DM Darkness |
One of my players has DR/silver, and another will have it shortly due to taking the Vampire feat chain from WotW.
There is some enthusiastic forward planning going on, and both these characters are planning to take mithral armour. Mithral counts as silver for purposes of bypassing DR.
My first instinct was that this is extreme munchkin, but there's no RAW that I can find which prohibits it; is anyone aware of any rulings on this?
Purplefixer |
Wearing a coating of silver doesn't prevent someone else's silver weapons from harming you.
5/Silver means you ignore the first five points of damage from each weapon attack that strikes you, unless the damage is dealt with a weapon made of silver. Alchemical silver weapons have a -1 damage penalty, mithril weapons do not.
This doesn't protect you in any way from fire, ice, lightning, or similar elemental attacks. Also be aware that a +3 or higher magical weapon defeats cold-iron/silver DRs.
DM Darkness |
Thanks for the replies: within Pathfinder it seems that called devils hate the presence of silver to the extent that they regard the silver in the circle against evil as a potential threat (see here) even though they don't come into direct contact with it, so I was wondering if there is a rule that I've missed. It seems not. Interesting.
In the old D&D, the werewolf hunters of Glantri (showing my age there) used to test potential lycanthropes by making them hold silver, and I've always played it that it was painful/uncomfortable even for them to touch. If that's not the case in Golarion, it makes for some nice scenarios!
Thanks again
alexd1976 |
You could inform them that contact with their metallic armor would have visible effects... like lightly smoking, leaving cosmetic burns etc...
Whether or not you want to introduce mechanical effects is up to you...
Roleplaying wise, they would probably avoid it, as it is a material that can bypass their damage reduction.
Maybe tell them that any piercing attack that does 10+ damage to them drives shards of their armor into them, counting as silver regardless of original damage type?
Not really a big issue if they want to wear it though, being a vampire is way more game breaking than lighter armor is.
Orfamay Quest |
In the old D&D, the werewolf hunters of Glantri (showing my age there) used to test potential lycanthropes by making them hold silver, and I've always played it that it was painful/uncomfortable even for them to touch.
Meh. Wear a T-shirt under the armor. Real armor is always worn that way -- with an undergarment of some sort. It adds padding, keeps it from chafing and keeps any of the sharp edges from a bad repair job from jabbing into your skin.
Besides, chain mail is COLD!
Basically, you don't want the armor to touch your skin anyway, whether you're a werewolf or not.
alexd1976 |
Though not discussed in detail, pretty much any armor would HAVE to have padding, or else chafe the crap out of you, and pull out any body hair, this is a given.
I'm simply suggesting, if the GM has an issue with the characters wearing armor made out of a material that can bypass their damage reduction, that he can introduce ingame reasons for them to not use it.
Try wearing a sweater plus a coat and have your exposed skin NOT touch any part of the coat. Technically possible, but you walk around all day with your arms sticking out looking like a moron. Ingame mechanics-allowable, real life/roleplay consideration-ridiculous.
I personally don't see any issue with a vampire character wearing Mithril, it's effects are fairly minor compared to what being a vampire grants you.
The original poster considers Mithril armor plus Vampire "extreme munchkin", I'm not sure why.
LazarX |
I imagine the 'problem' is that the GM thinks creatures with DR/silver are 'allergic' to silver and mithral, therefore should not be wearing armor made of such materials?
Or the players may be claiming that wearing mithral armor protects from from silver weapons.
There's justification for the DM's stance. How many fey or demons do you see wearing cold iron armor or wielding cold iron weapons?
Matthew Downie |
Try wearing a sweater plus a coat and have your exposed skin NOT touch any part of the coat. Technically possible, but you walk around all day with your arms sticking out looking like a moron.
Pretty easy if you wear appropriate clothing under your coat. Long gloves, a scarf around your neck, etc.
alexd1976 |
alexd1976 wrote:Try wearing a sweater plus a coat and have your exposed skin NOT touch any part of the coat. Technically possible, but you walk around all day with your arms sticking out looking like a moron.Pretty easy if you wear appropriate clothing under your coat. Long gloves, a scarf around your neck, etc.
No, I mean actually go do it, seriously. Don't have exposed skin touch the outer layer... it isn't easy. Now go get into a fight while trying to maintain that.
Anyway, not relevant.
Back to the original post, I don't think it affects power balance to let them use mithril, but if the OP has an issue with it, he has every right as GM to do something about it. Players who try to control the game by citing rules "It doesn't say I can't do that!" are clearly just trying to optimize... which is okay if the game is being run that way.
Wearing mithril doesn't make them immune to silver or anything, so who cares, really?
Orfamay Quest |
Matthew Downie wrote:No, I mean actually go do it, seriously. Don't have exposed skin touch the outer layer... it isn't easy.alexd1976 wrote:Try wearing a sweater plus a coat and have your exposed skin NOT touch any part of the coat. Technically possible, but you walk around all day with your arms sticking out looking like a moron.Pretty easy if you wear appropriate clothing under your coat. Long gloves, a scarf around your neck, etc.
Long-sleeved hoodie and gloves. Done.
StabbittyDoom |
alexd1976 wrote:Matthew Downie wrote:No, I mean actually go do it, seriously. Don't have exposed skin touch the outer layer... it isn't easy.alexd1976 wrote:Try wearing a sweater plus a coat and have your exposed skin NOT touch any part of the coat. Technically possible, but you walk around all day with your arms sticking out looking like a moron.Pretty easy if you wear appropriate clothing under your coat. Long gloves, a scarf around your neck, etc.Long-sleeved hoodie and gloves. Done.
Don't even need to go that far. Metal armors at breastplate and heavier tend to have layers of leather and padding underneath the metal anyway, so they already don't contact your skin much or at all.
I agree it's weird RP-wise, but only because we're accustomed to the burns-at-a-touch mechanics, which don't exist here.
The Mithral armor is exactly as dangerous to them as normal armor is to a regular person that doesn't have DR. That is to say, not at all. There is no problem here.
Charon's Little Helper |
I've always preferred adamantine anyway... DR 3/- for fullplate, yes please!
It's nice - but it costs nearly double mithril, and if you have the dex, you'll get more mileage out of the extra two AC. (assuming your AC is otherwise decent.) Not to mention all of the potential benefits of the armor being a class lighter. (spellcasting/ranger abilities etc)