Dyrr's Impervious Vestments

[YellowJohn]

Dyrr's Impervious Vestments are a magic item found in Complete Arcane, back when books weren't explicit about which slot items went in.
The first line of the item description calls it a robe, but I see many places on line calling it a vest.
Has it been reprinted anywhere as an explicitly vest slot item? Or are people just reading 'Vestment' and assuming it means 'Vest', not 'Clothing'?

[Telonius]

Part of the issue might be that there are two separate, similarly-named magic items: Dyrr's Impervious Vestment (from CArc), and Impervious Vestment (from Magic Item Compendium). Dyrr's is much more expensive and has a higher AC granted, but they both have the Blade Barrier effect. It's possible that the MiC Impervious Vestment was intended to be a replacement or update of Dyrr's. For what it's worth, I'd rule that's the case, but your DM may not agree. The MiC version does list the Torso slot.

Assuming that you're using the CArc version only, it's a bit complicated. The description of an item called a Vestment describes it as a robe; but (from the SRD, Magic Items on the Body (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#magicItemsOnTheBody)), it could either be the Torso or Robe slot:


One vest, vestment, or shirt on the torso
One robe or suit of armor on the body (over a vest, vestment, or shirt)

Pretty clearly "ask your DM" territory there. Personally I'd say that the fluff description calling it a robe is the more operative thing than the item name, but I can absolutely see somebody else ruling otherwise.

[YellowJohn]

This is for a character I'm building for my own amusement, so I am the DM, but at the same time I would like the character to be playable on the slender off-chance an opportunity to play this character actually comes up so I'm trying to keep the cheese levels down. I went into this conversation with the mindset 'the item description says it's a robe, so unless it is explicitly reprinted as a torso item somewhere it goes on the body'. However, the picture of the Impervious Vestment in the MIC matches the description for Dyrr's version in CAr, and this along with the 'One vest, vestment, or shirt on the torso' line has swayed my opinion.

Thank you Telonius for such a detailed answer, and the heads up on the 'Impervious Vestment' item.

[Vaern]

It's not just the picture in MIC that matches the description in CA. The flavor text in MIC is identical to the first sentence of the description in CA. It was likely rebalanced and repriced to make it a more appealing choice, or perhaps more affordable at the level at which someone would gain access to the spells required to make it.
Vestment can be used as a kind of umbrella term to refer to any sort of formal or ceremonial garment. The dictionary definition of vestment even says that it can refer to a robe worn by clergy, so it isn't unreasonable for an item that fits into the "body" slot as a robe to be named as a vestment. Since both the description and the picture provided depict it as being a robe, I would personally vote in favor of overruling the "torso" slot entry in MIC and place it on the "body" slot as a robe. I think it might be possible that an editor saw "vestment" in the item name and "vestment" on the item slot list and placed it there without actually reviewing the item's description to be sure...
But, my own opinion and speculation aside, the objectively correct answer would be that it is worn on the "torso" slot since that is what is printed.

[YellowJohn]

It's not just the picture in MIC that matches the description in CA. The flavor text in MIC is identical to the first sentence of the description in CA.

You are correct, I somehow skimmed over the italicised text without noticing it 🤦

Though I like to think of it as 'Dyrr made a better version'.

[Vaern]

You are correct, I somehow skimmed over the italicised text without noticing it 🤦

Though I like to think of it as 'Dyrr made a better version'.

I was thinking the same thing. Dyrr made the original Impervious Vestments, and the MIC version is a budget knockoff for people who can't afford the name brand stuff xD