Line #37 Main/ArmorAndMagicDontMix


1	->'''Dredd:''' I'm wondering when you'd remembered you left your helmet behind.\
2	'''Anderson''': Sir, a helmet can interfere with my psychic abilities. \
3	'''Dredd:''' Think a bullet might interfere with them more.
4	-->-- ''Film/{{Dredd}}''
5
6	Wizards are often the fantasy equivalent of [[GlassCannon heavy artillery]], capable of wiping out armies by themselves from afar. And like heavy artillery, you don't want them in close combat because [[SquishyWizard they're relatively easy to kill]] if you can get to them. [[FridgeLogic So why don't they wear armor so they last longer?]]
7
8	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 or limited range of motion. 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.
9
10	In gaming the trope is most commonly used as a way to compensate for [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards Quadratic Wizards]] for the purpose of [[CompetitiveBalance game balance]], with the intended result being to make magic-users {{Glass Cannon}}s. In party-based multiplayer, this often results in the heavily-armored warrior's main job being [[DrawAggro to keep the wizard alive while he casts his spells]]. It may manifest as spellcasting characters being restricted on which types of armor they can equip, if any, or apply a penalty to the potency of the spell. The trope has been around long enough for that purpose it's arguably achieved [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Acceptable Break from Reality]] status.
11
12	Many recent games also somewhat justify and/or enforce this, with said "mage-friendly armor" granting increased bonuses to their magic casting ability, such that a mage would ''want'' to wear the less protective armor anyways.
13
14	Closely related to SquishyWizard. Compare ArmorIsUseless. Contrast MagicKnight, the most common manifestation of this trope's aversion.
15
16	See also MagicHarmsTechnology and ScienceDestroysMagic.
17	----
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	!!Video game examples:
21
22	[[folder:Action [=RPGs=]]]
23	* Although not magic, [[LongRangeFighter Gunners]] in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' have long-range attacks and greater versatility through the ammo system than their [[CloseRangeCombatant Blademaster]] counterparts. In exchange, they are limited to using armor that usually has only half the defense of the sets the close-combat fighters use.
24	* 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 spell slots 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.
25	* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'': Some armor will also penalize you for wearing it without sufficient Strength and have its physical defense increased depending on physical defense without armor (which is based on total of Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Endurance), giving mages less protection in comparison.
26	* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has a Fatigue System, in which the heavier your armor is, the more expensive your skills are. As per the trope, Mages are particularly bad with this (and usually had to sacrifice stats to get the required strength). Averted with the [[MagicKnight Arcane Warrior]] sub-class, who actively embrace high fatigue in exchange for the ability to wear heavier armor and use spell-power to determine mundane weapon damage; several armorset bonuses have "reduced Fatigue" in them -- some of the bonuses are big enough that the Arcane Warrior ends up with ''more'' mana than a regular mage wearing robes. Later games in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series simply limited each class to one armor type, though the disparity in armor values is smaller than you might expect.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:[=Eastern RPGs=]]]
30	* The ''VideoGame/DotHackR1Games'' have 3 levels of armour, with Wavemasters only being able to wear the lightest version.
31	* ''VideoGame/FortuneSummoners'' justifies this InUniverse. The main character, Arche, is the only one who can wear metal armour and use a sword because she doesn't rely on magic (because she can't cast it [[spoiler: until the end, where she becomes able to do a FusionDance with an air elemental]]), which large metal objects interfere with.
32	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
33	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' set the example that other games in the series have used, subverted, or otherwise zig-zagged on. The [[GlassCannon black mage]] and [[CombatMedic white mage]] are both lacking in terms of what armor they can equip, though things improve (somewhat) later on with a few decent pieces of equipment they can equip. At the same time, the [[MagicKnight red mage]] averts this trope, having decent armor availability compared to the other two casters. The Knight also learns some white magic despite being the heavy armor user, but it's not his strong suit.
34	** Zigagged in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII''. Most weapons, armor, and shields weaken magic, so armored mages do as little as half the damage they would normally do. But mages excel at blocking magical attacks while shields can let you dodge physical attacks, so ironically the strongest character is a mage dual-wielding shields, as they are NighInvulnerable.
