Not Used: Aenea items with special properties and Shape-change abilities/spells

I've found that certain items with special properties don't function
when a character polymorphs via spell or shifter ability. Such items
are the boots of leaping and springing, and the stonebreaker cloak.

I think the reason is with how you get the bonus from the item when
it's equipped... and with how shifter (and I believe the
polymorph/shapechange spells) work... it's not merging along with the
normal properties of your equipped items. When you shapeshift,
technically all your items are unequipped, and their properties are
added to your PC skin (if the specific form will allow it. All forms
retain bonuses off their armor/shield/helmet, some will retain
cloak/boot/belt/rings/amulet properties, those with weapons in hand
will get weapon properties to merge. When I shapeshift into forms
that will merge cloak and boot properties, I'll receive their normal
item property bonuses in that form. If the cloak gives +5 to saves,
while shapeshifted, I'll keep that +5 bonus to my saves.

But the stonebreaker cloak's anti-petrification doesn't merge over with
any of it's other properties. Likewise for the boots of
leaping/springing. Their speed bonus doesn't merge, whereas if I had
dragonslippers on, I'd retain the immunity to fear property while
shifted. Other items I know of which have non-standard properties are
rings of jumping, the amulet of abundant life (in regards to it's
special power use, the regeneration property merges), and helm of
comprehending languages and magic.

So....

Could there be a change to allow these properties as standard bio properties do?

Without knowing exactly how you've handled the items in question, I don't know how this might be accomplished. If they're applied through the item equip/unequip scripts, what could be done is tweak the spells/abilities to check for those items as well before the PC's inventory is unequipped, and then apply the bonuses along with the default bonuses, effectively bypassing the unequip script's removal of the properties... and then remove those bonuses when the PC cancels polymorph (at which point their items are returned and put back on, and the properties come from the items themselves as normal.

If the special properties are applied some other way... er... I got no idea how to effect the suggestion then

The special properties of said items are not really properties at all. When a specific event occurs, various scripts check to see if you have that item equipped in the correct slot.

The boots of striding and springing apply a very long-duration speed increase effect when they are donned.

Every round, the modules heartbeat script checks a bunch of stuff. If it finds that you are petrified, it then run another script to see if you have the statuebreaker's cloak equipped in the "cloak slot". If so, it ends the petrification.

During a jump check, the script looks to see if you have a ring of jumping equipped in one of your "ring slots".

The language scripts check the "head slot" for the helm. If it isn't there, then you're not wearing it and don't benefit.

I don't remember right off-hand what that amulet does, but it's probably something along the same lines...the script checks to see if the properly tagged item is in the proper item slot, and if so, then the intended thing happens.

Hrmm... would be a major pain in the keister then to work out a way for
polymorphed/shifted characters to retain the benefits then

And the amulet doubles your HP with temporary hitpoints when activated. If the amulet is removed, the bonus HP goes away as well. It was what prompted Phyllick to tell me that line I posted in the funny quotes thread