Confused about Druid Wild Shape and Hit Points


Rules Questions


I'm building a Dinosaur Druid, Level 10. So, via Wild Shape, I can turn into a Huge dinosaur. With that, I get hit points. I assume I get the HP of the dinosaur, but I'm not certain of that. I myself have 110.

Either way, let's say I battle and get hit and drop to -4 HP.

Do I revert to my Druid form with 110-4hp = 106? Or am I unconscious at -4hp in my Druid normal form?

Or something else?

It seems that if I can go Wild Shape, fight, revert, go Wild Shape again, fight, revert, etc. that I can end up taking hundreds of HP worth of damage, which seems kinda' OP.

Not to mention my dinosaur Animal Companion, and, Summon Nature's Ally spells.

Any help clearing this up would be appreciated!


Your hit points don't change at all.

At lvl8, you can change into a Huge animal. This functions as Beast Shape III. According to that spell, you get +6 Str, -4 Dex and +6 natural armor when turning into a Huge animal, as well as any of the following abilities:

Burrow 30 feet, climb 90 feet, fly 90 feet (good maneuverability), swim 90 feet, blindsense 30 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, constrict, ferocity, grab, jet, poison, pounce, rake, trample, trip, and web.

According to thy polymorph subschool, you also gain a +10 to Disguise checks to pass as a normal animal of the form you assumed as well as any of the natural attacks the animal posesses.

So no. No hit point resets or anything of the like.


Okay, I follow that.

What happens re: battle?

I have X HP, I go to -3 HP let's say.

1. Do I go unconscious as a dinosaur and stay that way until I am healed or my wild shape time runs out?

Or

2. Do I revert back to my normal human shape, and if so, at what HP?

My DM says that I would have an unfair advantage because I would go back to human with full HP. I'm thinking that would not happen.

Who is correct? Thank you!


Think of wild shape less like adopting an alternate form and more like casting a buff like enlarge person or bless on yourself. When you go unconscious, bless doesn't stop working, and you don't regain any hit points. Why would you, after all? Bless doesn't have text talking about hit points or ending early if you're rendered unconscious. It's the same with beast shape, and thus it's the same with wild shape, an ability that mimics beast shape. You get what the spell gives you for the duration specified by your wild shape class feature, then you lose what the spell gave you.

TL;DR: #1.


Option 1.
Wild shape lasts until it runs out.

If you turned into a plant or water elemental you might be in trouble if nobody heals you before the wild shape runs out your hp will drop since you lose the racial bonus to CON.

Otherwise you remain at -3 hp when the wild shape runs out.
You do not heal any amount of hp when changing shapes.


The only way Wild Shape can affect your HP is by modifying your Con.
It is never a second health bar (which is important to remember if you're coming from 3rd or 5th : PF is different).

Your health doesn't ever change beyond the Con adjustment, neither on entering nor on exiting the shape.
(The transmutation/polymorphy paragraphs, and the spell itself, have the detailed rules.)

So yes, option 1.
Do note that much like a barbarian and his rage, if your WShape ends before you're healed the change in constitution could kill you.


Nyerk is correct. Wildshape doesn't change your HP, except for the versions that specify they give a con bonus. If you go unconscious while an elemental (which do get con bonuses) and are not healed before it wears off it will kill when you lose the con bonus.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
A Horse With No Name wrote:

I'm building a Dinosaur Druid, Level 10. So, via Wild Shape, I can turn into a Huge dinosaur. With that, I get hit points. I assume I get the HP of the dinosaur, but I'm not certain of that. I myself have 110.

Either way, let's say I battle and get hit and drop to -4 HP.

Do I revert to my Druid form with 110-4hp = 106? Or am I unconscious at -4hp in my Druid normal form?

Or something else?

It seems that if I can go Wild Shape, fight, revert, go Wild Shape again, fight, revert, etc. that I can end up taking hundreds of HP worth of damage, which seems kinda' OP.

Not to mention my dinosaur Animal Companion, and, Summon Nature's Ally spells.

Any help clearing this up would be appreciated!

What you described is the 5th edition DnD Druid wild shape. In 5e, you take on the HD *and* Hitpoints of the creature you wild shape into, and when you drop to 0 hp, you revert to your original form and take any excess damage to your true form. And as people have mentioned you only get what the text says you get for the wild shape nothing more.

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