In Adventurers League, can a druid in Wild Shape wear an Armorer artificer's Arcane Armor?

Question

In D&D 5e Adventurers League play, can a druid in Wild Shape wear an Artificer armorer's Arcane Armor?

The relevant part of the druid's Wild Shape feature description says:

Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it

The description of the Armorer artificer's Arcane Armor feature says, in part:

The armor attaches to you and can’t be removed against your will. It also expands to cover your entire body, although you can retract or deploy the helmet as a bonus action. The armor replaces any missing limbs, functioning identically to a body part it is replacing.

The DMG says this about Magic Armor:

In most cases, a magic item that's meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Rare exceptions exist.

What is the limitation of the "expands to cover entire body", "magically adjust themselves to the wearer", "replaces any missing limbs" for the Armorer? If I wild shaped into a Bear, would I still be able to wear my armor, assuming it expanded in size? Or what if I changed into a snake? Is there any previous ruling or clarification on this?

Answer 1

The DMG statement about magic items fitting 'regardless of size or build' is pretty clearly talking about how tall you are and your body shape (as in muscular, fat, scrawny, or hunched), not like reworking itself to fit a quadruped. It goes on to say, "Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer." An 'easily adjustable garment' just isn't going to fit a camel, raven, or shark, no matter what you think magic might allow for. Furthermore, two paragraphs on, it says:

When a nonhumanoid tries to wear an item, use your discretion...

So it's really up to your DM, but I've never had a DM rule that magic armor reshapes to fit an animal form (whether due to wildshape or just a companion animal). Barding is a wholly separate item.

But you made a comment that clarified that what you're really interested in is being able to use the Guardian armor's Thunder Gauntlets while wildshaped, and that's a harder sell.

Thunder Gauntlets are a weapon, and "A weapon must be held in hand." (DMG p. 140, "Wearing and Wielding Items") Aside from apes, most beast forms lack hands and can't wield a weapon, even if it's theoretically attached to the armor. A gauntlet is not technically held, but I think that we can reasonably read it as "worn on a hand" in this case.

In total, it's not 100% certain and largely up to your group's DM, but I wouldn't allow this, and Adventurer's League tends to be on the conservative side in my experience, so don't count on this working.