35	** Subverted in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', as [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Golbez]] wears full black armor as in his original game, but is a fully magic fighter. [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Gilgamesh]] then lampshades this trope by calling out to him that if he's a wizard, he should dress the part. Likewise, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Exdeath]] is much more the EvilSorcerer than anything else, and also wears full plate. Possibly played with with [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyII The Emperor]]: While his "canon" costume is a suit of golden armor, it's possible that it's only for show, a trick to make him look more imposing, as he's a SquishyWizard whose alternate robe outfits reveal him to be quite thin.
36	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyRecordKeeper'' turns Exdeath into an ''inversion''. He is capable of equipping heavy armor and helmets as well as lighter outfits and bracers. But he cannot equip a hat, the armor type that is tailored to magicians and grants the highest magic and resistance boosts.
37	** The games with a JobSystem avert it insofar as you can mix and match the job abilities, but the heavy armor wearing jobs usually don't have the MP or stats to cast a lot of spells while the caster jobs are limited to robes and light armor.
38	* Played with in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'': magic classes like the Mage and Sage can wear some medium armor without penalty, but they rely on the stats bonuses only found is magical garments for decent spellcasting strength. So if they aren't {{Squishy Wizard}}s they'll be mediocre spellcasters.
39	* In ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'', the only body armor that mage-type classes can equip are cloth-based armor, which is gives the worst DEF bonuses (though starting in ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyV'', they give the highest bonus to magic defense).
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:First Person Shooters]]
43	* Played with in ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}''. There are different kinds of armor pickup that give different amounts of armor to the game's three classes. The fighter usually benefits the most from the ones that look more like traditional armor, such as the Mesh Armor and Platinum Helm, while the Amulet of Warding is more useful to the mage and cleric.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Hack-and-Slash]]
47	* In ''VideoGame/Diablo1997'' and ''VideoGame/DiabloII'', this happens in a roundabout way. A character's ability to wear a piece of armour (aside from level and any specific class restrictions on an item) more often than not depends on how many stat points are in STR. The result is that the 'pure' mage classes (wizards in the first game, necromancers and sorceresses in the second) can't wear the heaviest armour because the player has likely put most of their stat points into INT. In other words, they can't wear the armour because they're squishy, and they're squishy because they train their minds more than their bodies. Additionally in ''Diablo'' the Sorcerer had the lowest maximum STR, placing another cap on what armors they could equip.
48	* ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'' encourages this in a couple ways but doesn't enforce it. Firstly, gear that grants armor has a minimum strength score to wear it, and the classes that are most focused on casting spells have lower starting strength and most nodes that boost spells aren't near the ones that boost strength. Secondly, gear that grants armor is inclined to have red sockets, and most spell-related skill and support gems are blue, meaning that getting enough appropriately-colored gem sockets is more difficult if wearing armor. However, it's relatively easy to boost a character's strength high enough to wear armor gear and it's possible, though sometimes expensive, to get enough off-color gem sockets. In addition some spells do benefit from red support gems, such as summon skeletons; a blue spell that likes red attack-boosting support gems. There are also a lot of unintuitive but effective builds. The end result is that while most spellcasters don't wear much armor, many exceptions exist.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:[=Interactive Fiction=]]]
52	* In ''VideoGame/{{Guenevere}}'', armor is said to interfere with advanced spell-casting. [[LadyOfBlackMagic Morgana]] eschews it entirely, but Guen's (potential) magic isn't advanced enough to be limited by light leather armor.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:[=MMORPGs=]]]
56	* In ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' and ''VideoGame/EverQuestII'', as well as the spinoff ''VideoGame/ChampionsOfNorrath'', all the mage classes are restricted to wearing cloth armor, though ''[=EQ2's=]'' appearance armor slots have allowed for them to at least ''appear'' to be wearing full platemail while wielding giant flaming swords.
