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<blockquote data-quote="Asisreo" data-source="post: 8304308" data-attributes="member: 7019027">I've made a houserule before that getting hit requires a DC 10 constitution save to prevent going from holding breath to suffocating. It didn't go over well so I scrapped it but if you're players are tolerant with the idea of the casters drowning easily, it might be something to look into. Nowadays, I just use RAW to make swimming sections dramatic, but in ways that are a bit more...interesting. Let's say a player has a Con 14 (+2) meaning they can hold their breath for 3 minutes. While swimming, they can move 150ft/min or 200ft/min if moving fast. If I had a swimming section that stretched to 600ft (or 300ft down and up), the player would be incentivized to swim at a fast pace the entire time. Now, every round the player takes fighting is another round where they tick one round closer to death before the swim back up. In practical terms, as a DM, you can track how many rounds the player has been in combat, then place them that many rounds of movement under the water. That way, they still have a chance by using a Dash action but if they stayed under for too long, they'll actually drown. You must make this apparent ahead of time, though. Telling them each round in underwater combat counts against their breath time is important both for tension and to let them know the quicker they can stop or avoid combat, the better.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Asisreo, post: 8304308, member: 7019027"] I've made a houserule before that getting hit requires a DC 10 constitution save to prevent going from holding breath to suffocating. It didn't go over well so I scrapped it but if you're players are tolerant with the idea of the casters drowning easily, it might be something to look into. Nowadays, I just use RAW to make swimming sections dramatic, but in ways that are a bit more...interesting. Let's say a player has a Con 14 (+2) meaning they can hold their breath for 3 minutes. While swimming, they can move 150ft/min or 200ft/min if moving fast. If I had a swimming section that stretched to 600ft (or 300ft down and up), the player would be incentivized to swim at a fast pace the entire time. Now, every round the player takes fighting is another round where they tick one round closer to death before the swim back up. In practical terms, as a DM, you can track how many rounds the player has been in combat, then place them that many rounds of movement under the water. That way, they still have a chance by using a Dash action but if they stayed under for too long, they'll actually drown. You [B]must[/B] make this apparent ahead of time, though. Telling them each round in underwater combat counts against their breath time is important both for tension and to let them know the quicker they can stop or avoid combat, the better. [/QUOTE]

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