So, I was wondering what others thought about a summoner wearing mithral breastplate armor. Does the summoner suffer the spell failure chance for wearing it, assuming he takes the medium armor proficiency? Thanks in advance for the advice.
Assuming medium armor proficiency, the mithril breastplate counts as light armor.
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.
I take "other limitations" to include the spellcasting ability of summoners. So yes.
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Summoners actually ignore spell failure for light armor. The text reads as below:
Summoners are proficient with all simple weapons. Summoners are also proficient with light armor. A summoner can cast summoner spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. 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. A multiclass summoner still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Therefore, if the mithril breastplate counts as light, for the purposes of 'other limitations', it would not cause spell failure.
He still needs medium armor proficiency, to wear it effectively, which is, I believe, a change from D&D 3.5.
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You can cast spells in a mithril breastplate as it counts as light armour. If you are not proficient, you have the following problem:
Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he is not proficient takes the armor's (and/or shield's) armor check penalty on attack rolls as well as on all Dexterity- and Strength-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for shields.
A mithril breastplate has a - 1 ACP penalty, but you can take a trait (armor expert) to reduce this to zero. This means you can take just a trait rather than the medium armor proficiency feat.
Alternatively just use Elven Chain from the core rulebook, under magic items.
Elven ChainAura no aura (nonmagical); CL —
Slot armor; Price 5,150 gp; Weight 20 lbs.
DESCRIPTION
This extremely light chainmail is made of very fine mithral links. This armor is treated, in all ways, like light armor, including when determining proficiency. The armor has an arcane spell failure chance of 20%, a maximum Dexterity bonus of +4, and an armor check penalty of –2.
Since it is light armour, summoners ignore the arcane spell failure chance.
Also you might like a mithril buckler, as it has 0 ACP and 0% arcane failure chance, so you can use it without penalties even if you are not proficient.
Wow!
I did not know this.
I was planning on going mithril anyway for my ride checks on my Cav1/Sum3...
This totally seals the deal.