D&D 5E RAW: Can druids wear studded leather?

[WilliamCQ]

The answers to my question has to be RAW; if your post must contain non-RAW material please make it explicit it does.

I have a druid with some spare TP (treasure points) and some session back he unlocked a Manual of Quickness of Action. He has 14 Dex and has been donning a hide armor. I'm thinking he could redeem the manual making his Dex 16 if he can wear studded leather. I've seen some pages about that but they mostly seem opinions and I need something RAW (asking a gm amount to asking an opinion as s/he could be wrong (and are only required to enforce their best knowledge of RAW), as gms keep changing and its the player responsibility for his/her sheet to be "RAW-compatible"). I'm thinking heat metal wouldn't work on a character donning studded leather so it shouldn't contain sufficient metal to mess with wild-shaping, or whatever prevent druids from donning metal armor.

Using only RAW, can druids wear studded leather?

 

[Kurotowa]

(asking a gm amount to asking an opinion as s/he could be wrong (and are only required to enforce their best knowledge of RAW), as gms keep changing and its the player responsibility for his/her sheet to be "RAW-compatible")

A DM is never wrong. Sometimes they make house rules without intended to, but never wrong. The rules of the table are what they say the rules are. Which is not to say they can't be swayed by bringing their attention to a subsection of the printed rules they might be unfamiliar with, but it's not like that binds them.

So. The restriction on "metal armor" is vague and not mechanically defined. What counts as metal armor at your table is what your DM says it does. Our opinions are those of random strangers and not to be taken as sufficient weight for you to take as rules clarifications in place of your DM's word. Personally I don't think Studded Leather counts, but then again Studded Leather is entirely an invention of D&D with no historical basis, so really anything goes.

Consult with your DM. Don't try to make rules calls on the basis of your own judgment or the advice of random Internet people. Making these rules calls is the job of your DM and no one else.

 

[WilliamCQ]

I'm asking for RAW interpretation, not opinions. By interpretation, I mean quote rules and the PHB # or a post with #al_admin or the like.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Purely by RAW, the only thing that we have to go on is what RAW says about the armour in the description of it in the PHB.

Metal is not mentioned once in there. It mentions "Rivets or spikes" but does not specify that these are made of metal.

Therefore, if I was ever willing to countenance either of these abominations (AL and Studded Leather), I would allow a character to purchase a set with bone or similar non-metal studs, or simply rule that the studs of the armour are not a restriction to a Druid any more than the buckles and other fittings are.

 

[Li Shenron]

Purely by RAW, the only thing that we have to go on is what RAW says about the armour in the description of it in the PHB.

Metal is not mentioned once in there. It mentions "Rivets or spikes" but does not specify that these are made of metal.

Wow, that's actually something I never noticed, mainly because I think the RAW is so badly written that it can legitimately be interpreted as druids CAN in fact choose to wear anything, so I never bothered to look at the studded leather description carefully.

This also means that ring mail is by RAW wearable by druids even if your DM interprets the druid armor fluff as a real restriction.

 

[Leatherhead]

Fun fact:
Ring Mail is the only heavy armor type that doesn't specify being made out of metal, and could, in theory, be crafted out of Druid suitable materials.

As for helpful information:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/rules-answers-march-2016

A druid typically wears leather, studded leather, or hide armor, and if a druid comes across scale mail made of a material other than metal, the druid might wear it.

 

[S'mon]

If you count Sage Advice as RAW then druids can wear studded leather.

The actual RAW says (druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal)

Applying this IMCs, druids cannot wear studded leather since it is partially made of metal; they may wear leather or hide.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Yeah, nothing says even plate armor couldn't be fashion from a natural source of plates, such as giant ant carapace or something. The rings in ring mail could be made of a petrified or hard wood or even bone or ivory.

I think most of us understand the studs/rivets on studded leather are typically metal, though. However, there are other materials it could be made of but I would have to tell the player it must be custom made (and maybe even have a small side one-session adventure about getting the materials?).

 

[DND_Reborn]

If you count Sage Advice as RAW then druids can wear studded leather.

The actual RAW says (druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal)

Applying this IMCs, druids cannot wear studded leather since it is partially made of metal; they may wear leather or hide.

Yet even hide and leather will often have metal buckles and straps connected by metal. Again, anything without metal at all would be custom-made IMO.

 

[S'mon]

Yet even hide and leather will often have metal buckles and straps connected by metal. Again, anything without metal at all would be custom-made IMO.

I would take it that druid versions use leather thongs without metal buckles & straps. Indeed
most hide may come from barbarian tribes without leatherworking.