Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Veggiesama 05-26-06, 09:22 PM	I have a player who wants to take the Bear Warrior prestige class. Pretty cool, I thought. Couple problems in the descriptions, but those were easily ratified by the errata. According to SRD definition of Alter Self (which Polymorph is based on, which the Bear Form is based on): "When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When you revert to your true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on your body they previously occupied and are once again functional." Now we've come into a bit of a problem. Can the Bear Warrior wear or use *any* equipment while rage-transformed into a bear? Reasons Against: - The picture shows a primitive man in a loincloth; not much equipment there. - Bears are wild animals, so they lack any sort of equipment proficiency. - Most equipment (magical or otherwise) might be stretched too far to fit properly. Reasons For: - It's no fun to stop receiving and being able to use new loot as you dungeon crawl. - Though the player now has about double the HP of any other player in the party (including the fighter), he's walking away with an AC of about 4 less than the party's wizard. Is that the intention? Whether or not bears/animals are "capable" of wearing certain items seems to be in dispute. How does equipment work with druid wildshape or other shapeshifting abilities? I'm a fairly liberal DM, and so far I've ruled: While assuming bearform, you can wear one headband or phylactery on the head; one pair of eye lenses or goggles over the eyes; one belt around the waist; one cloak, cape, or mantle around the shoulders; one pair of bracers or bracelets on the arms; and one ring on each paw (or two rings on one paw). You cannot wear a hat, helmet, vest, vestment, shirt, robe, suit of armor, glove, pair of gloves, pair of gauntlets, or pair of boots or shoes. Granted, some of those are extremely silly, but we don't run an entirely serious game either, so that's not an issue. What I'm concerned about is the balance. Any other thoughts?
Sledged 05-27-06, 01:21 AM	Can the Bear Warrior wear or use *any* equipment while rage-transformed into a bear?No, but hopefully this article (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031125a) will tell you what they can wear. (Scroll to the bottom of the article.)How does equipment work with druid wildshape or other shapeshifting abilities?Due to the recent PHB errata, wildshape fuctions differently than polymorph where possessions are concerned:Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional.There's no exception for items that can be worn by the new form.I'm a fairly liberal DM, and so far I've ruled: While assuming bearform, you can wear one headband or phylactery on the head; one pair of eye lenses or goggles over the eyes; one belt around the waist; one cloak, cape, or mantle around the shoulders; one pair of bracers or bracelets on the arms; and one ring on each paw (or two rings on one paw). You cannot wear a hat, helmet, vest, vestment, shirt, robe, suit of armor, glove, pair of gloves, pair of gauntlets, or pair of boots or shoes. Granted, some of those are extremely silly, but we don't run an entirely serious game either, so that's not an issue. What I'm concerned about is the balance. Any other thoughts?Are your players having fun? Are you having fun? If the answer to the both of those is an enthusiastic "yes," then it's balanced.