History Main / ArmorAndMagicDontMix

* Judge Anderson says ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' a helmet can interfere with her PsychicPowers. Dredd replies that a bullet would interfere more. She doesn't say that helmets totally nullify her powers and Dredd would have been briefed on how those powers work. If a helmet nullified them he'd tell her not to wear it. Whether all psis have this problem or just some isn't mentioned.

* Like in the comics, Judge Anderson in ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' can't use her PsychicPowers if she's wearing a helmet.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Imperial psykers mostly wear robes, though some can put on the heaviest armor the Guard has to offer (known as "T-shirts" by the fandom, because in a galaxy as deadly as this one a super-advanced flak jacket is about as protective as one).
* It's common in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' for wizards to not have access to armour (it interferes with their ability to [[BackgroundMagicField tap into the Winds of Magic]]), but there are more than a few MagicKnight-type characters who avert the trope: Ogre Wizards,[[note]]But as revealed in an interview with the writer of the current Ogre book, this was only due to an oversight in giving them access to Ironfists (a type of fist-spike gauntlet) that let them technically qualify for magic armour (the rule being that if the wizard is permitted to wear regular armour in the army list entry, they are allowed magic armour too).[[/note]] Chaos Sorcerers (whose Chaos Armour is so heavily saturated in magic that it is no impediment), Blood Dragon Vampires, High Elf Loremasters, the Witch King of Naggaroth, Ikit Claw and Tomb King Settra. Some armour-type magic items specifically include an exemption allowing wizards to wear them.

* It's common in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' for wizards to not have access to armour (it interferes with their ability to [[BackgroundMagicField tap into the Winds of Magic]]), but there are more than a few MagicKnight-type characters who avert the trope (in particular, Ogres and Blood Dragon Vampires). Some armour-type magic items specifically include an exemption allowing wizards to wear them.
** Actually Ogre wizards were never meant to wear armour, and an interview with the writer of the current Ogre book reveals that it was only an oversight in giving them access to Ironfists (a type of fist-spike gauntlet) that let them technically qualify for magic armour (the rule being that if the wizard is permitted to wear regular armour in the army list entry, they are allowed magic armour too). The longest-standing and most prominent exception to the no-armour-for-wizards rule would have to be Chaos Sorcerers, whose Chaos Armour is so heavily saturated in magic that it is no impediment. Other exceptions include High Elf Loremasters, the Witch King of Naggaroth, Ikit Claw and Tomb King Settra.

* Averted by ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'s'' SpaceMarine Librarians, who wear PowerArmor with no more trouble that their non-psychic brethren (the fact that the transformation into a SpaceMarine makes them all seven feet tall and slightly bulletproof doesn't hurt). Taken even further with the Literature/GreyKnights, every last one of which is a SpaceMarine with psyker powers. Played straight with Imperial psykers, who mostly wear robes, though some can put on the heaviest armor the Guard has to offer (known as "T-shirts" by the fandom, because in a galaxy as deadly as this one a super-advanced flak jacket is about as protective as one).
** It does more then just allow magic, it makes them better at it by helping stabilize the innately chaotic nature of psychic powers. But like most 40k technology, it's rare and nearly/impossible to mass produce so only the most elite units are given access to the technology because they can't afford to waste it on every psyker, especially non-SM psykers who are even more likely to become warp-possessed and cause them to lose access to that gear.
** ''TabletopGame/OnlyWar'' makes the aversion rather clear; characters always get their regimental kit regardless of said character's class[[note]]There is some community debate on this point, though, regarding specialists like the Psyker and Stormtrooper.[[/note]]. Said regimental kit can include carapace armour, which is the toughest stuff you can get short of actual power armour.

