D&D 5E Water Walk on the Elemental Plane of Water

[Lakesidefantasy]

I don't know why we're allowing ourselves to assume an air bubble exists in a total water type Plane of Water. Sure there are plenty of ways an air bubble could exist, but none of them are reliable. The only thing we can reliably expect of a total water type Plane of Water is that there will be water. Whether that plane has a surface or not is just not reliable. I for one am interested in an infinite expanse of water, simply allowed to exist free from the dictates of physics.

So, water walk would not jet you off to some convenient air bubble and would essentially do nothing.

That's in a total water Plane of Water. On the Plane of water as described in the 5th Edition Dungeon Masters Guide the answer is simple, you go up to the surface and walk on it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I did use the word "traditionally" for a reason... Not particularly a fan of giving the Plane of Water a surface, myself, as it implicitly also requires the Plane of Water having an infinite sky, blurring the line between it and the Plane of Air and defeating the purpose of having distinct elemental planes in the first place, but they'll do with the 5e cosmology what they're going to do...

It's still, presumably, a sea of infinite depth, though, so there's still no guarantee you'd be able to reach the surface within the timeframe of a Water Walk spell.

All the elemental planes are just dominated by their element. This makes them usable without having to arbitrarily include a “survive in the plane of fire” spell.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

All the elemental planes are just dominated by their element. This makes them usable without having to arbitrarily include a “survive in the plane of fire” spell.

I understand the rationale, even if I'm not a fan of the changes - it's a middle ground between 4e's Elemental Chaos and the traditional Elemental Planes of earlier editions.

I'm just a Planescape fan who happens to like the 2e-era Great Wheel's model for the Inner Planes (para/quasi-elemental planes and all), so this particular version simply isn't my personal cup of tea.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I understand the rationale, even if I'm not a fan of the changes - it's a middle ground between 4e's Elemental Chaos and the traditional Elemental Planes of earlier editions.

I'm just a Planescape fan who happens to like the 2e-era Great Wheel's model for the Inner Planes (para/quasi-elemental planes and all), so this particular version simply isn't my personal cup of tea.

One more reason for me to actively dislike Planescape and wish it had vastly less of an influence on 5e…

Most of what I dislike about 5e is a result of them making Planescape the unspoken default setting.

 

[Ancalagon]

Traditionally, yes, but not as of 5e. Here's how the Plane of Water is described in the DMG:



So the Plane of Water is as much the surface of a sea (with a sky above) as it is the watery depths beneath the surface.

Perhaps this surface is the interface between the plane of water and the plane of air...

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I understand the rationale, even if I'm not a fan of the changes - it's a middle ground between 4e's Elemental Chaos and the traditional Elemental Planes of earlier editions.

I'm just a Planescape fan who happens to like the 2e-era Great Wheel's model for the Inner Planes (para/quasi-elemental planes and all), so this particular version simply isn't my personal cup of tea.

The traditional ones are stated to still exist they are just beyond the Border Regions were life can survive.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

The traditional ones are stated to still exist they are just beyond the Border Regions were life can survive.

Just a matter of personal preference.

There are already places where the elemental planes mingle (the para/quasi-elemental planes, as well as elemental vortices) and ways to make them more "survivable" without completely changing the way they're structured, so the creation of these border regions doesn't do anything for me.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Just a matter of personal preference.

There are already places where the elemental planes mingle (the para/quasi-elemental planes, as well as elemental vortices) and ways to make them more "survivable" without completely changing the way they're structured, so the creation of these border regions doesn't do anything for me.

The Para Quasi were just as unsurvivable as the main ones back in 2e. Now all of them have a survivable area, and the normal area.

 

[Richards]

My justification, from the 3E Manual of the Planes, page 65:

"Each of the Inner Planes is a region of roughly similar environment. The Elemental Plane of Earth, for example, is mostly solid matter, while flames overwhelm the Elemental Plane of Fire. On each of the planes are bits of other elements and substances, existing like islands in the otherwise overwhelming element of energy."

That's the way I've always run my campaigns, so a bubble of air in the Elemental Plane of Water would not be an unexpected occurrence. If your campaign setup is different, then my suggestion probably isn't going to work for you.

Johnathan

 

[MNblockhead]

I don't know why we're allowing ourselves to assume an air bubble exists in a total water type Plane of Water. Sure there are plenty of ways an air bubble could exist, but none of them are reliable. The only thing we can reliably expect of a total water type Plane of Water is that there will be water. Whether that plane has a surface or not is just not reliable. I for one am interested in an infinite expanse of water, simply allowed to exist free from the dictates of physics.

So, water walk would not jet you off to some convenient air bubble and would essentially do nothing.

That's in a total water Plane of Water. On the Plane of water as described in the 5th Edition Dungeon Masters Guide the answer is simple, you go up to the surface and walk on it.

You find yourself moved towards a gargantuan extra-planer cetacean that has to pop into the elemental plain of air once a year to take a breath.