57	* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the science of [[FantasticScience aetherology]] explains that aether, the building blocks of the universe and the basis of magic, is easily conducted through cloth but faces resistance when trying to weave it through metal armor. This explains why mages primarily wear robes and other woven garments in combat despite the lack of protection.
58	* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'': Pure spellcaster classes (Elementalist, Mesmer, Monk, Necromancer) are restricted to lower armor ratings than fighter type classes.
59	* ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'': Scholar type professions (Elementalist, Mesmer, Necromancer) can only wear light armor.
60	* In ''VideoGame/{{Rift}}'': Mages can only wear cloth armor. Justified as follows:
61	--> "The art of weaving magic does not favor heavy armors that distract the senses and restrict movement."
62	* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' has a starship variant of this in space combat, with the "wizard" class being the science vessel family of ships (essentially anything with a Commander Science bridge officer slot). Typically a science vessel mounts fewer weapons and has a weaker hull than a cruiser or escort, though they often have better DeflectorShields. One of the better examples is the popular ''Nova''-class, capable of tremendous {{Technobabble}} but with little staying power in a slugging match. It gets played with considerably, though, since the game typically lumps carriers in with science vessels, and [[GlassCannon escorts]] often have even weaker hull and shield values than science vessels, at least in theory (equipment makes a big difference).
63	* {{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 {{Hit Point\|s}} damage: spells inflicting StatusEffects work fine.
64	** A common method of training the magic skill [[ExploitedTrope saw players use this to their advantage]]. As melee armor inhibits spellcasting, players with lots of money and time are occasionally seen ''intentionally'' failing to cast spells on harmless targets, earning experience for casting the spell [[RewardingInactivity without the risk or variety]] of using magic successfully.
65	** This was completely eliminated for a while following the Evolution of Combat update. The penalties for using mismatched weapons and armor were eliminated so it was reasonable to see a fighter running around in magic robes, or a mage in plate armor. Later changes reintroduced penalties for mismatched weapons and armor.
66	* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', the more Force-oriented Jedi/Sith classes (Consulars and Inquisitors) were only proficient with light armor at first. The game has since added adaptive armor, which once equipped becomes functionally equivalent to the heaviest armor the character can normally wear, which can allow them to wear armor that looks heavier (though a lot of players tend to go [[{{Stripperiffic}} the opposite direction]]).
67	* Played with in ''VideoGame/TricksterOnline''. Every character can wield any type of equipment provided they're the appropriate level. However, the ''thief'' class analogues can't wield guns and shields at the same time, and it's only Guns that are mutually exclusive with shields (which are your main source of defense in the game). Similarly, magic-reliant classes have to choose between hats that can be refined for DP (raw physical defense) and hats that can be compounded for MA (raw magical attack).
68	* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' Mages and Warlocks and Priests can only wear cloth armor. Although it doesn't seem to be much of a problem for others - druids and monks can cast spells wearing leather armor, shamans in mail, and paladins in plate. These were all conceived as "hybrid" classes that can fill other roles, while the three restricted to cloth are casters regardless of their specialization. Funnily in earlier expansions it wasn't uncommon to find the other classes wearing cloth anyway, due to a lack of good caster armor of other types.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas]]
72	* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', you ''can'' build a magic-damage mage with as much armor as you want, [[CompetitiveBalance but that means you've wasted your finite gold on items that don't boost the damage you do]]. Mages' abilities scale in a way that makes it more reasonable to build them into [[GlassCannon glass cannons]].
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Real-Time Strategy]]
76	* Played with in Creator/{{Bungie}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Myth}}'' universe. Mages have no restriction against wearing armor. They generally still don't since they often have magical protection which would render armor redundant, but some wear armor anyway. For example, [[BigBad Balor The Leveler]] was an archmage who went full TinTyrant for no other reason than it made him [[RuleOfScary look more intimidating]]. Likewise, [[BigGood Alric]] would eventually wear a custom suit of Heron Guard armor to signify his possession of the Ibis Crown and ascension to Emperor of Cath Bruig.