Some settings justify this by having the armor apply a penalty to the mage's powers. This may be because magic requires precise {{Magical Gesture}}s that are made more difficult by armor's weight. Others use the solution that magic requires such intense study that there's no time to learn how to use armor properly. In still other settings, [[ColdIron iron is antithetical to magic by its very nature]], or large quantities of metal interfere with the wizard's attunement to the BackgroundMagicField -- though these still leave the question of why mages are rarely seen wearing at least some form of protective leather or even just a gambesson instead of a RobeAndWizardHat. Some players otherwise assume the {{Squishy Wizard}}s are ''so'' squishy they can't wear armor without tiring themselves out, which would make some sense when applied to the [[WizardsLiveLonger very long-lived]] WizardClassic.

* {{Downplayed|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/RuneScape''. Armor imposes a damage penalty on offensive magics, moreso with armors made of metal, to the point where a lot of spells are useless if you're wearing full plate armor. However, the penalty only applies to HitPoint damage: spells inflicting StandardStatusEffects work fine.

* In ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' Szeth mentions that he can't wear Shardplate because it would prevent him using his Lashings. The [[MagicKnight Knights Radiant]] must have known a way around this, since they've been seen to use both Lashings and Plate at the same time.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', which is a game that can allow units to be shaped into about almost any class, the ability to cast magic is restricted to classes that are notable for such, so armored classes (among a number of others) can't cast magic.

** Downplayed overall throughout the series. Pure mage [=NPCs=] typically don't wear armor, as how effective it is depends mostly on your skill level with that armor class, and [=NPCs=] typically don't have many skill points outside of their class skills. However there's nothing that actually ''stops'' them from equipping it if acquired.[[note]]This is readily demonstrated in the PC version of ''Morrowind'' by console-cheating armor onto an unarmored NPC. They'll automatically equip it.[[/note]] The series has always had several types of {{Magic Knight}}s, on up to the heavy armor-wearing Battlemage. In the case of the [[EliteArmy Imperial Battlemages]] used by the Septim and Reman dynasties, they're also some of the [[SuvertedTrope most fearsome magic-users in the setting]].

** Downplayed overall throughout the series. Pure mage [=NPCs=] typically don't wear armor, as how effective it is depends mostly on your skill level with that armor class, and [=NPCs=] typically don't have many skill points outside of their class skills. However there's nothing that actually ''stops'' them from equipping it if acquired.[[note]]This is readily demonstrated in the PC version of ''Morrowind'' by console-cheating armor onto an unarmored NPC. They'll automatically equip it.[[/note]] The series has always had several types of {{Magic Knight}}s, on up to the heavy armor-wearing Battlemage. In the case of the [[EliteArmy Imperial Battlemages]] used by the Septim and Reman dynasties, they're also some of the [[DefiedTrope most fearsome magic-users in the setting]].

** Downplayed overall throughout the series. Pure mage [=NPCs=] typically don't wear armor, as how effective it is depends mostly on your skill level with that armor class, and [=NPCs=] typically don't have many skill points outside of their class skills. However there's nothing that actually ''stops'' them from equipping it if acquired.[[note]]This is readily demonstrated in the PC version of ''Morrowind'' by console-cheating armor onto an unarmored NPC. They'll automatically equip it.[[/note]] The series has always had several types of {{Magic Knight}}s, on up to the heavy armor-wearing Battlemage.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''; nothing stops you from being a spellcaster wearing heavy armor, but in ''Demons Souls'' ArmorIsUseless and in ''Dark Souls'', concentrating on the two stats that make you an excellent spellcaster (Attunement for more spells lots and Intelligence or Faith for more powerful spells) tend to leave you with not enough stats to level your Endurance, which increases how much equipment you can wear without being slowed down. It is certainly not unheard of, for sure.

