Can you use item bonuses to your OWN attack modifiers while using wild shape?

[Ravingdork]

WILD SHAPE: Wild shape allows you to use your own shapeshifting training more easily than most polymorph spells. 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.

POLYMORPH TRAIT: 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.

If I'm using my own attack modifier, then I'm not using the special statistics. Does this mean I can benefit from item bonuses on my own attack modifier while in a wild shape form? (Such as when using handwraps of mighty blows to enhance my large battle cat's bite and claws, for example.)

[Laran]

Related thread :)

My understanding is Yes.

The Form spells provide special "statistics" or VALUES for various attributes, skills, functions, etc which are used while in the form (e.g. Attack, AC, etc). Note, statistics refers to the actual value of an attribute/skill and not the attribute/skill itself (i.e. you have a statistic of +9 in something). These special VALUES can only take the mentioned modifiers (circumstance bonus, status bonus, and penalties)

However, the Form spells specifically state that two of those special values can be replaced with your own values (Attack and Athletics). The spells do not say that your own values are limited to those modifiers only that you cannot apply modifiers such as items to the SPECIAL default VALUE. The presence of the default value ensures that the battle form has a good baseline always

It should be noted that the values for Attack and Athletics are static in the spell while the AC (which cannot be substituted) scales. This is important since being able to use your own values instead of the special values ensures that carrying an Animal form in a level 2 slot continues to be relatively useful as a battle form even when you have level 3 and level 4 slots available. (Discussion where the spell values are almost always better than what you can have elsewise tend to ignore that option)

[Ravingdork]

Laran wrote:

Related thread :)

*snickers* Oh man. I've gone and done it again.