Wild Shape Question

[VarnFury]

Alright, i always played games like NWN 2 and Balader Gates, Normaly i play a druid. Now over the last few months i notice there a huge differnts from play them to pen and paper DnD. Now i play the druid pretty damn effectively, but i run into something that always kill my mood which is the Wild Shape. Dont know why but i just cant figure the dang thing out. I notice in the player book it says it like PolyMorph spell.. yet under that it says it like the Alter self spell, which their abit differnt.

So could someone give me a layout of what it is from the MM im taking out from the animals and applying to myself.

Perhaps someone could point me to a program that just genarate the dang thing like E-tool does for characters.

[VarnFury]

Ok after some time looking at the differnts between AlterSelf, PolyMorph and Wild shape. I think i figured it out, please let me know if i did or not. perhaps i missed something.

Subject gains:
+Hit Dice = Druid lvl
(Full Life, but doesnt heal already damage normal form)
(Also cant go past Max HD of the animal)
+Str, Dex, Con score of new form.
+Physical Qualities
(Natural Size, Movements/Flight, Natural armor bonus, Weapons, Racial skill bonus, Feats)
+All Extraordinary special attacks

Side things:
-Only animals (Must be familiar with)
-Last 1 hour per Druid Lvl or changes back. 1 standard point to shift, no AOO
-Items meld into body
-Doesnt gain Special Qualities or supernatural or spell like abilites
-Lose abilty to speak

[joshuha]

Well there is errata on Wild Shape and all the other polymorph type abilities available on the WOTC website. Also, they have a nice large article dealing with all the issues and balancing that polymorph type effects can have. The link is at https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060216a if you are interested.

[Griogre]

Ok after some time looking at the differnts between AlterSelf, PolyMorph and Wild shape. I think i figured it out, please let me know if i did or not. perhaps i missed something.

Subject gains:
+Hit Dice = Druid lvl
(Full Life, but doesnt heal already damage normal form)

You get the hp and hit dice of the creature you changed into (thats why normally you want to change into something of your level). You do not get full hit points. If you are wounded when you change you are cured as much as if you rested 8 hours (ie your level in hps and 8x your level in non lethal damage).


(Also cant go past Max HD of the animal)
Size limits of the Druid class also apply - ie you can't change into a large creature regardless of HD until 8th level, or a tiny until 11th so it's really a max HD and size restriction limit.


+Str, Dex, Con score of new form.
+Physical Qualities
(Natural Size, Movements/Flight, Natural armor bonus, Weapons, Racial skill bonus, Feats)
+All Extraordinary special attacks
Side things:
-Only animals (Must be familiar with)
-Last 1 hour per Druid Lvl or changes back. 1 standard point to shift, no AOO
-Items meld into body
-Doesnt gain Special Qualities or supernatural or spell like abilites
-Lose abilty to speak
Very importantly: "You keep all extraordinary special attacks and qualities derived from class levels, but you lose any from your normal form that are not derived from class levels." Most people don't play this but you lose your racial abilites like dark vision, you can't detect secret doors as an elf or have any bonuses to saves as a half elf and techically you also loose your human bonus feat and skill points also.

Edit: I should mention ending up with the animals HD and HPs is changed by the polymorph ruling in PH2 which says you keep your hps. I personally play with this rule but I believe by the RAW of the polymoph in the core rules this is not correct - however as that article mentioned there has been a great deal of change in polymorph and really you should ask your DM how he is going to play it.

[VarnFury]

Not rant ya out or anything griogre but.. two the things are already stated. Full HP i ment when i shift into the animal.. but if i was come out of it.. say still at full life, That i still keep the wounds I had from before (Which by you, i do heal abit as if i rested)
Size limits i know... but i was talking about the HD. Because a "Master of many forms" can shift into a Dragon at lvl 10 (+5 in druid) Which is quite huge and they have alot of hit points.
Also i got the idea on the SA and qualities part. Though the changes in PH2 and so on is kinda wacked. An animal bodie is quite differnt and can take differnt beatings. Be like trying kill a little rat with mass hitpoints. shouldnt happen.