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

[Charlaquin]

So, while we're discussing the druid's quirks: allowing non-druids learning the druidic language: yay or nay?

Theoretically yay, but not at character creation since it’s not on the list of languages you can choose from, and since training to learn a language requires a trainer, you’d need to find a druid to teach you. Druid NPCs would generally not be willing to teach their secret language to non-druids, so you’ll probably need to get a druid PC to be your trainer.

The same goes for thieves’ cant.

 

[Charlaquin]

'Druids will not wear metal armour' That is the rule! I literally cannot understand where the difficulty is. If your character has a rule 'Will not do X' then them doing X is against the rules. This must truly be the bizarrest attempt at rules lawyering I have ever seen; simply claiming that words don't mean things.

Again, if you interpret it to be a rule, you must accept that at least one rule in the game violates player agency. If you accept that, fine, but I wouldn’t.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Wait, what's wrong with the lighting rules?

Sources of light in a dark environment (nighttime, inside a cave, etc.) have specific ranges they illuminate. A torch, for example, provides Bright Light in a 20 foot radius and Dim Light for 20 feet beyond that. Past that range is Darkness, which counts as a Heavily Obscured area, equivalent to dense fog or opaque foliage, and which blocks vision entirely.

So if you have two people standing 100 feet away from each other, both with torches, each of them can see up to 40 feet away from their torch. The areas of lighting created by each of their torches do not overlap, so there is at minimum 20 feet of Darkness between them. Darkness creates a Heavily Obscured area, in which vision is completely blocked, again equivalent to dense fog or opaque foliage. With all that information, would you say that the two people can see each other's torches through the darkness?

 

[abirdcall]

Again, if you interpret it to be a rule, you must accept that at least one rule in the game violates player agency. If you accept that, fine, but I wouldn’t.

You're free to change the rule if you want.

That doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the book.

(I also disagree with this definition of violating player agency but that's another matter)

 

[Maxperson]

Theoretically yay, but not at character creation since it’s not on the list of languages you can choose from, and since training to learn a language requires a trainer, you’d need to find a druid to teach you. Druid NPCs would generally not be willing to teach their secret language to non-druids, so you’ll probably need to get a druid PC to be your trainer.

It is listed as a language that you can pick. Under languages it says that with DM permission, you can pick an exotic language or secret language. Druidic isn't any harder to learn than one of the exotics.

 

[Maxperson]

Again, if you interpret it to be a rule, you must accept that at least one rule in the game violates player agency. If you accept that, fine, but I wouldn’t.

Except that I've shown that even as a rule, it doesn't stop a druid from wearing the armor or cause a druid to cease to be a druid when he does. 1e, 3e, 4e and 5e all allow druids to choose to break that rule(if you choose to view 5e's wording as a rule) and put on armor. Only 2e actually prohibits it. And heck, one type of 1e druid can explicitly wear magical chainmail(metal).

 

[Charlaquin]

Sources of light in a dark environment (nighttime, inside a cave, etc.) have specific ranges they illuminate. A torch, for example, provides Bright Light in a 20 foot radius and Dim Light for 20 feet beyond that. Past that range is Darkness, which counts as a Heavily Obscured area, equivalent to dense fog or opaque foliage, and which blocks vision entirely.

So if you have two people standing 100 feet away from each other, both with torches, each of them can see up to 40 feet away from their torch. The areas of lighting created by each of their torches do not overlap, so there is at minimum 20 feet of Darkness between them. Darkness creates a Heavily Obscured area, in which vision is completely blocked, again equivalent to dense fog or opaque foliage. With all that information, would you say that the two people can see each other's torches through the darkness?

A heavily obscured area—such as darkness, opaque fog, or dense foliage—blocks vision entirely. A creature effectively suffers from the blinded condition (see Conditions) when trying to see something in that area.

Since neither of these characters is in the heavily obscured area, neither effectively suffers from the blinded condition when trying to see the other.

This makes sense when darkness is the source of obscurement, but it’s a little weird when something opaque like fog or foliage is. And it gets even more confusing when it’s darkness created by the darkness spell.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Sources of light in a dark environment (nighttime, inside a cave, etc.) have specific ranges they illuminate. A torch, for example, provides Bright Light in a 20 foot radius and Dim Light for 20 feet beyond that. Past that range is Darkness, which counts as a Heavily Obscured area, equivalent to dense fog or opaque foliage, and which blocks vision entirely.

So if you have two people standing 100 feet away from each other, both with torches, each of them can see up to 40 feet away from their torch. The areas of lighting created by each of their torches do not overlap, so there is at minimum 20 feet of Darkness between them. Darkness creates a Heavily Obscured area, in which vision is completely blocked, again equivalent to dense fog or opaque foliage. With all that information, would you say that the two people can see each other's torches through the darkness?

DMG (p105) addresses this:
The light of a torch or lantern helps a character see over a short distance, but other creatures can see the light source from far away, Bright light in an environment of total darkness can be visible for miles…

 

[Charlaquin]

It is listed as a language that you can pick. Under languages it says that with DM permission, you can pick an exotic language or secret language. Druidic isn't any harder to learn than one of the exotics.

It’s not on the list. It’s mentioned as a language you can possibly learn at character creation with the DM’s permission. I just don’t grant that permission, except in very exceptional cases.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

DMG (p105) addresses this:
The light of a torch or lantern helps a character see over a short distance, but other creatures can see the light source from far away, Bright light in an environment of total darkness can be visible for miles…

... you'd think that would be in the Basic Rules, but apparently not.