D&D 5E Can your Druids wear metal armor?

[Chaosmancer]

I'm a rule purist who's confused by the people who would have preferred penalties as they appear to be the same people upset about being told how to play their character.

For those people it is about being able to choose to take the penalty. Bcause then they still have the choice.

My first complaint for this as always been the same. The situation is nonsense. If I can't pick up a metal shield, why can I pick up and use a metal poleaxe with no penalties. The "theme" is nonsensical. Somehow deciding that metal from the earth is not natural, just because you shaped it. But killing living beings and wearing their skin is A-Ok, and in fact, you should hunt rarer and more endangered creatures to kill and skin, so you can be a defender of nature.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

"Better gear than normal"? I'm talking normal gear. Breastplate armor isn't better than normal, that is some bog-standard gear.

It is better than what the druid is willing to normally wear.

Breastplate isn't a magical item, rare or expensive

Yes. But non-metal one might be.

Beyond their normal spells, sure they can, but it isn't required. Heck, I've seen plenty of DMs who allow the wizard to buy spells or scrolls from other wizards.

Sure. And perhaps GM will allow the druid to buy their non-metal breastplate. Or magical one. Or not. Either is fine. And druid getting better armour isn't required either. There are non-metallic armours in the PHB they can buy. Sure, better one would obviously b better, like it would be better for the wizard to have more spells than just the ones they get free from levelling.

That is an optional rule, and not one I've seen enforced often. IT was actually added afterwards, because I guess some DMs had issues with the question of "did the druid see a gecko before"

It's not optional, it's on the wildshape rules on page 66. But perhaps wildshape rules are fluff too and not actual rules? Who knows!

Rogues can wear the full breadth of their armor proficiency from level 3. Sooner if they get some good money. Yes, if they want optional magical gear that is a bit harder, but studded leather is their peak, and they can buy that in a store.

Yes. And so can druids. But clerics and fighters can buy better gear. Because these are different classes with different strengths and weaknesses.

For a druid to wear breastplate, they need to go on a monster hunting quest, hope the DM doesn't rule the creature too damaged by the combat, gather the materials, then hope they can find someone to craft it. And they are 100% proficient in Breastplate armor. No magic, just bog standard breastplate that any character can buy in the shop for 400 gp

Yes, that would be one way to get such an armour.

 

[ECMO3]

In such a case, if a DM really wanted to, they could quickly point to the table on page 45 of the PHB which says a Druid's Armor and Weapon Proficiencies are:
Light and medium armor (nonmetal), shields (nonmetal), clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears

And the game would proceed from there with the DM describing the scene, the player deciding what their character would like to do next, and the DM adjudicating accordingly. No improvisation or homebrew necessary, at least in some circles.

Ok what if instead of "I don the half plate" the player says - I pick up the suit of halfplate and I strap the buckle around my waist, I put the greaves on ..... Then the player says "I am nto wearing it I am just letting it hang on my body in a fashion identical to someone who is wearing it.

At some point you need to take player agency to enforce this rule or you have to invent a mechanic which is not in the game.

 

[Maxperson]

Has the DM stated, or will they confirm, that they follow the rule that druids will not wear metal armor? Then the druid PC will not wear metal armor. Campaign over.

And you think that's reasonable? D&D is first and foremost a game of exceptions and rulings. A DM who is a slave to the rules is not a DM I'd ever want to play a game with.

 

[abirdcall]

(Please forgive me, because it sounds like I'm trolling, but I'm not. I'm genuinely interested.)

So it's "not allowed" by... who? Presumably by some authority, perhaps the Circles or the Nature Goddess or whatever? How exactly are they preventing this thing from happening? Why doesn't the rule explain (or even hint at) this? And why not just have the rule more completely explain what happens in the event a druid does choose to use metal? Can the druid never be tricked? (eg, "Here, my freshly charmed friend, why not use this metal shield so as to better defend me, a helpless dryad!") Is the druid never allowed a moment of doubt? (eg, "That sweet metal armor sure would help against this terrible foe!")

