Hi guys,
I am playing with a Druid of low level, and I am thinking to craft a full plate made of wood.
My DM told me that to craft this kind of armor is not possible, and in fact there is no rule to allow me to do that.
Beside the rule that could be deduced of transmute metal to wood, are there other rules that could support me?
Thanks
Hi guys,
I am playing with a Druid of low level, and I am thinking to craft a full plate made of wood.
My DM told me that to craft this kind of armor is not possible, and in fact there is no rule to allow me to do that.
Beside the rule that could be deduced of transmute metal to wood, are there other rules that could support me?
Thanks
If you read through the descriptions of the existing effects that do produce wooden armor (such as ironwood), you'll see that the reasoning behind why this is impossible is not so much that you couldn't produce wooden plate armor, but that such armor would not be effective protection (IE, lacking the hardness and durability of steel, its not worth it). This is why wooden armor is effective under the efects of Ironwood, but when the spell ends, it is not; its not that it suddenly ceased to be wooden armor, its that it ceased to be effective as armor.
Now, you can use Ironwood and wood shape to achieve this sort of thing, but its only temporary; Ironwood is not a permanent effect, and does wear off. A high level druid can get around this by recasting the spell every so often, not so at lower levels.
If you DM is going strictly by the book, the explicit cost of Dragonhide armors are not so bad; just hope he doesn't consider the implied danger of obtaining materials for a suit of dragonhide full plate when you tell him you want to buy some for a mere 3600 gp.
Stoneplate armor.
There's the wooden armor in the APG
Wooden Armor: This suit of leather armor has plates
of fire-treated wood sewn over vital areas. Though not as
effective as metal armor, it offers better protection than
leather alone. Unlike metal armor, the wood is slightly
buoyant, and the armor check penalty for swimming in
this armor is 0.
Use that and go from there
This question was broached previously with Darkwood.
Darkwood Full Platemail would be fully superior to Dragonhide Platemail; it weighs less, AND it's less expensive. The chief property of Dragonhide is that Druids can wear armor made with it (going so far as to explicitly point that out in the text, which darkwood has no such sentence). The energy resistance discount is essentially an afterthought.
When items include metal, they either cannot be made of darkwood, or they receive no special advantage from it. So you're left with the book telling you that: Either full platemail can't be made of darkwood, or that darkwood full platemail weighs just as much as platemail. Not being able to makes most sense, since 'receiving no benefit' applies best to items that are both wood and metal, like a mace with wooden grip.
So if platemail could not be darkwood, why not wood? Because they both aren't metal. Neither of them are supernaturally strong. They do not deflect blows like metal, and they just can't stand up to the axe-blows metal could. Perhaps you could make something that's Platemail-shaped, but you can't seriously ask for the same AC bonus in the same sentence.
In summary, Dragonhide is only a little more expensive. Its chief purpose is for druids to wear it. I would recommend either putting forth the little-extra gold to get Dragonhide armor, or make a questionably-useful set of wooden platemail and cast Ironwood on it as necessary. After all, it won't be long before you've got +4 Natural armor bonuses, made even stronger by the ability to cast +X natural enhancement bonuses on yourself, and you get your Wild enchantment ...
Never understood why ironwood can't just be made permanent. That seems like such an obvious candidate.
Never understood why ironwood can't just be made permanent. That seems like such an obvious candidate.
Second
Never understood why ironwood can't just be made permanent. That seems like such an obvious candidate.Second
Third.
So if platemail could not be darkwood, why not wood? Because they both aren't metal. Neither of them are supernaturally strong. They do not deflect blows like metal, and they just can't stand up to the axe-blows metal could. Perhaps you could make something that's Platemail-shaped, but you can't seriously ask for the same AC bonus in the same sentence.
Well,
I slightly disagree with you because, Why a Wooden Shield can deflect blows, stop a axe and more just like metal shield and a wooden armor can't?
I know that a wooden armor seem a bit odd, but for example you could make bone armor (same hardness) just taking a -1AC and fragile quality
And of course It's evident that wooden armors don't protect the wearer as good as metal armors, for that reason I think that is fair to put a -2AC and fragile quality to wooden armors (like is written in metal to wood spell)
...I slightly disagree with you because, Why a Wooden Shield can deflect blows, stop a axe and more just like metal shield and a wooden armor can't?
