Wild armor with other special abilities


Rules Questions


The text for the Wild armor property says you preserve the armor and enhancement bonus when wild shaped. What about other properties on the armor?

Let's just make up some potent armor as an example. Dragonhide +1 wild deathless brawling delving breastplate with energy resist 30 and moderate fortification. Total cost over 140,000 GP (including discount).

If a druid wearing this armor used Wild Shape, would they keep all of the special enhancements, only the ones tied to an enhancement bonus (deathless & brawling & fortification), or only the flat armor bonus (+7) and nothing else?


Nevermind, I found the answer.

Quote:


A polymorph spell transforms your physical body to take on the shape of another creature. While these spells make you appear to be the creature, granting you a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature. Each polymorph spell allows you to assume the form of a creature of a specific type, granting you a number of bonuses to your ability scores and a bonus to your natural armor. In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead. Your base speed changes to match that of the form you assume. If the form grants a swim or burrow speed, you maintain the ability to breathe if you are swimming or burrowing. The DC for any of these abilities equals your DC for the polymorph spell used to change you into that form.

In addition to these benefits, you gain any of the natural attacks of the base creature, including proficiency in those attacks. These attacks are based on your base attack bonus, modified by your Strength or Dexterity as appropriate, and use your Strength modifier for determining damage bonuses.

If a polymorph spell causes you to change size, apply the size modifiers appropriately, changing your armor class, attack bonus, Combat Maneuver Bonus, and Stealth skill modifiers. Your ability scores are not modified by this change unless noted by the spell.

Unless otherwise noted, polymorph spells cannot be used to change into specific individuals. Although many of the fine details can be controlled, your appearance is always that of a generic member of that creature's type. Polymorph spells cannot be used to assume the form of a creature with a template or an advanced version of a creature.

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.

While under the effects of a polymorph spell, you lose all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (such as keen senses, scent, and darkvision), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form. You also lose any class features that depend upon form, but those that allow you to add features (such as sorcerers that can grow claws) still function. While most of these should be obvious, the GM is the final arbiter of what abilities depend on form and are lost when a new form is assumed. Your new form might restore a number of these abilities if they are possessed by the new form.

You can only be affected by one polymorph spell at a time. If a new polymorph spell is cast on you (or you activate a polymorph effect, such as wild shape), you can decide whether or not to allow it to affect you, taking the place of the old spell. In addition, other spells that change your size have no effect on you while you are under the effects of a polymorph spell.

If a polymorph spell is cast on a creature that is smaller than Small or larger than Medium, first adjust its ability scores to one of these two sizes using the following table before applying the bonuses granted by the polymorph spell.


What about Wild armor even working with, lets say, Wizard Polymorph spells? Does it work or not? I haven't found any definitive answer other than some who say "armor of the wild only works with druid wild shape because the enchant only mentions druid wild shape."


Yaba wrote:
Nevermind, I found the answer.

Honestly, I am not sure you did, exactly.

The direct answer is that Wild only helps with armour bonuses (and implicitly shield bonuses, although it forgets to actually say that) and enhancement bonuses thereto. Wild does not help with activated abilities, so they still do not work. And it also does not help with bonuses of other types, but they would generally continue to apply anyway so it does not need to. So far, so good. However, by explicitly allowing most types of bonuses and explicitly disallowing activated abilities, the part of the quote you bolded leaves any armour properties which are neither (such as energy resistance in your example) undefined.

It is clear that Wild does not change the effects of such properties, so if they worked for normal amour they would work for Wild armour. But it is not remotely clear if they work for normal armour.

EDIT: Just realised that the post I quoted was from 2017 so the OP may no longer care. Oh well, I've typed it up now. You've given me something to ponder, at least.

rsbrehm wrote:
What about Wild armor even working with, lets say, Wizard Polymorph spells? Does it work or not? I haven't found any definitive answer other than some who say "armor of the wild only works with druid wild shape because the enchant only mentions druid wild shape."

That is the definitive answer. The Wild property says it helps people using Wild Shape, so that's what it does. Things do what they say, and don't do what they don't say.

It doesn't say it allows you to benefit from the armour bonus when under the effect of a wizard's Polymorph. It also doesn't say that it allows you to benefit from the armour bonus when you have left the armour at home. So it does neither of those things.

Liberty's Edge

rsbrehm wrote:
What about Wild armor even working with, lets say, Wizard Polymorph spells? Does it work or not? I haven't found any definitive answer other than some who say "armor of the wild only works with druid wild shape because the enchant only mentions druid wild shape."

That is a definitive answer. It allows changing the basic rule for wildshape only.

BTW, the original post was more than 8 years old. A new thread would have been better.


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
rsbrehm wrote:
What about Wild armor even working with, lets say, Wizard Polymorph spells? Does it work or not? I haven't found any definitive answer other than some who say "armor of the wild only works with druid wild shape because the enchant only mentions druid wild shape."

As mentioned, the wild armor quality only works with wild shape.

For actual polymorph spells, note that as long as the spell doesn't change the character to a form with the "animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type" (such as alter self, fey form, giant form, monstrous physique, undead anatomy, and even [technically, by RAW] ooze form), you can still use all equipment normally: "If your new form does not cause your equipment to meld into your form, the equipment resizes to match your new size."

Liberty's Edge

Dragonchess Player wrote:
For actual polymorph spells, note that as long as the spell doesn't change the character to a form with the "animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type" (such as alter self, fey form, giant form, monstrous physique, undead anatomy, and even [technically, by RAW] ooze form), you can still use all equipment normally: "If your new form does not cause your equipment to meld into your form, the equipment resizes to match your new size."

Good catch about the ooze form, but the resized equipment still requires the right body part to work. If the armor resizes but keeps its original shape, most oozes will be unable to use it (there is at least one ooze that can take a humanoid form).

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