Well, Bart has turned into smoke & he thought some spirit took the form of a footstool. So that proves spirits can take the form of an inanimate object. That's what was discussed in this page. Anyway, we need to clarify this with JS. Hope he comes back soon.

He thought.
Key Word there.

Fine, smoke.
Fair enough there.

wrote:He thought.
Key Word there.

Yes, but if he's been a djinn for about 5,000 years, you'd think he'd know if demons were capable of turning into inanimate objects (like footstools).

FuzzyLobster wrote:

wrote:He thought.
Key Word there.

Yes, but if he's been a djinn for about 3,000 years, you'd think he'd know if demons were capable of turning into inanimate objects (like footstools).

5,000 actually. :P
And usually djinni don't turn into inanimate objects. Too excited to stay still and when they do somehow move, it'll look strange and would scare commoners, thus further discouragement by their masters.

Fine then, 5,000. Happy? :P I haven't read the books in awhile.

Just because it isn't used often, doesn't mean he wouldn't know. If it is possible (and I think it is), then it would be a useful talent to have. And who says they would be too excited to stay still? If that was part of the task assigned to them by their master, most demons would likely do it , for fear of punishment.

Too excited to stay still? That does'nt sound like a spirit to me. Any work bestowed to them by their masters are far more weary then exciting.

Somebody like Jabor then.

Or Honorius. He was really eager to do the task Gladstone left him with.

Here we go:

http://bartiforums.com/topic/3516/1/?x=40

rubberchickenben wrote:7. In the Siege of Prague, the British djinn were armoured in red and white. Was this their essence taking the form of armour, or real, physical armour? If a demon were to mold their essence into, say, a bullet-proof vest, would it be useless against a Detonation or silver bullet, or would it act like a real bullet-proof vest?

Jonathan Stroud wrote:Hmm. The Armour. It might well have been separate 'real' armour, forced upon them by Gladstone. This armour might have had special attributes that helped keep them safe. They could certainly adopt the semblance of armour, too, of course, but that wouldn't be any more bullet-proof than any other shape they took on.

I feel smart now. :)

As long as the armor itself wasn't silver, it could actually help them. Wait...I don't think it's common to have armor made of silver. And is silver actually bulletproof, I wonder?

Dansariki!

Anywho, I don't think so. A demon's essence doesn't change, just it's appearance. They would look like silver, but not be silver, you know?

Somebody's gotten wiser lately. ;)

Vinr Alfakyn wrote:Anywho, I don't think so. A demon's essence doesn't change, just it's appearance. They would look like silver, but not be silver, you know?

Thank you! That's what I've been trying to say this whole time. They can look like something, but can never actually be it. It's just an illusion. A complicated illusion, but an illusion.

Well, it says in the books somewhere (too lazy to bother) that the essence of a spirit doesn't change.

And what is that supposed to mean, Nero? ^o)

Nothing.... :P

ummm Hi Vinr.
Oh, right I was gone for awhile...

The comment you're thinking of was in Golem's Eye, when Bart comments on Honorious' form,
"It is a simple fact that, upon materializing in the human world, we have to take on some form or other, even if it is just a drift of smoke or a dribble of liquid. Although some of us [spirits] have the power to become invisible on the lower planes, on the higher, we must reveal a semblance: that is part of of the cruel binding wrought by the magicians..." "What we don't do is "possess" material objects..." "...anyways, this procedure is strictly forbidden by the terms of our summoning."

Spirits cannot, by there summoning and their nature, connot possess or become any material object in our world.
Honorious is a first, though the combonation of the procedure and great loneliness in the tomb robbed him of his sanity as a result.

Uh, Dansariki, just because they can't possess material objects, it isn't said anywhere that they can't look like an inanimate object.

They can't and don't want to. There's no use for them to possess anything except freedom.

On the whole, I think they can turn into inanimate objects, just an outer illusion like so many of you guys said. But they find it of no use when other exciting prospects are present. What's scary about turning into a stool or chair or something? Even in battles, turning into a rock & hurling themselves at an opponent seems idiotic when they can fire detonations instead.