Mielikki druids and metal

[mythosfakir]

I remember reading somewhere that Mielikki's druids are allowed to use some metal items. I'd like to know if this is true, what the items are, and if possible I'd like a link to that and any other information on her, please.

Thanks!

[Munroe]

May 26, 2010 21:25:39 GMT -5 mythosfakir said:

I remember reading somewhere that Mielikki's druids are allowed to use some metal items. I'd like to know if this is true, what the items are, and if possible I'd like a link to that and any other information on her, please.

Thanks!

As Mielikki is the patron goddess of rangers, Druids of Mielikki may use any items that rangers normally use.

From FRCS, page 23:

Mielikki, who is famous for the number of druid/rangers who worship her, has more lenient spiritual oaths than most deities that druids worship in the Realms. Druids of Mielikki can use any of the standard armor or weapons that rangers normally use (all simple and martial weapons, all light and medium armor, and all shields) without violating their spiritual oaths.

Note that this does not allow druids of Mielikki to wear metal heavy armors since rangers are not automatically proficient with heavy armors.

[mythosfakir]

Wow, you guys are quick.

[The Flying Ve]

In PnP, the equivalent of full plate, etc., can be made from non-metal materials. How does this translate to FRC?

[EDM Neo]

There are a couple suits of medium and heavy armor made from druid-friendly materials on the server... I think that it's expected for you to get DM approval on a case by case basis before roleplaying yourself as acquiring anything else made of something besides metal.

From frc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=dmqa&action=display&thread=8702

Apr 5, 2009 20:16:43 GMT -5 EDM Neo said:

Well, hey, better then nothing. Thanks for the update.

Just while I'm posting anyway... I've heard conflicting opinions on this as well, so, might as well add it: does the DM team consider it acceptable for druids to use armor that would normally be restricted to them because it's described as being made of metal, if they roleplay it being made from another material?

For example, if a druid were to pretend their magic helm was made of ironwood (if in the shape of a helm) or cloth (if crafted as a hood), or that the studs on their studded leather were made of bone, or if their breastplate was crafted of bone or ironwood instead of metal.

Not really a huge deal, so sorry to add more to your plates... it'd be nice to have a ruling, but no hurry on it.

Thanks for your time.

Apr 18, 2009 15:54:44 GMT -5 Munroe said:

Druids only suffer a penalty for wearing metal armor, not for using weapons that do not appear on the druid weapons list.

If a druid is proficient with other weapons, the druid may use them.

Druids on FRC do not gain the One Thousand Faces class feature from D&D.

Unless a helm specifies in its name or description the type of material it is made from, you can roleplay it however.

Adamantine helms, for example, should always be treated as containing adamantine. (That means adamantine helms crafted to look like hoods should still be rp'd as having metal in them as well.)

Apr 18, 2009 17:19:01 GMT -5 EDM Neo said:

Thanks for the response. Good to know about the weapons, too bad about no thousand faces, but I can live with that.

Does the ruling about helms extend to armors? For example, roleplaying that a breastplate was made of bone or ironwood instead of metal.

Apr 22, 2009 20:30:31 GMT -5 Munroe said:

Apr 18, 2009 17:19:01 GMT -5 EDM Neo said:

Thanks for the response. Good to know about the weapons, too bad about no thousand faces, but I can live with that.

Does the ruling about helms extend to armors? For example, roleplaying that a breastplate was made of bone or ironwood instead of metal.

No, it doesn't extend to armors. A medium or heavy armor should be considered metal unless it specifies otherwise. If it says it is made of bone or dragon scales, or ironwood or something along those lines, then it isn't metal but medium or heavy armors should be treated as if their default material is metal.

Light armors may be considered non-metal unless they specify otherwise, even studded leather armor, as the studs could be made of something other than metal. Note that in NWN, chainshirts are medium armor, not light armor.

Shields and helmets can be treated as other materials unless they specify that they're metal in their names or descriptions. Most shields would be wooden with metal on them rather than being solid metal anyway, because if they were solid metal, they would be too heavy to lift.

Edit: Yes, D&D has both wooden and steel shields so both are possible and I'm not saying all shields have to be wooden. Just saying you can assume they are unless their name or description says otherwise. If you prefer steel, you can assume that instead, but if you're a druid, you'll want the wooden variety.

I would encourage crafting a shield so it doesn't look explicitly metal (ie shiny and metallic) if it's supposed to be wooden, but that's just a recommendation for an experience of immersion.

[The Supreme Watcher]

Would a druid be able to wear glassteel armor, since it's, you know, not metal?

[cambo]

Had to think about that one, because I remember learning that metallurgy was a sort of engineering so even though it had the word 'metal' in it I thought there might have been a chance that the word only dealt with the science of the creation rather than the actual creation.

As it turns out Leucrotta is correct, as metallurgy is explicitly defined as:

"the technique or science of working or heating metals so as to give them certain desired shapes or properties."

the second definition is

"the technique or science of making and compounding alloys."

So there you have it. Without a doubt. Metallurgy includes metals and alloys (which have metals in them, if not completely composed of metals).

[soulfien]

also dragonscale has metal in it also... I can't see it as being wholely dragonscale since it really has identical properties of masterwork metal.

I've always considered it adamantine armour with a touch of dragonscale for some elemental resistance component.

[webscav]

Just as aside, the weapons that druid use are still restricted. Shouldn't things like wooden katanas be a no-no?

[EDM Neo]

Druid weaponry isn't limited in the same way their armor is.

They can use non-druidic weapons without penalty if they gain the proficiencies through multiclassing.

[soulfien]

Yep.. so steel double bladed dire swords are an option if they so desire.