Underwater spellcasting

[dunbruha]

Can you cast spells underwater using water breathing? I haven't been able to find anything about it in 3rd ed. According to "Of Ships & the Sea" (2nd ed), you could not, but I was wondering if it would be the same for 3rd. If so, is there any spell that will allow underwater spellcasting? (I know there are several magic items, but if the party does not have any, what options do they have?)

Thanks,

dunbruha

 

[Trainz]

DMG, p. 93.

It's short, but very explicit.

 

[Fester]

It's short, but very explicit.

Says it all, really. Basically, spells with the fire descriptor require a Spellcraft check to succeed. Other spells which require a ranged attack roll also suffer from a penalty to hit. Oh, and invisibility works slightly different.

Aw, just read the section...

Edit: BTW, the above is taken from the 3.5 DMG. Not sure about 3.0.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Yup, the DMG is deplorably devoid as far casting underwater goes. Best to stick with 3rd party undersea adventures-type books (Seas of Blood, Broadsides!, etc.) that address the issue of underwater casting with greater detail. Either that or just wait for Maelstrom to come out next year (the WotC environmental series: ocean book I believe).

Edit- as a helpful note I'll include the house rules I utilize for underwater spellcasting for my sea-going campaign:

A spellcaster under water without a freedom of movement spell may cast spells if they succeed at a standard concentration check (DC 15+spell level). If the spell cast requires a verbal component and the caster is without a water breathing spell, the caster becomes subject to drowning rules in the following round having expended their air supply for the casting.

I also adore the additional alteration to the various energy descriptor spells when casting underwater that I found in the naval adventuring book Broadsides!. Acid spells damage is instead spread over a few rounds rather than all at once due to dilution and suspension in the water, electricity spells become are effect spells that lose damage dice over range, etc. Neat stuff.

 

[dcollins]

Can you cast spells underwater using water breathing? I haven't been able to find anything about it in 3rd ed.

According to core 3rd Ed., there is no restriction on casting underwater, you don't need "water breathing" or anything else. The only real restriction is on fire-type spells.

These rules are in the 3.5 DMG and SRD. They weren't in the 3.0 core books, but they were originally published in a WOTC 3.0 web enhancement to "Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil".

 

[dunbruha]

Says it all, really. Basically, spells with the fire descriptor require a Spellcraft check to succeed. Other spells which require a ranged attack roll also suffer from a penalty to hit. Oh, and invisibility works slightly different.

Aw, just read the section...

Edit: BTW, the above is taken from the 3.5 DMG. Not sure about 3.0.

Well, I did read it, but there is nothing in there that specifically adresses casting, just the effects of water on various spell effects (fire, invis).

I guess my question is actually about the water breathing spell. In "Of Ships and the Sea" (p. 68), it says this about the spell:

"The recipient's lungs and vocal chords fill with water, thereby cutting off the possibility of speech, including spellcasting".

Does this still apply in v3.5? If it does, and since there is no longer an airy water spell, is there any way to cast spells underwater if no magic items (such as a Necklace of Adaptation) are available?

Thanks,

dunbruha

 

[dcollins]

Does this still apply in v3.5? If it does, and since there is no longer an airy water spell, is there any way to cast spells underwater if no magic items (such as a Necklace of Adaptation) are available?

No, it does not apply to 3.5. In core 3.X rules you can automatically cast underwater without any need for special magic.

 

[dunbruha]

No, it does not apply to 3.5. In core 3.X rules you can automatically cast underwater without any need for special magic.

Thanks for the info. Is there an explicit mention of this somewhere?

 

[Liquidsabre]

Thanks for the info. Is there an explicit mention of this somewhere?

Nope, no text to support this unfortunately. It's an assumption based on omission (lack of rules covering spellcasting underwater). Fire magic cast underwater requires a spellcraft check, other than this there isn't any mention of rules for casting underwater in the DMG.

 

[dcollins]

What he said.