77	* Varies from caster to caster in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''. Paladins are heavily armored MagicKnights, while Druids of the Claw can turn into bears (with no armor but their fur and skin).
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Roguelikes]]
81	* Spells in ''VideoGame/NetHack'' are far more likely to fail if you wear metal armor, [[HandWave for no adequately explained reason.]] Wizards zig-zag the trope: they generally wear metal armor early in the game because they're [[SquishyWizard so squishy without it]], and they don't know many spells yet anyway. Eventually dragon-scale mail, divine protection, and armor enchantments make metal armor obsolete, allowing high-level wizards to become {{Magic Knight}}s.
82	* ''VideoGame/DungeonCrawl'', similarly, has armor increase spellcasting failure proportional to how much it hinders your movement. It's more pronounced on high level spells so a character with mostly low or mid level spells can often get away with medium armor, but a conjurer or summoner will usually avoid anything heavier than leather armor.
83	* Applied in ''VideoGame/TalesOfMajEyal'' in two different ways. Armor requires a certain amount of strength to equip, which a mage would have to spend instead of increasing their magic stat. There is also the fatigue system, which increases the cost of a skill by a percentage equal to the total fatigue rating of all armor equipped. This applies not only to stamina-based physical skills but doubles the additional cost for spells and psionics, making it very unlikely that a mage or psychic will wear anything heavier than leather armor or equip a shield.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Turn-Based Strategy]]
87	* This is used in the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series, with magicians generally drawn in robes and having a low physical defence score. The sword cuts both ways, though: armored units are frequently just as bad at fending off magical attacks.
88	** There's nothing stopping a mage or knight from [[RandomNumberGod randomly]] having [[ArmorIsUseless high defence or resistance]], respectively. It's just less likely due to their low growths. [[PlayingWithATrope At first, anyway]] - they tend to hit their low caps in those stats, [[CantCatchUp then fall back to the archetype]].
89	** 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. [[spoiler: This is subverted by Thales, one of the major antagonists of the game. He’s primarily a spellcaster, but is never seen without his armour]].
90	* Likewise, ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'' follows this trope to a tee, with the exception of [[MagicKnight Arthur]].
91	* Downplayed in the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series. Apart from weapons there aren't any restrictions on what equipment characters can equip, so it's very possible to equip mages with armors without any hindrance to damage output. However, the effectiveness of equipment is determined by the class's Aptitudes. Mages generally have low DEF Aptitudes, and thus get less DEF bonus from equipment. Of course it doesn't take long until [[RocketTagGameplay even the highest defensive stat boosts are useless.]]
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:[=Western RPGs=]]]
95	* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' wearing any armor other than Jedi robes means that certain Force powers are unusable. [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords The sequel]] adds a few types of armor specifically designed for Force users that do not have this effect.
96	* {{Downplayed}} in ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'', there's nothing stopping magic-users from wearing heavy armor, but heavier armor applies a {{cooldown}} penalty to the wearer (which affects magic-users disproportionately). Also, in the lore mages have taken to wearing bulletproof plate armor to help fend off the setting's [[FantasyGunControl primitive wheel-lock firearms]], which are an ArmorPiercingAttack against magical defenses. (In fact, the church of the WarGoddess Magran believes gunpowder was a gift from her, meant to level the playing field between {{Muggles}} and mages.)
97	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
98	** 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 [[MilitaryMage Imperial Battlemages]] used by the Septim and Reman dynasties, they're also some of the [[SubvertedTrope most fearsome magic-users in the setting]].
99	** Strangely, the magic restrictions don't seem to apply to ''enchantments'' on the armor. In ''Morrowind'', heavier armors allow for stronger enchantments (meaning that ironically, [[InvertedTrope the optimal setup for a mage is full Daedric]]), while in ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim'', armor type doesn't affect your enchantments at all. You would think with this trope in effect, [[FridgeLogic it would be the other way around,]] especially since Daedric armor is technically enchanted already.