I know that a wooden armor seem a bit odd, but for example you could make bone armor (same hardness) just taking a -1AC and fragile quality
And of course It's evident that wooden armors don't protect the wearer as good as metal armors, for that reason I think that is fair to put a -2AC and fragile quality to wooden armors (like is written in metal to wood spell)
I would allow a wood armor that covers you completely like full plate. I would prob only give it and AC of +5, ACP of -9, ASF 40%, weight of 35 lbs.
I might adjust those up or down a bit, but in that ballpark. (I also think bone that is not magically treated should have a much bigger penalty than just a -1.)
Third.Never understood why ironwood can't just be made permanent. That seems like such an obvious candidate.Second
Motion has passed. All in favor say 'aye.'
*blink*
So, while yes, the armor and weapon made by wood, would be inferer to metal. I see no reason, why anything that is made of metal, could not also be made of wood.
As long as you are willing to keep track, of the extra bookkeeping, for your wood weapons and armor.
Reference from Transmute metal to wood spell
Weapons converted from metal to wood take a -2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. The armor bonus of any armor converted from metal to wood is reduced by 2. Weapons changed by this spell splinter and break on any natural attack roll of 1 or 2, and armor changed by this spell loses an additional point of armor bonus every time it is struck with a natural attack roll of 19 or 20.
Why a Wooden Shield can deflect blows, stop a axe and more just like metal shield and a wooden armor can't?
It can’t. Having been a SCA heavy weapons fighter, wood by itself is pretty well useless. By a ‘wood” shield they mean a iron bound laminated or ply wood, with a thick layer of leather.
Wood just isn’t armor material. There’s leather and hide, why not wear one of those?
Unless your a Druid, who can not wear metal.
Then the time and resources to make wood armor/weapons (or bone armor/weapons), make more since.
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Oux, i could not find any reference on Bone armor at all in 3rd or even in 2nd ed books.
If i had to guess (homebrew it) (or DM it myself), i would do bone armor like wood with the following changes
Bone Weapon: -1 penalty on attack and damage rolls, and splinter, break on any natural attack roll of 1 or 2. Bone weapon make for better weapon than wood.
Bone Armor: Is reduced by -2 AC, loses an additional -2 AC point's of armor bonus every time it is struck with a natural attack roll of 19 or 20. Bone armor is more brittle than wood, so loses more AC when hit.
There is a Wooden Armor in the APG, and again in the UE books. It's not the stat cheese that everyone may want here, but it is viable.
There is a Wooden Armor in the APG, and again in the UE books. It's not the stat cheese that everyone may want here, but it is viable.
True, but that is like saying: Splint mail, banded mail, half-plate, and Full plate are all made of Metal... So they should all use one AC number.
Also, Padded, leather, and Hide, are made from animal skins.... so should also all use one AC number.
I consider the wooden armor in APG, to be one type of armor, made of wood (burnt to harden it), that can act as a life vest.
.............
Like talking about wood & bone type, because as a druid. I want to use those type sometimes... even if they have a penalty to hit/damage/ac. I also like the breakage rules for them.
Also, a druid would still have to invest a Feat into Heavy armor proficiency, to use the "wood" armor based on metal. Or suffer, armor check penalty to attack rolls and to all skill checks that involve moving.
I'm with leo1925, go with Stoneplate.
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Darkwood is capable of being fashioned into shields, without any reduction in AC value, so it wouldn't be totally crazy to suggest that it could be crafted into a breastplate, or similar armor piece.
Even choosing to reduce the armor bonus by 1 or 2, would still make a darkwood breastplate a very good armor option for a druid.
In summary, Dragonhide is only a little more expensive. Its chief purpose is for druids to wear it. I would recommend either putting forth the little-extra gold to get Dragonhide armor, or make a questionably-useful set of wooden platemail and cast Ironwood on it as necessary. After all, it won't be long before you've got +4 Natural armor bonuses, made even stronger by the ability to cast +X natural enhancement bonuses on yourself, and you get your Wild enchantment ...
I think the simplest answer lies here....
There is a mechanic presently available for druids to wear heavy armor, dragon hide.
Make a Lacquered Wooden full plate armor that is statistically identical to Dragonhide full plate including price. You allow a druid his wooden battle suit, everything stays balanced for game functions, and the druid can avoid the potentially touchy subject of wearing the skin of an intelligent creature.