Reincarnation

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Reincarnation is a variant of the iconic Raise Dead spell in Dungeons & Dragons, although it has proven less popular in the wider /tg/ universe than its cousin. Compared to Raise Dead, typically a cleric spell, Reincarnation is a traditionally Druididic spell aimed at bringing dead PCs back to life so you don't need to generate a whole new character. It also tends to be lower leveled and/or cheaper than Raise Dead.

So, why isn't it popular? Well, Reincarnation is a real-life belief that, when you die, your soul is then reborn in an entirely new form. It could be a person of any race or sex, an animal, or a plant. So, Reincarnation the spell puts you at the mercy of the Random Number God, with the potential for "fun" varying widely depending on which edition you're playing. At best, you just wind up an entirely different demihuman or humanoid race to how you started - which could completely fuck over your character class, in some editions. At worst, you could come back as an animal, and thus be unable to play at all... Yeah people tend to stick to Raise Dead for a reason. The sole saving grace of Reincarnate is that the target becomes a young adult and could be someone who died of old age, but this doesn't help it that much. Third Edition limited recipients to the same type (Humanoid etc.), though its still really bad.

Pathfinder would add two new toys that mean it's actually relevant, though still not near its rival. First is Cyclic Reincarnation, which returns the creature in "a body that closely resembles its original body", enough one would mistake them for family, so you won't ruin your build and is manageable. Getting Contingency on the same list as this spell is one of the easier ways to obtain immortality. The second new toy is Forced Reincarnation, a Witch Hex that kills and resurrects the target, giving them the negative levels typical of having been brought back to life (and really screwing over dragons, and other big monsters). This gives inherent immortality since it can be used on yourself.

Making sense of it

Messing people up

On practice, instead of Reincarnating PCs or friendly NPC's, it's more useful to mess up with hostile NPC's. You killed BBEG (or other dangerous and important enemy) and fear what he'll be resurrected later? Cast Reincarnate on him, and then kill him — repeat, until BBEG becomes a dead mindless animal (...and even if he keeps his mind - he's stuck with body without fine manipulators - e.g. can't hold anything in hands; so it's still a big problem; even worse if he's stuck as something small, like raccoon or bird). At this point, it will be quite hard for BBEG to get new, actually useful body — essentially, making him «deader than dead». For extra effect, cast Reincarnation on BBEG of species what aren't on the Reincarnation list — after you Reincarnate them into animal and kill then, they would need to not only resurrect and get turned into something sapient (e.g. Human), but then get their previous superior body (e.g. Dragon/Outsider/Lich), what is even harder.

Purposeful species change

"HEY, THAT GUY'S NOT GUY, HE'S JUST A BEAR!... In Full Plate +1... With Two-Handed Sword +1... Standing on his hind legs... What the hell?!
You silly boy! I'm one of those "kill monsters" guys, but superior. What's your problem?"

– Possible exchange after PC changes his species

Another possible use is to use Reincarnation to chance species of PC or friendly NPC to desired one. Kill PC, cast Reincarnation on him — repeat, until he is exactly of a needed species. However, not only this borders on amoral, this is very tedious, long, and most things Reincarnation can turn you into are either [seemingly]-unplayable (e.g. non-sapient) or can be taken at chargen (in which case if you want that species, you could just choose to play it without resorting to Reincarnation). However, it allows to reverse the "mess up" use of Reincarnation - unless you happen to be of species not in Reincarnation's list, in which case you need other methods to get your body back.

On the second thought... Generally, character's mind and memories/experiences/skills/etc stays the same, while racial template gets changed; even in worst-case scenario, Int and Wis levels don't get decreased by more than 4, so you stay sapient. Therefore, you keep your mind even if you get turned into animal or magic creature - like Sir Bearington, but no disguise checks are required. There's 3 problems there: 1) most animals/beasts don't have articulated hands (e.g. claws instead of hands), and therefore can't manipulate objects like weapons (unless they're primates, humanoids, kangaroo, or something like that), 2) most animals/beasts can't walk on 2 legs, and therefore have no spare limbs to hold things (but some can - like bears and primates), 3) most animals/beasts aren't capable of speaking normal language, due to shape of their vocal cords; these problems can be fixed by magic and surgeries (e.g. implanting bear-sized articulated hands instead of default bear claws; or some sort of translator device). But if these problems are fixed (or new body has correct hands and vocal cords), you're now in plus - for now you're big and strong as a bear, with no drawbacks. Magic armor does re-size to whoever is trying to wear it, changing it's size and shape as needed (to the point, what it can change from Tiny Humanoid to Colossal Nonhumanoid and back).

