What cover deos being submerged in water provide?

[johnsemlak]

Straight question.

If a creature is just underwater, but completely submerged, is there a rule on the cover bonus?

 

[Thanee]

I'd give it concealment not cover.

Bye
Thanee

 

[shilsen]

Straight question.

If a creature is just underwater, but completely submerged, is there a rule on the cover bonus?

Yes (pg.93) of the DMG. A completely submerged creature has total cover. Magical effects are unaffected except for those which require attack rolls or are fire-based (the surface of a body of water blocks line of effect for fire-based spells and there are a few other details on that page).

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Iiiiiiinteresting. So if I design a spell that encases me in a bubble of water one centimetre thick...

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

... you'd be encased in a bubble 1 cm thick. You wouldn't be submerged, b/c you're not immersed in water.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

How thick does the water have to be before I'm immersed. Would you argue that if I were to encase myself in a bubble of lava 1 cm thick I wouldn't take 20d6 damage each round?

 

[Thanee]

A completely submerged creature has total cover.

Wow, I guess fishing is a tough job in D&D then...

Bye
Thanee

 

[shilsen]

Wow, I guess fishing is a tough job in D&D then...

Bye
Thanee

That's the first thing I thought of when I read that bit, but I didn't bother to comment.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

How thick does the water have to be before I'm immersed. Would you argue that if I were to encase myself in a bubble of lava 1 cm thick I wouldn't take 20d6 damage each round?

We're not talking about lava, we're talking about water. We have no rules for lava immersion (other than damage). Bad analogy.

Immersion means you are completely surrounded by it, with no open spaces. When someone is in a bubble, they are not immersed in water. They may be surrounded by water, but they're not immersed in it. If I surround you with a bubble of water, you're not wet. If I immerse you in water, you are.

I'm assuming you're being sarcastic in your original post b/c I find it hard to believe someone would think 1 cm of water protects you from attacks...

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

We're not talking about lava, we're talking about water. We have no rules for lava immersion (other than damage). Bad analogy.

Yes, exactly. The rules for lava immersion are that you take 20d6 damage if you're immersed. Therefore the only "definition" of "immersion" available in the rules is "If this were lava, would I take 20d6 damage a round?"

Immersion means you are completely surrounded by it, with no open spaces. When someone is in a bubble, they are not immersed in water. They may be surrounded by water, but they're not immersed in it. If I surround you with a bubble of water, you're not wet. If I immerse you in water, you are.

Provide a rules reference to back that up, chum. Immersion implies being surrounded on all sides by water. It doesn't tell you what the water's surrounded with. Perhaps I was not clear. The spell I will write will surround me with water, so that it begins at my skin and proceeds outward. I am wet. I may need to have a Water Breathing spell going at the same time, but it'll be worth it for the total cover.

I'm assuming you're being sarcastic in your original post b/c I find it hard to believe someone would think 1 cm of water protects you from attacks...

Heh heh. I'll bet a bag of rats it works the way I've portrayed it.