Barbarians and heavy armor [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTimePost
danisheraser

04-26-07, 02:25 PM
Hi.

My question is; can a barbarian use mithril heavy armor even though he isn not proficient in heavy armor?
Khatoblepas

04-26-07, 02:51 PM
Yes. Because Mythril heavy armor is classed as Medium armor, and Barbarians are proficient in it.
tui

04-26-07, 04:31 PM
My question is; can a barbarian use mithril heavy armor even though he isn not proficient in heavy armor?

From the 3.5 FAQ (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20030221a), page 44:
Is a character proficient with light armor, such as a
rogue, considered to be proficient with mithral breastplate?
What about a character proficient with medium armor,
such as a barbarian—is he considered proficient with
mithral full plate armor?
The description of mithral on page 284 of the Dungeon
Master’s Guide is less precise than it could be in defining how
it interacts with armor proficiency rules. The simplest answer—
and the one that the Sage expects most players and DMs use—
is that mithral armor is treated as one category lighter for all
purposes, including proficiency. This isn’t exactly what the
Dungeon Master’s Guide says, but it’s a reasonable
interpretation of the intent of the rule (and it’s supported by a
number of precedents, including the descriptions of various
specific mithral armors described on page 220 of the Dungeon
Master’s Guide and a variety of NPC stat blocks).
Thus, a ranger or rogue could wear a mithral breastplate
without suffering a nonproficiency penalty (since it’s treated as
light armor), and each could use any ability dependent on
wearing light or no armor (such as evasion or the ranger’s
combat style). A barbarian could wear mithral full plate armor
without suffering a nonproficiency penalty (since it’s treated as
medium armor), and he could use any ability dependent on
wearing medium or lighter armor (such as fast movement).
The same would be true of any other special material that
uses the same or similar language as mithral (such as darkleaf,
on page 120 of the EBERRON Campaign Setting).
Daeva

04-26-07, 04:35 PM
Mithril full plate of stability. That is all.
Oliver D'Argent

04-27-07, 07:42 AM
The new Magic Item Compendium clarifies that mithral armors are one category lighter for purposes of proficiency also. Barbarians can wear mithral full plate. Bards, Rangers, Rogues, and Warlocks can wear a mithral breastplate. Light armor is still the minimum, though, so no Monks in mithral chain shirts. ;)
Spikes01k

04-27-07, 07:56 AM
If you have the Underdark Book there is the Half Weight +3 armor enhancement which makes all armor light armor.
Patinho_Amarelo

04-27-07, 08:09 AM
You don´t need of a new book to know that, just look in DM Guide, there already say that.