So, after getting repeatedly killed and reincarnated, and then doing things to fix tiny unfortunate side effects (adding fine manipulators, correcting voice box, etc) - you're in overall superior body. For example: bear, or "dire something". That's before going to magical variants, like dragons and giants. If +15 Str, +2 Dex and +8 Con without changing Level Adjustment aren't worth dying a few times - than we don't know what is. Then, you get special abilities of a creature you turn into - such as flying, grappling, senses, swimming, altered type/size, speed, natural AC, attack methods, extra HP, and other parameters; so for example, if you turn into bear, you gain Natural Armor, increased HP, boost to senses, good swimming, 2 claw + bite attacks, fast speed, better reach, better grab, scent, are Large Animal (mind stays the same), and some other titbits.

All that boils down to tremendous buff, if you got correct body and can fix side effects. Level Adjustment stays same, you get lots of pluses and new abilities, drawbacks are non-existent, side effects are either negligible or can be fixed. Probably, this is the reason why "reincarnation into non-humanoid" was removed in later editions. Just do this at home, not in the field

TL;DR: Raise Dead is for actual reliable resurrection. Reincarnation is when you want to change someone's species - such as yours, or someone else's.

No Fun Allowed

1. In some editions, it's flat-out impossible to Reincarnate into something other than normal humanoid. Therefore, it's both not useful to you and not harmful to BBEG - basically useless.
   1. In 5e, it works only on humanoid, and can turn only into basic humanoid you start the game as.
   2. In Pathfinder and 3.5e, it only turns creature into same type. Humanoid into humanoid, beast into beast, dragon into dragon, etc. There are lizardfolk/troglodyte, but they aren't that good; all actually considerable variants (e.g. were-creatures) are in the "Other", what is only on roll of 100 and is up to GM's choice (aka he can choose to not give any kind of robust species to you).
2. In Pathfinder, 3e and 3.5e being resurrected with Reincarnation gives 1 negative level, as per being resurrected. Due to randomness of Reincarnate, you need to use it multiple times to get what you want; cue dying multiple times, and loosing levels multiple times. It's simply not worth it.
3. "The reincarnated character does gain any powers or abilities associated with his new form. A humanoid reincarnated into an animal body can speak the languages it formerly knew and is a magical beast.". There's no explanation for what powers and abilities mean - ergo, how many useful traits of bear you would have (other than altered Str, Dex and Con), if you got turned into bear. Cue that being up to GM.

TL;DR: If we had spell what changes creature's species without dying into what caster chooses, it would be funny. Druid spell what properly resurrects someone, it would be useful. But they tried to mix those ideas, and that resulted in useless pile of kludge.

Tables

OD&D Version

Law	Neutrality	Chaos
Men*	Men*	Men*
Halflings	Nixies	-
Patriarchs	Pixies	Evil High Priest
Treants	Dryads	Goblins/Kobolds
-	Griffons	Hobgoblins/Gnolls
-	-	Giants
Unicorns	Animals	Orcs
Pegasi	Elves*	Ogres
Hippogriffs	Rocs*	Trolls
Elves*	Dwarves/Gnomes*	Wights
Lycanthropes*	Lycanthropes*	Lycanthropes*
Rocs*	Orcs	Ghouls
Dwarves/Gnomes*	Ogres	-
Centaurs*	Dragons	Wraiths
-	Wyverns	Mummies
-	Centaurs*	Spectres
-	Hydrae	Vampires
-	Purple Worms	Medusae
-	Sea Monsters	Manticores
-	Chimeras	Gargoyles
-	Minotaurs	Gorgons
-	Giants	Minotaurs
-	-	Dragons
-	-	Chimeras
Randomly determined based on character alignment. *An asterisk indicates that the name appears in both the Law and Neutrality columns. An underline indicates that the name appears in both the Neutrality and Chaos columns.

See page 30 and page 9 of Book I Men & Magic, Dungeons and Dragons Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures.

1e AD&D Druid Version

d%	Incarnation
01-03	Badger
04-08	Bear, Black
09-12	Bear, Brown
13-16	Boar, Wild
17-19	Centaur
20-23	Dryad
24-28	Eagle
29-31	Elf
32-34	Faun
35-36	Fox
37-40	Gnome
41-44	Hawk
45-58	Human
59-61	Lynx
62-64	Owl
65-68	Pixie
69-70	Racoon
71-75	Stag
76-80	Wolf
81-85	Wolverine
86-00	Use magic-user reincarnation table

See P.64 of 1e AD&D PHB for details.

1e AD&D Magic-User Version

d%	Incarnation
01-05	Bugbear
06-11	Dwarf
12-18	Elf
19-23	Gnoll
24-28	Gnome
29-33	Goblin
34-40	Half-elf
41-47	Halfling
48-54	Half-orc
55-59	Hobgoblin
60-73	Human
74-79	Kobold
80-85	Orc
86-90	Ogre
91-95	Ogre Mage
96-00	Troll

See P.85 of 1e AD&D PHB for details.

1e BD&D Version

1	Cleric
2	Elf
3	Dwarf
4	Fighter
5	Halfling
6	Magic-User
7	Thief
8	Original Race
9	Original Race
10	Monster

1e BD&D Monster Version

Law	Neutral	Chaos
1 Gnome	1 Pixie/Sprite	1 Kobold
2 Neanderthal	2 Rock Baboon	2 Goblin
3 Blink Dog	3 Lizard Man	3 Orc
4 Pegasus	4 Ape	4 Hobgoblin
5 Unicorn	5 Centaur	5 Gnoll
6 Roc, small	6 Werebear	6 Bugbear
-	-	7 Wererat
-	-	8 Ogre
-	-	9 Werewolf
-	-	10 Minotaur

See Expert Box Set page X18 for details.

2e AD&D Version

d%	Incarnation
01-03	Badger
04-08	Bear, Black
09-12	Bear, Brown
13-16	Boar, Wild
17-19	Centaur
20-23	Dryad
24-28	Eagle
29-31	Elf
32-34	Faun/Satyr
35-36	Fox
37-40	Gnome
41-44	Hawk
45-58	Human
59-61	Lynx
62-64	Owl
65-68	Pixie
69-70	Racoon
71-75	Stag
76-80	Wolf
81-85	Wolverine
86-00	DM's Choice

Similar to 1e AD&D with minor tweaks. See P.297 of Revised 2e AD&D PHB or P.235 of original 2e AD&D PHB for details.

2e BD&D Version (Type of Body Appearing)

Roll 1d8	Incarnation
1	Human
2	Human
3	Human
4	Dwarf
5	Elf
6	Halfling
7	Original Race
8	Monster (See Below)

2e BD&D Version (Type of Monster Body Appearing)

Roll 1d6	Lawful	Neutral	Chaotic
1	Blink Dog	Ape, White	Bugbear
2	Gnome	Bear*	Gnoll
3	Neanderthal	Centaur	Kobold
4	Owl, Giant	Griffon	Manticore
5	Pegasus	Lizard Man	Orc
6	Treant	Pixie	Troglodyte
*Any normal bear

See 2e BD&D Rules Cyclopedia Ch3 for details.

3.0 PHB Version

d%	Incarnation	Str	Dex	Con
01-03	Badger	+4	+8	+4
04-09	Bear, Black	+8	+2	+4
14-17	Bear, Brown	+15	+2	+8
18-25	Boar	+4	0	+6
26-28	Centaur	+8	+4	+4
29-32	Dryad	0	+4	0
33-42	Eagle	0	+4	+2
33-42	Elf	0	+2	-2
43-46	Gnome	-2	0	+2
47-48	Hawk	-4	+6	0
49-58	Halfling	-2	+2	0
59-78	Human	0	0	0
79-80	Leopard	+6	+8	+4
81-82	Owl	-4	+6	0
83-86	Pixie	-4	+8	0
87-90	Satyr	0	+2	+2
91-96	Wolf	+2	+4	+4
97-99	Wolverine	+10	+8	+8
100	Other (DM's Choice)	?	?	?

