Dorje Sylas |
As I don't kow your game nor the mental image you are holding of the Wizard in question.
I will point out that any Wizard can take Light Armor Proficiency and Arcane Armor Training to wear actual leather armor without issue... well save spending a Swift action every round.
Another option would be to have Glamered clothing, see armor speical property that is generally used to make armor look like cloths.... Which could be used to make cloths look like armor.
Your current item is far to low cost as it mashes the toes of Padded Armor rather badly.
Remco Sommeling |
1) Houserule:
I allow arcane armor training to be used without spending a swift action, though at the same time I increase the penalty for non-profieciency with armor to increase spellfailure chance and armor check penalty by 10% / 2 for anyone not proficient. This allows a wizard to effectively wear mithral breastplate, though it would require 4 feats for a typical wizard, hardly unbalancing. I am also considering giving any class able to cast in light armor, arcane armor training for free, so it is possible for a bard to wear mithral breastplate and cast freely with two feats investment.
2) Magic/special equipment:
As a standalone armor upgrade, I'd have it cost +18,000 gold and decrease spellfailure by 10%, in 3.5 this ability was named 'twilight' I think, though you might want to rename it since the movies came out.
An improved version would be possible, for decreasing spellfailure chance by 20%, consider a cost of +50,000 gold or so.
You can also introduce a new material, 'enchanted leather' that decreases spellfailure by 10%, at roughly the same cost as upgrading to mithral armor. Basic 'enchanted' leather armor would cost about 1,200 gold maybe and would be considered masterwork leather.
With these additions it will be fairly common to come across arcane casters wearing some kind of armor.
brassbaboon |
Wizards can wear leather armor just fine. They just have to accept the penalties associated with it. My original 1e wizard who played into 2e wore leather armor all the time. Yes, his spells sometimes failed, but they mostly worked. A failed spell isn't much different from a successful save anyway. I have NPC wizards wearing leather armor all the time. They just take the risk of suffering the penalties. For leather armor, it's not a terrible risk.