Gust of Wind spell, underwater?

[RUMBLETiGER]

My second question regarding an upcoming Dragon encounter with my players (The first question is here).
As described in the other thread, my players will fight a White Dragon. When the battle starts turning badly for the Dragon, she will escape down a water tunnel that leads to her secret back door. I've designed the tunnel to have an air pocket midway between the main chamber and the secret back door chamber. I'm going with the explanation that the air chamber was part of the Dragon's design, and she filled it somehow during the creation of her lair, oodles of years ago.

But, as always with me, "It just was done" is an answer that doesn't really sit well with me, I love RAW explanations. So I'm considering the Gust of Wind spell, which my adult White Dragon can use as a Spell-like ability. Does the wording of the spell, "This spell creates a severe blast of air (approximately 50 mph) that originates from you..." refer to literally creating the air, or creating the blast (just the movement of existing air) if you consider the use of this spell underwater? would this be an effective explanation for how a bubble of air could fill a ceiling pocket in a cave tunnel? Could the White Dragon use this underwater to push the PCs back, make a flurry of bubbles for concealment, or would this ability simply not function underwater?

...Otherwise I'll have the dragon use sheepskin bladders and make 2000 trips, but that simply isn't as cool.

 

[Nagol]

GoW is an Evocation spell so it is adding energy to the environment (moving the air that is present) as opposed to a Conjuration spell that would be creating non-magical air.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Ah! checking the school of magic as a hint to the kind of effect, that makes sense. I'd buy that argument if no other evidence comes to light.

Before now I never actually believed the spell actually created air, I was simply reconsidering the words to see if they'd fit my scenario. I'm ok if it does not.

 

[Nagol]

Fog Cloud is a Conjuration (Creation) and accessible to the White Dragon. There's your (very wet) air supply.

 

[MarkB]

Gust of Wind could reasonably be used to force a blast of air through the water. Depending upon how long the tunnel is, it could be used to transport the air directly to the pocket - or the dragon could force a large amount of air into the water, then quickly freeze it with ice breath, creating an ice cube riddled with air bubbles which can be hauled to the pocket and left to melt. Probably a lot more efficient than the sheep bladder, at least.

For extra nasties, have the dragon freeze the surface of the water beneath the air pocket after use, so that pursuers must break through the ice in order to take a breath.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Fog Cloud is a Conjuration (Creation) and accessible to the White Dragon. There's your (very wet) air supply.

...!!!
Yes! I completely overlooked the OTHER spell-like ability. I do think this could work.

Gust of Wind could reasonably be used to force a blast of air through the water. Depending upon how long the tunnel is, it could be used to transport the air directly to the pocket - or the dragon could force a large amount of air into the water, then quickly freeze it with ice breath, creating an ice cube riddled with air bubbles which can be hauled to the pocket and left to melt. Probably a lot more efficient than the sheep bladder, at least.

For extra nasties, have the dragon freeze the surface of the water beneath the air pocket after use, so that pursuers must break through the ice in order to take a breath.

Also likely doable, definitely faster than a sheep bladder.

The lair will be covered entirely in ice, high up a mountain, and reinforced with a frosty layer from the Dragon's breath. I'm actually going with the Multiheaded template to make a 2 headed Adult White Dragon, just for a slight surprise twist, but that's going to be relevant later.

The main chamber will have an icy floor, Balance checks will abound for the Pcs. The further side of the cavern will appear as frosty-cavern floor as the rest, but (following Frostburn's rules for sized creatures and ice thickness) there will be a 50% chance that if the Dragon jumps in the section of ice concealing the passage, it will break beneath. I'll have her try to lure the PCs into the water to do combat where they have even less advantage. The 2 headed part comes in where I'll have one head inhaling from the air bubble while in the tunnel, while the other head uses the Breath weapon. The PCs will either need to get closer to the Dragon to share the air bubble, retreat back up the passage, or get creative with working under water. The PCs are level 10, they wanted a CR 12 encounter, so we'll see how prepared they become beforehand.

The idea that the Dragon freezes the surface AFTER the PCs enter the water is a very wicked idea... an excellent, CE savage Dragon kind of wicked idea. I like it.

 

[Dandu]

You know, sea water can be oxygenated.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

You know, sea water can be oxygenated.

but this is a very small pool of water high in the mountains. In a mostly artifical cavern, carved out by a dragon with average human intelegence (INT score 10). With 2 heards, which are not better than one, I imagine bickering.

 

[RangerWickett]

Guys, you're overthinking it.

If you simply must note everything the dragon can do, invent a spell: Create Air. It's a cantrip.

Or the dragon found an interesting crystal high atop the mountain, which had been blasted by wind over centuries into the shape of a donut. He brought it to his cave and noticed it made the air less stale. He went and found another few and scattered them around his lair.

Or, hey, geology is weird sometimes. I read a caving book wherein the deepest caves in the world had flooded sumps. Don't think of the cave as a water cave that somehow needs to get an air pocket. Think of it as a dry cave that probably got flooded by glacial melt, but due to pressure weirdness it couldn't flood this air pocket..

Personally I'd say don't worry about it. A wizard did it.

 

[Dandu]

but this is a very small pool of water high in the mountains. In a mostly artifical cavern, carved out by a dragon with average human intelegence (INT score 10). With 2 heards, which are not better than one, I imagine bickering.

Can fish live in it? Does it bubble up from a spring, or flow in from melted snow from the mountain top? If so, there's a good chance it contains air mixed in with the water.