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

[Maxperson]

You're still blatantly wrong. The rule: "Druids will not wear armour or use shields made of metal."

Does not prevent the druid from putting it on. It's a PURELY in-fiction rule, which means that if can in fact be broken in-fiction.

 

[CleverNickName]

This is false. The standard rules do no prevent the wearing of metal armor. A druid faces with saving all of nature if he wear metal armor and losing it if he doesn't isn't even going to hesitate. He's going to put it on and nothing in the rules can stop him.

Correct. Well, except for the rule that states druids won't wear metal armor (PHB, pg. 65.)

 

[J.Quondam]

In the absense of RAW consequences, I'm still curious about what happens / should happen in (seemingly?) reasonable story situations like:

1. deception of druid by bad guy?
2. charm/suggestion of druid by bad guy?
3. "crisis of faith" by the druid?

Especially the last one, since it might involve some interesting story potential.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Does not prevent the druid from putting it on. It's a PURELY in-fiction rule, which means that if can in fact be broken in-fiction.

It's a rule of the game. Your refusal to accept the rules of the game doesn't change the reality.

 

[Northern Phoenix]

Issue is about problem with 'rule' lots of DMs pointlessly uphold.

Solution is to assert that the DM is an all-powerful authority over the game.

Problem Exists Between Chair and DM Screen.

I don't think it's pointless, it's a small thing, but one that impacts my fun. Before i ever tried to "enforce" it by claiming supreme game power, I'd instead try an approach such as "you can play 1000 different types of character, can i please ask you don't choose to play one of the very few types that makes the game less fun for me?" And I'd expect people to respect that, since I'd hope people agree my fun is also important, I'm not a robot that just dispenses rules, after all.

 

[tetrasodium]

In such a case, if a DM really wanted to, they could quickly point to the table on page 45 of the PHB which says a Druid's Armor and Weapon Proficiencies are:
Light and medium armor (nonmetal), shields (nonmetal), clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears

And the game would proceed from there with the DM describing the scene, the player deciding what their character would like to do next, and the DM adjudicating accordingly. No improvisation or homebrew necessary, at least in some circles.

If a DM did that the druid player would be entirely justified in shrugging while speaking to a merchant who sells armor & saying "ok, I want to buy nonmetal breastplate/halfplate" & if rebuffed point out to the GM that obviously nonmetal medium armor exists because the GM just pointed out as much. "but I'm a blacksmith I work with metal" -> "Yea that trash is susceptible to heat metal, fghter Bob lets go over to the shop that sells nonmetal armor because they probably have nonmetal plate too."

Is that dickish? Significantly less so than being told to go find something by the GM that the GM has yet to decide exists or where it can be purchased when shoppinging for basic mundane gear.

 

[Maxperson]

Correct. Well, except for the rule that states druids won't wear metal armor (PHB, pg. 65.)

Which in no way prevents them from putting it on. It's a purely in-fiction rule that can be broken by druids in-fiction.

 

[Maxperson]

It's a rule of the game. Your refusal to accept the rules of the game doesn't change the reality.

It's an in-fiction rule and nothing more. Your personal desire to make it more than it is won't change reality, either.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I don't think it's pointless, it's a small thing, but one that impacts my fun. Before i ever tried to "enforce" it by claiming supreme game power, I'd instead try an approach such as "you can play 1000 different types of character, can i please ask you don't choose to play one of the very few types that makes the game less fun for me?" And I'd expect people to respect that, since I'd hope people agree my fun is also important, I'm not a robot that just dispenses rules, after all.

What about that player's fun?

You get to run, play and design everything that isn't that player's character. Why slap that one bone out of their mouth?

 

[Oofta]

Issue is about problem with 'rule' lots of DMs pointlessly uphold.

Solution is to assert that the DM is an all-powerful authority over the game.

Problem Exists Between Chair and DM Screen.

If you have a problem with the rule, it's not the fault of the DM.