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

[Maxperson]

If it wasn't for forums, there are several "major issues" I would never know were a thing.

They say that ignorance is bliss

 

[Undrave]

Limit druid powers, like wildshape, or provide a bonus for not wearing metal armour. If they'd led with something like that, there wouldn't be a single thread asking about druid armour.

Notice how there is not a SINGLE thread asking about Monks in heavy armor... or Barbarians in full plates.

 

[Remathilis]

If a druid listens to heavy metal, does he stop being a druid? Inquiring minds want to know!

Yup. Druids are into folk music and nothing else

 

[Crimson Longinus]

The class tells you that the class doesn't use items made out of material X. The item says it is made of material X. These are rules, and were put in the game for a purpose. When asked about it, the designer lists items not mentioned to be made of material X as ones the class uses. And no, this doesn't mean that rules are required to define material of everything, but when they do, it is done on a purpose. If the rule was not meant to do anything and armour material was just meant to be inconsequential fluff, the rule wouldn't exist. Seriously, this is not hard.

 

[Undrave]

The class tells you that a class doesn't use items made out of material X. The item says it is made of material X. These are rules, and were put in the game for a purpose. When asked about it, the designer lists items not mentioned to be made of material X as ones the class uses. And no, this doesn't mean that rules are required to define material of everything, but when they do, it is done an a purpose. If the rule was not meant to do anything and armour material was just meant to be inconsequential fluff, the rule wouldn't exist. Seriously, this is not hard.

Armor material interacts, mechanically, with only two things in this game: The Heat Metal spell and the stupid Druid rule. Either they SHOULD have included alternate materials in the Armor section as a possibility, or those two elements shouldn't have been in the game in the first place.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Armor material interacts, mechanically, with only two things in this game: The Heat Metal spell and the stupid Druid rule. Either they SHOULD have included alternate materials in the Armor section as a possibility, or those two elements shouldn't have been in the game in the first place.

Perhaps. But 'should' is different that 'is'.

 

[Chaosmancer]

The class tells you that the class doesn't use items made out of material X. The item says it is made of material X. These are rules, and were put in the game for a purpose. When asked about it, the designer lists items not mentioned to be made of material X as ones the class uses. And no, this doesn't mean that rules are required to define material of everything, but when they do, it is done on a purpose. If the rule was not meant to do anything and armour material was just meant to be inconsequential fluff, the rule wouldn't exist. Seriously, this is not hard.

You are right. This isn't hard. The class says it won't wear armor made of material X (they will use items though). If the armor is material X then the Druid mindlessly will refuse to wear it.

No where, in any part of the game, does it say that you cannot make the armor out of a different material. There is nothing that prevents it. there is no reason to assume it changes any of the game stats, because we can point to hundreds of examples where such a change wouldn't even cause a blink of an eye. Even though those items would also change a rules interaction, because making a maul out of wood or stone makes it immune to heat metal. Wood might also be vulnverable to being caught on fire and destroyed. The rules would change, and yet no where is this considered wrong, or against the rules to do.

It is not a buff to allow druids to follow the rules of the game. And we've pretty well established that you have no rules supporting your position that half-plate can only ever be made out of metal and never out of anything else. This isn't hard, and I don't understand what you think you are preventing by saying that the completely possible is against the rules.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

You are right. This isn't hard. The class says it won't wear armor made of material X (they will use items though). If the armor is material X then the Druid mindlessly will refuse to wear it.

Yes. And the designers put that rule there for a reason. They actually expected it to do something, whether you like it or not.

No where, in any part of the game, does it say that you cannot make the armor out of a different material. There is nothing that prevents it.

This is not how rules work! "It doesn't say I cannot change the rule so I totally can!" No, that is an absurd standard.

there is no reason to assume it changes any of the game stats, because we can point to hundreds of examples where such a change wouldn't even cause a blink of an eye.

There is very good reason think it would alter the stats, because different material are actually different! There is a reason why armour that is said to be made of leather provides a lower AC than one that is said to be made of metal plates.

And the game certainly recognises this elsewhere:

When time is a factor, you can assign an Armor Class and Hit Points to a destructible object. You can also give it immunities, resistances, and vulnerabilities to specific types of damage.

Armor Class: An object’s Armor Class is a measure of how difficult it is to deal damage to the object when striking it (because the object has no chance of dodging out of the way). Table: Object Armor Class provides suggested AC values for various substances.

Object Armor Class

Substance	AC
Cloth, paper, rope	11
Crystal, glass, ice	13
Wood, bone	15
Stone	17
Iron, steel	19
Mithral	21
Adamantine	23

Even though those items would also change a rules interaction, because making a maul out of wood or stone makes it immune to heat metal. Wood might also be vulnverable to being caught on fire and destroyed. The rules would change, and yet no where is this considered wrong, or against the rules to do.

The rules do not specify the material of those objects. Thus it for the GM to decide what material is appropriate. Armours however specify their material, almost like the designers thought it would matter.

It is not a buff to allow druids to follow the rules of the game. And we've pretty well established that you have no rules supporting your position that half-plate can only ever be made out of metal and never out of anything else. This isn't hard, and I don't understand what you think you are preventing by saying that the completely possible is against the rules.

Your "it doesn't say I can't" stance is untenable. Rules do not work like that. Designers do not put rules that they expect to do nothing in the game. Complete noobs have no difficulty in getting this. They look the druid rule, they look the equipment description and pick a non-metal armour. This is how it is intended to work and Crawford's list of druid armours confirms this. You're literally arguing against the stated intent of the designer of the game.

 

[Maxperson]

Perhaps. But 'should' is different that 'is'.

Doesn't that depend on what the definition of is is?

 

[ECMO3]

What you're trying to do would be like playing a halfling, who have restriction on heavy weapons, and just deciding that you can get a greatsword without the heavy tag but otherwise identical.

No there is a BIG difference because of three reasons.

1. Any halfling can pick up a regular Greatsword, heavy tag and all, and use it any time he or she wants. That makes all the difference in the world. No rules actually stop a halfling from using a greatsword. As an extreme example a first level halfling wizard with an 8 strength, can pick up the greatsword the fighter dropped and use it to attack the goblin if he chooses.

2. RAW you can build a halfling using the custom lineage and decide that he is medium size and then you can not only use it, but your halfling would not even have the disadvantage it normally causes most other halflings.

3. RAW you can "choose" to change your normal small halfling to medium b taking the Hexblood or Damphir lineage. Again, can not only use it, but eliminate the disadvantage too.

In the case you are talking about you are specifically not letting the Druid use normal half plate, regardless of what he does. Even when another specific tag should overide the general Druid restriction (example artificer multiclass, warforged race) ... you would still deny it. Big difference.