See P.244 of 3.0 PHB for details.

Dire Reincarnation

d%	Incarnation	Str	Dex	Con
01-13	Dire Rat	0	+6	+2
14-26	Dire Weasel	+4	+8	0
27-39	Dire Badger	+4	+6	+8
40-50	Dire Bat	+6	+12	+6
51-59	Dire Ape	+12	+4	+4
60-68	Dire Wolverine	+12	+6	+8
69-77	Dire Wolf	+14	+4	+6
78-84	Dire Boar	+16	0	+6
85-90	Dire Lion	+14	+4	+6
91-96	Dire Bear	+20	+2	+4
97-100	Dire Tiger	+16	+4	+6

The full details Dungeon Web Enhancement Issue 100

Eberron Variant

d%	Incarnation	Str	Dex	Con
01-03	Bugbear	+4	+2	+2
04-08	Changeling	0	0	0
09-15	Dwarf	0	0	+2
16-22	Elf	0	+2	-2
23-24	Gnoll	+4	0	+2
25-31	Gnome	-2	0	+2
32-37	Goblin	-2	+2	0
38-42	Half-elf	0	0	0
43-49	Half-orc	+2	0	0
50-56	Halfling	-2	+2	0
57-61	Hobgoblin	0	+2	+2
62-71	Human	0	0	0
72-73	Kobold	-4	+2	-2
74-78	Lizardfolk	+2	0	+2
79-88	Orc	+4	0	0
89-98	Shifter	0	+2	0
99	Troglodyte	0	-2	+4
100	Other	?	?	?

The full details

3.5 PHB Version

d%	Incarnation	Str	Dex	Con
01	Bugbear	+4	+2	+2
02-13	Dwarf	0	0	+2
14-25	Elf	0	+2	-2
26	Gnoll	+4	0	+2
27-38	Gnome	-2	0	+2
39-42	Goblin	-2	+2	0
43-52	Half-elf	0	0	0
53-62	Half-orc	+2	0	0
63-74	Halfling	-2	+2	0
75-89	Human	0	0	0
90-93	Kobold	-4	+2	-2
94	Lizardfolk	+2	0	+2
95-98	Orc	+4	0	0
99	Troglodyte	0	-2	+4
100	Other (DM's Choice)	?	?	?

See P.270 of 3.5 PHB for details.

5e PHB Version

d%	Incarnation
01-04	Dragonborn
05-13	Dwarf, Hill
14-21	Dwarf, Mountain
22-25	Elf, Dark
26-34	Elf, High
35-42	Elf, Wood
43-46	Gnome, Forest
47-52	Gnome, Rock
53-56	Half-elf
57-60	Half-orc
61-68	Halfling, Lightfoot
69-76	Halfling, Stout
77-96	Human
97-00	Tiefling

See P.271 of 5e PHB for details.

Pathfinder 1e Version

d%	Incarnation	Str	Dex	Con
01	Bugbear	+4	+2	+2
02-13	Dwarf	0	0	+2
14-25	Elf	0	+2	-2
26	Gnoll	+4	0	+2
27-38	Gnome	-2	0	+2
39-42	Goblin (ARG Goblin)	-2	+2	0
43-52	Half-elf	0	+2	0
53-62	Half-orc	+2	0	0
63-74	Halfling	-2	+2	0
75-89	Human	0	0	0
90-93	Kobold (ARG Kobold)	-4	+2	-2
94	Lizardfolk	+2	0	+2
95-98	Orc (ARG Orc)	+4	0	0
99	Troglodyte	0	-2	+4
100	Other (GM's Choice)	?	?	?

Similar to the 3.5 table but for a few tweaks details here.

Pathfinder 2e Version

d20	Incarnation
01-14	Common Ancestry
15-20	Rare Ancestry

details