Armored Hulk and Mithral Armor

[Optimistic Cynic]

One of the players in my group is planning on running an Armored Hulk. He would like to know if making full plate out of Mithral would call the armor Medium for the purposes of his abilities (especially movement).

Or is the armor still considered Heavy for the purposes of his skills that can only be used when wearing heavy armor?

Thanks for any help you can give!

[Archaeik]

Mithral wrote:

When worked like steel, it becomes a wonderful material from which to create armor, and is occasionally used for other items as well. Most mithral armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. This decrease does not apply to proficiency in wearing the armor. A character wearing mithral full plate must be proficient in wearing heavy armor to avoid adding the armor's check penalty to all his attack rolls and skill checks that involve moving. Spell failure chances for armors and shields made from mithral are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonuses are increased by 2, and armor check penalties are decreased by 3 (to a minimum of 0).

It looks like there's some room for opinion, but I read that it's medium armor for the purposes of any limitation.

So it should probably work fine with Resilience of Steel.

[submit2me]

I agree with Archaeik. Mithral armors are treated as one category lighter, but that doesn't mean it actually changes the armor into the lighter category. Mithral heavy armor is still heavy armor, and you still need heavy armor proficiency to wear it without incurring penalties.

[Captain Sir Hexen Ineptus]

Agreed, you still require heavy armor prof. so it is still classified as heavy.

[Optimistic Cynic]

Thanks!

[Reecy]

Mithral only changes the Category for Class features and skills tell you that you can only be wearing this type of armor. But Cap, submit and Arch are correct type of armor is still heavy you have to know how to wear it.

[Frankthedm]

The only time you get the to use the ability is when you are wearing heavy armor, so that certainly seems like a limitation. So this looks like to me one of the few times mithril isn't a beneficial thing.

[loaba]

He'd need a Full Plate equivalent of Elven Chain.

[Archaeik]

I'm comfortable saying it protects like fullplate, so should get the benefits of heavy armor.
Like I said, I don't think this is set in stone unless there's another place in RAW it's discussed.

As for Elven Chain (or rather making an "Elven Plate"), that armor literally reduces the proficiency required, so it would be medium armor for all intents and purposes (just as elven chain is light)
(It's the same case for Celestial armors)

[Trista1986]

Optimistic Cynic wrote:

One of the players in my group is planning on running an Armored Hulk. He would like to know if making full plate out of Mithral would call the armor Medium for the purposes of his abilities (especially movement).

Or is the armor still considered Heavy for the purposes of his skills that can only be used when wearing heavy armor?

Thanks for any help you can give!

The only Mithril armor that is actually one Proficiency less is the elven chain. It is actually considered light armor, but that is also why it's about 1000 GP more than normal mithril chain.