Underwater Spellcasting

[cmanos]

Can a spellcaster cast a spell underwater with a verbal component?

Deep Breath basically causes the spellcasters lungs to become full of air as if he had taken a deep breath. It has a verbal component. I can't find the rules for casting underwater.

And before you suggest it, I do not have access to Stormwrack.

 

[Jack Simth]

Core, there's a note under verbal components to spells that in order to cast a spell with a verbal component, you have to be able to speak in a loud voice; can you do so underwater? It's an interpertaion issue, with that aspect.

 

[shilsen]

I don't have Stormwrack either, but the rules for aquatic terrain are on pgs.92-3 of the DMG and list no changes to spellcasting underwater. I think verbal components work just fine underwater.

 

[Three_Haligonians]

Well, I do have Stormwrack and I still asked this question in a thread I started about the rules for underwater adventures since my campaign recently took a dive beneath the waterline.

It was generally decided that there are no specific rules concerning the topic - so I decided to run with the following: If the character is somehow capable with breathing underwater, with any number of spells, magic items, and the like, then spellcasting is fine. If the character is holding their breath then I say they can cast one spell, afterwhich they are no longer holding their breath and immediately have to start making the regular "don't drown" checks.

Of course, this only really matters when the spell has a verbal component - if you wanted to get really technical, you could say that water resistance can wreck somatic components, or that some material components would be rendered useless underwater (powders or liquids and other such things) but I've not bothered.

Hope this helps

J from Three Haligonians

 

[airwalkrr]

My recommendation is to adhere to the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid) in this regard. Underwater combat is tricky enough without reading between the lines to create extra rules. If the rules don't say spell-casting doesn't work any differently underwater, then my opinion is that it doesn't.

Three_Haligonians' ruling isn't bad though. It isn't very complicated and wouldn't be difficult to use. However, you could just as easily say that speaking just to cast a spell uses so little breath to be negligible if you didn't care for that level of minutiae.

 

[Pinotage]

The simple guideline I use is to force several skill checks. If you cast while holding your breath, it's a Spellcraft and Concentration check. If you cast while Water Breathing, it's a Spellcraft check only. If you can speak Aquan, then you can forgo the Spellcraft check.

Pinotage

 

[cmanos]

Basically I am looking to know how to cast the Deep Breath spell while swimming underwater. It is am immediate action.

What I would rule, is that with a successful Concentration check (DC:TBD), you could get the spell off, but like Three-Haligonians suggested, afterwhich you would need to make the "don't drown" checks.

In the case of Deep Breath, it causes your lungs to fill with air as if you had taken a deep breath, which would negate the need for the "don't drown" checks.

Now I just need to sell it to my DM

 

[Pinotage]

Hmm. It's only got a verbal component, but since it's an immediate action, presumably it's short. The Concentration check is there to basically make sure you speak the verbacl component properly while holding your breath and swallowing water. The Spellcraft check is there so that you pronounce it properly while underwater. One could always argue that it's a spell that automatically functions underwater. Perhaps the verbal component is in Aquan?

Pinotage

 

[Keith Robinson]

I recently ran an underwater encounter and this very issue arose. There's nothing in either the DMG or Stormwrack about it, so I just decided to allow the spellcaster to cast spells. He cast water breathing, so I really didn't have a problem with it after that. As has already been said, it is difficult enough and for the session I ran, it almost certainly would have been a TPK if I'd decided to be tough. As it goes, 3 of the 5 characters died anyway (it was the half damage that really hurt them) :\

Another issue that arose was drinking potions underwater. Again, I decided to allow it (it was a potion of water breathing), but I'm not sure how doable this is either.

 

[pbd]

Another issue that arose was drinking potions underwater. Again, I decided to allow it (it was a potion of water breathing), but I'm not sure how doable this is either.

This could be done by a concious character relatively easily. A potion isn't a large volume of liquid and, as gravity still works correctly under water (things seem lighter due to the high density od water compared to air), one could seal their lips around the opening, tilt head (and potion) back, and let it drain into your mouth, etc. etc. An unconcious character might have problems.

As for casting spells; my group reently ran into an underwater adventure and even with water breathing the DM allowed only a 50% chance to cast a spell with a verbal component. Playing a sorc, I rolled below 50% for like 6 of the 7 spells he tried to cast. Frikkin' water....