Lightning bolt underwater

[Terry Edwards]

My players are heading out to sea on a wererat riddled ship and are eventually going to encounter hordes of kuo-toa. The whip ability to cast lightning bolt is easy enough to deal with on land but what happens in the water? I've read through the DMG for an official answer but it only covers line of effect, cover and fire-based spells. In 2nd edition I always used the ruling that a lightning bolt's area of effect became a sphere with a radius half the length of the normal lightning bolt centered on the caster. Then again, in 2nd edition lighning bolts bounced off walls. So anyone have a suggestion or perhaps some real world information about mixing water and lightning?

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

My players are heading out to sea on a wererat riddled ship and are eventually going to encounter hordes of kuo-toa. The whip ability to cast lightning bolt is easy enough to deal with on land but what happens in the water? I've read through the DMG for an official answer but it only covers line of effect, cover and fire-based spells. In 2nd edition I always used the ruling that a lightning bolt's area of effect became a sphere with a radius half the length of the normal lightning bolt centered on the caster. Then again, in 2nd edition lighning bolts bounced off walls. So anyone have a suggestion or perhaps some real world information about mixing water and lightning?

It's magic. It acts the same underwater, unless specifically noted otherwise in the rules. Any house ruling otherwise is Ok, but you should probably let your players know beforehand. If you have a sorcerer with lightning bolt, it will seriously crimp his style, especially if it is one of his better spells.

The sphere effect is Ok, but it could be a little powerful in the hands of someone who can get in the middle of a crowd. I'd have it affect allies, too, but then again, I'm a RBDM. I think the last time it came up in one of my games, I said it required a ranged touch attack, and if it missed, it randomly struck some other entity within range.

I'd leave real world effects out of it.

 

[Nightchill]

I'd go with the sphere rule, affecting all (including allies) in that radius.

 

[Oscar carramiñana]

In 2E I rule the lighting bolt become a fireball and struck everyone with no save in 3E I don't know for the moment nobody cast LB into water