D&D 5E Wizards Banned from Armor (Your Fluff Wanted)

[Sir Brennen]

So, this is totally a flavor related question, crowd-sourcing (remember when it was called brain-storming?) for creative ideas just for fun and maybe to steal

In my campaign for the new edition I'm allowing feats and multi-classing, but I don't particularly want wizards wearing armor through either means, or at least limit it somewhat. I wanted something interesting in the setting to explain why this is.

For instance, in the early 3E days, Sword & Sorcery Studios had their "Scarred Lands" setting. In it, wizards produced a sort of "waste heat" when casting a spell, so they didn't wear armor, and tended to wear light, open clothing.

In my campaign, I'm planning to have require a wizard preparing to paint intricate symbols on their bodies, much like henna art, for each spell they prepare for the day. Part of any spell's somatic component requires touching its symbol, so it can't be covered up with armor. I might allow a max casting of 6th level spells in light armor, 3rd in medium for multi-classers, with the idea that these armors are leaving some bare skin exposed.

I'm also trying to think of some small benefit to compensate for this, even though the ability to wear armor is an option the character might not ever take normally anyway. In the Scarred Lands, for example, the waste heat gave the wizard a brief period (1 round) of protection from cold effects (don't remember the details, but it was something like +2 on saves or a d6 DR, possibly scaling.) That the benefit and restriction were tied together was something I liked about the mechanic.

So, if you were going to use a similar restriction in your world, what would the in-game reason be for it, and would there be any other, interesting logical outcomes, for good or bad, as a result?

edit: for clarity of what I'm hoping to see in responses

 

[Paraxis]

Make mage armor a ritual, that should be fine for most wizards.

Have any other arcane casters, have the warcaster feat to cast in armor, so there is still that option for some character ideas.

 

[Tormyr]

Don't forget you have to ban Dwarf Wizards as well.

 

[ephemeron]

Don't forget you have to ban Dwarf Wizards as well.

Or just forbid them from casting in armor. Or apply the same penalties for casting in armor to them as to anyone else.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Don't forget you have to ban Dwarf Wizards as well.

Hmm... they'd still have the armor proficiency, and could be wizards, they'd just have to abide by the same restrictions as other wizards with regard to armor.

I'm also toying with the idea of having some cultural differences between the races with regard to class features like spell casting. For instance, dwarven magic may be more rune-based. A dwarven wizard may have special slots on their armor they slip runestones into to make them accessible when casting instead of the tattoos.

 

[Evenglare]

Easy, simply give casting proficiency in armor to specific classes instead of a global rule, and /thread

 

[Quartz]

A simple way might be to say that wearing armour gives Disadvantage on all spells. All attack rolls, all concentration checks etc. Slightly more complex would be to give a penalty equal to the armour bonus or work it off encumbrance. I won't know how to balance that until I have the PHB. Mage Armour as a cantrip, perhaps?

 

[Ted Sandyman]

You could go with a minor mechanical benefit or a cultural one.

Mechanical: Intelligent races, both civilized and savage, recognize the hazards of dealing with the "spell-marked". The wizard gains advantage on Intimidation checks if at least half of his or her prepared spells are still available.

Cultural: Because of their role as mediators in legal disputes between both lords and the clergy of rival faiths, wizards enjoy a neutral status in most interactions. Civilized, intelligent creatures will not initiate an attack upon a wizard unless the wizard first takes hostile action.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Easy, simply give casting proficiency in armor to specific classes instead of a global rule, and /thread

I'm not necessarily looking for how to prevent for wearing armor from just a rules standpoint. I was more looking for things more like "Wizards in your game aren't allowed to wear armor. Explain the in-game reason for this and possible side-effects, good or bad. Bonus points for creativity."

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Here's a simple one: iron is resistant to magic. Casting with more than a few pounds of iron on your person causes a disadvantage or other mechanical penalty. A dagger is okay but anything more than that and you have a problem. Iron armor then also provides extra protection, but you need more of it. Wearing iron armor that covers at least your chest and head provides an advantage in resisting magic. As a side effect this makes fighters a bit stronger against wizards.