* Played with in ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'': high-tech armour is carried by wizards, but unless absolutely neccessary, they will not wear a whole suit all at once, as wearing more than a certain percentage of it at once will prevent spellcasting through it. Metal armour carries the same penalty. Any {{Magic Knight}}s, therefore, are usually wearing armour made of natural materials which are often mega-damage armour (smeg knows there's enough such organisms in the setting, such as magic trees, drakes etc.) although these have penalties such as increased mass, and the fact that they aren't air-conditioned or NBC sealed. Magic stone or crystal armours do exist, as do {{magitek}} [[PoweredArmor powered armour]], and magical metal armour, but these aren't exactly the kind of thing you can get anytime you find a place to shop, they are rare and expensive.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' changes it up a little. Spells work just as well with armor as without, but the Alteration skill tree has a perk, "Mage Armor," that adds a multiplier to protective spells like Stoneflesh if the caster is unarmored. This perk is typically seen by players as being one of the worst in the game: there is very little reason for a mage not to equip ''some'' sort of armor in the late game. That being said, ''Skyrim'' inverts LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards so hard there's very little reason to '''be''' a mage in the late game, period.

* Averted by ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'s'' SpaceMarine Librarians, who wear PowerArmor with no more trouble that their non-psychic brethren (the fact that the transformation into a SpaceMarine makes them all seven feet tall and slightly bulletproof doesn't hurt). Taken even further with the Literature/GreyKnights, every last one of which is a SpaceMarine with psyker powers. Played straight with Imperial psykers, who mostly wear robes, though some can put on the heaviest armor the Guard has to offer (known as "T-shirts" by the fandom...).

** Basic D&D. In the Holmes (1977), Moldvay (1981) and Mentzer (1983) Basic sets and the Rules Cyclopedia (1991), magic users could not wear armor.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'' averts this; casters are free to wear mountains of metal armor, shields, bows, 2-Handed swords, what have you. Certain pro-magic user skills - like increased mana regeneration - apply per piece of light armor worn, so it benefits a caster to at least mix up armor types if not use strictly cloth, it is by no means required.

* ''VideoGame/ElderScrollsOnline'' averts this; casters are free to wear mountains of metal armor, shields, bows, 2-Handed swords, what have you. Certain pro-magic user skills - like increased mana regeneration - apply per piece of light armor worn, so it benefits a caster to at least mix up armor types if not use strictly cloth, it is by no means required.

* In the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series, magic and heavy armor don't mix for two reasons: heavier armor sets tend to have [[LevelLockedLoot high requirements on Strength]], which the mages generally don't develop, and also make casting spells more expensive, effectively reducing their mana pools. It is, however, possible to subvert this in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' if you manage to unlock the [[MagicKnight Arcane Warrior]] [[PrestigeClass mage specialization]], which checks Strength requisites against your [[OneStatToRuleThemAll Magic score]] instead. Further, many armor sets offer fatigue discounts when the full set is worn--applied to a Mage, this means they have a much ''larger'' pool of mana to work with as an Arcane Warrior than while wearing regular robes.

** In 5th Edition, characters cannot cast spells while wearing armour they're not proficient in, and gaining proficiencies is more difficult than before. Your spellcasting ability and your armour proficiencies tend to be opposite proportional; wizards and sorcerers have no armour proficiencies but also have easy access to the Mage Armour spell, which is about as strong as medium armour, and sorcerers of the Draconic bloodline have draconic toughness, bypassing that need. With wizards who specialize in protective magic, the justification is codified in the game mechanics: the magic is far more protective than any armor. The Favored Soul variant for the sorcerer gets medium armor proficiency, while the mountain dwarf subrace has a racial proficiency in medium armor.

* When Momonga used armour to disguise himself in ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'' it only lets him cast five spells out of his usual hundreds.

[[folder:Light novels]]
* Magic casters in ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'' usually only wears light armour as anything heavier interferes with flying spells.
[[/folder]]

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' changes it up a little. Spells work just as well with armor as without, but the Alteration skill tree has a perk, "Mage Armor," that adds a multiplier to protective spells like Stoneflesh if the caster is unarmored. This perk is typically seen by players as being one of the worst in the game. There is very little reason for a mage not to go for heavy armor in the late game. That being said, ''Skyrim'' inverts LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards so hard there's very little reason to '''be''' a mage in the late game, period.