Tradition and flavor, that is all. If you want 'metal armor' use dragonscale. With the heavy armor feat they can wear dragonscale fullplate.
- Gauss
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Old Celtic tradition: Iron blocks magic.
Holding Iron in your hand is one thing. Wearing a complete suit of metal around you would cut you off from nature and nature's magic.
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Old Celtic tradition: Iron blocks magic.
Holding Iron in your hand is one thing. Wearing a complete suit of metal around you would cut you off from nature and nature's magic.
Oh, that's kind of neat. That makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing.
I always thought it was weird that it was more objectionable to mine for ore to make metal than to rip the flesh off a majestic creature like a dragon and wear it as armor. :P
Old Celtic tradition: Iron blocks magic.
Holding Iron in your hand is one thing. Wearing a complete suit of metal around you would cut you off from nature and nature's magic.
Didn't iron also affect fey in such myths, which led to the whole DR/Cold Iron thing?
Didn't iron also affect fey in such myths, which led to the whole DR/Cold Iron thing?Old Celtic tradition: Iron blocks magic.
Holding Iron in your hand is one thing. Wearing a complete suit of metal around you would cut you off from nature and nature's magic.
Yes.
I think there was also a metal druid alternate class in a Paizo Dragon magazine during 3.5. I wouldn't be surprised to see such an archetype down the line in Pathfinder.
Metal isn't everything to the dwarven druid.
Shields are not forbidden. Druids may use wooden shields.
- Gauss
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Old Celtic tradition: Iron blocks magic.
Holding Iron in your hand is one thing. Wearing a complete suit of metal around you would cut you off from nature and nature's magic.
Why are shields forbidden then?
This is also making me wonder how dwarves acquired druidic powers. I've always been under the impression that metal is everything to Dwarves, what about Druidism could possibly appeal to them?
The Earth, Stone, Gems, power drawn from the very earth from whence their kin came from maybe. Not that Ive ever envisioned drudic faiths as real common among most tradition minded dwarven folk.
This is also making me wonder how dwarves acquired druidic powers. I've always been under the impression that metal is everything to Dwarves, what about Druidism could possibly appeal to them?
A dwarven druid has to seem like an odd duck to the rest of the dwarven community.
So many dwarves seem to have taken up druidism because they have the best stats for it. (+2 to the two stats they need most and -2 to the stat they need for only 1 skill) Its probably not indicative of the dwarven community as a whole.
Because clearly metal does not appear in nature
Worked metal isn't. In nature you find the ore. It also plays on the idea that civilization is opposed to nature.
The 1st edition AD&D Players Handbook says:
The more powerful druidic spells, as well as their wider
range of weaponry, make up for the fact that druids are unable to use any
armor or shields other than leather armor and wooden shields (metallic
armor spoils their magical powers).
So it should probably be taken as "large amount of metal somehow interferes with the druids magic".
Scimitars, and other weapons, don't have near as much metal as armor does. So any interference would be minor, and easily worked around.
I would. I think it takes more to make an interesting AND appropriate archetype than just removing a class restriction. If removing a class restriction is going to be a foundation for an archetype, that means a hefty price needs to be paid elsewhere.Didn't iron also affect fey in such myths, which led to the whole DR/Cold Iron thing?Old Celtic tradition: Iron blocks magic.
Holding Iron in your hand is one thing. Wearing a complete suit of metal around you would cut you off from nature and nature's magic.
Yes.
I think there was also a metal druid alternate class in a Paizo Dragon magazine during 3.5. I wouldn't be surprised to see such an archetype down the line in Pathfinder.
IIRC correctly it was more than that. It was a druid focused on the Element of Metal gaining metal form powers and such instead of wyld shaping and terrain movement. Might really be more appropriate as a cleric archetype though even if it is called a metal druid.
Shields are not forbidden. Druids may use wooden shields.
- Gauss
I think the person who asked why shields were forbidden was asking why metal shields were forbidden, if the explanation that wearing a suit of metal armor cuts off your natural magic.
I remember hearing that the explanation in 1e for Druids being able to use (metal) sickles and scimitars is because they are shaped like the crescent moon (which I guess makes them "nature"y enough for a Druid to wield.)
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Druidic problems with "metal" are an abstraction of the idea that "nature magic" is ineffective against iron and steel.
If you trace this back to its origins, it almost certainly is a consequence of the huge superiority of well-worked iron and actual steel against prior forms of metal arms and armor.
A properly worked iron (or steel) sword can cut a bronze sword in half. It can shred bronze or boiled leather shields or armor. And it can do so without taking much damage itself.
Whether the "legend" comes from those who were on the receiving end of the disparity in technology ("OMG! None of our wards are working!") or if it came from those on the side using iron/steel weapons ("Wow, this is so easy it must be magic!") isn't really material in the long run. The bottom line is that the whole "cold iron" thing was a consequence of the clash of cultures where one side had at least some clearly superior weapons technology.
A similar situation occurred in the New World when bows and spears went up against guns.
It really boils down to Arthur C. Clarke's famous observation that superior technology beyond our understanding is indistinguishable from magic. That "magical" explanation simply became integral to the legends that came from those times.
This is also almost certainly where the mythology of "magic swords" came from. Steel and properly worked iron swords are so superior to bronze and poorly worked iron that they do, in fact, appear to be magical.
Well, classical fae were considered to be beings of the spiritual world, that they were not native to our world (a tradition that the game continues). Metal, particularly iron, was considered to be concentrated earth, due to it's weight, hardness, and durability. Hence, iron was believed to contain the concentrated power of this world, which the fae couldn't stand.
Trick to it though is that the metal had to be cold forged, otherwise the inclusion of elemental fire would contaminate the pure earth, and lessen it's power.
Just be glad you don't need mistletoe cut under the light of a full moon by a gold or silver sickle in order to cast spells properly :PLol. Those were the days... =P
They certainly were. I had forgotten about the mistletoe requirement. Good times. Good times.
Think dwarf druid would be welcome as tender of there community, especially those that focused on Earth, Plants, water, and fire.