+1 armor, Magic Robes What am I wearing and what works? [Archive] - Wizards Community

+1 armor, Magic Robes What am I wearing and what works? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Vaalingrade Ashland
08-16-06, 12:54 AM My character right now has a set of +1 elven chain.

Recently, we obtained a Robe of Blending.

The problem comes thusly:

Can I continue to wear my armor while I wear the robe? I contend that while the magical powers of the armor would stop functioning, the mundane armor component will still work. Bascially, I can still wear a mundane hat over a headband of intellect.

The DM, while willing to tjeck things out, thinks that I literally can't wear both.

I believe that we're both party wrong here, but I can't figure out which parts.
PoptartLord
08-16-06, 01:20 AM According to the RAW you can only wear one magical robe or one piece of magical armor at any given time. Putting on a second item would have no effect. Look at page 214 of the DMG (the paragraph right under the bulleted list) in the top-left corner for more info. Sorry but it just won't work.
Flay Crimsonwind
08-16-06, 01:22 AM I'd allow it. I mean, can you wear a robe over a shirt? A chainshirt, if you've ever worn one, is really just a shirt that's really heavy. I see no reason why you couldn't. As far as rules go, you can't wear two magic items on your torso, so I dunno........ can armor be +1 without magic? If it's non-magic, then rules say you can. If not, then the robe or the +1 wont work, and you have to wear one or the other. I believe.

--edit-- I'm wrong. Checking the DMG, the chainshirt is a torso item, while the robes are a body item, as per DMG. You can wear both and gain the effects of both, per rules. It's now up to the DM to approve or disapprove of it.

An easy check is the modded character sheet. See the magic items slots there.
Unholy_Sacrament
08-16-06, 01:23 AM Generally if the robe is large enough to fit over your armor and have the armor still have it's base function, ie. not limit your movement, then yes the armor still gives it's bonus, and the robe will as well. However if they are listed as covering the same area, IE a chain shirt and normal shirt that are both enchanted, can't both be worn, then they won't.
SO, if your robe fits over your chain, yes.

The hat and bandana however still works as well. A bandana is listed as taking the same place as glasses so long as it is worn as a headband rather than covering the entire head. However the covering the head thing may be wrong.
SO a hat and bandana are generally able to stack unless listed otherwise.
CryoSilver
08-16-06, 01:42 AM By the rules, you may not benefit from both a robe and magical armor.

DMG, page 214:

One robe or suit of armor on the body
Vaalingrade Ashland
08-16-06, 01:45 AM Erm... I'm pretty sure a chainshirt is still armor and thus takes up the body slot.

The thing is, I *know* I can't benefit from magic on both of them. The Question is 'can I still benefit from the normal mundane function of the armor?'.
CryoSilver
08-16-06, 01:49 AM Excellent question.

I don't see why not.

In fact, same page, higher up:

"A humanoid shaped body can be decked out in magic gear consisting..."

If the armor is non-magical, or being treated as thus, then yes, you can use it with the robe and still get the AC bonus.
__DnD4Life__
08-16-06, 02:19 AM I would allow it. There isnt anything stopping you from wearing 10 pairs of gloves, with only one being a gloves of dex. The only limits are the glove's size, and your wallet size. The mundane effects would still be there.
Fiddlypoppin
08-16-06, 02:27 AM I agree that you should be able to wear them both at the same time, but the magical properties of only one would function at any given time. The armor and the robe both take up the same "magical item slot," but that doesn't mean you are physically impaired from wearing both.

However, it would be unbalancing to allow you to wear both at the same time and be able to choose which magical effect you were using at any given time. I would say that a good balance point would be to either determine that one type of item always trumps another if worn in the same slot (robe > armor, or vice versa), or that whichever layer was closer to your body (or something of the sort) was the one that functioned magically, thus necessitating a change of clothes to switch out which item you were gaining the benefits of.

But, since the OP merely asked if it were possible to use the Robe of Blending and wear the +1 elven chain as a nonmagical suit of armor, then I will say, again, that it sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The +1 enhancement bonus, obviously, would not apply in such a case.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Vaalingrade Ashland 08-16-06, 12:54 AM	My character right now has a set of +1 elven chain. Recently, we obtained a Robe of Blending. The problem comes thusly: Can I continue to wear my armor while I wear the robe? I contend that while the magical powers of the armor would stop functioning, the mundane armor component will still work. Bascially, I can still wear a mundane hat over a headband of intellect. The DM, while willing to tjeck things out, thinks that I literally can't wear both. I believe that we're both party wrong here, but I can't figure out which parts.
PoptartLord 08-16-06, 01:20 AM	According to the RAW you can only wear one magical robe or one piece of magical armor at any given time. Putting on a second item would have no effect. Look at page 214 of the DMG (the paragraph right under the bulleted list) in the top-left corner for more info. Sorry but it just won't work.
Flay Crimsonwind 08-16-06, 01:22 AM	I'd allow it. I mean, can you wear a robe over a shirt? A chainshirt, if you've ever worn one, is really just a shirt that's really heavy. I see no reason why you couldn't. As far as rules go, you can't wear two magic items on your torso, so I dunno........ can armor be +1 without magic? If it's non-magic, then rules say you can. If not, then the robe or the +1 wont work, and you have to wear one or the other. I believe. --edit-- I'm wrong. Checking the DMG, the chainshirt is a torso item, while the robes are a body item, as per DMG. You can wear both and gain the effects of both, per rules. It's now up to the DM to approve or disapprove of it. An easy check is the modded character sheet. See the magic items slots there.
Unholy_Sacrament 08-16-06, 01:23 AM	Generally if the robe is large enough to fit over your armor and have the armor still have it's base function, ie. not limit your movement, then yes the armor still gives it's bonus, and the robe will as well. However if they are listed as covering the same area, IE a chain shirt and normal shirt that are both enchanted, can't both be worn, then they won't. SO, if your robe fits over your chain, yes. The hat and bandana however still works as well. A bandana is listed as taking the same place as glasses so long as it is worn as a headband rather than covering the entire head. However the covering the head thing may be wrong. SO a hat and bandana are generally able to stack unless listed otherwise.
CryoSilver 08-16-06, 01:42 AM	By the rules, you may not benefit from both a robe and magical armor. DMG, page 214: One robe or suit of armor on the body
Vaalingrade Ashland 08-16-06, 01:45 AM	Erm... I'm pretty sure a chainshirt is still armor and thus takes up the body slot. The thing is, I know I can't benefit from magic on both of them. The Question is 'can I still benefit from the normal mundane function of the armor?'.
CryoSilver 08-16-06, 01:49 AM	Excellent question. I don't see why not. In fact, same page, higher up: "A humanoid shaped body can be decked out in magic gear consisting..." If the armor is non-magical, or being treated as thus, then yes, you can use it with the robe and still get the AC bonus.
__DnD4Life__ 08-16-06, 02:19 AM	I would allow it. There isnt anything stopping you from wearing 10 pairs of gloves, with only one being a gloves of dex. The only limits are the glove's size, and your wallet size. The mundane effects would still be there.
Fiddlypoppin 08-16-06, 02:27 AM	I agree that you should be able to wear them both at the same time, but the magical properties of only one would function at any given time. The armor and the robe both take up the same "magical item slot," but that doesn't mean you are physically impaired from wearing both. However, it would be unbalancing to allow you to wear both at the same time and be able to choose which magical effect you were using at any given time. I would say that a good balance point would be to either determine that one type of item always trumps another if worn in the same slot (robe > armor, or vice versa), or that whichever layer was closer to your body (or something of the sort) was the one that functioned magically, thus necessitating a change of clothes to switch out which item you were gaining the benefits of. But, since the OP merely asked if it were possible to use the Robe of Blending and wear the +1 elven chain as a nonmagical suit of armor, then I will say, again, that it sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The +1 enhancement bonus, obviously, would not apply in such a case.