it can) you could have something going there, but the problem is dispelling.

Girdle of masc/femme is an excellent choice, since how often are you hit with an undesired remove curse, and some one would have to be a real jerk to wish it way.

It seems like it would be well within the realm of wish, and possibly limited wish, to get this done in a really permanent fashion. It's not a mechanically powerful ability, I would give it to you with a limited wish if I were GMing, and that's not even really a house ruling, just my personal appraisal of the text of limited wish. Other gms might require wish/miracle/reality revision at their discretion, since those spells and that power naturally leave a lot for gm's to adjudicate.

[Ashtagon]

I think reincarnation should have a chance at switching your gender.

I'm currently working a home brew reincarnation table to roll on, and I think I am just going to give every race 2 possible results, male odds, female evens. The problem is that 50 is a lot of races. Maybe 25, but that's not much better than the current table.

That reminds me of my own reincarnation table, which basically goes like this:

1d20
1-10: Same race (human)
11-16: "Close" race (dwarf, elf, halfling)
17-19: "Distant" race, possible cultural or environmental incompatibility (orc, triton)
20: Something weird and exotic, barely playable (troll, pixie, awakened warhorse)

I also add a 25% chance of a gender change happening on a reincarnate. Overall, odds are weighted in favour of a similar result to the original character, but not strongly.

Note that in my campaigns, fantastic racism exists. Orcs will be seriously mistrusted and heavily watched by the militia. Trolls are likely to be attacked on sight by the town guard. Pixies will be regarded as little more than dangerous talking children, not someone to buy and sell goods from and to.

[Rubik]

Buy a power stone of Astral Seed. Use Alter Self to change your gender. Use the power stone while Astral Seed is in effect. Now commit seppuku.

How early can you afford a power stone and a casting of Alter Self?

[Killer Angel]

Cursed Items can be useful sometimes

and here I was, thinking about the Dust of Sneezing and Choking...

[only1doug]

I think many of the cursed items could serve a purpose for the weilder.

Bag of Devouring - body disposal which reduces chances of slain creature being returned to life. (0% chance for magics that require a body, 50% chance for magics that don't need a body, roll once and if it can't be returned then that enemy is never coming back)

Bracers of Defenselessness - +5 bracers until you fight a creature of higher CR than your Character level (so good if you are guaranteed not to fight anything tougher than you)

Cloak of Poisonousness - If immune to poison this is a handy defense against people stealing your clothing. (could be used offensively, "this would look great on you, why don't you try it on?")

Dust of Sneezing and Choking - AoE distraction

Flask of Curses - Aoe Debuff

Helm of Opposite Alignment - Handy if you fancy a change

Mace of Blood - If you wanted your characters alignment to be CE this will change you back even after a Helm of opposite alignment has been used.

Medallion of Thought Projection - Thoughts are projected... can be handy

Necklace of Strangulation - fear no gas attacks

Net of Snaring - not really cursed, just better underwater

Robe of Vermin - limited utility.

Ring of Clumsiness - featherfalling ring for those who don't need dex or cast spells. (no limitation to removing it, so can be put on when you know you need it).

Sword, Berserking - handy if your allies can keep out of range or aren't 'living'.

Vacuous Grimoire - could be dropped into an enemies library.

Courtesy of Reaver225

Amulet of Inescapable Location - Got Nondetection or something similar? Still need to be scryed by your friends? Keep the spell up all day and put on the AofIL at a prearranged time so they can scry you at the right time.

Armor of Arrow Attraction - Arrows or other imbued ammunition with buff/heal spells can be spammed at you with manyshot and get past your high AC.

Gauntlets of Fumbling - Acts as Ogre Power until in life or death situation. Great for manual labour if it's perfectly safe to do so. Put it on a skeleton minion; it can't by its nature be in a life or death situation.

Spear, Cursed Backbiter - +2 shortspear that only does damage to you on a nat1? Get a couple of luck feats to reroll nat1s, boom! Cheap +2 weapon!

-2 Sword, Cursed - ...Training weapon? Just don't use it continuously

I couldn't think of a beneficial purpose for these items which would make them worth keeping.

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Armor of Rage -
Boots of Dancing -
Broom of Animated Attack -
Crystal Hypnosis Ball -
Incense of Obsession -
Periapt of Foul Rotting -
Potion of Poison -
Robe of Powerlessness -
Scarab of Death -
Stone of Weight (Loadstone) -

[Reaver225]

Amulet of Inescapable Location - Got Nondetection or something similar? Still need to be scryed by your friends? Keep the spell up all day and put on the AofIL at a prearranged time so they can scry you at the right time.
Armor of Arrow Attraction - Arrows or other imbued ammunition with buff/heal spells can be spammed at you with manyshot and get past your high AC.
Gauntlets of Fumbling - Acts as Ogre Power until in life or death situation. Great for manual labour if it's perfectly safe to do so. Put it on a skeleton minion; it can't by its nature be in a life or death situation.
Spear, Cursed Backbiter - +2 shortspear that only does damage to you on a nat1? Get a couple of luck feats to reroll nat1s, boom! Cheap +2 weapon!
-2 Sword, Cursed - ...Training weapon? Just don't use it continuously.

[herrhauptmann]

I'm currently working a home brew reincarnation table to roll on, and I think I am just going to give every race 2 possible results, male odds, female evens. The problem is that 50 is a lot of races. Maybe 25, but that's not much better than the current table.

