D&D 5E Druid Armor Restrictions

[Li Shenron]

Hi ENWorlders, here's a simple question. In your games, how do you handle the druid armor restrictions? Are your druids limited to leather and hide armor? Do you allow scale and plate armors to be made from animal scales? How much extra do you charge for these exotic armors? Does that only apply to magic items like dragon scale armor?

I handle it strictly literally by the RAW:

- "druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal"
- will not is future tense
- hence, in the present time, druids can wear anything

 

[cbwjm]

I happily ignore the armour restriction. If a druid wants to wear metal armour then they can. If I was going to restrict the type of armour then to non-metallic then I might say that they can't wildshape in metal armour. That gives an actual reason for the restriction and would be why druids in general don't wear armour.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Let us not lose sight of the fact that the druid restriction of "no metal armor" isn't a game balance decision; it's purely a legacy flavor thing.

And yes, this has been stated outright. (And no, I don't have a link to the source. You can take my word for it, or not.)

Which makes no difference. Finding exotic non-metallic armours for the party druid is a fun sidequest. And since druids aren't meant to be front liners (unless a shape shifted moon druid) it is an insignificant drawback that makes the game more fun.

No reason not to use it.

 

[GothicEmperor]

Which makes no difference. Finding exotic non-metallic armours for the party druid is a fun sidequest. And since druids aren't meant to be front liners (unless a shape shifted moon druid) it is an insignificant drawback that makes the game more fun.

No reason not to use it.

Yeah, it's not a big hindrance at all, and the additional flavour is worth it IMHO. One of my players' druid is dead set on skinning the next dragon their group meets (also because that character hates dragons for their wanton disrespect of nature's balance, for the record). If he wants to upgrade to a breastplate or halfplate, he might use dragon bones. Let nothing go to waste, etc.

As far as restrictions go, this is one of those better restrictions that allows for finding creative ways to go evade it. Which is, IMHO, half the fun of D&D.

 

[Zilong]

I ignore that bit of flavor text. Druids can wear whatever the hell they want. Cotton, elk leather, shoddy iron, as long as the character is proficient I don't care what the material is from a balance standpoint. That said, I'd be thrilled if a player of any class wanted to make gear out of exotic materials.

 

[CapnZapp]

Hi ENWorlders, here's a simple question. In your games, how do you handle the druid armor restrictions? Are your druids limited to leather and hide armor? Do you allow scale and plate armors to be made from animal scales? How much extra do you charge for these exotic armors? Does that only apply to magic items like dragon scale armor?

It's up to the player.

If his or her Druid decides it doesn't like metal, then there's a restriction.

If he or she decides to not care, then there's no restriction.

This is the RAW.

 

[akr71]

Hi ENWorlders, here's a simple question. In your games, how do you handle the druid armor restrictions? Are your druids limited to leather and hide armor? Do you allow scale and plate armors to be made from animal scales? How much extra do you charge for these exotic armors? Does that only apply to magic items like dragon scale armor?

Exotic armor isn't just sitting around on the shelf at the armorer. If that is something the players desire, go find an exotic beast, kill it, harvest its hide, scales or armor plates and then find a master armorer to build it for you. The construction will take time and the crafter will expect to get paid appropriately.

If a druid asked about studded leather, I'd probably let it happen. Bone or wood 'banded mail' is likely comparable.

 

[200orcs]

I allow heavier armor if they have proficiency and have them made out of hard carapaces, different woods etc.

The last druid player had a shield made out of a turtle shell.

Depending on when the player makes the request I will make it easier or harder to acquire.

The no mail limitation is arbitrary and a huge restriction when there are only 12 armors available. I don't give them armor that they are not proficient with, but if they are, they can acquire it.

 

[snickersnax]

In my world druids don't wear metal because smelting iron requires charcoal and charcoal requires trees. Most of the original deforestation of England and the eastern US happened because of iron manufacturing.

Because of this, if a druid saw another druid wearing metal armor it would be considered his duty to immediately cast heat metal on the other druid and to make a case for the metal wearing druid's expulsion from the circle of druids if he survived. IMO A druid who wears metal armor has no right to call themselves a protector of nature. For these reasons I expanded the ban on iron to weapons as well.

Story >>> game balance

http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/103012/3/ILES JAMT Reviewed Sept 2015.pdf

 

[Lidgar]

In my campaign, druids explode in a spectacular thermonuclear blast when they don metal armor. It's akin to breaking a Staff of Power; gives the druid a nice "last resort" option.

More seriously, I leave that up to the player running the druid. If they have a good story (or even a bad one) about why their particular druid doesn't shun metal armors, have at it.