I mainly play Adventurers league and for the upcoming season 9, I was going to start over with a druid. With my starting armor (leather) and Dex score of 14, my AC will be 13 and 15 with my shield. (I plan on raising my wisdom to 20, take the tough feat, and then boost my con score to 18).
Currently STR 8, DEX 14, CON 14, WIS 16, INT 10, CHAR 12. But I might change it to Dex 13 and Con 15.
Once I hit T2 I can invest in some +2 breastplate armor, because it is medium armor (which druids are proficient in). If the item purchase with treasure points stays the same, I should be able to flavor it how I want since it is not an item I found in-game (and adjusted), but something I created for my character by earning/spending treasure points.
In summary, a +2 breastplate armor made of whalebone, coral, and shells. This should bypass the rule that druids can't wear metal and boost my AC. I asked my main AL DM if this was doable, and he said he would allow it. (Because I would be spending hours earning the points for it, and then actually buying it at T2). However, he said that other DMs might not allow me to wear the armor.
What I want to know from AL DMs is how many would allow me to buy this armor and then use it?
The thing about AL is that the rules are restricted to RAW for a reason: portability, simplicity, and consistency. If you have an AL legal character, you do not need to worry about what different DMs will allow. Conversely, if you need to worry about what other DMs will allow, then you don't have an AL legal character.
Onto the specific, a Breastplate is made from metal. This is how it is in AL. Full stop.
The only wearable equipment that explicitly allows you to choose between metal/non-metal is a Shield.
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"Breastplate. This armor consists of a fitted metal chest piece worn with supple leather."
"Light armor, medium armor, shields (druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal)"
The short answer is NO. There are no AL DMs I am aware of who would allow this to fly. RAW the druid will not wear metal armor. DMs in home games are free to make exceptions since mechanically druids are proficient with medium armor and thus in 5e it would not negatively affect their spell casting ability. However, AL isn't a home game and DMs aren't free to revise the rules. Druids will not wear metal armor is the rule.
If you purchase a magical version of mundane armor it is made of the same materials as the mundane version. It is not mithril, adamantine, wood, shell, bone, stone or something else unless the rules specifically indicate otherwise. All of these unusual materials have in game mechanical effects (even if that effect is simply to make the armor wearable by a druid).
There is some druid friendly medium armor in some AL modules made of stone, wood, shell, crystal or other materials. There are not very many modules but they are specific magic item drops. These can be unlocked by playing the specific module and then can be purchased for TCP.
If you pick Circle of the Land you can use Scorpion Armor once you hit 10th level without any problems. Until you hit 10th level and are immune to poison though, it's cursed and isn't safe to wear.
According to Sage Advice Druids can wear metal armor in 5th edition, it’s just a taboo among Druid circles. If you want to flavor your armor as whale bone go for it! Other than it still being vulnerable to heat metal it can look like whatever you’d like as long as it doesn’t change the functionality.
Sage Advice says this:
“Druids have a taboo against wearing metal armor and wielding a metal shield. The taboo has been part of the class’s story since the class first appeared in Eldritch Wizardry (1976) and the original Player’s Handbook (1978). The idea is that druids prefer to be protected by animal skins, wood, and other natural materials that aren’t the worked metal that is associated with civilization. Druids don’t lack the ability to wear metal armor. They choose not to wear it. This choice is part of their identity as a mystical order. Think of it in these terms: a vegetarian can eat meat, but the vegetarian chooses not to.
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.”
so they specifically addressed your issue, you’ve come across breastplate made of a material other than metal so you “might” wear it. Even if it was metal you’d be able to wear it but would need a pretty hefty story reason for breaking taboo.
That said, In AL DMs can pick and choose their Sage Advice rulings so it will depend on what DM you get, but you do have a good argument for wearing it.
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Learning is power, power corrupts, study hard be Evil.
I would think the crux of the matter would be how the pieces are actually connected together, and if the amalgamation of materials would actually provide comparable protection to the armor it is replacing. Corals and seashells aren't exactly durable materials, and can easily be shattered in a wide variety of ways. Whale bone would be quite a bit more durable to any individual bash or slash, but it would absolutely wear down faster than forged metal. And all 3 materials would be vulnerable to the effects of, say, Shatter were you inside it's AoE. And what's holding it all together? Were holes cut into the pieces, so cords of dried seaweed could be woven through them?
I do agree that it makes sense logically to do what you want, but also logically it would come with a set of drawbacks you'd need to live with and/or find a way to offset. And all of that sort of thing is going to be at the mercy of your DM for what they might impose and how they'd go about implementing it.
According to Sage Advice Druids can wear metal armor in 5th edition, it’s just a taboo among Druid circles. If you want to flavor your armor as whale bone go for it! Other than it still being vulnerable to heat metal it can look like whatever you’d like as long as it doesn’t change the functionality.
