[RPG] Druids, wild shape, and armor check penalties

armordruidpathfinder-1ewild-shape

I have a player who is a druid. They naturally are interested in obtaining armor with the wild special property. They have argued that when they wild shape and their gear melds into their bodies that the armor check penalties do not apply. After carefully reading the druids wildshape ability, beast shape, elemental body, plant shape, wild armor property, and transmutation (polymorph), none of them are clear about this.

Beast shape/elemental body/plant shape had no real useful information except the polymorph subschool. The polymorph subschool however did mention

When you cast a polymorph spell that changes you into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type, all of your gear melds into your body. Items that provide constant bonuses and do not need to be activated continue to function while melded in this way (with the exception of armor and shield bonuses, which cease to function). Items that require activation cannot be used while you maintain that form.

Note that it mentions nothing about the weight of the items being carries no longer applying, so assuming your strength does not change when you wildshape, if you were encumbered then, you will be encumbered after because the weight/mass is still there.

The wild property allows armor and shields to apply its armor bonus (which means that shields gain nothing except their enhancement bonus).

So, the weight does not disappear, but your melded items for the most part become ineffective and inaccessible. It directly states that the armor and shield bonuses cease to function but mentions nothing else about armor traits. To me this means that the armor check penalty, arcane failure chance, and even movement reduction should all still exist

Best Answer

This exact question was answered just this Friday in the most recent FAQ posting on paizo's site.

Wild armor and other transforming armor: When I use a wild armor and gain the armor’s benefits, what restrictions, if any, apply to me? In general, when I transform with a polymorph effect and some of my gear melds into the form, what restrictions do I have for melding with large amounts of heavy gear? What about other types of transforming armor?

If you were in medium or heavy load from encumbrance before transforming, you continue to take those penalties in your melded form. Otherwise, ignore the weight of melded items and calculate your encumbrance in your polymorphed form entirely based on non-melded items. When wearing melded armor and shields, if you gain no benefit from the melded armor, you still count as wearing an armor of that type, but you do not suffer its armor check penalty, movement speed reduction, or arcane spell failure chance. If you do gain any benefits (as with the wild property), then you do suffer the armor check penalty, movement speed reduction, and arcane spell failure chance. This also applies to all other situations where you or an armor transform: you always count as wearing an armor of that type, and if you gain any benefit at all from the armor (such as mistmail), you apply the armor check penalty, movement speed reduction, and arcane spell failure chance.

It can be found HERE

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