VoP and wood

[Hyfigh]

I was dinking around with E6 a little and found something possibly applicable with the rare VoP Druid's that appear in normal 3.x...
Standard wooden armor (not special woods) doesn't appear to have any value. This makes sense for the most part because it doesn't tend to have the tensile strength to withstand combat standards. Yes, I'm aware of real-world history and the uses of wooden armors. Those were presented as composites, though, using adhesives to create compound and layered armors. Something more elaborate than what I'm proposing here.
The druid obtains a peice of wood. This druid uses the spell Wood Shape to create a breast plate (barding?), or other such armor. He then uses the Ironwood spell to strengthen it to the metal equivelant, and thus useable armor. (Perhaps have your party wizard Permanency the armor?)
The wood shaped to a breastplate wouldn't hold much, if any, in-game value. The Ironwood spell has a duration, so it wouldn't change the value of the wood that was shaped...
TL;DR: Does VoP allow for Wood Shaped, (spell) Ironwood enhanced armor without losing the VoP crap?

[Toliudar]

I can see no reason why an improvised breastplate or shield couldn't be carried. They'd be less effective than well crafted versions of the same things, though, even after being Ironwooded, in the same way that wearing a pair of garbage can lids over your chest and back is less effective than an actual breastplate.

Also, the armour bonus from the breastplate doesn't stack with the AC bonus from VoP, so in order to make it pay off in any mechanical way you've got to add magic vestment or other spells to actually help.

[whibla]

Under the feat section VoP states: "...You may wear simple clothes (usually just a homespun robe, possibly also including a hat and sandals)..."

I'm not sure why you'd want to wear armour anyway, when the section describing the benefits of a VoP, under Armour Bonus (Su), describing the bonus as exalted goes on to say: "This does not stack with an armor bonus."

Short answer, armour is more than simple clothes, no matter what it's made of, so no, if you wore wooden armour you would lose your VoP.

[Hyfigh]

I inquired mostly for barding purposes for the faithful Animal Companion.
I agrue the "simple clothes" stipulation as, if the DM is going to be strict enough to penalize based on that... You could simple say "fine, I'll change my quarterstaff back and forth". I'm fairly sure that even your quarter staff could be used in this fashion, something clearly expressed as suitable. Granted, it's 4lbs of wood to the 35lbs of the breastplate... But, Wood Shape defines volume, and not weight. A 6' by 1" quarterstaff makes for less than 1 cubic foot (about 226 cubic inches)... But ample wood to make a breast plate, for sure. Far as I can tell, that volume of metal would end up being about 64lbs (compared to the [inaccurate] 35lbs for the breastplate in PHB)...
More opinions are certainly welcome.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

When you edit a post there's an option at the top to delete it. Works for getting rid of double posts.

Take the feat Exalted Companion and get a Celestial version of whatever you would otherwise have. It's now good-aligned and it too can take Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty.

[Hyfigh]

When you edit a post there's an option at the top to delete it. Works for getting rid of double posts.

Take the feat Exalted Companion and get a Celestial version of whatever you would otherwise have. It's now good-aligned and it too can take Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty.

I appreciate both suggestions, kind sir.

[Karoht]

Does the Druid have to be VoP for the Companion to be VoP? Just curious.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Does the Druid have to be VoP for the Companion to be VoP? Just curious.

No, but the druid does need to be an exalted-good character to have Exalted Companion. Keep in mind that an animal companion with VoP on a non-VoP PC can get books thrown at you.

[Khedrac]

On the contrary - the animal companion does not "own" anything - the companion's gear is owned by the druid, so if the druid is VoP then you have to factor the equipment for the companion into the VoP limits.

Now as for wooden barding:
Just because an item is made of essentially valuless materials does not make it valueless - the crafting can add value (rather a lot in the case of paintings). Thus a set of wooden barding has value the way any set of barding does (though reduced for the material unles you used darkwood or similar).

I cannot offhand recall if a VoP character is allowed to wear a set of non-magic armour (as they are a weapon). If so the solution is fairly easy - own one set of non-magic armour, the barding worn by the animal companion...

[Hyfigh]

I cannot offhand recall if a VoP character is allowed to wear a set of non-magic armour (as they are a weapon). If so the solution is fairly easy - own one set of non-magic armour, the barding worn by the animal companion...

The rules on what they can use are fairly explicit. I was trying to see if it would work RAW alone.