No arcane penalty for wearing armor?

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

We did away with arcane armor penalties IMC because we could never remember to implement them... not even once! This hasn't impacted my campaign negatively in any way I've been able to notice, except we are all having more fun! In the Palladium FRPG, spellcasters can wear armor without penalty, too.

Anybody else doing away with arcane armor penalties?

 

[Jack Daniel]

Yup. I just ruled that armored casters have to make spell rolls (d20 + spell level + ability mod = save DC) and apply their armor check penalty to the total.

 

[Draxus the Tainted]

We haven't did away with them, but like your case we just never remember to use them. But we still follow guidelines in regards to Spellcasters don't wear Full Plate,etc.

 

[Magus_Jerel]

The idea behind this is to keep wizards and other arcane casters from using armor. We found that this absolutely CRUSHED the bard as a class.

IMC, there are two house rules which fix the problem.

1. Spontaneous casters may apply a metamagic feat they know to any spell they cast as a free action.

2. The presence of the following

Improved Still Spell
Prerequesite: Still Spell
Benefit: as still spell, but you do not increase the level of the spell.
Normal: The spell's level increases by one.

Most characters don't much mind expending two feat slots to be able to cast spells in armor. BTW ... Bards get something else that is really really nice... a whole bunch more spells added to their spell list.

 

[Crothian]

As my bard, we ignored it, but that was really the only time that an arcane spellcaster wanted to wear armor. Personally, I think it's on of thsoe things left over from the "old edition" that they feared to change.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Right. We still make them get the Armor Proficiency feats, but if they multiclass into fighter or cleric or some such, they get those feats for free, plus Shield Proficiency. Much tidier than buying the armor feats separately.