Sharkskin Shadow Silk armor

[schreier]

The sharkskin armor in Stormwrack is described as:
"Similar to leather armor in appearance, sharkskin is treated so that the sharp toothlike scales covering the skin remain attached to the outside of the armor. Additionally, shark teeth are embedded along the forearms, shoulders, and legs, which count as armor spikes."

The shadow silk special material in Tome of Magic says:
"This material is woven from shadow itself."
"Only armor that is made from cloth or leather can be crafted using shadow silk."

It says cloth, leather, and hide can be made, and describes the advantages. I've read a lot of threads about it, and the general thought seems to be that this would allow sharkskin armor to be made from shadow silk. I am just trying to understand how it would work with leather.

One possible way would be to have the leather come from a shadow templated creature. For example, the sharkskin armor could be from a "shadow" shark.

Thoughts? Is this reasonable?

[Deophaun]

This is a pure DM call:
"Only armor that is made from cloth or leather can be crafted using shadow silk."
Is not the same as
"Any armor that is made from cloth or leather can be crafted using shadow silk."
Note that it then goes on to specifically list three armors that definitely can. Anything beyond that is for the DM.

From the basic description of the fabric having to be woven, that would rule out skinning a shadow shark and tanning its hide as being a suitable conversion. Plus, as I find that light armor is second strongest armor (with strongest being none), I'd say no. Make being a walking tin can not a horrible life choice first.

YMMV.

[KillianHawkeye]

You can't really make something out of two materials. You have to pick one.

[Thurbane]

Unless it comes from a Shadowshark! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23553787&postcount=13) :smalltongue:

[Kalkra]

From the basic description of the fabric having to be woven, that would rule out skinning a shadow shark and tanning its hide as being a suitable conversion.

Leather is never woven. Also, there are probably much crazier 100% RAW armor things.

[schreier]

Leather is never woven. Also, there are probably much crazier 100% RAW armor things.

This is exactly my point/thought ... How would leather ever work based on the description?

The best thing I could come up with was taking skin from a shadow creature. It doesn't match 100% with the description, but nothing else makes sense to me. It becomes even more confusing with the hide.

Only other option I could think of with is some kind of treatment for the leather/hide, but that doesn't make any more sense to me than using the hide of a shadow creature. If they had left it as just cloth based armor it would be easy - but the introduction of leather as an option is just confusing.

[liquidformat]

So I always take these descriptions with a grain of salt, in my mind what they are saying is that they weave shadow together and clothe, leather, and hide are how hard it can be made and the primary material is clothe or leather. Note that even quilted armor, leather armor, and hide would often have components that are neither clothe nor leather in their construction such as metal or bone hooks and clasps or even metal thread. So from that point of view, I think both studded leather and sharkskin should be reasonable choices where the studs and shark teeth are added as sub-components to the shadow silk body of the armor.

[zergling.exe]

So I always take these descriptions with a grain of salt, in my mind what they are saying is that they weave shadow together and clothe, leather, and hide are how hard it can be made and the primary material is clothe or leather. Note that even quilted armor, leather armor, and hide would often have components that are neither clothe nor leather in their construction such as metal or bone hooks and clasps or even metal thread. So from that point of view, I think both studded leather and sharkskin should be reasonable choices where the studs and shark teeth are added as sub-components to the shadow silk body of the armor.

The 'studs' in studded leather are the rivets holding metal plates between two pieces of leather in place.

[GreatWyrmGold]

You can't really make something out of two materials. You have to pick one.
Sharkskin isn't a material variant of leather armor; it's its own kind of armor, which happens to statistically resemble spiked leather armor.

The way I see it, making shadow silk sharkskin armor would require shadowsilk and some shadowy equivalent of shark teeth. (Shadow obsidian? Nightshade claws?) If you can do that, go ahead and make your shadowshark armor.

[Deophaun]

Leather is never woven.
Thank you for repeating my point.

I think both studded leather and sharkskin should be reasonable
Studded leather is never reasonable. Any mention of it in any medium warrants a sentence of being flung from a trebuchet.

Sharkskin isn't a material variant of leather armor; it's its own kind of armor, which happens to statistically resemble spiked leather armor.
But it is specifically made from a certain kind of material:

Similar to leather armor in appearance, sharkskin is treated so that the sharp toothlike scales covering the skin remain attached to the outside of the armor.

[Blue Jay]

If you're looking for one more vote, I agree with Deophaun that it's DM-dependent.

My personal opinion is that "sharkskin" counts as a special material, and the armor has features that are dependent on that special material, so that armor type can't be made with any other material; but I wouldn't go so far as to say that that's RAW. If another DM said the opposite, that's equally as valid as my interpretation; and Thurbane's shadowshark idea doesn't offend me in the least; so I say it's your DM's call.

[GreatWyrmGold]

But it is specifically made from a certain kind of material:
And leather armor is specifically made of leather1, plate armor is specifically made of metal2, etc. Doesn't stop mechanically-identical armor from being made out of alternate materials like shadowsilk, ironwood, dragonhide, and riverine.

1: PHB pg. 125: "The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by boiling in oil." Also, you know, the name.
2: PHB pg. 124: "This armor consists of shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked to cover the entire body."