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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 5694803" data-attributes="member: 92305">One part of the rules I don't understand the reasoning behind is listed in the Water Dangers section of the 3.5 DMG (page 304).  There, it says that in fast moving water, a character takes 1d3 Non-Lethal damage IF HE DOES MAKE HIS SWIM CHECK. Huh? If the drowning rules are easy, this rule will kill a character (drown him) unrealistically quick.  Think about it.  If you get in fast moving water, you'll be unconscious in a matter of minutes, averging 15 points of non-lethal damage per minute. Somebody help me understand that.       Secondly:  I've got this swimming obstacle coming up in my game tomorrow night.  This is the first time I've used the 3.5 Swim rules.  I want to make sure I've got it "right". Here's the situation:  The PCs are chasing an NPC, and the NPC will (hopefully) make it to a rope (vine) and swing down into a river. The river is 315 feet wide, and it's a rushing river.  Rapids.  Picture rocks and tremendous rushing water ending in a large mountain waterfall not too far down stream. So, by the rules, I've declared the Swim checks to be made against DC 15.     The NPC, Gerald, has a STR 16 (+3), CON 10 (+0), and no ranks in Swim.  Speed = 30.  He's barefooted and not wearing anything but a shirt, kilt, and some equipment (weapons and such) that keep way into the light encumbrance zone. Therefore, Gerald is +3 on his Swim checks.     When Gerald starts to swim across the rapids, he rolls d20 +3 against DC 15 to swim 15 feet. If he rolls a total of 11-14, then he does not move at all.  I guess he treads water. If he rolls 10 or less, then he goes under. When Gerald goes under, he can stay under, easily for 10 rounds.  On the 11th round, Gerald can still stay under, holding his breath, if he makes a DC 10 CON check.  This CON check increases by 1 point until each round until the check is failed, at which point Gerald will be drowning and will be dead in three rounds (considered at 0 HP on that first round of drowning, -1 HP on the second round, and dead on the  third round). This means that it will be very hard for Gerald to drown even though he's not a great swimmer and he's swimming in water he has no business being in. Gerald can roll 9 failures on his DC 15 Swim check, then can finally make his 10th check and be fine.  (This would indicate that Gerald went under for 54 seconds--9 rounds--then popped up, caught his breath, and swam for 15'). Chances are, Gerald is going to take a long time crossing the river, being under a large part of the time but never taking any damage because he'll pop up eventually and swim his 15 foot segment. That's how it works, yes?</blockquote>

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