100	** In theory, ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' gives an incentive for mages to not wear armor by having the Unarmored skill, which increases your armor rating while not wearing armor, keyed to the magic specialization (meaning that for a magic-focused character, absent specific skill specializations, it will increase faster than the armor skills, and absent skill specializations and racial bonuses, it will start out higher). In practice, without the [[GameMod unofficial Code Patch]], the game is bugged and thinks your armor rating is zero no matter what your skill unless you wear at least one piece of armor.
101	** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' imposes a penalty on any spells cast while wearing armor, based on how skilled your character is at wearing that type of armor. Spells cast while wearing an armor your character is completely untrained in will have only 80% effectiveness, while a master of armor will cast at 95% effectiveness.
102	** ''[[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. The only downside is that it's ''extremely'' rare to find armor with enchantments that benefit mages unless you enchant it yourself, and it takes a long time to build up your Enchantment skill to be on level with the mage robes you find.
103	* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakensang}}'' (which is based on ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'', below), magic users are able to equip anything; however they are completely blocked from casting spells if they wear only one single piece of metal armor (with exceptions).
104	* There is no in-game explanation for ''why'', but spellcasting classes in ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VI'' to ''IX'' tend to have worse armor skills than their more might-focused counterparts, either in simply not ''getting'' the heavier armor skills, or in not being able to upgrade the skill as much. Clerical spellcasters tend to be slightly better at this than Elemental-focused spellcasters (for instance, Clerics being able to wear chain when Sorcerors are limited to Leather -- although sorcerors ''do'' get to wear leather armor with no penalty, so by the standards of this trope they get off lightly).
105	* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', squad members who specialized in 'powers' could only wear light armor.[[note]]Tali, Kaidan, Liara and Adept/Sentinel/Engineer Shepard could only wear light armor; Liara and Sentinel don't even have any options for improving their competence with light gear. Garrus and Infiltrator or Vanguard Shepard start out with only light armor available, but can invest skill points to unlock medium armor. Wrex, Ashley and Soldier Shepard, the most combat-focused characters, have access to medium armor from the start and can unlock heavy armor, though Wrex averts this since he actually is a biotic character (presumably his [[BizarreAlienBiology krogan physiology]] lets him cheat).[[/note]]
106	** ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'': While you can now equip any combination of armor pieces on Shepard regardless of the powerset they have, the downside is that 'heavier' pieces of armor interfere with cooldowns. When you cast ''any'' active power with a cooldown, ''all'' your active powers go on cooldown, and cooldown time is dependent on how heavy your full armor set is. As such, characters that use their powers often need to equip their optimal soft cap of armor, or it's going to make them constantly 'reload' instead. In Mutiplayer, characters can also gain access to items that increase power damage, recharge times, total shield power, and more, but only by sacrificing a mod slot for armor.
107	* In the ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}''/''VideoGame/{{Exile}}'' series, there are two kinds of FunctionalMagic: [[BlackMagic Mage Spells]] and [[ReligionIsMagic Priest Spells]], and [[GameplayAndStorySegregation although they're nearly identical in implementation]], they're treated as separate kinds of phenomena in-universe. Only the former is called "magic" (the latter doesn't have a distinct in-universe name, but is sometimes referred to as variations on "holy rituals"), and only practitioners of the former are restricted from wearing armor without an appropriate [[CharacterCustomization Trait]], apparently because only the former uses {{Magical Gesture}}s, while the latter just requires the caster to stand and pray.
108	* Downplayed in ''Videogame/AvencastRiseOfTheMage'' - mages wear armor in battles, but their combat style is focused on fast moving and quick magic gestures, so they use light armor, which weight won't interfere in the process or tire them.
109	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'': Mages are not allowed to wear armor. Dual-classed mages can wear any armor allowed by their second class, but cannot cast spells until removing it. Averted with clerics and druids, who are allowed armor with no penalties to spellcasting.
110	* Averted in ''Videogame/GreedFall'', where not only can you spec into both heavy armor and magic but companion character Petrus is a heavily-armored mage.
