Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 5339092" data-attributes="member: 22779">Heh, I know I was being a bit facetious with the whole balance thing, but, at the end of the day, that's got a lot to do with it.Note, it's not that druids can't use metal at all - they can.&nbsp; They can use metal weapons with no problem.&nbsp; Heck, unlike clerics, they can use SHARP weapons.&nbsp; oooohhh.But, they can't use metal armor.&nbsp; That's the big trade off.&nbsp; You gain funky shape changing abilities (which, way back when, were nowhere near as powerful as they got in 3e) at the cost of being able to get a decent armor class.&nbsp; In a system where you cannot buy magic items, getting that AC down wasn't easy.Mr. Cleric, by second level possibly, has plate and shield - AC 2 before any Dex adjustments.&nbsp; The baddies don't get bonuses to hit, by and large, and their THAC0's are running around 16-20 at that level.&nbsp; That's some pretty decent odds of not getting clawed or bitten by something ugly.Mr. Druid, otoh, has leather armor and a wooden shield - AC 7.&nbsp; That's a HUGE drop in AC in that system.&nbsp; Forget hide, wasn't in the system yet.&nbsp; And studded leather has metal in it.&nbsp; This wasn't about trying to recreate anything historical, it was about making sure that the druid didn't step on the cleric's toes.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 5339092, member: 22779"] Heh, I know I was being a bit facetious with the whole balance thing, but, at the end of the day, that's got a lot to do with it. Note, it's not that druids can't use metal at all - they can. They can use metal weapons with no problem. Heck, unlike clerics, they can use SHARP weapons. oooohhh. But, they can't use metal armor. That's the big trade off. You gain funky shape changing abilities (which, way back when, were nowhere near as powerful as they got in 3e) at the cost of being able to get a decent armor class. In a system where you cannot buy magic items, getting that AC down wasn't easy. Mr. Cleric, by second level possibly, has plate and shield - AC 2 before any Dex adjustments. The baddies don't get bonuses to hit, by and large, and their THAC0's are running around 16-20 at that level. That's some pretty decent odds of not getting clawed or bitten by something ugly. Mr. Druid, otoh, has leather armor and a wooden shield - AC 7. That's a HUGE drop in AC in that system. Forget hide, wasn't in the system yet. And studded leather has metal in it. This wasn't about trying to recreate anything historical, it was about making sure that the druid didn't step on the cleric's toes. [/QUOTE]

Verification