I have a Druid in a D&D 3.5 campaign, currently level 2, but I was looking ahead and loving the idea of Wild Shape. The problem is that it is apparently based on Polymorph, which does not explain everything that happens to the player character.
What I'm not clear on is: do you keep your full HD when you wild shape into a creature with fewer HD? Say I am level 8, I therefore have 8HD. I want to turn into a lion, which is large but only has 5HD. Do I keep my 8HD or do I acquire the new HD of the creature and drop to 5HD? What about hit points?
Best Answer
Wild Shape was changed in the errata to go off Alternate Form. The website I linked has the updated rules. It's worth reading both descriptions, as Wild Shape changes a bit of what Alternate Form does.
Here's some points of note:
All gear melds, unless it has a specific property that says it doesn't.
Your HD and max HP do not change, so you stay at 8 HD. You get properties of the Lion listed in Alternate form, which are as follows:
Extra Info
In response to questions in the comments: