D&D 5E Druids and metal armor

[aramis erak]

Steel is iron plus carbon. Iron on its own is wrought iron (gates, hinges, that type of thing). Far too brittle to make usable armour. Steel is the material used to make swords, chain mail, etc.

not correct. Wrought iron falls into the same proportions of iron and carbon as low-carbon steel. the differences include grain, crystal shape, and slag inclusions. And cast iron usually exceeds steel in carbon content.

Iron plate (made by hammering out wrought iron ingots into sheets) makes dandy armor... but not as good as steel.

 

[Joe Liker]

After a period of time in the game world long enough for word to spread of the character's flouting of druidic custom, I would arrange an encounter between the character and a high-ranking member of the order in which the character would be commanded to desist from wearing the metal armour and/or shield or to renounce and never again use druidic powers. If the character does not comply, there would be consequences up to and including single combat to the death.

If the metal-wearer wins, does it mean he can create a new druidic order that's not quite so fussy about which life-saving protective gear it's OK to use?

 

[Hriston]

If the metal-wearer wins, does it mean he can create a new druidic order that's not quite so fussy about which life-saving protective gear it's OK to use?

Of course, and then the War of the Druids would commence. It's kind of like starting up a thieves' guild in the territory of another thieves' guild.

 

[Anthony Terry]

Being a druid (or cleric) is way more than just a job. It's not like going in to town, and you can decide to apprentice yourself to the blacksmith or the farrier or the druid. You have to actually believe in the cause you are championing, or else it doesn't work.


The Powers That Be cannot be tricked into granting power to someone who doesn't deserve it. If you are the kind of person who would wear metal armor, then you lack the proper mindset to become a druid, and you cannot gain levels in that class. This fluff is hard-coded into the setting. (You can feel free to change it at your own table, of course, or to work out some other interpretation which matches the facts of the situation.)

No its not, its a job. They may have dedicated their entire life to said job but their personality is not dictated by it. Otherwise how do extremist Muslim Priests both do unbelievable works of peace in the middle east and also be responsible for 9/11? Or Roman catholic priests each year feed thousands of hungry, but others ruin the lives of countless small boys throughout the 90's? No one is born a druid. Their personality will be attracted to the ideals of a certain specific aspect of the religion or ethos in most cases opposed to the whole thing even. Granted in the case of cleric, how they are put forward in standard D&D would suggest perhaps a slightly higher level of dedication to the core beliefs of one faith than would be the norm in our world, but no such suggestion is made of druids, in fact quite the opposite imo.

flicking through the box sets of the TSR/WOTc box sets I have i cant see anything that supports your argument either. As a druid your power is not coming from a diety, its coming from nature. If a druid so happens to worship a nature deity its nothing but circumstance. You have me a bit more stumped from a cleric point of view but i still disagree, It is stated in pretty much every playershandbook anywhere that you can still be a cleric of no diety and are simply able to call upon divine power most suited to the task your trying to accomplish.

 

[MasterTrancer]

No its not, its a job. They may have dedicated their entire life to said job but their personality is not dictated by it. Otherwise how do priests of muslim both do unbelievable works of peace in the middle east and also be responsible for 9/11? Or roman catholic priests each year feed thousands of hungry, but others ruin the lives of countless small boys throughout the 90's? No one is born a druid. Their personality will be attracted to the ideals of a certain specific aspect of the religion or ethos in most cases opposed to the whole thing even. Granted in the case of cleric, how they are put forward in standard D&D would suggest perhaps a slightly higher level of dedication to the core beliefs of one faith than would be the norm in our world, but no such suggestion is made of druids, in fact quite the opposite imo.

Well...in real life it's a job, which doesn't require the believing. In a fantasy world? Not so sure. Remember, Powers can walk the land (in some settings more than Others, admittedly) so it's not that you can be, say, a priest of Pelor and a necromancer. At least, this shouldn't happen, and you'd have soon a visit from a proxy of the high-up.

In D&D when you're casting divine magic you're a channel for the "divinity" in which you believe, otherwise how could it work? That's what means, in my opinion, to be a cleric or a druid (which after all originated in the game as the first specialty priest).

 

[Anthony Terry]

See, I'd say advanced plastic armour would have the same effect of blocking the Source as metal. But as for the guns...how could you not?!

Imagine the players' faces when you tell them they've gone for a trip to the Barrier Peaks ("Yay! Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet?"), and then tell them that their friends can play with blaster rifles and plasma pistols but they have to make do with the medicine kit.

Here boy.
Yap yap wag wag
Punt.

They would probably feel about the same way non-druids do when the druid has 4 animal companions including a bear, and they still cant get their guard dog to stay out of the way of lazor fire.

The simple answer is and the only true one is that clerics cant wear Metal and have a nature focus so that they are a different class to cleric. Remove their inability to wear armour and the only real difference between the two other than some optional perceptions of how the classes should behave and your only left with a slight spell list descrepency. As some of us have touched on, in earlier editions of the game it was elaborated on allot more and it wasnt really anti-metal, more anti man-made and had allot to do with it interfering with the natrual magic of the world.

If that as an explanation isn't enough then i really would suggest just not using the rule, because other than our own personal feelings / elaborations on the above theres no other answer to give.

 

[Anthony Terry]

Well...in real life it's a job, which doesn't require the believing. In a fantasy world? Not so sure. Remember, Powers can walk the land (in some settings more than Others, admittedly) so it's not that you can be, say, a priest of Pelor and a necromancer. At least, this shouldn't happen, and you'd have soon a visit from a proxy of the high-up.

In D&D when you're casting divine magic you're a channel for the "divinity" in which you believe, otherwise how could it work? That's what means, in my opinion, to be a cleric or a druid (which after all originated in the game as the first specialty priest).

Very true the druid was a subclass of one of the 3 core available classes. Just like every other class introduced at the time apart from thief which started the end of that style. Irrelevant factoid.

The divine magic point however I cant argue. BTB your spells that nearly souly focus on elements and natrual powers are fueled by something other than elements and naturual powers? The more Druidic inclined faiths are quite often more big on tree worship than actual god worship any ways, discluding ehlona so it just never seemed a problem to me to ignore the word divine in this case, because as i said if were talking BTB 3.5 and beyond PHB then a druid cant wear metal armor due to lack of proficiancy, thats it.