Sage Advice says this:
“Druids have a taboo against wearing metal armor and wielding a metal shield. The taboo has been part of the class’s story since the class first appeared in Eldritch Wizardry (1976) and the original Player’s Handbook (1978). The idea is that druids prefer to be protected by animal skins, wood, and other natural materials that aren’t the worked metal that is associated with civilization. Druids don’t lack the ability to wear metal armor. They choose not to wear it. This choice is part of their identity as a mystical order. Think of it in these terms: a vegetarian can eat meat, but the vegetarian chooses not to.
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.”
so they specifically addressed your issue, you’ve come across breastplate made of a material other than metal so you “might” wear it. Even if it was metal you’d be able to wear it but would need a pretty hefty story reason for breaking taboo.
That said, In AL DMs can pick and choose their Sage Advice rulings so it will depend on what DM you get, but you do have a good argument for wearing it.
If you're going to quote Sage Advice, rather than "cherry-picking", please quote the entire post.
Well, not actually. Druids have a taboo against wearing metal armor and wielding a metal shield. The taboo has been part of the class’s story since the class first appeared in Eldritch Wizardry (1976) and the original Player’s Handbook(1978). The idea is that druids prefer to be protected by animal skins, wood, and other natural materials that aren’t the worked metal that is associated with civilization. Druids don’t lack the ability to wear metal armor. They choose not to wear it. This choice is part of their identity as a mystical order. Think of it in these terms: a vegetarian can eat meat, but the vegetarian chooses not to.
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. If you feel strongly about your druid breaking the taboo and donning metal, talk to your DM. Each class has story elements mixed with its game features; the two types of design go hand-in-hand in D&D, and the story parts are stronger in some classes than in others. Druids and paladins have an especially strong dose of story in their design. If you want to depart from your class’s story, your DM has the final say on how far you can go and still be considered a member of the class. As long as you abide by your character’s proficiencies, you’re not going to break anything in the game system, but you might undermine the story and the world being created in your campaign.
The bolded section is what matters in establishing the context. Jeremy is NOT making a rules judgement here. Jeremy is referring to NON-AL. DMs in AL do not have the luxury of interpreting or altering rules. RAW/official errata or bust.
Nowhere has he said that "Druids can't/won't use metal armor/weapons" is not a rule. It IS a rule. All that he is saying is that, in a home game, a DM has leeway in enforcing it.
A Druid will not use metal weapons or armor. It is not that they are physically incapable of using metal... they can, but they won't be Druids anymore. It's a taboo of their circle, deity, patron, etc., and whatever source their power comes from is going to cut them off. You might be able to get away with picking up a metal weapon in the midst of combat as a desperate gambit, but using metal armor inherently means that you have made a conscious decision to break the tenants of your class.
It would be like a Catholic priest leading mass wearing a deer skull mask with an inverted pentagram carved into the forehead. Can they do it? Yeah, but they're not really a Catholic priest anymore, are they?
If you just want to play a "Metal Druid" in AL, I present to you the Nature Cleric.
If you pick Circle of the Land you can use Scorpion Armor once you hit 10th level without any problems. Until you hit 10th level and are immune to poison though, it's cursed and isn't safe to wear.
Nice thinking! Unfortunately, Druids do not have proficiency with heavy armor naturally. You absolutely could use that on a Druid if you acquire proficiency via multi-classing or a feat.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
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I mainly play Adventurers league and for the upcoming season 9, I was going to start over with a druid. With my starting armor (leather) and Dex score of 14, my AC will be 13 and 15 with my shield. (I plan on raising my wisdom to 20, take the tough feat, and then boost my con score to 18).
Currently STR 8, DEX 14, CON 14, WIS 16, INT 10, CHAR 12. But I might change it to Dex 13 and Con 15.
Once I hit T2 I can invest in some +2 breastplate armor, because it is medium armor (which druids are proficient in). If the item purchase with treasure points stays the same, I should be able to flavor it how I want since it is not an item I found in-game (and adjusted), but something I created for my character by earning/spending treasure points.
In summary, a +2 breastplate armor made of whalebone, coral, and shells. This should bypass the rule that druids can't wear metal and boost my AC. I asked my main AL DM if this was doable, and he said he would allow it. (Because I would be spending hours earning the points for it, and then actually buying it at T2). However, he said that other DMs might not allow me to wear the armor.
What I want to know from AL DMs is how many would allow me to buy this armor and then use it?
Cactus
The thing about AL is that the rules are restricted to RAW for a reason: portability, simplicity, and consistency. If you have an AL legal character, you do not need to worry about what different DMs will allow. Conversely, if you need to worry about what other DMs will allow, then you don't have an AL legal character.
