Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Keenath 03-13-07, 09:49 AM	I just got the new Magic Item Compendium. I was hoping, among other things, to see a fair version of the Beastskin armor enhancement. I was disappointed. For everyone keeping score, Beastskin is a +2-equivalent that allows a druid user to keep the armor bonus and all its magical effects while using Wild Shape. Well and good. If that were it, I'd be thrilled. No. When the druid wildshapes while wearing beastskin armor, he has to spend a second wildshape use to bring the armor with him! I mean, a +2 equivalent is a huge cost! To make me pay that much for the armor, and then require one of my precious few wild shape uses to activate it... Well, it's frustrating, and furthermore it just encourages players to stay in wildshape for long periods by giving it an even higher startup cost. Unless somebody can come up with a cogent reason why this armor enhancement needs to be how it's written, I'm going to houserule away the need to spend extra uses to get the benefit. I'll make it just "if the user wills", so you can choose NOT to bring the armor with you, if, for example, you wanted to take a flying form (which reacts badly to heavy armor).
Changling_Bob 03-13-07, 10:24 AM	You appear to have a different view of fair than the majority of the boards. This is a druid we're talking about. At 12th level the druid can stay in wildshape all day with all the extra armour, at 10th she can wildshape with the armour 2/day. Given that wildshaping will probably give you some pretty good bonuses anyway, I'd say thats fairly reasonable.
Witch 03-13-07, 10:26 AM	I'd argue that it's overpowered.
Jackmojo 03-13-07, 10:30 AM	While I am also not a fan of the Beastskin Armor rules, I always figured the additional wildshape use was to balance it against Wild Armour from the DMG. Personally I prefer just getting Wild Armour, both for the reason you state and because I prefer the armour to not be 'worn' by my animal form. Jack
Keenath 03-13-07, 04:30 PM	Oh.... huh. So, you figure the Wild armor is the base, and Beasthide exchanges a +1 cost for a wildshape use? I guess that maybe makes some sense.
ClementWillowbreaker 03-13-07, 07:43 PM	Oh.... huh. So, you figure the Wild armor is the base, and Beasthide exchanges a +1 cost for a wildshape use? I guess that maybe makes some sense. And you get to be a grizzly bear wearing custom-fitted hide armor, instead of a grizzly bear with an inexplicable and invisible +4 armor bonus to AC that gets reduced to +3 for 1d4 rounds when you are dispelled, can be ignored with Find the Gap, and makes your fur weigh 25 lbs with a -2 armor check penalty.
Rhuxley 03-13-07, 07:56 PM	I just got the new Magic Item Compendium. I was hoping, among other things, to see a fair version of the Beastskin armor enhancement. I was disappointed. For everyone keeping score, Beastskin is a +2-equivalent that allows a druid user to keep the armor bonus and all its magical effects while using Wild Shape. Well and good. If that were it, I'd be thrilled. No. Hehe, i got to here, and thought to myself, **** thats powerful as it is, and now there more? Man, that way too powerful if it has more. When the druid wildshapes while wearing beastskin armor, he has to spend a second wildshape use to bring the armor with him! This of course settles me down. Yeah im cool with it costing 2 uses