Adventures in Water

He looked at the sea and understood how alone he was, now. (The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway)

Water allows societies to exist, but it can also destroy them. Life could not exist without it, but water can also kill, both by drowning people and by generating floods and tsunamis on a large scale.

Aquatic Adventures

An aquatic adventure can take place anywhere water represents the main element of the territory: such as swamps, rivers, lakes, ponds, oceans, the Plane of Water, and similar. Aquatic adventures do not require that characters have the ability to breathe underwater; Aquatic challenges for low-level adventurers bring tension and a sense of danger to an adventure.

Adapting to Aquatic Environments

The rules for underwater combat apply to creatures that are not native to this dangerous environment, like most PCs. For prolonged Aquatic adventures and explorations particularly in depth, characters will need to use magic to continue their adventures. Pressure damage can be completely avoided through spells that offer resistance or by being able to breathe underwater.

Underwater Combat

Creatures that live on land have considerable difficulty fighting underwater. Water affects a creature’ **s Defense, Attack Rolls, damage, and movement.

  • A creature underwater loses its Dexterity bonus to Defense.
  • A creature underwater that is not under the Freedom of Movement spell makes Attack Rolls with a -1d6 penalty, and the opponent is considered to have Damage Resistance against Slashing and Bludgeoning weapons.

Weapons like Trident, Short Spear, Short Sword, Javelin have no penalty to hit underwater in melee.

  • Moving or swimming in water is considered difficult terrain.

These penalties are valid only if you don’ **t have a Swim movement type.

Ranged attacks underwater

Thrown weapons are ineffective underwater, even when thrown from land. Ranged attacks suffer -1 damage for every 1 meter of water they travel through.

Attacks from land

Those characters who swim, float, or travel through water on the surface, or wade through a stretch where the water is at least chest-high, enjoy medium cover.

A completely submerged creature has total cover against opponents on land.

Magical effects in water

Magical effects are not influenced, except those that require an Attack Roll (see above) and fire effects.

Non-magical fire (including alchemist’ **s fire) does not burn underwater. Fire spells or magical effects are ineffective underwater. A partially submerged creature has resistance to fire.

Casting spells underwater

Casting spells underwater can be difficult for those who cannot breathe underwater.

A creature unable to breathe underwater spends three rounds of holding its breath to cast a spell with Verbal components.

Some spells might work differently underwater, at the Narrator’ **s discretion.

See Environment Chapter for the rules on holding breath (p. ).