Onto the specific, a Breastplate is made from metal. This is how it is in AL. Full stop.
The only wearable equipment that explicitly allows you to choose between metal/non-metal is a Shield.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
"Breastplate. This armor consists of a fitted metal chest piece worn with supple leather."
"Light armor, medium armor, shields (druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal)"
The short answer is NO. There are no AL DMs I am aware of who would allow this to fly. RAW the druid will not wear metal armor. DMs in home games are free to make exceptions since mechanically druids are proficient with medium armor and thus in 5e it would not negatively affect their spell casting ability. However, AL isn't a home game and DMs aren't free to revise the rules. Druids will not wear metal armor is the rule.
If you purchase a magical version of mundane armor it is made of the same materials as the mundane version. It is not mithril, adamantine, wood, shell, bone, stone or something else unless the rules specifically indicate otherwise. All of these unusual materials have in game mechanical effects (even if that effect is simply to make the armor wearable by a druid).
There is some druid friendly medium armor in some AL modules made of stone, wood, shell, crystal or other materials. There are not very many modules but they are specific magic item drops. These can be unlocked by playing the specific module and then can be purchased for TCP.
(e.g. DDAL05-13: +1 wooden scale armor)
If you pick Circle of the Land you can use Scorpion Armor once you hit 10th level without any problems. Until you hit 10th level and are immune to poison though, it's cursed and isn't safe to wear.
Professional computer geek
According to Sage Advice Druids can wear metal armor in 5th edition, it’s just a taboo among Druid circles. If you want to flavor your armor as whale bone go for it! Other than it still being vulnerable to heat metal it can look like whatever you’d like as long as it doesn’t change the functionality.
Sage Advice says this:
“Druids have a taboo against wearing metal armor and wielding a metal shield. The taboo has been part of the class’s story since the class first appeared in Eldritch Wizardry (1976) and the original Player’s Handbook (1978). The idea is that druids prefer to be protected by animal skins, wood, and other natural materials that aren’t the worked metal that is associated with civilization. Druids don’t lack the ability to wear metal armor. They choose not to wear it. This choice is part of their identity as a mystical order. Think of it in these terms: a vegetarian can eat meat, but the vegetarian chooses not to.
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.”
so they specifically addressed your issue, you’ve come across breastplate made of a material other than metal so you “might” wear it. Even if it was metal you’d be able to wear it but would need a pretty hefty story reason for breaking taboo.
That said, In AL DMs can pick and choose their Sage Advice rulings so it will depend on what DM you get, but you do have a good argument for wearing it.
Learning is power, power corrupts, study hard be Evil.
I would think the crux of the matter would be how the pieces are actually connected together, and if the amalgamation of materials would actually provide comparable protection to the armor it is replacing. Corals and seashells aren't exactly durable materials, and can easily be shattered in a wide variety of ways. Whale bone would be quite a bit more durable to any individual bash or slash, but it would absolutely wear down faster than forged metal. And all 3 materials would be vulnerable to the effects of, say, Shatter were you inside it's AoE. And what's holding it all together? Were holes cut into the pieces, so cords of dried seaweed could be woven through them?
I do agree that it makes sense logically to do what you want, but also logically it would come with a set of drawbacks you'd need to live with and/or find a way to offset. And all of that sort of thing is going to be at the mercy of your DM for what they might impose and how they'd go about implementing it.
Shatter Specifies that it only affects objects that are not being worn or carried so they wouldn't have to worry about that.
Learning is power, power corrupts, study hard be Evil.
If you're going to quote Sage Advice, rather than "cherry-picking", please quote the entire post.
The bolded section is what matters in establishing the context. Jeremy is NOT making a rules judgement here. Jeremy is referring to NON-AL. DMs in AL do not have the luxury of interpreting or altering rules. RAW/official errata or bust.
Nowhere has he said that "Druids can't/won't use metal armor/weapons" is not a rule. It IS a rule. All that he is saying is that, in a home game, a DM has leeway in enforcing it.
A Druid will not use metal weapons or armor. It is not that they are physically incapable of using metal... they can, but they won't be Druids anymore. It's a taboo of their circle, deity, patron, etc., and whatever source their power comes from is going to cut them off. You might be able to get away with picking up a metal weapon in the midst of combat as a desperate gambit, but using metal armor inherently means that you have made a conscious decision to break the tenants of your class.
It would be like a Catholic priest leading mass wearing a deer skull mask with an inverted pentagram carved into the forehead. Can they do it? Yeah, but they're not really a Catholic priest anymore, are they?
If you just want to play a "Metal Druid" in AL, I present to you the Nature Cleric.
Nice thinking! Unfortunately, Druids do not have proficiency with heavy armor naturally. You absolutely could use that on a Druid if you acquire proficiency via multi-classing or a feat.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.