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So you've got an arcane caster that is proficient with and can cast in light armor without arcane spell failure. A bard or a summoner, say.
The caster picks up a Mithral breastplate. Since it counts as light armor for everything but proficiency, does he incur ASF%?
As worded, there doesn't seem to be a connection between the armor proficiency and the casting without spell failure in these classes. For example, if the character picks up Medium Armor proficiency, this doesn't automatically grant him the ability to cast in Medium Armor without rolling his ASF percentage. Which is part of why there's an arcane armor feat.
"Like any other arcane spellcaster, a summoner wearing medium or heavy armor, or using a shield, incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component."
Nowhere in there is an asterisk that says that proficiency with Medium armor will take away the ASF.
So this points to the ASF loophole being somewhat irrelevant to the proficiency. Where does that leave our Mithral Breast Plated Bard, then? Or the Mithral Scale Mailed Summoner? If the armor they're wearing "counts as light", then do they incur no ASF penalty, or is it just 10% less?
The answer is also relevant to the survivability of a Magus as he levels.
Personally my feeling is that the caster does still incur the ASF penalty, but this is purely a RAI feeling, and the rules as written don't necessarily support this gut feeling.
It counts as light armor. Mithral medium armor counts as light armor for every case except proficiency.
As long as you are proficient in medium armor you should be able to cast in medium mithral armor. A ranger can wear mithral full plate and still use his combat style as long as he is proficient in heavy armor so the same should apply here.
Ironically enough, being an Arcane Duelist Bard allows you to become proficient with medium armor and not incur ASF% from Medium Armor, as well as any shields (which is what the base Bard grants anyway), and later on you can also use Heavy Armor (and I believe Tower Shields as well). But that is situational and explicitly stated...
Honestly? Let's take a look at the RAW regarding Mithral...
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).
(Emphasis Mine)
Looking at the 2 bolded parts, the only thing it denotes is that for Movement and other limitations, it is treated as if it were 1 category lighter. Since ASF% removal would most likely fall under the category of "Other Limitations," it's safe to say that the ASF% acquired from a Mithral Medium armor would be negated. Chances are, that's how it would function.
However, remember that this has a drawback, in that to use Mithral equipment without penalty, you must have proficiency with using that piece of equipment normally, otherwise you incur the penalties it lists (and perhaps then some), so unless you have Medium Armor Proficiency, using Medium Mithral equipment may significantly reduce your other areas that you might not want cut down.
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Ironically enough, being an Arcane Duelist Bard allows you to become proficient with medium armor and not incur ASF% from Medium Armor, as well as any shields (which is what the base Bard grants anyway), and later on you can also use Heavy Armor (and I believe Tower Shields as well). But that is situational and explicitly stated...
Honestly? Let's take a look at the RAW regarding Mithral...
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).(Emphasis Mine)
Looking at the 2 bolded parts, the only thing it denotes is that for Movement and other limitations, it is treated as if it were 1 category lighter. Since ASF% removal would most likely fall under the category of "Other Limitations," it's safe to say that the ASF% acquired from a Mithral Medium armor would be negated. Chances are, that's how it would function.
However, remember that this has a drawback, in that to use Mithral equipment without penalty, you must have proficiency with using that piece of equipment normally, otherwise you incur the penalties it lists (and perhaps then some), so unless you have Medium Armor Proficiency, using Medium Mithral equipment may significantly reduce your other areas that you might not want cut down.
Actually what it says is: "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."
Note that spellcasting is not affected, because you are still wearing what is considered light armor in that regard. The only penalty they suffer for being non-prof. would be the penalties to attack and skill checks, even if they don't have medium armor prof. They still wouldn't incur any ASF in Medium Mithral armor.
...Ironically enough, being an Arcane Duelist Bard allows you to become proficient with medium armor and not incur ASF% from Medium Armor, as well as any shields (which is what the base Bard grants anyway), and later on you can also use Heavy Armor (and I believe Tower Shields as well). But that is situational and explicitly stated...
Honestly? Let's take a look at the RAW regarding Mithral...
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).(Emphasis Mine)
Looking at the 2 bolded parts, the only thing it denotes is that for Movement and other limitations, it is treated as if it were 1 category lighter. Since ASF% removal would most likely fall under the category of "Other Limitations," it's safe to say that the ASF% acquired from a Mithral Medium armor would be negated. Chances are, that's how it would function.
However, remember that this has a drawback, in that to use Mithral equipment without penalty, you must have proficiency with using that piece of equipment normally, otherwise you incur the penalties it lists (and perhaps then some), so unless you have Medium Armor Proficiency, using Medium Mithral equipment may significantly reduce your other areas that you might not want
Doesn't somatic spellcasting involve movement?
@ Winterwalker: Yes, which is why I stated that the character should have a proficiency feat anyway, unless they don't mind having to cut down on other areas. Ironically enough, if the ACP is low enough (at 0), there is no penalty to be had. I made no mention of ASF with the penalties, as there was none written regarding that.
@ joeyfixit: I read the section regarding somatic components, and it only says you need to have a hand free to cast the spell.
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@ Winterwalker: Yes, which is why I stated that the character should have a proficiency feat anyway, unless they don't mind having to cut down on other areas. Ironically enough, if the ACP is low enough (at 0), there is no penalty to be had. I made no mention of ASF with the penalties, as there was none written regarding that.
@ joeyfixit: I read the section regarding somatic components, and it only says you need to have a hand free to cast the spell.
Right on.
A bard can cast just fine in mithral breastplate.