111	[[/folder]]
112	----
113	!!Non-video game examples:
114
115	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
116	* When Momonga used armour to disguise himself in ''[[Literature/Overlord2012 Overlord]]'' it only lets him cast five spells out of his usual hundreds.
117	** The light novels say that mages usually only wear light armour as anything heavier interferes with flying spells.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:ComicBooks]]
121	* Psi-Judges in ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' can't use [[PsychicPowers their powers]] if they're wearing a helmet.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
125	* Zigzagged in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13701065/1/Metagaming Metagaming?]]''. Spellcasters on Azeroth don't wear armor for a variety of reasons, including claiming that it would weigh them down too much. Harry and Luna wear the strongest armor Harry can forge and demonstrate the ability to cartwheel even in full plate. Harry himself is outright offended that Jaina Proudmoore goes into battle with her cleavage and midriff on display.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
129	* Judge Anderson says in ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' that 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.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Gamebooks]]
133	* ''Literature/LegendOfZagor'' allows you to begin the adventure with four different characters. Should you choose Sallazar the Wizard (the only wizard of the four) you're unable to use any sort of armor, shields, or gauntlets, as such are denied defense bonuses from armor. However, you have the highest default amount of Magic Points and can use every single spell available (and a few exclusive only to wizards), while using either the other three requires a scroll to learn new spells.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Literature]]
137	* In ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' Szeth mentions that he can't wear Shardplate because it would prevent him using his Lashings. Both Lashings and Plate run on [[{{Mana}} Stormlight]]; Shardplate is PoweredArmor that stores Stormlight in gems, and Lashings require the user to absorb Stormlight from their surroundings, so anyone who tries using both might accidentally drain the Stormlight from their own Plate, rendering them immobile. 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.
138	* In ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'', it's explicitly stated that no [[MageSpecies Sartan or Patryn]] would ever voluntarily don armor. Since the Sartan require elaborate [[MagicalGesture gestures]] and even [[MagicDance dances]] to invoke their [[InstantRunes rune magic]], heavy armor would presumably interfere with their ability to use their powers. The Patryns, on the other hand, [[HumanNotepad tattoo the rune directly onto their bodies]], which includes protective wards rendering armor superfluous (since any attack that could get through the wards would barely be slowed down by mundane armor).
139	* In ''Literature/{{Delve}}'' metal will attract magic like a magnet and absorb it like a sponge until fully saturated. This throws off the accuracy of spells. Most magic users have to keep their hands free of any sort of metal, wearing stat rings in their hair or ears. Naturally, armor is a no-go and they wear enchanted clothing instead.
140	* In ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}''[[note]]The book ''Dragon'', specifically [[/note]], it's mentioned that '''metal''' armor attracts sorcery (somehow), effectively like a lightning rod; leather (or wood paneling, presumably) can still be used. Given that one scene makes mention that you could burn your brain out by being too tired to hold an anti-rain/"umbrella" spell together, it can be guessed that you could also end up frying by firing off a spell and forgetting how to focus it away from the metal armor you happen to be wearing yourself....
141	* In ''Literature/FengshenYanyi'', Taoist sages and Immortals never wear armor, with Qingxu Daode at one point specifically telling his discipe Huang Tianhua to never eat meat or wear armor: when he disobeys both orders and faces the Mo Brothers in battle he's nearly killed by his opponent's magic weapon and has to be revived. Justified by the fact that most of these Immortals uses magic and treasures that make all armor redundant.
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Real Life]]
145	* Some [[UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism neopagans]] believe ritual magic works better when performed "skyclad" - that is, [[NudeNatureDance in the nude]].
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
149	* As with many tropes common in RolePlayingGames, ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' is the TropeCodifier, making this trope OlderThanTheNES.
150	** 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. Elves cast the same spells as magic-users, but had no explicit prohibition from wearing armor while casting them.
151	** In 1st and 2nd Edition Advanced D&D, magic users/wizards were simply forbidden to wear armor under the standard rules. There were exceptions made in later supplements, such as 2nd Edition kits which allowed a wizard with that kit to wear armor.
