Under the Sea.. Under the Sea!

[Three_Haligonians]

*ahem* Sebastian quoting aside,

My players are about to slip beneath the waves to continue their adventure, and they will probably be there for an extended period of time - so I'd like to get my rules straight so I don't bog down the playing with constant book checking.

There is already a thread on the go about Holding your Breath so let's avoid that kettle of fish entirely, also I have another thread on the go concerning Stomwrack's rules on deep sea pressure damage so I don't want to repeat myself. Otherwise - this is what I have:


-The PHB has the Swim skill all worked out - a successful check means a character goes one quarter their speed with a move action, or half their speed as a full round action. The DC can be 10, 15, or 20, depending on how rough the water is. You can take 10 on these swim checks, unless the DC is 20. After every hour of swimming, you need to make a DC 20 swim check or suffer 1d6 nonlethal damage (The bonus of the Endurance feat applies to this check).

-A character's swim check is subject to double any armour check or encumbrance penalty they may have.

- P. 92 of the DMG has a nice chart showing the attack and damage penalties a character suffers underwater, depending on the type of attack they use and their method (degree) of underwater mobility. This chart is expanded upon on p. 21 of Stormwrack.

- Thrown weapons don't work underwater, and other ranged weapons suffer a -2 penalty for every 5ft of water they move through. This is in addition to normal range penalties. Even the freedom of movement spell does not help in this situation.

- The surface of the water grants improved cover (+8 AC +4 Ref saves) against melee attacks to a creature swimming, floating, or treading in it unless the attacker is under the benefit of a freedom of movement spell. A totally submerged creature has total cover against an opponent on land (and vice versa) unless, again, freedom of movement is involved. Unless there is an attack roll required, this rule does not apply to magics.

- Fire, obviously, does not burn underwater. Fire magic doesn't work either, unless the caster succeeds a Concentration check DC = 20 + spell level, at which point the spell works as normal - only instead of actual fire, the effect is steam/scalding hot water. For fire spells, the water's surface blocks line of effect. Supernatural fire effects do not work underwater period (unless stated otherwise).

- The DMG and Stormwrack tells us that a character can attempt to walk across the bottom instead of swim. To do this the character must either possess the Aquatic subtype and have a land speed faster than its swim speed (or no swim speed) or carry sufficient weight to hold it down (the weight required depends on the creature's size).

- A creature with a swim speed can move through the water at that speed without any Swim checks required. It gains a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard and it can take 10 on its Swim check, even when distracted or endangered. Finally, it can use the run action while swimming, provided it moves in a straight line.

- A creature with the Aquatic subtype always has a swim speed (so it gets all the benefits listed above) and can also breathe underwater, but not necessarily air - for that it needs the amphibious quality.

There, have I missed anything? Have I gotten anything wrong? Here are some questions I've though of:

- In terms of spellcasting - how are Verbal components affected by being underwater, either when the caster is able to breathe or not?

- Logically speaking, drinking potions and reading scrolls (the basic, written on paper, kind) seem impossible. Are there any actual rules on this? What are some good alternatives?

- Freedom of movement and water breathing are pretty clear no-brainers, but are there any other spells that would be highly useful? What about magic items? (other than ones that grant those two spells I mean). The Pearl of the Sirines is a good choice but it talks about needing to hold it firmly in one hand to understand and use it - are there others?

Wow, that's a lot of stuff - if your still reading it by this point I sure would appreciate your input. Thanks,

J from Three Haligonians

 

[Krelios]

- Thrown weapons don't work underwater, and other ranged weapons suffer a -2 penalty for every 5ft of water they move through. This is in addition to normal range penalties. Even the freedom of movement spell does not help in this situation.

While this may be the rule, it's a bit wrong. A bow wouldn't function underwater with a soaked string, a firearm certainly wouldn't work, you couldn't swing a sling enough to use it, and only a crossbow with a metal cable (rather than a hemp cord) would work for very long. For ease of play, I'd be sure that you look at how realistic your players expect this underwater trip to be (breathing aside, of course).

 

[ken-ichi]

Drinking potions should be possible. You just have to exhale air into the bottle as you are swallowing the liquid. Reading scrolls is possible. They would have to be water resistant at the least to survive for the round you read them. For the price of materials used in making a magical scroll I could definitely see them being made very water resistant.