This is what I mean when I say it's a nonsensical "half rule" that doesn't justify itself or offer consequences. Yes, it's arguably clear, and yes there are meta-game ways to handle it (eg, eject the player*, yikes!). But wow! what a frightfully unsatisfying outcome. Just bend a clearly bad rule and run with the more interesting outcome.

* Although... YES, if the player is just being contrary, then boot 'em. I've got no issue with that.

It is not allowed by the rules of the game that have been put forth by the book and agreed upon by the players at the table.

If a player just declared whether they hit or miss with attacks instead of rolling and the table ejected them would you call that a 'meta-game' solution?

Follow the rules or don't play.

I've played with a bunch of new players now who have chosen Druid. Not once has any of them even had a question about it. During character creation the table shows them how to look up what weapons, armour, and proficiencies they get, and then not once have they come back at the end of that with metal armour on their sheet.

Everyone I play with plays in good faith. Any of these sorts of games that people have proposed in this thread would have me nope out of a game immediately.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Maybe, maybe not. No player I have ever played with knew every single rule and feature of the game and normally these come out in play.

Then the GM reminds them what the rule is.

 

[abirdcall]

Ok what if instead of "I don the half plate" the player says - I pick up the suit of halfplate and I strap the buckle around my waist, I put the greaves on ..... Then the player says "I am nto wearing it I am just letting it hang on my body in a fashion identical to someone who is wearing it.

At some point you need to take player agency to enforce this rule or you have to invent a mechanic which is not in the game.

 

[J.Quondam]

Everyone I play with plays in good faith. Any of these sorts of games that people have proposed in this thread would have me nope out of a game immediately.

Interesting.
I generally also expect the GM to play in good faith, too.
Cheers!

 

[Maxperson]

Interesting.
I generally also expect the GM to play in good faith, too.
Cheers!

Who has proposed bad faith DMing?

 

[Chaosmancer]

It is better than what the druid is willing to normally wear.

Willing? Huh, my druid is perfectly willing to wear breastplate and not die. So, why is it that I have to go on a quest to earn the right to wear it?

Yes. But non-metal one might be.

And so might a metal one. That isn't the point. Why do I have to go on a quest to get non-magical breastplate? No one else to. And the designers clearly stated it isn't a balance issue for me to have non-magical breastplate, so why the hoops?

Sure. And perhaps GM will allow the druid to buy their non-metal breastplate. Or magical one. Or not. Either is fine. And druid getting better armour isn't required either. There are non-metallic armours in the PHB they can buy. Sure, better one would obviously b better, like it would be better for the wizard to have more spells than just the ones they get free from levelling.

But you said there was no non-metal breastplates in the PHB.

And sure, better armor is never required. You can have everyone play with no armor if you really wanted too... but it is kind of assumed, at some point, that you are going to improve your gear. And yet, while the cleric of nature who worships Sylvanus can buy that metal breastplate in window, Sylvanus declared that druids must never wear metal armor, so the Druid who worships him can't. Because reasons that are reasons.

It's not optional, it's on the wildshape rules on page 66. But perhaps wildshape rules are fluff too and not actual rules? Who knows!

Nothing on page 66 refers to going on quest to see more animals. I thought you refering to the rules in Xanathars on pg 24. Which are optional.

Yes. And so can druids. But clerics and fighters can buy better gear. Because these are different classes with different strengths and weaknesses.

But it isn't a weakness. Druids can wear the same exact armors as clerics. You are just having them jump through hoops for "theme" because metal taken from the earth is somehow unnatural, but only when shaped into armor and shields.

Heck, there is literally, literally no reason a druid should not be able to use a metal shield. They provide the exact same AC bonus, they aren't being "worn" and yet Druids can't use metal shields because that would be naughty and they are supposed to have a "weakness" in that?

Yes, that would be one way to get such an armour.

And I would have no patience for being forced to jump through hoops for mundane gear that just has a different coat of paint on it. And if it is so interesting and so fun to do, why not require everyone to do it?