Kraken Trouble

[Grogg of the North]

Aquatic Terrain

Creatures that are submerged underwater have total cover if you're on land, unless you have Freedom of Movement. I think it's safe to consider the boat as "land" for this purpose. Total cover means you don't have line of effect and can't attack. So technically a Gargantuan creature an inch below the surface lashing out with tentacles and arms has total cover and cannot be attacked.

Total Cover
If you don’t have line of effect to your target he is considered to have total cover from you. You can’t make an attack against a target that has total cover.

 

[Dandu]

My reading would lead me to believe that many spells would be unaffected, unless they are fire spells or call for attack rolls.

 

[Greenfield]

Can you throw a targeted spell, like a Polymorph, at a target under total cover?

Can you use Magic Missile against a target with total cover?

Even area effect spells are limited, with total cover effectively giving the target Evasion or even Improved Evasion. Some, like Stinking Cloud or Cloud Kill would have a hard time extending or even manifesting under water, I'd imagine. (Not actually sure of the RAW on that one.)

Spells that require an attack roll, such as Ray spells do, have a 50/50 miss chance if you can't see the target. That's bad, but still better than "Can't target at all".

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Thanks all for the clarification, 'tis indeed terrifying.

 

[Dandu]

Can you throw a targeted spell, like a Polymorph, at a target under total cover?

Polymoph is a touch spell. If you can reach out and touch something, sure. As the target is underwater, you will need to have Freedom of Movement in order to attack it. Presumiably, this is because attacking from land into water is physicalLy impeded in a way that Freedom of Movement overcome.

Can you use Magic Missile against a target with total cover?

Apparently, "Magical effects are unaffected except for those that require attack rolls (which are treated like any other effects) and fire effects."

Perhaps being underwater is not the same as being under cover for some magical spells?

More interesting question: what happens if you are underwater and cast Magic Missile at someone else underwater? Does the water grant them cover Just because it is between the two?

I can see why the water would interefere with physisal attacks from land. I can see why it would interefere with ranged attack rolls, magical or otherwise (refraction). Would water cut off LOE for auto-targeted spells cast underwater at underwater targets? If not, why would it cut off auto-targeted spells cast at underwater targets from land?

 

[Greenfield]

Polymoph is a touch spell. If you can reach out and touch something, sure. As the target is underwater, you will need to have Freedom of Movement in order to attack it. Presumiably, this is because attacking from land into water is physicalLy impeded in a way that Freedom of Movement overcome.

Baleful Polymorph
Transmutation
Level: Drd 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates, Will partial; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

This was the "Polymorph" I was referring to, a "targeted" spell. Sorry I wasn't more clear. I was thinking of the kind you throw on an enemy in combat.

I guess the key is the difference between "cover" and "concealment". If you can have cover without concealment (and Wall of Force pretty much says you can), then aimed and targeted spells would work. If the ruling is that the surface of the ocean isn't transparent like a shallow stream or fish pond, then you're back to trying to target a creature you can't see.

IRL, you can't see into ocean water, or even most freshwater bodies such as lakes, more than a few feet from the surface. I guess that's why, when the rules said "total cover", I thought "concealment" as part of the deal.

As for magical combat between underwater opponents is concerned, I think there's a rule for visibility under water...

Stealth and Detection Underwater: How far you can see underwater depends on the water’s clarity. As a guideline, creatures can see 4d8×10 feet if the water is clear, and 1d8×10 feet if it’s murky. Moving water is always murky, unless it’s in a particularly large, slow-moving river.

Unless the sea is incredibly calm, I'd tend to call it "moving water". So an average maximum visibility of 40 feet or so, but as much as 80 on a good day.

The Kraken can Ink Cloud for additional cover/concealment, and has 60 ft Blindsense, which makes the lack of visibility less of a problem for it.