How to polymorph one object into another, specifically a pumpkin into a carriage?

Question

So, I wish to polymorph one object into another. But neither Polymorph nor True Polymorph say anything about casting it on an object and transforming it into another object, so how could it be possible?

Specifically, a son of a local noble and the girl he loves are running away together and I'm trying to help them have a Cinderella-like story ending. I am playing a druid so I can wildshape into a horse, and my funds let me buy fine clothes for her, so the last thing that is left is to transform a pumpkin into a carriage.

Answer 1

It's weirdly difficult, probably because it isn't something the designers thought anyone would particularly want to do.

Your best bet is probably a carefully worded Wish, and the hope that this being an extremely low-power use of Wish the DM won't twist it on you.

However, there is one explicit way - be a 14th level Wizard of the Transmutation school. Then, spend 8 hours creating a transmuter's stone, and another 10 minutes using the Major Transformation ability. This will allow you to turn one object no larger than a 5-foot cube into another object of similar size and mass and equal or lesser value.

And yes, this is ridiculously restrictive. And it's bizarre that this appears to be the only way, which is why I suspect this isn't something the creators of the game thought anyone would care about.

Even more restricted alternatives include:

• Fabricate, which allows you to turn raw materials into finished objects.
• Stone Shape, which allows you to turn something made of stone into something else made of stone.

For the specific case of making pumpkin carriages, there's a spell that should work for you - Creation. You'll need to cast it out of a fairly high-level slot to create a full-sized carriage, but if True Polymorph is on the menu this shouldn't be a problem. Pumpkin is quite definitely vegetable matter, so it should last a day; plenty of time to get Cinderella to and from the ball. Of course, 100gp would get you a mundane, ordinary carriage, so you could just do that. Alternatively, Wish can create pretty much any nonmagical object, so you could do that too.

Answer 2

Awaken the pumpkin first

As the other answers have correctly stated, the true polymorph spell does not permit object-to-object transformations.

However, you can achieve what you want through the addition of one more spell, which is much lower level than true polymorph and which is fortunately for you on the druid spell list. It is a fifth level spell, so you will need to be level 9 in druid to cast it, but if you cannot, and you have the funds to pay for true polymorph, I assume you could pay for this as well.

Find the best pumpkin in your local pumpkin patch and cast Awaken:

...you touch a Huge or smaller beast or plant. The target must have either no Intelligence score or an Intelligence of 3 or less. The target gains an Intelligence of 10...If the target is a plant, it gains the ability to move its limbs, roots, vines, creepers, and so forth, and it gains senses similar to a human's. Your GM chooses statistics appropriate for the awakened plant...The awakened beast or plant is charmed by you for 30 days or until you or your companions do anything harmful to it.

The Awaken spell will let you transform a normal pumpkin plant object into a sentient pumpkin plant creature. Once it is a creature, you can then use true polymorph to turn it into a carriage (object).

However, note that true polymorph permits a Wisdom save for unwilling creatures, and you surely do not want to blow a 9th level cast on a lucky Wis save. When you have awakened the pumpkin, spend some time talking to it in your shared language. Explain to it how important its role of carriage is to the happiness of the couple, and how you just need it to be an object for one hour before it reverts to being a sentient pumpkin again. Hopefully you can convince it to allow you to make it into a carriage through role-play, but if your DM insists that some sort of Cha check is required to move it to 'willing', remember that it is charmed by you and you have advantage on the check.

Answer 3

RAW doesn't allow you to make a direct Object→Object Polymorph, but you could achieve it with an indirect one.

If somehow you are able to cast 2 True Polymorph spells (2 casters or 2 different days) you can do it in 2 steps: pumpkin→creature→carriage, since Object→Creature can be permanent, and nothing prevents you from Polymorphing a Polymorphed traget. I would rule it needs to be permament for it to work though.

A second, less RAW solution would be to convince your GM that a living pumpkin counts as a Creature.

However, the transformation will only last for 1 hour.

Answer 4

Choose one creature or nonmagical object that you can see within range. You transform the creature into a different creature, the creature into an object, or the object into a creature. (PHB p.283)

Given the enumeration of these three possibilities it's clear that the fourth, object->object, is not allowed by the polymorph spells, RAW.

I think the only wiggle room that you have with your DM is the often-arising clause about "whatever it is wearing and carrying... [transforms] into that form." You may be able to argue that permitting your intent, but it's an edgy RAI question, not RAW.

Answer 5

Or you polymorph a rat or other random creature into the pumpkin carriage and forgo the mundane one.