Druids and heavy armor

[Matt_Rourke]

While developing some armors for a new metal-restricted campaign setting I'm working on, I came across a problem. The class restriction for druids and armor is: "Druids are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor."

In the environment I am creating, there is heavy armor made of the carapace of giant insects. This is not metal, and therefore wouldn't interfere with the druid's spiritual oaths against wearing metal armor, and it is a form of hide - not of a mammal, per se, but of an insect.

My problem is that I don't want to overbalance the druid class by allowing them to have heavy armor - otherwise, I'm sure I'd have players wanting to run around as chitinous beetle tank druids. What's worse, I can't think of any reason based on strict interpretation of the rules why natural, heavy armor would be restricted.

On a related note, I was toying around with the idea of crystalline heavy armor - and the best I could come up with for denying druids access would be to house-rule it so that druids couldn't just not wear metal, but couldn't wear inorganic armor. Still, this doesn't rule out the use of organic insect chitin.

I know the easy answer is to say "don't even introduce heavy chitin or crystal armor!" but it is an important point for fighters/paladins, since this environment has no metal at all.

Has this ever come up before? If so, how was it resolved? If not, any ideas?

 

[Hypersmurf]

What's worse, I can't think of any reason based on strict interpretation of the rules why natural, heavy armor would be restricted.

It's not against their oaths, but they'd need to spend a feat on heavy armor proficiency, or else take the armor check penalty on all attack rolls etc.

After all, Ironwood and Dragonhide already note that druids can wear non-metal plate armor without violating their oaths.

-Hyp.

 

[Matt_Rourke]

Well, doesn't Ironwood spell just change the properties of wood to be like that of steel?

So far as I understand the rules, the druids don't just have armor check penalties when wearing metal armor, but they can't cast any druid spells while wearing it, or for 24 hours. This is far more detrimental than the penalties to wizards or sorcerers, for instance, who just take fail percentages.

[Edit: I reread your post. Druids don't get heavy proficiency, so they'd need to take the feat or get penalties for non-metal heavy armor. Got it.]

Can druids wear things like ankheg armor without breaking their oath? You mentioned dragonhide as a druid option that is not oath-breaking. Are there stone armors or other heavy armors available to druids already? If there are, I'd imagine the druids could use chitin armor and the like... though the prevalence of such equipment in my setting makes me leary.

 

[pawsplay]

My problem is that I don't want to overbalance the druid class by allowing them to have heavy armor

So make them multiclass or take the feat. I think that should cover it.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Can druids wear things like ankheg armor without breaking their oath? You mentioned dragonhide as a druid option that is not oath-breaking. Are there stone armors or other heavy armors available to druids already? If there are, I'd imagine the druids could use chitin armor and the like... though the prevalence of such equipment in my setting makes me leary.

Well, dragonhide states: "Because dragonhide armor isn’t made of metal, druids can wear it without penalty."

So I would assume that chitin or stone would come under the same relationship to the oath.

I don't know that you need to be too worried. Druids don't get many feats, and I'd be loathe to spend a feat on heavy armor when a lot of combat time, I'll be wildshaped anyway...

-Hyp.

 

[frankthedm]

though the prevalence of such equipment in my setting makes me leary.

The cheapness of Dragonscale in 3rd edition made me leary a while ago. If you want to do a metal poor setting, I would say iron heroes should solve your problems in a most ironic way.

 

[Matt_Rourke]

It's not so much metal-poor as it is metal-virtually-nonexistant. I already figured this would give druids a bit of an edge, though I understand what you're saying about giving up a feat to be able to use heavy armor when that feat could be used for something else.

When wearing heavy armor (with the feat), the arcane spell failure percentage doesn't apply to druid spells, does it? So, a druid in heavy chitin armor would still be able to cast at 100%, right?

I'm still leary of the prevalance of chitin armor, though. I mean, for just one feat, you get an big AC boost and are still able to cast at 100%, and usable non-metal heavy armor would be in no way rare. Hm. I may just have to bite the bullet on this one.

 

[Matt_Rourke]

Though, thinking again, I guess all the other skill checks would be a big drawback for a druid in the wild. And I take your point about wildshape, hypersmurf.

 

[Storyteller01]

It's not so much metal-poor as it is metal-virtually-nonexistant. I already figured this would give druids a bit of an edge, though I understand what you're saying about giving up a feat to be able to use heavy armor when that feat could be used for something else.

When wearing heavy armor (with the feat), the arcane spell failure percentage doesn't apply to druid spells, does it? So, a druid in heavy chitin armor would still be able to cast at 100%, right?

I'm still leary of the prevalance of chitin armor, though. I mean, for just one feat, you get an big AC boost and are still able to cast at 100%, and usable non-metal heavy armor would be in no way rare. Hm. I may just have to bite the bullet on this one.

How would they have an edge over clerics? They could wear the armor without having to use a feat (or more, if you wanted to keep the AC while Wild Shaped), and can still cast while wearing it.

Is the chitin available as light or medium armor as well? Odds are, your druid will wear that instead of spending the feat. Your clerics of nature, on the other hand...

 

[Moon-Lancer]

yeah. No getting around it, the campain you want to do really makes it easy for druids. Its just one of those things. i love druids but i wouldent wast a feat on armor prof heavy. I would wait untill i could get heavy wild armor, and wildshape and have no problems, rather then wast a feat.