Wild shape use of items

[Surtyr]

In wild shape form, how can a self sufficient druid be able to use items, potions, or wands he finds? Does he need to have hands to use them? WHat forms would allow for this (I guess ape, dire ape, earth elemental, any others)? I would think I would need wild speech to activate any magic item that needed a command word (including all wands)? I would likely need a polymorphic pouch to keep stuff in so it would not meld when I shifted.

Those who are experienced with this, how do you or would you do it and not have to rely on party members to hand you items.

[MurphysParadox]

Elementals have hands? They have smashy boulders at the end of arms, but I wouldn't assume they have fingers.

Creature forms with hands are no trouble, but the animals are difficult.

If you're in the form of a tiger, you can't use wands or staffs or rods. You could put a potion in a bladder and just eat the container whole, but you couldn't get it out of a container with your giant mouth.

Items are dependent on their function and your GM. Permanent bonuses like belts of giants strength, rings of protections, etc are fine. But how about boots of haste? I allow my party's druid to use those items because it makes sense so long as he doesn't have to physically manipulate the item but that's purely GM fiat.

[Byrhtnoth]

To sum up your question: Do I have options in wildshape? The answer is basically no, unless you have certain feats or make certain decisions.

You can't use potions or other items unless you have fingers, and some way to stop the items from being melded into your new form(maybe making a backpack suited to your new form.)

You can't case spells unless you have the Natural Spell Feat, which you should probably get if you're a caster :P

You can't use magic items with a command word or wands unless you take the Wild Speech feat, which lets you speak in wild shape, since you actually have to say the word for the wand to activate.

Basically the only thing you have are you skills, stats, passively functioning magic items, and your imagination :p

[Kazumetsa Raijin]

Pretty much what Byrhtnoth said. That's what it comes down to.

[Adamantine Dragon]

I have seen several druids take wild speech and use wands in bird form flying around the battlefield.

It is a rare druid that doesn't eventually take "Natural spell" although my own druid waited until ninth level to do so.

If your wands or potions are buffing spells, then you can trigger them one round prior to wildshaping. With a long enough duration that can get you through an entire combat.

During the time my druid spent as a wild-shaping melee combatant, she frequently asked the party cleric or rogue to hit her with her own wands after wild shaping.

In a similar vein, our party cleric actually hauled her barding around and helped her put it on after she wild shaped. They developed a code to communicate her needs/desires in combat while wildshaped.

Rely on your party members to help.