Swimming -- even light armor is dangerous

[silentspace]

I dunno, I'm not sure I'd allow you to take 10 swimming.

 

[Len]

I dunno, I'm not sure I'd allow you to take 10 swimming.

According to the rules, you can take 10 on a swim check unless you're in stormy water (or otherwise prevented from taking 10, as usual). There's nothing about swimming that makes it any harder to do than any other skill. I personally have no problem swimming in calm water when not otherwise distracted, and my D&D character shouldn't either.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Of course, you still can't take 10 if you're in a combat situation, IIRC. I'm pretty sure that goes for every skill.

 

[silentspace]

According to the rules, you can take 10 on a swim check unless you're in stormy water (or otherwise prevented from taking 10, as usual). There's nothing about swimming that makes it any harder to do than any other skill. I personally have no problem swimming in calm water when not otherwise distracted, and my D&D character shouldn't either.

That's not what the rules say.

I can't comment on your personal experience though. I myself, I never tried swimming while taking off armor. Sounds like you have some ranks in Swim though, while the Paladin apparently doesn't.

 

[tauton_ikhnos]

I had an armored dwarf hit water, fail his swim check, hold his breath, and sink for 10 rounds while he stripped off his armor. Then he made his swim check and slooooooowly made his way back up to the surface, taking 10 the whole way.

Then he killed the bastard that had pushed him overboard, and spent three game sessions afterwards bemoaning his celestial breastplate +4 of brightness.

(Yes, it was a high level campaign, and I almost died of drowning; an oversight of skill and items that I never made again; and no, I never got the armor back)

 

[Len]

That's not what the rules say.

Yes, it is:

You can’t take 10 on a Swim check in stormy water,
even if you aren’t otherwise being threatened or distracted.

There's nothing prohibiting taking 10 in calm water in normal circumstances, so it's allowed just like every other skill.

I can't comment on your personal experience though. I myself, I never tried swimming while taking off armor.

Neither have I. You didn't say anything about taking off armor, just "take 10 swimming".

Sounds like you have some ranks in Swim though, while the Paladin apparently doesn't

You can take 10 on untrained skills. The paladin is penalized plenty by the double armor check penalty. With a chain shirt he can tread water, with heavy armor he'll sink. He can only swim if he has a high swim skill or a good roll. Seems fair to me.

 

[The Souljourner]

That's not what the rules say.

Yes, actually, it is.

In the table for DCs in the SRD under "Swim Skill" :
Stormy water 20 (superscript)1

1 You can’t take 10 on a Swim check in stormy water, even if you aren’t otherwise being threatened or distracted.


There is a blanket rule that says you can always take 10 unless distracted or threatened, and the only exception stated in the swim skill is in stormy water.

Yeah, and as for light armor being death... it really doesn't seem to be. A totally untrained swimmer with strength 10 can fall into calm water in a chain shirt and tread water long enough to remove it, and then can swim to shore. Doesn't seem deadly at all. Someone with strength 12 and rudimentary training (4 ranks) would even be ok in choppy water. Heck, I was on the swim team in highschool, and I think I'd have trouble with 25 pounds of metal in choppy water (maybe even calm water).

-The Souljourner

 

[silentspace]

Yes, actually, it is.

In the table for DCs in the SRD under "Swim Skill" :
Stormy water 20 (superscript)1

1 You can’t take 10 on a Swim check in stormy water, even if you aren’t otherwise being threatened or distracted.


There is a blanket rule that says you can always take 10 unless distracted or threatened, and the only exception stated in the swim skill is in stormy water.
-The Souljourner

Taking 10: When your character is not being threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10.

Emphasis mine.

Regarding the footnote under the Swim table, an exception does not make a rule. There is no blanket rule saying that you can Take 10 as long as you are not in Stormy Water.

It is up to each DM to decide if removing armor while trying to swim qualifies as the character being "distracted", thus preventing him from Taking 10 on a swim check. In my personal view, I would not allow someone to Take 10.

 

[silentspace]

You can take 10 on untrained skills. The paladin is penalized plenty by the double armor check penalty. With a chain shirt he can tread water, with heavy armor he'll sink. He can only swim if he has a high swim skill or a good roll. Seems fair to me.

I know. My apologies, my weak attempt at humor probably came off as snarkiness.

 

[Darklone]

The last guys in Germany who tried to remove a chainmail under water while being drunk died. Silly roleplayers you might say. It's NOT easy, I can tell you.