Fighting Wild Shaped - help please!

[Glomus Jugulare]

I don't have much experience with wild shape, having not had a druid up to now in any campaign I've been in or run. I've just created a druid character for a new game, and realised I didn't have a clear idea of how fighting wild shaped worked. I have a few questions (and my current understanding of how the rules work) - any clarifications would be much appreciated.

(1) Attack sequence

My current understanding is that a druid gains the natural weapons and natural 'attack sequence' of the animal form they take on. If the form has multiple natural weapons, the druid may use all of them, even if they do not have Two-weapon Fighting (or similar) Feats. The druid does not get to use iterative attacks, even if the animal form has only a single natural weapon. So a full attack sequence for a druid in bear form would be 'claw at full BAB, claw at full BAB, bite at BAB-5', and in crocodile form would be 'bite at full BAB' only, no matter whether the druid would normally be entitled (BAB +6 or more) to additional attacks or not.

(2) Special attack routines

My current understanding (from the wild shape description) is that the druid gains the special attacks (but not special qualities) of the form taken on, so can take advantage of Improved Grab if in bear form, Trip if in wolf form, Pounce if in Lion form, etc.

(3) Combat feats and 'stacking' with SAs

My current understanding is that the druid retains use of combat feats when in wild shape. My druid has the Improved Trip and Combat Expertise feats, and I would think they can still be used in animal form.

If in a form with a Trip SA (e.g. wolf) a successful bite attack gives a free trip attempt, so I would be entitled to add my +4 bonus from the Feat to that attempt, and entitled to a follow-up bite attack (from the Feat) if successful. Is this correct, or does the SA 'override' the Feat (or vice versa)?

Thanks in advance for any help!!

 

[Drowbane]

Your 'current" understanding is dead on.

 

[Arkhandus]

Ditto.

And the BAB you would use for the attack rolls would be your own BAB, not the BAB of the animals you turn into.

 

[Glomus Jugulare]

I feel much happier having it confirmed, thank you for the replies

 

[Olaf the Stout]

You didn't ask about it in your post, but I assume that you have seen that there is significant errata for the Wildshape ability? If not, I suggest you download it from the WotC website as it changes and clarifies things a lot from the PHB version.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Jack Simth]

If in a form with a Trip SA (e.g. wolf) a successful bite attack gives a free trip attempt, so I would be entitled to add my +4 bonus from the Feat to that attempt, and entitled to a follow-up bite attack (from the Feat) if successful. Is this correct, or does the SA 'override' the Feat (or vice versa)?

Sorta.

You get the +4 on the trip attempt, in addition to using the Wolf's bonus, but with the way Improved Trip is worded, you don't get a free follow-up attack:

Improved Trip [General]
Prerequisites

Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit

You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent.

If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt.
Normal

Without this feat, you provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed.
Special

At 6th level, a monk may select Improved Trip as a bonus feat, even if she does not have the prerequisites.

A fighter may select Improved Trip as one of his fighter bonus feats.

(Emphasis added)
If you hadn't made the free trip attempt, you wouldn't have had an attack to use for it - so no double-attack that way, sorry.