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I have a bard that has been true polymorphing into a dragon turtle and attacking coastal towns on a large island (think "Big Island" Hawaii) I am doing this so another member of my party can be true polymorphed into a bronze dragon adult and be seen "fighting" with me.

Our plan is for the fight to go into the ocean, then sometime later he as the bronze dragon will drag a part of a dragon turtle' body out with him and declare himself their savior and new leader and/or guardian. then true polymorph on him will be dropped, he'll say he used his dragon shapechange ability to look human. Then he will say he has to keep traveling to "right many wrongs" but that one day he will return.

Then at the end of the campaign if we are still alive, I will permanently make him an adult bronze (around 200 years old) and he will get to spend upwards of 5000 years retired and living as the king of an island nation. Also so he is a sailor background fighter so he plans to slowly reshape them into a sea fairing warrior people like the ancient Maori. He also plans to take a bride from the tribe once every generation till the whole island is full of dragon ancestry sorcerers and half-dragon humans.

We may not need the corpse head of a dragon turtle to pull this deception off we could say it died below the waves but it would help give us trick them and then for centuries the skull of a dragon turtle can adore their main village as a constant reminder of why they should follow him.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Hi, and welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how things work here, and visit the help center for more guidance. \$\endgroup\$
    – NathanS
    Jun 4, 2020 at 15:39
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    \$\begingroup\$ Keep an eye out for a group of pesky kids and a dog, they will certainly spoil your plan. \$\endgroup\$
    – SeriousBri
    Jun 4, 2020 at 15:57
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    \$\begingroup\$ @SeriousBri that comment caught me off guard so much I laughed till I teared up! thank you! \$\endgroup\$
    – just a guy
    Jun 4, 2020 at 18:29
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    \$\begingroup\$ @mivascott all that story makes this one of my favourite ever questions! I would hate to lose individuality in an effort to stick to facts. It isn't really too long. \$\endgroup\$
    – SeriousBri
    Jun 4, 2020 at 23:09
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    \$\begingroup\$ If you've got regular access to True Polymorph, odds are that your party is pretty powerful. Are you sure you don't want to fight a real dragon turtle first and collect its head to use in your deception? If you follow your plan as written, you risk any suspicious islanders trying Dispel Magic on it with a DC of 19. Eventually someone's likely to try and succeed -- 5,000 years is a long time, after all -- and that could mean trouble for your friend! \$\endgroup\$
    – gto
    Jun 18, 2020 at 23:28

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It depends on the size of the shark and the size of the dragon turtle's head

True Polymorph (PHB, 283) definitely allows the transition from creature to object:

If you turn a creature into an object, it transforms along with whatever it is wearing and carrying into that form, as long as the object's size is no larger than the creature's size. The creature's statistics become those of the object, and the creature has no memory of time spent in this form, after the spell ends and it returns to its normal form.

As long as the head of the dragon turtle is smaller than the shark you are casting true polymorph on, you can absolutely do this.

Whether or not the shark is big enough will be up to the DM, as there isn't any specific description of the head of a dragon turtle or what it's size is. Talk to your DM about your plans and if they're on board. If they are, all is good.

But as long as narratively it is no bigger than whatever shark you cast it on, then it'll work.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ alot sharks are large, fewer are huge. In your opinion would the head be large or huge? \$\endgroup\$
    – just a guy
    Jun 4, 2020 at 15:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ @justaguy I don't really know, to be honest. A Dragon Turtle is Gargantuan, but how big is it's head? It's not detailed, but I'd say it's likely bigger than Medium. If you want to be 'safe', then i'd stick with Huge creatures, which would just leave you with the option of Giant Shark. If you want 'normal' sharks, then maybe a Large Hunter Shark would work. But it's really up to you and the story you're telling. Talk with your DM and work out the details, that's really who you should be asking. \$\endgroup\$
    – NautArch
    Jun 4, 2020 at 15:57

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