Druid Shift forms and gear

I remember in Pillars 1, the majority of weapon/armor effects were disabled while shifted. Any weapon ability that triggered on hit or armor ability that triggered by getting hit did not function while shifted, as you technically aren't equipped with those items while shifted. Is that still the case in Deadfire? What about items that provide passive benefits like auras? There are quite a lot more interesting effects on arms and armor compared to the first game, so I'm curious if there are any exceptions to the rule. 

Also, are there any shift-specific items in Deadfire? Pillars 1 at least had the Wildstrike belt, which was a flat damage increase while shifted.