I don't think a crossbow would work too well underwater. I suspect that the water would slow the string a lot. But if you look at the kuoa-toa (or was it the sahuagin) in the MM they have a special made crossbow for underwater use. I suppose it would be much like a old fashioned spear gun. I would allow the PCs to find someone who could make them some of these at an extra cost. Or they could just trade/steal some from the underwater races.

 

[Stormborn]

a simple solution would be to allow a PC to purchace a minor wondrous item of Submariner's Bowstring (or whatever you want to call it) for c. 50gp that could be added to their existing bows, even magical ones, that would function underwater. If the price is too low for you have the string break on any attack roll of a "1".

 

[Pinotage]

- P. 92 of the DMG has a nice chart showing the attack and damage penalties a character suffers underwater, depending on the type of attack they use and their method (degree) of underwater mobility. This chart is expanded upon on p. 21 of Stormwrack.

Yeah, just assume 'Tail' means all natural weapons for creatures with the aquatic subtype. Aquatic creatures should have no penalty for using their natural weapons underwater.

- Fire, obviously, does not burn underwater. Fire magic doesn't work either, unless the caster succeeds a Concentration check DC = 20 + spell level, at which point the spell works as normal - only instead of actual fire, the effect is steam/scalding hot water. For fire spells, the water's surface blocks line of effect. Supernatural fire effects do not work underwater period (unless stated otherwise).

I always rules that most spells work normally underwater. For Fire spells you have a number of options to reduce their effectiveness, but steam can be as effective as flame.

- The DMG and Stormwrack tells us that a character can attempt to walk across the bottom instead of swim. To do this the character must either possess the Aquatic subtype and have a land speed faster than its swim speed (or no swim speed) or carry sufficient weight to hold it down (the weight required depends on the creature's size).

16 lbs. for a Medium character according to the DMG.

- In terms of spellcasting - how are Verbal components affected by being underwater, either when the caster is able to breathe or not?

I rules a Concentration check to cast spells if you're holding your breath, and include a Spellcraft check in general for holding breath and water breathing.

- Logically speaking, drinking potions and reading scrolls (the basic, written on paper, kind) seem impossible. Are there any actual rules on this? What are some good alternatives?

A number of supplements had potion bladders for underwater and waterproof scrolls. For scrolls, though, the same applies for spells with verbal components.

- Freedom of movement and water breathing are pretty clear no-brainers, but are there any other spells that would be highly useful? What about magic items? (other than ones that grant those two spells I mean). The Pearl of the Sirines is a good choice but it talks about needing to hold it firmly in one hand to understand and use it - are there others?

Endure Elements, Darkvision, Alter Self, Polymorph etc. Loads of items in the DMG.

Hope that helps.

Pinotage

 

[Whimsical]

Here are some questions I've though of:

- In terms of spellcasting - how are Verbal components affected by being underwater, either when the caster is able to breathe or not?

This is not covered in the rules. I house rule that you can cast one spell with a verbal component, but you start drowning the following round. There's no problem spellcasting if you can breathe water.

- Logically speaking, drinking potions and reading scrolls (the basic, written on paper, kind) seem impossible. Are there any actual rules on this? What are some good alternatives?

I prefer the idea of being able to drink a potion underwater and use scrolls, and that scrolls are water proof or at least water resistant considering that they are magic items.

- Freedom of movement and water breathing are pretty clear no-brainers, but are there any other spells that would be highly useful? What about magic items? (other than ones that grant those two spells I mean). The Pearl of the Sirines is a good choice but it talks about needing to hold it firmly in one hand to understand and use it - are there others?

Elixer of Swimming is good. +10 to swim checks. I tend to make sure my full-platers have this exlier handy. Beter yet, there is the swim spell in the Complete Arcane/Adventurer/Spell Compendium, which grants you a swim speed. There's also Cloak of the Sea which is very nice. Check the Spell Compendium for other spells. You may also want to consider if you are going to allow the fly spell to work underwater. I do, but at half speed.

Magic items: Helm of Underwater Action, Bottle of Air, Cloak of the Manta Ray, Quaal's Feather Token: Swan Boat, Horn of the Tritons, Necklace of Adaptations, Plate Armor of the Deep, Trident of Fish Command, Trident of Warning, Ring of Swimming & Improved Swimming, Ring of Waterwalking, Aparatus of the Crab.