Can you Charge underwater?

[Reebo Kesh]

Can a creature without a Swim Speed use the Charge full-round action?

Can a creature with a Swim Speed use the Charge full-round action?

Thanks in advance
Reebo

[CommandoDude]

Yes, but only if they're under a magical effect like Freedom of Movement.

Yes.

[Shar Tahl]

I'd say with the above mentioned freedom of movement or if you have a swim speed

[Gilfalas]

Reebo Kesh wrote:

Can a creature without a Swim Speed use the Charge full-round action?

Can a creature with a Swim Speed use the Charge full-round action?

Thanks in advance
Reebo

Unless swimming is somehow considered rough terrain for the character in question I don't see why not? While swimming carries it's own movement reduction it is not listed as rough terrain in the skill description. As long as you follow the charge restrictions I don't see why you could not charge underwater as far as RAW.

As far as table rules go I would agree that limiting a non swim speed character to needing Freedom of Movement or something similar is logical, though.

[Starglim]

Gilfalas wrote:

Unless swimming is somehow considered rough terrain for the character in question I don't see why not?

A Swim check is either a move action or a full-round action. You can't combine this with the full-round action to charge.

Freedom of movement works because the water doesn't impede you when you're running along the bottom.

[Gherrick]

Swim speed is akin to Flight speed. Both make the applicable environment "native". Thus, unless the terrain is marked as difficult (both air and water could have difficult terrain), then you shouldn't need Freedom of Movement to charge. Yes, if you wanted to charge along the sea floor, then I would consider the water as difficult terrain (much worse, really) unless you had something like Freedom of Movement.

[Kazaan]

PRD wrote:

Check: Make a Swim check once per round while you are in the water. Success means you may swim at up to half your speed (as a full-round action) or at a quarter of your speed (as a move action). If you fail by 4 or less, you make no progress. If you fail by 5 or more, you go underwater.

...
Action: A successful Swim check allows you to swim a quarter of your speed as a move action or half your speed as a full-round action.

For creatures without swim speeds, you make a check at the start of every round. If you succeed at this check, you may either a) move up to a quarter your speed as a move action or b) move up to half your speed as a full-round action. It doesn't say you may Charge as a full-round action, it says you may Move as a full-round action; ie. a double move with your speed counted as a quarter of normal. You can make, say, an Attack action or a Full-Attack if you choose not to move or if you failed the check and aren't able to move. In short, this means that you can only travel any distance as either a Move or a Double Move and, in both cases, you consider your speed 1/4 normal. You can't move by Charge nor any other action that incidentally grants movement (ie. Mobile Fighter's Rapid Attack). It also means you can't take a 5' step while swimming.

As far as walking on the bottom, that would, of course, necessitate some effect like FoM that allows you to disregard water buoyancy and resistance.