Can I benefit from item bonuses when polymorphed?

[Ravingdork]

Polymorph: If you take on a battle form with a polymorph spell, the special statistics can be adjusted only by circumstance bonuses, status bonuses, and penalties.

Wild Shape: When you choose to use your own attack modifier while polymorphed instead of the form's default attack modifier, you gain a +2 status bonus to your attack rolls.

Let's assume I have a 12th-level druid with 18 Strength, +2 handwraps of mighty blows, and am opting to use my own attack modifier.

What is my to hit modifier while wild shaped into a dinosaur? Does choosing to use my own modifier allow me to bypass the "no item bonus" restriction?

[Blave]

Polymorph says

Quote:

the special statistics can be adjusted only by circumstance bonuses, status bonuses, and penalties.

Using your own attack bonus is not using the battle forms "special statistics". So yes, I would say the item bonus applies.

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I see another issue with Wild Shape, though. It says you gain the +2 status bonus if you choose to use your own attack bonus. But all the form spells say

Quote:

If your unarmed attack bonus is higher, you can use it instead.

So what happens if your normal attack bonus is the same or one below the form's bonus? Getting the +2 from Wild Shape would be an overall increase, but since your attack bonus by itself is not higher than that of the battle form, you can't choose to use your own bonus and thus can't get the +2 from Wild Shape by RAW.

[Ravingdork]

Interesting. One for the errata thread maybe?

[Ravingdork]

*bump*

[beowulf99]

I would calculate all bonuses for both stats, including all bonuses, separately then choose the highest. This would include the +2 from wild shape as well as the hand wraps bonus, since your initial unarmed attack stat is not one of Wild Shapes "special statistics" and thus is not subject to the bonus restrictions.

I see no problem with that, and since the wild shape +2 bonus is a status bonus it naturally doesnt stack with other status bonuses. Feels fair to me.

[Brew Bird]

If I recall correctly, it’s nearly impossible for a Druid to have a higher unarmed bonus than the spell‘s base calculating it any other way. When there’s only one interpretation of a rule that actually works, I tend to consider it the correct one.