152	** In 3.X Edition arcane casters ''can'' wear armor if they take a proficiency feat or multiclass to Fighter or the equivalent, but if they do they risk a percentage chance that the spell will fail to cast, {{justified\|Trope}} as the armor interfering with the gestures involved in spellcasting. Add to it, that's one fewer feat or character level they can spend on improving their spellcasting. Bards and the add-on classes warmage and warlock can wear light armor without hitting this restriction, and can take a feat, "Armored Caster", to be able to wear medium armor without risking spell failure. Also, armor made from {{mithr\|il}}al weighs less and reduces the spell failure chance by 10%. Of course, a wizard with skill in the schools of transmutation and abjuration doesn't necessarily ''need'' armor since [[BarrierWarrior they can protect themselves quite well with their spells]]. Also, not all spells require gestures (and many can be modified to not require it) getting around the spell failure chance.
153	** Also from 3.X Edition, {{druid}}s are only allowed to wear armor (and other equipment) made from "natural" materials (wood, hides, stone, etc.) or else their class features are unusable. Assuming default materials, this restricts druids to wearing light armor or the weakest type of medium armor, but the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' and other add-on books added other esoteric materials (e.g. dragonhide in the ''DMG'') that are classified as natural and can be forged into heavier armors.
154	** In 4th Edition wizards have the worst armor proficiency, but they can take feats to gain proficiency in heavier armor types, or another feat which essentially gives them protection as strong as leather armor while wearing mage robes. However, because of the way AC works in 4th edition, mages are only marginally more vulnerable to physical attacks to begin with.
155	** In 5th Edition, characters cannot cast spells while wearing armour they're not proficient in, which is explained as the caster being too uncomfortable in the unfamiliar armor to be able to properly focus on spellcasting. In addition, 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.
156	** Averted in all editions by ''clerics'', who can cast their spells in the heaviest plate mail with no problems and no chance of armor-induced random failure. This is one of the primary practical differences between "arcane" and "divine" magic in the game (the main other one is [[HealingMagicIsTheHardest access to healing spells]]).
157	** The alternate magic system from TabletopGame/SpheresOfPower averts this by default, but you can use the Somatic Casting drawback to enforce it.
158	** The ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'' setting has unusual rules for magic: it's technically divine, as it all flows through one of the three Gods of magic. Those same Gods explicitly forbid the wearing of armor.
159	* In ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'', forged metal interferes with the flow of magical energies (with some rare exceptions) in such a way that it makes casting spells more difficult and prohibits the regeneration of {{Mana}} if a significant amount is worn close to a magic user's body. While magic users ''can'' wear anything not made out of metal (e.g. heavy leather), this is frowned upon by the Magician's Guilds as not befitting a wizard's standing, further restricting proper certified wizards to fancy robes and such.
160	** In fact, it is outright outlawed for wizards to bear arms or armor in most places. The mages from the battlemage academy are explicitly excempt from this, as they are also commissioned military officers.
161	* ''TabletopGame/TheFantasyTrip'' penalized wizards for wearing armor with a twofold justification. [[ColdIron Ferrous metals interfere with magic]], and armor itself interferes with spells' [[MagicalGesture somatic components]].
162	* Armour in ''TabletopGame/TheWitcherGameOfImagination'' by default restricts movement, making the [[MagicalGesture complicated gestures]] needed for sorcery difficult — doubly so if you're untrained in wearing it. Witchers, by contrast, use rudimentary signs created specifically to overcome this problem.
163	** It is also worth nothing a set of armoured gloves gives bigger penalty than a breast-plate, following the game logic of movement restriction.
164	** Later expansion gave players a feat considerably decreasing penalties for casting in armour. And with sufficiently high skills, magic users can simply ignore the penalty most of the time.
165	* In the ''TabletopGame/ScarredLands'' setting, one of the quirks of magic is that arcane spellcasters release a certain amount of heat whenever they use magic. This prevents them from wearing armor, and also explains why most prefer to wear loose fitting clothing.
