Thus a Druid would rather avoid metalwork and commune with the nature that provides them with purpose and power. Mining carves out mountains of its precious resources meteorites shred the landscape and ruin natural habitats gold is a testament to the greediness of and environmental havoc by humanoids. As “extensions of nature’s indomitable will,” Druids are an “embodiment of nature’s resilience, cunning, and fury.” Believing in the power of balance to preserve nature, these agrarian sentries possess an apparent unity with the forces of the land, and therefore often are or desire to be caretakers of the wilderness.ĭue to these inclinations and sources of power, Druids may eschew all things worked by the hands of man that come with a price of detriment to the land. With their leather armor, wooden quarterstaffs, and primal spellcasting, Druids choose to utilize naturally-grown materials to reinforce their relationship to the cycles and seasons of the natural world. Druids Wish to Maintain a Connection to Nature It is more likely that a Druid feels a geas or obligation to prohibit association with metal weapons and armor in solidarity with their fey friends.Ģ. A Druid with a strong fey heritage, like an elf, firbolg, hobgoblin, and so forth, may actually be hurt by wielding metal or may suffer from their anti-magic properties. Cold iron manacles were often kept on hand to prevent fey creatures from teleporting. The presence of iron disrupts their magic abilities, such as navigation, telepathy, and glamour, which brings the elves into a frenzy.Īdditionally, since their introduction in 2013, fairy-type Pokémon are weak to steel-type!Ĭanonical to 5th edition, cold iron, mined from deep underground and forged at lower temperatures to preserve its properties, is known to be particularly effective against fey and the eladrin. In Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, fairy-creatures identified as elves have copper-based blood, which is highly vulnerable to iron and burns their skin, as iron is impervious to enchantment. Superstitious people have buried daggers under their threshold, nailed horseshoes to their walls, and kept iron daggers handy in case of fey appearances. According to old folklore, iron, with its anti-magic properties, burns the skin of fairies and severs them from their magic, perhaps as a symbol of fading magic in an increasingly industrialized world. This allows Druids to avert their association with civilization-it is simply part of their identity.Īll of these answers may adequately be integrated into a campaign in terms of worldbuilding, storytelling, roleplaying, and mechanics, but these aren’t the only possibilities! Below, I’ve provided a myriad of reasons why a Druid may avoid metal and how a player and Dungeon Master could incorporate these ideas into their campaign.ĭruids are long-known to be friends of the fey, conjuring such whimsical creatures with a 6th-level spell slot. ![]() In D&D 3.5e, it is explained that Druids take ancient oaths in which they commit to not wear metal armor, which “interferes with the pure and primal nature that they attempt to embody,” with the punishment of losing or suppressing their druidic powers.įinally, in 5th edition, Wizards of the Coast released the following Sage Advice Compendium, which states that Druids choose not to wear unnatural armor, much like how vegetarians choose not to eat meat. ![]() In 2nd edition, the manual attributes this rule to a Druid’s connection with nature-metalwork is artificial and would sever a Druid’s link to the natural world. Where a Wizard derives spellcasting from books and would have no spellcasting without it, a Druid has limited or no spellcasting when impeded by metal armor. In AD&D 1e, metal armor interfered with a druid’s metaphysical spellcasting abilities. The quick response for why this simple rule exists can be found across several editions of Dungeons and Dragons:
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