Wild Shape and merging equipment into your true form

[Greywander]

You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.
For simplicity, let's say you're a human druid. We know you can merge your equipment into your animal form when you use Wild Shape, but does the wording also allow you to merge equipment into your form when you revert to being human? Could you use this to hide an item on you, and if so, how would one go about extracting that item e.g. if they kill you?

I want to say "no", but I'm not certain. It certainly seems like this shouldn't be allowed, but I'd like to know for sure so we can patch it with a houserule instead of just pretending the rules say what we think they should say.

[Khrysaes]

For simplicity, let's say you're a human druid. We know you can merge your equipment into your animal form when you use Wild Shape, but does the wording also allow you to merge equipment into your form when you revert to being human? Could you use this to hide an item on you, and if so, how would one go about extracting that item e.g. if they kill you?

I want to say "no", but I'm not certain. It certainly seems like this shouldn't be allowed, but I'd like to know for sure so we can patch it with a houserule instead of just pretending the rules say what we think they should say.

By wording, you may need to 1: wild shape into an animal form, 2: load up the items, 3: wild shape into a different item form, then 4: revert to true form.

Some caveats are:
Do you wild shape into the same form each time? i.e. are your items lost or recovered when you turn into that [insert animal here] again?

As you mentioned, when you die?

What about live creatures? I.e. living creatures can be in a bag of holding, then the bag of holding is merged with animal form. What happens to them? What about a bird in a cage for a less magical example?

What is the meaning of "no effect" for items?
If a cage's effect is to hold things, does the bird escape?
If the bag of holding's effect is the magical storage, does the magic storage stop working?
Does the air in the bag of holding still decrease for the living creatures in it?

And probably many more.

[Havlock]

Equipment only "merges into your new (wildshape) form" and by extension, unmerges when you change back. Nothing i see in the text implies eq can be merged when you're not wildshaped.

[elyktsorb]

In the case of needing to sneak a specific piece of equipment, you could just take the item, turn into a very tiny spider, and hide on another person.

I have specifically done a thing where we make an opponent drop their weapon, then I grab it and wildshape the weapon away, which is always neat.

[EggKookoo]

Equipment only "merges into your new (wildshape) form" and by extension, unmerges when you change back. Nothing i see in the text implies eq can be merged when you're not wildshaped.

I agree here. The implication is that the merging only happens when assuming a wildshape form, and not when you revert to your true form.

My question has always been, if magic armor resizes to fit the wearer, and "worn items function as normal," can the new form benefit from magical armor and such, even if it's not humanoid? There is the clause "your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form" but one could interpret that to be a reference to nonmagical equipment.

[Khrysaes]

I agree here. The implication is that the merging only happens when assuming a wildshape form, and not when you revert to your true form.

My question has always been, if magic armor resizes to fit the wearer, and "worn items function as normal," can the new form benefit from magical armor and such, even if it's not humanoid? There is the clause "your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form" but one could interpret that to be a reference to nonmagical equipment.

Barding exists, and since magical armor resizes it may work when wild shaping, unlike mundane armor. I guess it would be up to the dm.

[False God]

For simplicity, let's say you're a human druid. We know you can merge your equipment into your animal form when you use Wild Shape, but does the wording also allow you to merge equipment into your form when you revert to being human? Could you use this to hide an item on you, and if so, how would one go about extracting that item e.g. if they kill you?

I want to say "no", but I'm not certain. It certainly seems like this shouldn't be allowed, but I'd like to know for sure so we can patch it with a houserule instead of just pretending the rules say what we think they should say.

No.

Because the merging is an effect of the Wild Shape magic. When you un-Wild Shape, you're ending the effect, not activating a new effect.

HOWEVER: Wild Shape does not need to be ended before assuming a new form. So you load yourself down as a human, then Wild Shape into a Bear or something else large and strong, load yourself up with more stuff, then Wild Shape into something fast (or small and portable), absorbing your new carried gear, but never reverting back to your base form, and thus never losing the gear you absorbed the first time.
When you un-Wild Shape or it ends, all the stuff you've packed on magically poofs back!
It's a little shenanigansy, but you're using fairly valuable class resources to carry stuff. So I've never complained when any druid did it. My experience is that most druid players took offense to being treated as the party's pack mule just 'cause they could turn into one.

[Greywander]

So you load yourself down as a human, then Wild Shape into a Bear or something else large and strong, load yourself up with more stuff, then Wild Shape into something fast (or small and portable), absorbing your new carried gear, but never reverting back to your base form, and thus never losing the gear you absorbed the first time.
When you un-Wild Shape or it ends, all the stuff you've packed on magically poofs back!
I can see the real shenanigans once you hit 20th level and have infinite Wild Shapes. IIRC you can cast almost all of your spells in Wild Shape, too, so you never actually need to revert to your true form. You could make for a very fun surprise when someone knocks you out of Wild Shape and you explode into a literal mountain of random crap. Of course, that would probably kill you, too, so maybe not the best idea.

[PhoenixPhyre]

One thing it doesn't say is that merged equipment no longer counts for your encumbrance. So a person carrying a heavy pack who wildshapes into a mouse could, in principle, be unable to move under the weight.

Personally, I think I'd only worry about that if it's being abused. Wildshapes already gives mass conservation the double finger in a lot of ways just by existing.

[JNAProductions]

I can see the real shenanigans once you hit 20th level and have infinite Wild Shapes. IIRC you can cast almost all of your spells in Wild Shape, too, so you never actually need to revert to your true form. You could make for a very fun surprise when someone knocks you out of Wild Shape and you explode into a literal mountain of random crap. Of course, that would probably kill you, too, so maybe not the best idea.

I love this idea. Imma link this thread to my Druid-playing friend.

[sambojin]

You can go a bit silly with carrying capacity with this. Is it abuse? Not really. Depending on your DM and whether Powerful Build carries over to wildshape, my standard Firbolg Moon druid can have by lvl6:
19Str (GConstrictorSnake) x2 (large) x2 (huge) x2 (P.Build) x2 (Enlarge or EnhanceAbility.Bull) x15 (standard carry capacity) for a 4560lb carry capacity.

2068kg! Two metric tonnes! For up to an hour!

Now trying to convince the DM that the seige ballista that you're touching is being "held" so you can merge it is another story. Still not bad for one wildshape charge and a lvl2 spell slot. We've ruled that you can't merge living creatures, even if they are being held or wielded, because it instantly pocket dimensions big bads until you're ready to deal with them :)
Caps out at a fairly impressive 11520lbs (5.25t) as a Brachiosaurus at lvl18. So sure, merge that sailing ship in with you, or a few chariots or wagons, or a seige tower.


(Don't even bother with the "I am holding the magical lock, so I merge it into my wildshape form, and my party opens the door normally" thing. Kind of useful for treasure chests you think might be trapped though, so you can deal with them at a later time. Jewel encrusted statue? That belongs in a museum/ in wildshape space! Smuggling your party's weapons past guards as a horse or dog is another prime use for it. Having your own pocket dimension at lvl2 can be pretty fun...)

[False God]

I can see the real shenanigans once you hit 20th level and have infinite Wild Shapes. IIRC you can cast almost all of your spells in Wild Shape, too, so you never actually need to revert to your true form. You could make for a very fun surprise when someone knocks you out of Wild Shape and you explode into a literal mountain of random crap. Of course, that would probably kill you, too, so maybe not the best idea.

Sure, and that would, IMO, be absolutely hilarious. But I try not to worry too much about 20th level shenanigans, because well, it's 20th level. If there's gonna be magical shenanigans, that's a good place for them to be.