Ok, I'm pretty sure this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find it. Basically, when making Mithral Armor, can you have *just* Mithral armor, or can you make Masterwork Mithral Armor?
Here's why it's so confusing. In the DMG, page 242-243 it says:
Mithral is a very rare silvery, glistening metal that is lighter than iron but just as hard. When worked like steel, it becomes a wonderful material from which to create armor and is occasionally used for other items as well. Most mithral armors are one category lighter then normal for purposes of movement and other limitations (for example, whether a barbarian can use her fast movement ability while wearing the armor or not).
Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Spell failure chances for armors and shields made from mithral are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are decreased by 3. Nonarmor or nonshiled items made from mithral weigh half as much as the same item made from other metals. Note that items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected. (A longsword is affected, while a spear is not.)
Weapons or armors fashioned from mithral are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times, but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons or the armor check penalty of armor.
Mithral has a hardness of 15 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness.
Light Armor---------- +1,000 gp
Medium Armor------- +4,000 gp
Heavy Armor--------- +9,000 gp
Shield----------------- +1,000 gp
Other Items--------- +500 gp/lb.
Soooo, here's the questions.. the description says that armors fashioned from mithral are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times ... that's the whole confussion part. So that means, that Mithral items are NOT actually Masterwork items, just that the time to create them is treated as if you where creating a masterwork item
What IS the time of creating a masterwork item?
So, now, I want to have a Mithral Chain Shirt. That's +1,000gp for it to be made from Mithral. Now.. I want to get this Mithral Chain Shirt to be made magical. Problem is, by what's stated above, it's NOT magical. So it can't be enchanted then, can it? So, DO I have to, or CAN I, pay the extra 150gp to make it MasterWork, therefore allowing me to magically enchant it, and lowering the Armor Check Penalty by an additional 1..?
Also, it says that "Heavy Armors are treated as Medium".. AND it gives a specific example about the Barb using fast movement or not. The Barbarian can use Fast Movement when wearing no armor, light armor, and Medium armor. So, a Barbarian can use his/her fast movement when wearing Mithral Heavy armor, because it is *treated* as Medium armor. Here's the real question.. since it says that Heavy armor is treated as Medium armor.. would the Barbarian have to expend a feat to get Heavy armor? It SAYS it is treated as Medium Armor, so I would say no, but I was wondering if there where any official rules on that?
So that's my long-winded questions.. The barb thing was just thrown in there as a side thought, my main concerns are about MW Mithral or not.
Discuss
(and if you can, provide any links/sources of official answers 
)
Here's why it's so confusing. In the DMG, page 242-243 it says:
Mithral is a very rare silvery, glistening metal that is lighter than iron but just as hard. When worked like steel, it becomes a wonderful material from which to create armor and is occasionally used for other items as well. Most mithral armors are one category lighter then normal for purposes of movement and other limitations (for example, whether a barbarian can use her fast movement ability while wearing the armor or not).
Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Spell failure chances for armors and shields made from mithral are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are decreased by 3. Nonarmor or nonshiled items made from mithral weigh half as much as the same item made from other metals. Note that items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected. (A longsword is affected, while a spear is not.)
Weapons or armors fashioned from mithral are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times, but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons or the armor check penalty of armor.
Mithral has a hardness of 15 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness.
Light Armor---------- +1,000 gp
Medium Armor------- +4,000 gp
Heavy Armor--------- +9,000 gp
Shield----------------- +1,000 gp
Other Items--------- +500 gp/lb.
Soooo, here's the questions.. the description says that armors fashioned from mithral are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times ... that's the whole confussion part. So that means, that Mithral items are NOT actually Masterwork items, just that the time to create them is treated as if you where creating a masterwork item
What IS the time of creating a masterwork item?
So, now, I want to have a Mithral Chain Shirt. That's +1,000gp for it to be made from Mithral. Now.. I want to get this Mithral Chain Shirt to be made magical. Problem is, by what's stated above, it's NOT magical. So it can't be enchanted then, can it? So, DO I have to, or CAN I, pay the extra 150gp to make it MasterWork, therefore allowing me to magically enchant it, and lowering the Armor Check Penalty by an additional 1..?
Also, it says that "Heavy Armors are treated as Medium".. AND it gives a specific example about the Barb using fast movement or not. The Barbarian can use Fast Movement when wearing no armor, light armor, and Medium armor. So, a Barbarian can use his/her fast movement when wearing Mithral Heavy armor, because it is *treated* as Medium armor. Here's the real question.. since it says that Heavy armor is treated as Medium armor.. would the Barbarian have to expend a feat to get Heavy armor? It SAYS it is treated as Medium Armor, so I would say no, but I was wondering if there where any official rules on that?
So that's my long-winded questions.. The barb thing was just thrown in there as a side thought, my main concerns are about MW Mithral or not.
Discuss
(and if you can, provide any links/sources of official answers )
