Edit: Secondly, can you remain permanently wildshaped?
I'm sold on the idea of a wildshape-based, razorclaw shifter druid (a build I imagine will be kinda popular). The first in my barrage of questions fires thusly- can you speak in wildshape form?
Edit: Secondly, can you remain permanently wildshaped?
To answer your second question first, Wild Shape is an at will ability, and you remain in beast form until you spend the action to revert to humanoid form, so you can remain in beast form indefinately. As far as how practical this is is another matter.
As far as speaking, there is nothing in the Wild Shape power or the polymorph keyword description that says you lose the ability to speak, so therefore by default you retain the ability to speak while wildshaped.
I'm sold on the idea of a wildshape-based, razorclaw shifter druid (a build I imagine will be kinda popular). The first in my barrage of questions fires thusly- can you speak in wildshape form?
Edit: Secondly, can you remain permanently wildshaped?
Unfortunately the Razorclaw Shifters racial power will do you no good in shifted form since it effects melee weapons only.
But a Druid always in shifted form will be popular. I made a Longtooth Shifter Druid that stays in beast form all the time (their racial power will work in beast form unlike their Razorclaw cousins)
Unfortunately the Razorclaw Shifters racial power will do you no good in shifted form since it effects melee weapons only.
The racial power (bonus to speed, AC, and Ref) works fine. The Razorclaw specific feat is the part that doesn't work.
The racial power (bonus to speed, AC, and Ref) works fine. The Razorclaw specific feat is the part that doesn't work.
Not to mention never being able to don magic items, nor being able to access your pack or wondrous items...
Not to mention never being able to don magic items, nor being able to access your pack or wondrous items...
People have packs and wondrous items?
The racial power (bonus to speed, AC, and Ref) works fine. The Razorclaw specific feat is the part that doesn't work.
Sorry yeah its the feat that is the problem.
The racial power (bonus to speed, AC, and Ref) works fine. The Razorclaw specific feat is the part that doesn't work.
I thought that any power that does not have the Beast Form Keyword can not be used in Beast Form?
Racial powers and magic item powers are not restricted by this phrase, unless they are listed as an attack power (I don't think any are, but the design space is open, so I'll leave the caveat).
-SYB
Back in LG I played one of the very few talking animal characters. (druid with a prestige class that let it talk while wildshaped)
A pug dog walking up to a bar and ordering a beer is a riot, I tell ya.
-karma
From a quick read, every beast form attack power seems to have the implement keyword.
It's okay. We all have bad days. Rest. Have a Dr. Pepper. It will all be better in the morning.
-SYB
My general thought would be that the fact that a polymorph effect changes your physical form carries with it some implications--if you're changed into a form that does not have the ability to perform some action, you can't perform it. If polymorphed into a rock, you can't move; if polymorphed into a tree, you can't talk. I think the fact that the polymorph keyword doesn't explicitly say you lose the ability to speak is a pretty thin reed to rely upon.
As far as whether wild shape specifically allows speech, I suppose it depends on how expansively you want to read that the power "doesn't change your game statistics".
For example, I would tend to think that if you wild shape into a wolf, you're going to get a bonus to your Bluff check to pretend to be a wolf (even though it's not called out, as with Disguise Self); if you wild shape into a snake, you're going to have a penalty to performing Thievery checks that require fine manipulation of objects. This is despite the fact that either of these could be considered changing your game statistics.
Personally, when DMing, I would tend to allow speech while wildshaped--if changing into a bird doesn't give you the advantage of flight and changing into a fish doesn't give you the advantage of breathing underwater, I would think it unreasonable to give you the disadvantages of those physical forms.
Should I be playing a druid and be denied the ability to talk, however, I don't think it's so clear that I could argue that the DM was obviously mistaken.
-- Brian Gibbons.
Personally, when DMing, I would tend to allow speech while wildshaped--if changing into a bird doesn't give you the advantage of flight and changing into a fish doesn't give you the advantage of breathing underwater, I would think it unreasonable to give you the disadvantages of those physical forms.
Should I be playing a druid and be denied the ability to talk, however, I don't think it's so clear that I could argue that the DM was obviously mistaken.
-- Brian Gibbons.
That's pretty much exactly what I'd do. But then I tend to be a "Yes" DM rather than a "No" DM.
Back in LG I played one of the very few talking animal characters. (druid with a prestige class that let it talk while wildshaped)
Ah, the cheese that was Master of Many Forms... Must've been rare in your parts, 'cause it seemed like they were a dime a dozen round here... (until removed from LG)