Is it leagal to reflafor metal armor as incectoid or wood armor in AL. I'm hoping an AL admin will answer. This is for the Druids restriction on wearing metal armor
If you could just say that metal armor isn't made of metal, then it wouldn't be much of a restriction to not be able to wear metal armor.
With that said, at least one of the season 1 AL modules has a non-metallic shield that can be claimed by a druid.
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Pauper
Everyone but guachi. Thanks for your opinion.
I don't consider it an advantage when the class is given a proficiency it can't use. They only mention shields in the player's handbook, but shields were made of both metal and wood. Secrets of Sokal keep also has armor made out of coral and sea shells but it is not available for treasure.
The whole "Druids will not where armor made of metal" sounds like a flavor input rather than an actual mechanic for the class. This is why I was asking for an AL admin, and before someone tells me I'm posting in the wrong place know that they have answered me before.
Thank you
Yeah your right.
I didn't read the names close enough. I felt your first post was a little out of line but thats fine. i don't want to dwell on it.
Like I said. I don't think it was meant to be a restriction. I think it was just meant as flavor. I was just hoping someone from AL admin would verify that.
No matter.
That druids cannot wear metal armor has been a game mechanic and restriction for decades, across various editions of D&D. It's meant to balance out other abilities that druids get (e.g., shapechange). It isn't, and never has been merely "flavor" text. It's a core part of the druid class.
Ok, let me explain myself. I have been playing Dnd since the beginning. I know the restrictions on Druids wearing metal armor has always been there; however, in the other editions there has always been a way to get non-metal armor variants of heavy armor presented in the player's handbook. If the metal armor restriction was meant to balance the class they wouldn't have given them medium armor proficiency. I believe this was just an oversite regarding organized play given the way they've approached everything else in this edition. In a home game its no problem, but in organized play it requires someone to make a ruling.
zagora_01 wrote:
Plaguescarred4 wrote:
It's kind of funny that people keep complaining about how druids not being able to wear metal armor is somehow unfair, while ignoring that druids traditionally are the only class that gets access to barkskin, a spell that increases AC.
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Pauper
zagora_01 wrote:
Kalani wrote:
Also,
The armor descriptions of breastplate and scale do not include the word metal in their description in the 3.5 Player's Handbook as does splint and banded mail which suggest they could be made of a different material.
RAW here are the armors that specify wood, mention or ommit to mention metals as part of their description;
No Metal Armor
Padded armor
Leather armor
Studded leather armor
Hide armor
Ring mail armor
Shield
Metal Armor
Chain shirt armor
Scale mail armor
Breatplate armor
Half plate armor
Chainmail armor
Splint armor
Plate armor
Shield
Reskinning is when you decide that your hide armor is made out of fungus because your druid is obsessed with mushrooms. Changing armor from metal to nonmetal with the intention of gaining a purely mechanical advantage is not "reskinning".
Stormborn20 wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
Plaguescarred4 wrote:
Oraibi wrote:
Oraibi wrote:
So it doesn't really matter if the druid has proficiencies or not. That is a sensible reading.
What happens if a druid DOES wear metal armor anyway? Does it just fall off them and/or they literally can't put it on their body?
We know what happens if you wear armor you're not proficient with. But what happens to a druid who picks up a metal shield or puts on a chain vest?
That's a bit like asking what happens if a vegetarian eats meat; technically, he or she can eat meat but, unless they are compelled to, they choose not to eat meat. I see it similarly for a druid - they can put on metal armor (probably without proficiency and all that entails) but they choose not to - if they are a 'true' druid. If they continue to press to wear metal armor, perhaps the character loses some druid powers, or becomes a fighter. I would be asking why a player chose to be a druid, which has this clear stipulation, if they really want to wear metal armor.
A better example would be to compare it against other religious practices.
You would no more see a druid "voluntarily" wear metal armor (or use a metal shield) than you would, see a Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu person eat a hamburger. It is simply disallowed by their traditions and faiths to engage in such practices, and to say "what if" is being disrespectful.
Yes a Hindu person could eat a hamburger....They won't though, because that would violate their sacred traditions. The same thing applies in respect to Druids and metal armor.
Stop trying to game the system. The rule is absolute.
- Druids will not wear metal armor or use metal shields.
If you cannot live by that stricture, don't play a druid. End of story.
If for some reason a druid finds herself wearing metal armor, she will immediately begin removing it, as long as doing so does not immediately endanger her life. (In other words, not in the middle of a fight.)
That seems the simplest ruling.
Also, proficiency is with classes of armor, not specific types -- in other words, you're proficient with medium armors, not specifically with breastplate armor. If a druid finds a medium armor that is not made of metal (for example, hide armor or a darkwood breastplate -- the former is in the Player's Handbook, while the latter is not), she can wear it with no penalty.
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Pauper
If a druid were being mind controlled and put on metal armor I'd rule it the same as any character that wears armor he's not proficient in.
