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I can see no reason why not as long as he still has the proficiencies for the weapon.
Elementals are defined by the element they are made of, not their form. For instance you could give an typical air elemental class levels and it gains feats with them, which he could spend on the appropriate weapon proficiencies.
Say a druid uses elemental body and turns into an air elemental. Can he still use a bow?
Absolutely. Since they can have humanoid appendages and can speak, they can also cast spells if they have the ability (such as the case with your druid).
elementals are described as vaguely man-like even in 3.5. heck you can give your summoned ones simple weapons
For dramatic effect, rather than drawing and releasing a bow to shoot the arrow, have the Druid fire the 'bow' by using his control of air to launch the arrows. How would that be for total cool!
(with mechanically identical effects :) )
GNOME
Woah woah woah woah.
Where's the druid getting the bow from?
When you cast a polymorph spell that changes you into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type, all of your gear melds into your body. Items that provide constant bonuses and do not need to be activated continue to function while melded in this way (with the exception of armor and shield bonuses, which cease to function). Items that require activation cannot be used while you maintain that form. While in such a form, you cannot cast any spells that require material components (unless you have the Eschew Materials or Natural Spell feat), and can only cast spells with somatic or verbal components if the form you choose has the capability to make such movements or speak, such as a dragon. Other polymorph spells might be subject to this restriction as well, if they change you into a form that is unlike your original form (subject to GM discretion). If your new form does not cause your equipment to meld into your form, the equipment resizes to match your new size.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic
Druid to Ally: Hey. Hold my bow so I can shift.
Really was it that hard to imagine?
Ofcourse it is likely that the druid will be shooting an undersized or oversized bow bow in any event since it doesnt change with him, it is questionable wether he can still wear his quiver, also it easily moves over to the next step of wearing armor and wielding a shield, since the elemental is 'humanoid'
Druid to Ally: Hey. Hold my bow so I can shift.
Really was it that hard to imagine?
So druids can drop their gear on the ground before shifting, then pick the gear back up and use it afterward?
Why have the "gear melds into form" rules at all? Can an earth elemental wear armor?
Druid to Ally: Hey. Hold my bow so I can shift.
Really was it that hard to imagine?
So druids can drop their gear on the ground before shifting, then pick the gear back up and use it afterward?
Why have the "gear melds into form" rules at all? Can an earth elemental wear armor?
told you so..
Why have the "gear melds into form" rules at all?
Many reasons. A druid turning into a Fire Elemental doesn't need to worry about its worns gear burning up. An Earth Elemental druid doesn't need to worry about its armor being left on the ground when it moves through the earth. If you want your gear to NOT meld with your form, you can, but you need to take the time to make it happen (which can be a limiting factor if you need to shift in combat but still use your equipment). Are you saying this shouldn't be allowed? Should a druid's gear meld with their new form even if they're 10 feet apart? Or are you saying they shouldn't be able to pick up an object without it disappearing for the duration of the spell?
Can an earth elemental wear armor?
Absolutely. But if you're changing mid-combat, you'd need to spend the time to remove and re-don your armor. That is, IF your armor is sized to fit a hulking earth elemental.
Why have the "gear melds into form" rules at all?Many reasons. A druid turning into a Fire Elemental doesn't need to worry about its worns gear burning up. An Earth Elemental druid doesn't need to worry about its armor being left on the ground when it moves through the earth. If you want your gear to NOT meld with your form, you can, but you need to take the time to make it happen (which can be a limiting factor if you need to shift in combat but still use your equipment). Are you saying this shouldn't be allowed? Should a druid's gear meld with their new form even if they're 10 feet apart? Or are you saying they shouldn't be able to pick up an object without it disappearing for the duration of the spell?
Can an earth elemental wear armor?Absolutely. But if you're changing mid-combat, you'd need to spend the time to remove and re-don your armor. That is, IF your armor is sized to fit a hulking earth elemental.
Hulking earth elementals are a stereotype that doesn't necessarily exist in Pathfinder (since Pathfinder elementals can take almost any shape they desire).
So I can drop all my gear on the ground, wildshape into an earth elemental, pick all my gear back up, and walk around like that all day.
Okay.
I'm convinced. Besides, I'm playing the dang druid in my group. Now you have to explain to me exactly how this works.
I drop my spear on the ground, wildshape into a Huge Earth Elemental, and pick the spear back up. It was my understanding that I gain the "natural attacks" of the elemental, which are slams at my base attack bonus. How exactly do I attack now, with the spear, which is a one handed weapon for me because of the size difference? Is it Slam/Spear instead of Slam/Slam? Or am I back to my regular Spear/Spearminusfive attacks when wielding the spear? Presume for the sake of argument I haven't bothered with any dual wielding feats or anything.
Next question -
Same as the last, but replace Earth Elemental with Dire Ape. Dire apes can hold weapons, you'd think.
Next questions -
Now I wildshape into a bird. Does my remaining gear become subsumed into my birdform, or is it left on the ground?
Now I wildshape back to an earth elemental. Does the portion of the gear that was equipped external to the earth elemental form return, or is it still subsumed into my wildshape form? Essentially, did I just hit the "back" button or did I move "forward" to a new form?
(this post is starting to sound like an old spice commercial)
Work on those answers and I'll see if I can come up with new ways to break this. Please be mindful of my position - I like druids and I'm cool with whatever juice they get that I wasn't aware of. I just need to be able to defend said juice when my gaming group starts pelting me with cheetos.
Woah woah woah woah.
Where's the druid getting the bow from?
When you cast a polymorph spell that changes you into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type, all of your gear melds into your body. Items that provide constant bonuses and do not need to be activated continue to function while melded in this way (with the exception of armor and shield bonuses, which cease to function). Items that require activation cannot be used while you maintain that form. While in such a form, you cannot cast any spells that require material components (unless you have the Eschew Materials or Natural Spell feat), and can only cast spells with somatic or verbal components if the form you choose has the capability to make such movements or speak, such as a dragon. Other polymorph spells might be subject to this restriction as well, if they change you into a form that is unlike your original form (subject to GM discretion). If your new form does not cause your equipment to meld into your form, the equipment resizes to match your new size.http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic
**Drops bow**
**Shapechanges into air elemental****Picks up and fires bow**
It's not that hard.
from the core rules
"Creatures with natural attacks and attacks made with weapons can use both as part of a full attack action (although often a creature must forgo one natural attack for each weapon clutched in that limb, be it a claw, tentacle, or slam). Such creatures attack with their weapons normally but treat all of their available natural attacks as secondary attacks during that attack, regardless of the attack’s original type."
So your attack as a large earth elemental (disregarding your base stats or bab, just going off the elementals entry) would be
2 slams +14 (2d6+7)
or
Medium spear +12 [-2 inappropriate size] (1d8+7) One Slam +9 (2d6+3)
or
Medium spear +12/+7 (1d8+7 or 1d8+10 in two hands)
Next question -
Same as the last, but replace Earth Elemental with Dire Ape. Dire apes can hold weapons, you'd think.
Yes, it is the same
Next questions -
Now I wildshape into a bird. Does my remaining gear become subsumed into my birdform, or is it left on the ground?
Subsumed, unless you dropped it before shifting.
Now I wildshape back to an earth elemental. Does the portion of the gear that was equipped external to the earth elemental form return, or is it still subsumed into my wildshape form? Essentially, did I just hit the "back" button or did I move "forward" to a new form?
It would all be gone
Druid to Ally: Hey. Hold my bow so I can shift.
Really was it that hard to imagine?
So druids can drop their gear on the ground before shifting, then pick the gear back up and use it afterward?
Why have the "gear melds into form" rules at all? Can an earth elemental wear armor?
The gear melding rule is for ease of play and practicality. Imagine: I use polymorph to take the shape of an earth elemental.
Dm: Alright, all of you gear falls to the ground, except for your rings which resize, your armor ruptures since your body no longer will fit it properly. As you take actions, you tramples your items and risk breaking them. All of your potions almost surely are destroyed.
Much easier to just stay, they meld with you.
Its magic. For the same reason that your clothes go invisible with you. It'd be awkward to have to get naked in order to be truly invisible.
For purposes of magic you body and your equipment are one and the same for most purposes. so when you change your form your clothes become part of that form. Hence they are absorbed.
This is a most enjoyable thread.
All of your potions almost surely are destroyed.
There's a reason I always put my potions in steel vials.
Druid to Ally: Hey. Hold my bow so I can shift.
Really was it that hard to imagine?
So druids can drop their gear on the ground before shifting, then pick the gear back up and use it afterward?
Why have the "gear melds into form" rules at all? Can an earth elemental wear armor?
The gear melding rule is for ease of play and practicality. Imagine: I use polymorph to take the shape of an earth elemental.
Dm: Alright, all of you gear falls to the ground, except for your rings which resize, your armor ruptures since your body no longer will fit it properly. As you take actions, you tramples your items and risk breaking them. All of your potions almost surely are destroyed.
Much easier to just stay, they meld with you.
I...I never thought of that.
I'm not much of a druid, or any kind of shapeshifter, player but even still I am grateful to who ever had the foresight to include that little bit of text. I can't begin to imagine how many Dungeon Masters would weaponize shapechanging spells and the sheer amount of player whining (rightfully so) that would occur as a result.
Transmuters would be the bane of every adventuring party.