MIC: Ironward Diamond....Overpowered?

[KarinsDad]

KarinsDad, if you take the Armor chart on page 168 of Races of the Wild into account, does that change anything for you?

Sorry IC. I don't have that book. What are you referring to?

 

[Mistwell]

Sorry IC. I don't have that book. What are you referring to?

It is a chart that lists various unusual armors. It is organized like the PHB armor chart (Light armor, and a listing of those armors, Medium armor and a listing of those, and heavy armor and a listing of those).

Mithril full plate is listed under the Medium armor category. So is Mithril half-plate, splint mail, and banded mail.

 

[IcyCool]

Sorry IC. I don't have that book. What are you referring to?

On that page, it lists a number of new armors, as well as mithril versions of all the armors in the PHB. Each of the mithril armors are listed under the category one lighter than normal. So, the list of light and medium armors includes the following:

LIGHT ARMOR:
Mithril Chain Shirt
Mithril Scale Mail
Mithril Chainmail
Mithril Breastplate

MEDIUM ARMOR:
Mithril Splint Mail
Mithril Banded-Mail
Mithril Half-Plate
Mithril Full-Plate

 

[James McMurray]

Sounds like a clencher to me.

 

[IcyCool]

Sounds like a clencher to me.

A clincher even.

 

[Wish]

*redacted*

 

[James McMurray]

A clincher even.

Aren't they the same thing?

 

[IcyCool]

I may have had some word trouble in this thread thus far, but I'm not completely off my rocker just yet.

Aren't they the same thing?

Similar. But clench sounds more like a bathroom function than clinch.

And a clincher is:

"a statement, argument, fact, situation, or the like, that is decisive or conclusive"

But the Races of the Wild Armor Chart is hardly conclusive evidence. Especially if Karin'sDad doesn't think there is ambiguity in the mithril rule.

 

[James McMurray]

That he has to add words that don't exist point fairly strongly towards ambiguity.

 

[Hypersmurf]

My exact words were "limitations of wearing heavy armor".

Do you have anything to back up an interpretation that "limitations" means "any limitations in the entire game system"?

The thing is, if we apply it to "any limitations in the entire game system", it has zero effect in all cases except where "a limitation related to heavy armor" and "a limitation related to medium armor" are different. So there's no problem with assuming that "limitations" means "limitations", and not "limitations of wearing heavy armor but not limitations of wearing medium armor", because taking it to mean "limitations", as it says, automatically includes the limitations that matter, and has no effect on the limitations that don't.

A good cleric cannot cast an [Evil] spell. This is a limitation.

If he's wearing heavy armor, he cannot cast an [Evil] spell. If he's wearing medium armor, he cannot cast an [Evil] spell. It doesn't matter whether his armor is considered heavy or medium, the limitation is unaffected.

A barbarian cannot use Fast Movement in heavy armor. This is a limitation. A barbarian can use Fast Movement in medium armor. It matters whether his armor is considered heavy or medium for the purpose of this limitation. It is considered Medium, as Mithral Full Plate, so the limitation does not apply.

A Greater Ironward Diamond cannot be applied to medium armor. This is a limitation. A Greater Ironward Diamond can be applied to heavy armor. It matters whether the armor is considered heavy or medium for the purpose of this limitation. It is considered Medium, as Mithral Full Plate, so the limitation applies.

-Hyp.