Make your standard reincarnation table, and add in one extra roll at the end after you get race. Evens: female. Odd: Male.

[Rubik]

Make your standard reincarnation table, and add in one extra roll at the end after you get race. Evens: female. Odd: Male.

Can I have Male for both, plz?

[Darth Stabber]

Can I have Male for both, plz?

Nope, you can choose to ignore the spell and stay dead, flip the coin, your call. Who cares if you have a change in wiggly bits, it's better than dead.

Current chart (spoilered for length)

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using the races I have been known to use
1,2: human
3,4: elf
5,6: dwarf
7,8: halfling
9,10: gnome
11,12: water orc (just called orc, but you get the con and swimming)
13,14: drow
15,16: duergar
17,18: svirfneblin
19,20: tibbit
21,22: kua-toa
23,24: lupin
25,26: raptoran
27,28: half-giant
29,30: goblin
31,32: blue goblin
33,34: hobgoblin
35,36: bugbear
37,38: lizard folk
39,40: kobold
41,42: azurin
43,44: deep imaskari
45,46: illumian
47,48: skarn
49,50: sahuagin
51,52: aasimar
53,54: tiefling
55,56: nezumi
57,58: neraphim
59,60: elan
61,62: vanara
63,64: grimlock
65,66: gnoll
67,68: centaur
69,70: goliath
71,72: pixie (much less appealing when you don't get the mental stats)
73,74: diopsid
75,76: changeling
77,78: warforged
79,80: neanderthal
81,82: githzerai
83,84: githyanki
85,86: minotaur
templates (reroll race and add the template to that, if you roll another template, choose one of the two and roll again, you can only get 1 template in this manner, if the template is illegal with the rolled race ignore the template)
87: dragonborn
88: dark
89: phrenic
90: half-dragon (you pick from phb chromatic or metallic)
91: half-fiend
92: half-celestial
93: mineral warrior
94: saint (no falling)
95: winged
96: chameleom
97: half-fey
98: celestial
99: fiendish
100: player picks race, no template (even on a reroll)

[Phelix-Mu]

In a related topic, if a wizard or other spellcaster were researching a spell specifically designed to change a person's gender permanently, where would you peg the level for the spell? Let's call it gender switch, for purposes of this discussion.

How about the level for a mass gender switch version of the spell? (semi-j/k, this would be an incredibly funny/mischievous spell to use).

[herrhauptmann]

In a related topic, if a wizard or other spellcaster were researching a spell specifically designed to change a person's gender permanently, where would you peg the level for the spell? Let's call it gender switch, for purposes of this discussion.

How about the level for a mass gender switch version of the spell? (semi-j/k, this would be an incredibly funny/mischievous spell to use).

I think it's already in the BoEF.
Which also has some rules regarding the use of magic to change gender, and what that genderchange can/will do to you while pregnant. It also covers different stages of pregnancy.

[hymer]

Changing a person's gender is something between alter self and bestow curse, I think. Changing someone's sex, on the other hand, I'd model that on bringing the dead back to life in PHB: Not something to do in mid combat, not possible to those who don't want to, and fairly expensive (though not actually costing XP). Then there'd be three stages, like Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection.

Lvl4: Turn the current body into the opposite sex with just the basic changes. Recreation not possible, looks rather like the sex you just left.
Lvl6: As above, but add ability to procreate.
Lvl8: As above, but changed as if the body had been conceived with the desired sexual characteristics.

[Phelix-Mu]

I think it's already in the BoEF.
Which also has some rules regarding the use of magic to change gender, and what that genderchange can/will do to you while pregnant. It also covers different stages of pregnancy.

Yeah, I love the breadth of topics covered in BoEF, but OP was about core, which pretty much leaves one to creative PaO, limited/wish, miracle, etc.

I have personally used BoEF extensively for rules regarding pregnancy in particular. Even in a fantasy world, this kind of thing should crop up from time-to-time, and BoEF handled it with good attention to detail and things that only apply in fantasy setting.

As for adding procreation abilities, I don't know if that should be so difficult, since you'd think that divine magic at least would be good at augmenting fertility (along the lines of plant growth to increase a harvest, but with animals/people). I love how spells that would actually be useful to normal people with normal problems that can't be solved without magic (or technology) largely don't exist in official 3.5 (Or do they?). For example, there are lots of ways to do things that are normally possible (if difficult) with magic, burn down a forest, build a house, sweep the floor, but a substantially smaller number of spells that create effects impossible in the mundane world (curses, regenerate limbs/organs, raise the dead).

[Arcanist]

Bag of Devouring - body disposal which reduces chances of slain creature being returned to life. (0% chance for magics that require a body, 50% chance for magics that don't need a body, roll once and if it can't be returned then that enemy is never coming back)

They did that in the last (hopefully last) D&D movie. He killed the guy, tossed him into a Bag of Devouring and then threw the bag into a lake... And then the Paladin went on to go have smex with the Evil Warlock chick... Lawful Good indeed

I don't know what is worse. The fact I watched it, or the fact that I remember it.

[only1doug]

They did that in the last (hopefully last) D&D movie. He killed the guy, tossed him into a Bag of Devouring and then threw the bag into a lake... And then the Paladin went on to go have smex with the Evil Warlock chick... Lawful Good indeed

I don't know what is worse. The fact I watched it, or the fact that I remember it.

I wouldn't know, I gave up watching the DnD movies...

Watching it is worse, Remembering cannot be controlled.