166	* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:
167	** ''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). Soundly averted by Librarians and Chaos Sorcerers: both being [[SpaceMarine Astartes]], they're clad in PowerArmor same as their brothers, and in the case of the latter it's very likely their armor is fused to their very bodies by the corrupting power of the Warp they've saturated themselves in.
168	** 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.
169	** ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'':
170	*** In 1[[superscript:st]] edition, armor and shields "hinder conjurations and create magical disharmonies", increasing the {{Mana}} cost of spells proportionally to the weight of the armour and interfering with the spellcaster's mana recovery.
171	*** In later editions, armour and shields disrupt the BackgroundMagicField around the spellcaster, penalizing their spellcasting rolls and thereby increasing the chance that any given spell will fail. There are exceptions, like the 2e "Armoured Casting" [[SkillScoresAndPerks Talent]] reducing the penalty and 4e Alchemists suffering no penalty from metal armour.
172	*** The explanation provided in the 4[[superscript:th]] edition of the game is that wearing certain kinds of protection interferes with the Winds of Magic while repelling the rest - wizards in this setting being living conduits for magical energy that blows across the world. Wearing metal armour naturally attracts ''Chamon'', the Gold Wind. Leather armour meanwhile draws ''Ghur'', the Amber Wind. For wizards attuned to the [[ExtraOreDinary Lore of Metal]] or the [[{{Druid}} Lore of Beasts]], this is no problem, but for those attuned to the other six winds...
173	* Zig-zagged in ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings''. Nothing mechanical prevents shugenja from wearing armor; in fact, pretty much any samurai can wear any kind of armor physically, as long as they're willing to put up with the penalties (save for the Hida, whose only heavy armor penalty is to stealth). However, most shugenja choose not to due to cultural constraints. Wearing armor in civilized lands is an insult to those who tend the lands (you're basically saying that they can't protect you) unless you are actively in battle or are given special dispensation. Being in battle does allow shugenja the theoretical opportunity to wear armor, but the choice to do so depends on the situation in which the shugenja is involved, and their personal preferences.
174	* Inverted in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}''. The act of shaping a spell during combat leaves a Sorcerer almost completely defenseless until the spell is complete ''and'' puts a giant "please hit me" sign on the Sorcerer. Luckily, armor doesn't hinder spellcasting and a smart Sorcerer ''will'' wear armor. It's the Martial Artists who fall victim to this trope as many styles prohibit wearing armor.
175	* {{Downplayed}} in ''TabletopGame/AnimaBeyondFantasy''. While carrying armor does not interfere with your ability to cast spells, the points for the ability required to use armor are more expensive for sorcerers.
176	* Played with in ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'': Spellcasters can wear most armor easily, 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 and/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.
177	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
178	** As in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition'', wizards and sorcerers have no armor proficiency and incur spell failure chance if they buy it with a feat or by multiclassing. Bards and magi are less restricted, with bards being able to wear light armor without penalty and magi earning the ability to wear heavier armor as they level up (but they have reduced spellcasting ability), and the Hellknight Signifier PrestigeClass reduces spell failure chances to the point where a wizard can cast without penalty in a suit of mithral full plate (the spell failure reductions stack).
179	** Clerics' armor proficiency is reduced to medium from heavy in 3.X, though there's no penalty for buying heavy armor proficiency with a feat or by multiclassing. Some archetypes alter this further: the Crusader gives up one of their two domains and a spell slot per level in exchange for heavy armor proficiency and bonus combat feats, whereas the Ecclesitheurge has ramped-up spellcasting in exchange for losing the ability to cast spells entirely if they even equip armor or a shield.
180	** Averted in second edition, arcane spellcasters have no chance of spell failure while armored, they're just not proficient in armor except for bards and magi. But because proficiency bonus is added to armor class in PF2 and all classes are proficient in unarmored defense, they'd be better off naked than wearing armor they're not proficient with.
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Western Animation]]
184	* Although shielding was never really covered in ''Franchise/{{Ben 10}}'', the specially-designed Hazmat suits Gwen wore interfered with her spellcasting when she was wearing it.
185	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ArmorAndMagicDontMix