Is a Mithrail breastplate counted as Medium armour for trait purposes?

[Legoman]

Hey, sorry if this is an old question but if ya have a character with a Mithrail breastplate do you qualify for Defender of the Society trait?
Mithrail makes it lighter ....but it's still a medium armour ...no? Yes?

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

It should. It's still medium armor, despite it's weight.

[niteowl24]

Making armor out of mithril does not change its type. All it does is reduce the weight, check penalty, and arcane spell failure, and increase the maximum dexterity to AC bonus. It is also treated as one category less for movement (heavy is treated as medium, medium is treated as light, light is unaffected).

This does not change its type for any other purpose, including proficiency.

A mithril breastplate is still medium armor.

[Chess Pwn]

The FAQ clarified that, basically, it only changes for class abilities and movement. It doesn't change for things that specify a type of armor.

[Legoman]

Thank you very much.

Squeezing 1 extra AC out of nowhere is quite a ...feat.
(Sorry. Couldn't resist the pun.)
Fanx again.

[Torbyne]

Legoman wrote:

Thank you very much.

Squeezing 1 extra AC out of nowhere is quite a ...feat.
(Sorry. Couldn't resist the pun.)
Fanx again.

Its not a feat though, its a trait...

[Legoman]

Aye, tis no small feat ;)

[xevious573]

It quite literally is a feat actually (Dodge).

[Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan]

xevious573 wrote:

It quite literally is a feat actually (Dodge).

Shield Focus

Improved Natural Armor

[Bigby FrostFire]

Well..If a Rouge can use Evasion in a Mithrail breast plate I wouldn't see why it would stop a trait.

[Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan]

Bigby FrostFire wrote:

Well..If a Rouge can use Evasion in a Mithrail breast plate I wouldn't see why it would stop a trait.

"Rogue"

"Mithral"

[DeathQuaker]

Bigby FrostFire wrote:

Well..If a Rouge can use Evasion in a Mithrail breast plate I wouldn't see why it would stop a trait.

Most people interpret the rules as a rogue being able to use evasion in mithral armor, but it depends on how flexible your GM is in interpreting the "other limitations" clause in the description of mithral. It might not be popular, but personally, I wouldn't allow it. Especially if the rogue didn't have mithral armor proficiency, which by default it does not (it would be bizarre if the rogue were hindered by its armor class penalty to all Str and Dex checks but could still dodge fireballs without hindrance).

[bbangerter]

DeathQuaker wrote:

Bigby FrostFire wrote:

Well..If a Rouge can use Evasion in a Mithrail breast plate I wouldn't see why it would stop a trait.

Most people interpret the rules as a rogue being able to use evasion in mithral armor, but it depends on how flexible your GM is in interpreting the "other limitations" clause in the description of mithral. It might not be popular, but personally, I wouldn't allow it. Especially if the rogue didn't have mithral armor proficiency, which by default it does not (it would be bizarre if the rogue were hindered by its armor class penalty to all Str and Dex checks but could still dodge fireballs without hindrance).

There is no 'mithral armor proficieny', only light, medium, heavy proficiency.

Armor check penalties apply to str/dex based skill checks regardless of proficiency or not. Without proficiency it also applies to attack rolls and str/dex ability checks.

Mithral specifically reduces the armor check penalty, very much like wearing a lower category of armor would do.

So while you are free to not allow it to work with evasion if you want, your reasons for doing so (based on ACP, or max dex bonus) are lacking.

[Chess Pwn]

Guys, they literally made a FAQ answering this.

[Charon's Little Helper]

Chess Pwn wrote:

Guys, they literally made a FAQ answering this.

Right - but the trait is a character ability.

[Chess Pwn]

no the trait does work, since you are wearing medium armor, "It does not change the armor’s actual category". The FAQ clarifies that medium armor is medium armor for things that aren't class based and the lighter category is used for class abilities that are limited by armor classification.

[Avoron]

Chess Pwn wrote:

The FAQ clarifies that medium armor is medium armor for things that aren't class based and the lighter category is used for class abilities that are limited by armor classification.

No, it doesn't.

FAQ wrote:

This means that mithral armor allows its wearer to use it when her own class features or special abilities demand her to wear lighter armor; in other words, the character wearing the armor is less limited. For example, a bard can cast spells in mithral breastplate without arcane spell failure, a barbarian can use her fast movement in mithral fullplate, a ranger can use his combat style in mithral fullplate, brawlers, swashbucklers, and gunslingers can keep their nimble bonus in mithral breastplate, rogues keep evasion in mithral breastplate, a brawler can flurry in mithral breastplate, characters without Endurance can sleep in mithral breastplate without becoming fatigued, and so on.

The wearer is less limited by the armor, and they can treat it as light armor for the purpose of all limitations that the armor would otherwise give them, regardless of whether they come from classes. The only thing this doesn't work for is magic item properties and the like that are attached to the armor itself, independently of the creature wearing it.

The trait still does work, but for a very different reason than you are suggesting. The properties of mithral allow characters to treat it as lighter; it doesn't force them to.