Chain shirt under robes? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Chain shirt under robes? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Neomonk21
06-25-06, 12:01 PM Is it possible to wear a Mithril Chain Shirt under a Robe of Scintillating Color? I know Frodo was able to wear Mithril under his clothing in LotR, but thats not D&D.
Jherid
06-25-06, 12:34 PM You can wear armor under a magical robe but you can only gain the benefits of one or the other.

Magic Items On The Body
...
One robe or suit of armor on the body (over a vest, vestment, or shirt).
Warmage-in-Onley
06-25-06, 12:36 PM I'd say yes, as a robe can be worn over a vest, vestment, or SHIRT, per the DMG, page 214.

And this is specifically a SHIRT, not a SUIT. The "benefits" of the Robe are completely different from the "benefits" of the chain shirt, and both should be allowed IMO.
Forged_Fury
06-25-06, 12:36 PM I believe 3.0 flavor text used to state you could. Not sure about now though, AFB. Note that the mithral shirt would have to be non-magical, as both armor and robes take the same slot, regardless of flavor. You would have to find our how that is handled by your DM. I would rule that the robe's power is predominant and the mithral shirt still provides mundane chain shirt protection (no enhancement bonuses or any special armor stuff).

-Forged_Fury
Neomonk21
06-25-06, 12:59 PM Darn, I was hoping that I could wear both a Mithril Chain Shirt of Twilight and my Robe of Scintillating Color. The Mithril shirt would give me 5 AC and no Arcane Spell Failure because of the Twilight, and the Robes would give me 50% concealment if I activate it. I'll have to run it by my DM I guess.
Forged_Fury
06-25-06, 02:16 PM That should be a no-go...

I do not believe the "shirt" referred to in conjunction with the vests applies to a Chain Shirt, which is Armor.

-Forged_Fury
Another Gnome
06-25-06, 03:20 PM You could always invest a little more gold and get a cloak of scintillating colors. If your DM is lenient, you might not even need to pay the 50% extra for uncustomary body slot (since robes aren't tied to any particular function).
sizbut
06-25-06, 04:10 PM Most knights of old wore tabards and other items of clothing over armour so yes in my book, so long as the item was tailored for that purpose (fitting over armour) or could be retailored without destroying its special abilities.
Andrew
06-25-06, 04:35 PM There are two issues, mundane stacking and magical stacking.

Mundane stacking is just a matter of logic and compromise. Someone can wear five rings or three necklaces just fine, but you can't wear two pairs of boots at the same time. With that, I think it makes sense for a chain shirt to be worn under a robe.

Magical stacking is a different matter. Only one magic item will work in any given slot. Even though it's a mithril chain "shirt," it is armor, and would occupy the armor/robe slot, as would your robe. Therefore, you would wear them both, but only one would work as a magic item.
Bulletproof_Condom
06-25-06, 04:50 PM Yeah, what he said.

You'd get the armor bonus from the mithral shirt, but you'd only get the magical properties from the shirt or the robe (not both). I'm pretty sure the DMG describes it as being the last one you put on that works.

I mean, the wondrous item slot thing is magic, which is allowed to be weird. But it doesn't make sense that a metal shirt would suddenly stop protecting you because you put a bathrobe on over it.
Breaker_of_Bones
06-25-06, 04:59 PM Yeah, everyone else has already said it. You only get one of the magic benfits, not both
RavenDrake
06-25-06, 06:19 PM I agree as far as Magic Item stacking goes, but I'd give you the same beenfit as I do with someone wearing multiple rings. While only two at a time work you can take a move action to adjust the rings to determine which two are active at any one time. (rings that require them to be 'worn' for a certain ammount of time before they activate must be worn in the active position and if they are not in the active poisition, then they count as having been removed).

I'd say the same thing with your Robe and Armour. You can have the armour active as a magic item (+x Twilight) and the robe as decoration. If you need to use the robe, you can take a move action to adjust them and prepare the robe for use. While the robe is active as a magic item, however, your armour's power is suppressed and becomes normal armour (well, masterwork armour, since it's a magic item, and mythril, but providing only the mundane armour bonuses and all applicable penalties).

That, however, is personal ruling, and as always YMMV.
Kuraito
06-25-06, 06:47 PM .....uh....guys? Armor doesn't take a slot. Only rings and Wonderous Items use "Slots". You can wear Full Plate and a Cloak/Vest of Resistance. A Chainshirt doesn't take up your "Vestment/Robe" slot. Wearing a vestment and armor wouldn't interfer at all with any abilities either the Armor or the Vestment/Robe may grant. If I'm wrong in this, I'd like someone to point me to Where in the SRD it says otherwise.

EDIT: Whoops, Checked myself. I thought the Robe took the same slot as Vestment...doh. Sorry. Anyway, it says Robe OR Suit of Armor, and dispite the name of ChainSHIRT, its still a Suit of Armor. I would say that no, you cannot use both. I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong.
Warmage-in-Onley
06-25-06, 08:01 PM I'll concede to the majority. Chain shirt is listed in the armor section of the DMG and, in most references therein, armor and suit of armor are used synonymously/interchangeably.
Kn1ves
06-25-06, 09:23 PM Yeah it sucks but only one at a time. You could see if your DM is like mine and will let you take certain epic feats anytime as long as you meet the prereqs. He feels, like I do, that a bunch of the epic feats had no reason being epis feats and there's no reason a character with the proper prereqs shouldn't be able to take them. So see if he'll let you take Additional Magic Item Space.
vampymage
07-24-06, 07:30 PM :bump:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Neomonk21 06-25-06, 12:01 PM	Is it possible to wear a Mithril Chain Shirt under a Robe of Scintillating Color? I know Frodo was able to wear Mithril under his clothing in LotR, but thats not D&D.
Jherid 06-25-06, 12:34 PM	You can wear armor under a magical robe but you can only gain the benefits of one or the other. Magic Items On The Body ... One robe or suit of armor on the body (over a vest, vestment, or shirt).
Warmage-in-Onley 06-25-06, 12:36 PM	I'd say yes, as a robe can be worn over a vest, vestment, or SHIRT, per the DMG, page 214. And this is specifically a SHIRT, not a SUIT. The "benefits" of the Robe are completely different from the "benefits" of the chain shirt, and both should be allowed IMO.
Forged_Fury 06-25-06, 12:36 PM	I believe 3.0 flavor text used to state you could. Not sure about now though, AFB. Note that the mithral shirt would have to be non-magical, as both armor and robes take the same slot, regardless of flavor. You would have to find our how that is handled by your DM. I would rule that the robe's power is predominant and the mithral shirt still provides mundane chain shirt protection (no enhancement bonuses or any special armor stuff). -Forged_Fury
Neomonk21 06-25-06, 12:59 PM	Darn, I was hoping that I could wear both a Mithril Chain Shirt of Twilight and my Robe of Scintillating Color. The Mithril shirt would give me 5 AC and no Arcane Spell Failure because of the Twilight, and the Robes would give me 50% concealment if I activate it. I'll have to run it by my DM I guess.
Forged_Fury 06-25-06, 02:16 PM	That should be a no-go... I do not believe the "shirt" referred to in conjunction with the vests applies to a Chain Shirt, which is Armor. -Forged_Fury
Another Gnome 06-25-06, 03:20 PM	You could always invest a little more gold and get a cloak of scintillating colors. If your DM is lenient, you might not even need to pay the 50% extra for uncustomary body slot (since robes aren't tied to any particular function).
sizbut 06-25-06, 04:10 PM	Most knights of old wore tabards and other items of clothing over armour so yes in my book, so long as the item was tailored for that purpose (fitting over armour) or could be retailored without destroying its special abilities.
Andrew 06-25-06, 04:35 PM	There are two issues, mundane stacking and magical stacking. Mundane stacking is just a matter of logic and compromise. Someone can wear five rings or three necklaces just fine, but you can't wear two pairs of boots at the same time. With that, I think it makes sense for a chain shirt to be worn under a robe. Magical stacking is a different matter. Only one magic item will work in any given slot. Even though it's a mithril chain "shirt," it is armor, and would occupy the armor/robe slot, as would your robe. Therefore, you would wear them both, but only one would work as a magic item.
Bulletproof_Condom 06-25-06, 04:50 PM	Yeah, what he said. You'd get the armor bonus from the mithral shirt, but you'd only get the magical properties from the shirt or the robe (not both). I'm pretty sure the DMG describes it as being the last one you put on that works. I mean, the wondrous item slot thing is magic, which is allowed to be weird. But it doesn't make sense that a metal shirt would suddenly stop protecting you because you put a bathrobe on over it.
Breaker_of_Bones 06-25-06, 04:59 PM	Yeah, everyone else has already said it. You only get one of the magic benfits, not both
RavenDrake 06-25-06, 06:19 PM	I agree as far as Magic Item stacking goes, but I'd give you the same beenfit as I do with someone wearing multiple rings. While only two at a time work you can take a move action to adjust the rings to determine which two are active at any one time. (rings that require them to be 'worn' for a certain ammount of time before they activate must be worn in the active position and if they are not in the active poisition, then they count as having been removed). I'd say the same thing with your Robe and Armour. You can have the armour active as a magic item (+x Twilight) and the robe as decoration. If you need to use the robe, you can take a move action to adjust them and prepare the robe for use. While the robe is active as a magic item, however, your armour's power is suppressed and becomes normal armour (well, masterwork armour, since it's a magic item, and mythril, but providing only the mundane armour bonuses and all applicable penalties). That, however, is personal ruling, and as always YMMV.
Kuraito 06-25-06, 06:47 PM	.....uh....guys? Armor doesn't take a slot. Only rings and Wonderous Items use "Slots". You can wear Full Plate and a Cloak/Vest of Resistance. A Chainshirt doesn't take up your "Vestment/Robe" slot. Wearing a vestment and armor wouldn't interfer at all with any abilities either the Armor or the Vestment/Robe may grant. If I'm wrong in this, I'd like someone to point me to Where in the SRD it says otherwise. EDIT: Whoops, Checked myself. I thought the Robe took the same slot as Vestment...doh. Sorry. Anyway, it says Robe OR Suit of Armor, and dispite the name of ChainSHIRT, its still a Suit of Armor. I would say that no, you cannot use both. I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong.
Warmage-in-Onley 06-25-06, 08:01 PM	I'll concede to the majority. Chain shirt is listed in the armor section of the DMG and, in most references therein, armor and suit of armor are used synonymously/interchangeably.
Kn1ves 06-25-06, 09:23 PM	Yeah it sucks but only one at a time. You could see if your DM is like mine and will let you take certain epic feats anytime as long as you meet the prereqs. He feels, like I do, that a bunch of the epic feats had no reason being epis feats and there's no reason a character with the proper prereqs shouldn't be able to take them. So see if he'll let you take Additional Magic Item Space.
vampymage 07-24-06, 07:30 PM	:bump: