D&D 5E Can your Druids wear metal armor?

[Faolyn]

Heck, it's not any harder to learn than draconic or undercommon(deep speech).

I imagine that it's not that druidic is particularly hard to learn, it's that (most) druids have the type of cultish mentality that would prevent sharing the language with "outsiders" willy-nilly.

 

[Maxperson]

Woah...34 pages of comments, all because of an 11-word rule in the Player's Handbook? That's wild. So let's summarize, for those who are just joining the thread, and might not have the fortitude to read through almost 700 comments.

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1. The rule being discussed is "Druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal." (PHB, pg. 64)

2. Certain people in this thread do not like this rule, for a variety of reasons. The majority of these reasons are:

• They feel it's too restrictive
• They feel it's outdated
• They would have preferred it have game mechanics (penalties, etc.)
• They would have preferred it be phrased differently

3. Those who don't like it can be divided into two groups: those who house-rule it (I will call them the Rule Benders), and those who claim it isn't a rule at all (let's call them the Rule Deniers). Everyone else either likes the rule or doesn't have a strong opinion about it, and so they play it as-written (the Rule Purists.)

4. The Rule Benders have listed many reasons why they don't like the rule, and suggested different work-arounds. The majority of these are:

• Ignore it entirely and let druids wear whatever they like
• Let the player decide if it's a religious, ethical, or physical restriction, if any
• Allow non-metallic armor materials (both historical and fantastical)
• Swap the druid's armor proficiency for Unarmored Defense ability
• Add mechanical penalties (loss of spellcasting, etc.) when wearing metal
• Minor variations and combinations of the above

5. The Rule Deniers have presented their own arguments, most of which are:

• It's not a rule because of the way its phrased (i.e., "will" vs. "can't")
• It's not a rule because it's different from other rules
• It's not a rule because it tampers with player agency
• It's not a rule because they don't want it to be a rule

6. The Rule Purists are struggling to understand how this even became an issue:

• It's very clearly a rule, and a simple one at that.
• It has always been "a druid thing" since the earliest editions
• The rule's impact on the game is minimal

For my part: I'm a Rule Bender that allows non-metallic armor materials. But I'm aligned with the Rule Purists and share their sentiments.

Except for the fact that it's a taboo and a taboo isn't a rule. No actual rule is being discussed. There are also no rule benders or breakers on my side of things since................no rule. Again, taboo =/= rule.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

But I'm aligned with the Rule Purists and share their sentiments.

Good analysis! But what if you aren't looking for anything logical, like rules? What if you can't be reasoned or negotiated with?

What if just want to watch the bards burn?

 

[Maxperson]

I imagine that it's not that druidic is particularly hard to learn, it's that (most) druids have the type of cultish mentality that would prevent sharing the language with "outsiders" willy-nilly.

That's exactly what it is. That's all any secret language is.

 

[CleverNickName]

Except for the fact that it's a taboo and a taboo isn't a rule. No actual rule is being discussed. There are also no rule benders on my side of things since................no rule. Again, taboo =/= rule.

This probably falls under the "not a rule because I don't want it to be a rule" umbrella, but if not, I stand corrected.

 

[Maxperson]

This probably falls under the "not a rule because I don't want it to be a rule" umbrella, but if not, I stand corrected.

Then you are corrected. Someone else doesn't to place me into a category that doesn't exist. Since it isn't a rule, my desires don't play into it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

What if just want to watch the bards burn?

Then you've already lost, your mind pulled apart like taffy and spread so thinly across the cosmos that it can never be reconstructed. Yes, you appear to be fine, but behind your eyes, you're not home... and you never will be again.

Again, due to a 'Yo mama' joke.

 

[CleverNickName]

Then you are corrected. Someone else doesn't to place me into a category that doesn't exist. Since it isn't a rule, my desires don't play into it.

I mean, it's very clearly a rule. It's in the rules section of the Druid class, in the bullet list under "Proficiencies", next to armor. It's as much a rule as the druid having medium armor proficiency. (shrug) The "taboo vs. rules" angle is new to me, but that's fine. I can create a different category for that.

EDIT: List updated.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Then you've already lost, your mind pulled apart like taffy and spread so thinly across the cosmos that it can never be reconstructed. Yes, you appear to be fine, but behind your eyes, you're not home... and you never will be again.

Is that a threat, or an offer of a good bottle of scotch?

Scotchy scotch scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly.

 

[J.Quondam]

Scotchy scotch scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly.

For some reason, that comment is hilarious alongside your avatar.