Plaguescarred4 wrote:
Greenstone.Walker wrote:
Getting from leather armor to either studded leather or ring mail requires more than just adding a buckle or two. You are adding enough metal to boost the AC for studded leather, and to even reach heavy armor status for ring mail.
And the descriptions do mention the studs and rings. To argue about them not mentioning the metal composition is silly because these are real world things. The PHB also doesn't specify that humans have two arms. But we know they do. And we also know that it is possible to have a one armed human, just as it is possible to have chitin breastplate, but that these are not the norm.
There are times when fantasy elements and invoked and we can't rely on real world knowledge to guide us. Whether ring mail is metal armor is not one of those times.
The Dev's have stated that studded leather and ringmail are legal for druids. While made of metal, the "studs" and "rings" still make up a minority of the armor. It is only when the majority of the armor is comprised of metal that it becomes prohibited.
Lets try to look at this from the character's perspective
- Leather: This armor is made of the tanned and cured hide of a cow (or horse). It has several metal buckles to help adjust its fit.
- Studded: This armor is a suit of leather armor inset with metal (or non-metal) studs.
- Ringmail: This armor is a suit of leather armor. Heavy metal (or non-metal) rings have been sewn into the leather and/or affixed to its outside surface.
- Chain: This armor is made of metal links which have been riveted or butted. A light suit of padding is worn underneath to prevent chaffing.
- Breastplate: This armor is made of a fitted metal breastplate. It is attached with leather straps, and comes with a layer of padding and leather to protect non-vital areas.
Do you see the comparison..... When comparing the various armors, the character will immediately consider Studded and Ringmail as being types of leather armor (which is exactly what they are). OTOH, nobody is going to mistake breastplate for a type of leather armor, despite some 20-30% of it being leather (straps, skirts, buckles, boots, under-layers, etc).
Where did the devs say this? Where did your descriptions come from?
Leather armor weighs 8 lbs, while ring mail weighs 40 lbs. Sounds like it is majority metal to me.
The descriptions are from the Player's Handbook/Basic Rules.
Pauper wrote:
The descriptions I posted are partially from the players handbook, and partially from real-world armor. I simply took the descriptions in the players handbook, and expanded upon them. The PHB descriptions are as follows:
- Leather: The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by being boiled in oil. The rest o f the armor is made of softer and more flexible materials.
- Studded Leather: Made from tough but flexible leather, studded leather is reinforced with close-set rivets or spikes.
- Ring Mail: This armor is leather armor with heavy rings sewn into it. The rings help reinforce the armor against blows from swords and axes. Ring mail is inferior to chain mail, and it's usually worn only by those who can’t afford better armor.
- Breastplate: This armor consists of a fitted metal chest piece worn with supple leather. Although it leaves the legs and arms relatively unprotected, this armor provides good protection for the wearer’s vital organs while leaving the wearer relatively unencumbered.
Both ringmail and studded leather are types of reinforced leather. They say so in their descriptions. Breastplate otoh, is made from fitted metal worn in combination with leather armor. Nothing in the description of ringmail nor studded says that the rivets, spikes, or rings are made of metal (although it is safe to assume this is true).
In any case Jeremy Crawford has answered this question via twitter on several ocassions (I do not have a link handy sorry, as I don't use twitter). In each instance, he has said druids can wear both studded and ringmail armor (assuming they are proficient).
I checked sage advice and found nothing.
I went to https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/with_replies and loaded up all of his replies back through August, then searched for keywords like druid, metal, armor, studded, and ring. I didn't find anything. I only got to search the text of his replies though, so maybe he replied "Yes" to a question about them without repeating a keyword.
I just went through all of his tweet replies since August, and found nothing regarding metal armor, what druids could wear, or anything else relevant to this discussion. The closest I found was about unarmored defense + wild shape.
Stormborn20 wrote:
Pauper wrote:
I just wrote it. 
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Pauper
So by "the current recommendation" you meant "my personal recommendation" ?
Well that hasnt gotten us anywhere.
The point is that there is no 'official' answer to this question that's really binding for AL DMs.
Ideally, all DMs should run from the same set of rules, but this specific rule is too poorly defined to be usable as written, and the 'campaign DMs' (the AL admins) aren't in the business of issuing errata for the Player's Handbook. That's why I put together the 'Recommended Rulings' thread -- to give AL DMs a place to go to find rulings that they can use if they want to be consistent with other AL DMs. But ultimately, a DM can choose to either use that ruling or ignore it -- each table DM interprets the rule their own way.
Another regular poster has described the situation as "expect table variation," which is pretty much the final answer for most rules questions in AL. If you're looking for something to beat up your table DM with, you're not going to find it here.
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Pauper
Stormborn20 wrote:
Pauper wrote:
Greenstone.Walker wrote:
Stormborn20 wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
There is white dragon scale armor in HotDQ.
Kalani wrote:
Sorxores wrote: