Wildgrove Mantle

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Wildgrove Mantle


Moderate transmutation; CL 9th
Slot armor; Price 24,165 gp; Weight 25 lbs.

DESCRIPTION

This suit of +2 dragonhide breastplate is fashioned from layered reptilian scales lacquered in deep greens and browns, with pauldrons carved to resemble overlapping oak leaves. Small vines and patches of moss naturally grow across the armor’s seams, though they never impede movement or decay.

The wearer gains a +4 competence bonus on Survival checks and may move through natural undergrowth at normal speed without taking damage or suffering impairment, as though constantly affected by woodland stride.

Once per day, the wearer may speak a command word to invoke barkskin upon themselves for 9 minutes. In addition, while using wild shape, the armor automatically melds into the wearer’s new form and continues granting its enhancement bonus to Armor Class, though none of its other abilities function until the wearer resumes their normal shape.

LORE

The Wildgrove Mantles are traditionally crafted by isolated druidic circles dwelling deep within ancient forests and marshlands. Unlike the ornate armor favored by knights and nobles, these suits are designed with practicality and harmony in mind, allowing druids to defend themselves without violating their sacred traditions against metal armor.

Most Wildgrove Mantles are constructed from the hides of magical reptiles or great forest predators that died naturally or were hunted as part of sacred rites. Druids often spend weeks blessing the materials before the armor is assembled, believing that the spirit of the creature lingers within the scales.

Though modest compared to the relics wielded by archdruids, a Wildgrove Mantle is still viewed as a mark of trust and responsibility among many circles. Young druids entrusted with one are often expected to serve as wardens of sacred groves, guardians of migration paths, or protectors of remote frontier communities.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, barkskin, pass without trace; Cost 12,165 gp, 960 XP, dragonhide or equivalent nonmetallic magical hide

Kelwyn’s Notes

Druids have always possessed a rather peculiar relationship with armor. Knights wear steel to separate themselves from danger, but druids often seem to prefer reminders that danger is still very much alive around them. One can feel it in the Wildgrove Mantle - the faint unevenness of the scales, the scent of damp bark after rainfall, the curious sensation that the armor was grown into shape rather than forged.

What fascinates me most is not the protection the mantle offers, but the philosophy behind it. A blacksmith conquers metal through heat and force. A druid, meanwhile, persuades the wilderness to cooperate for a little while longer. The distinction may appear subtle, yet it reveals two profoundly different understandings of civilization and survival.

I confess there is something comforting about these vestments despite their strangeness. They do not proclaim glory, conquest, or martial pride. Instead they speak quietly of patience, stewardship, and the enduring resilience of the natural world - qualities mankind would benefit from remembering more often.

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