I have a few questions for folks to consider and comment on:
1 - Does falling on water while under the effects of Water Walk cause damage?
2 - Can somebody under the effects of Water Walk be pulled underwater, perhaps by a submerged octopus?
3 - How do you stop using the effects of a Ring of Water Walking?
This is all stuff which came up during a recent session. I don't really know what to think about the first two questions. For the third I'm guessing that either you'd need to deactivate the ring with a standard action (kind of like dismissing a spell) or maybe take it off as a move action but then be left holding a ring.
I feel this question was asked a few months ago. I don't remember what the outcome was though.
I dont know the book rules but as a GM I would say:
1. No
2. Yes
3. Take it off
That seems like the most common sense answers. Now if there were such a spell as water to stone that would change it all but I didnt find one in a search.
Here is another question for you - if you drop your magic ring of water walking into the water - does it sink or does it stay right there? LOL
1. Nope. It's like falling on a pile of pillows while you're under the effects of Normal Walk. Well, actually, despite what a lot of video games seem to think, you CAN take damage falling on water - ask anyone who's ever jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. In any case, Water Walk does not change the amount of damage you take falling onto water because the spell says nothing about that.
2. Yes. You can "tread" and "traverse" on water, hovering about a inch above it. But nothing in the spell says you cannot be pulled under. Once you're under water, you're not "treading" it anymore so Water Walk doesn't apply
If you think about it, a person normally moves at 60'/round on dry land, but they can be grappled and pulled around just fine. Water Walk gives them a certain amount of buoyancy, enough to rise 60' round, but there is nothing in the spell that says it prevents being grappled so it's pretty much exactly like being dragged around on dry land.
In short, Water Walk does nothing for you if you're grappled and pulled under the surface and/or held there.
3. Two options, depending on the ring. Magic rings are either "use-activated" or "command word-activated" and this ring might be either one. If it's "use-activated" then you have to take off the ring. Some generous GMs assume it means fiddling with it, rotating it, or otherwise manipulating it. Manipulating an Item is a move action so that should be all you need to do. Yes, you're stuck holding your ring unless you put it away (another move action) or drop it (free action). If it's "command word-activated" then you have to speak the command word (I hope you're not still underwater) which is a standard action.
Here is another question for you - if you drop your magic ring of water walking into the water - does it sink or does it stay right there? LOL
It grows a finger and two tiny legs so it can wear itself and walk on the water. Duh...
;)
I guess that taking the normal damage for falling on water makes sense.
When being grappled on dry land you're not usually pulled into the ground itself. Of course most corporeal creatures also can't reach up and attack you through the ground, so the question of whether you can be pulled down into the dirt rarely comes up. I guess creatures with a burrow speed could potentially pull PCs into the dirt though, so maybe it wouldn't be unusual for creatures which move through water to pull creatures which walk on water into that water just like creatures who move through dirt can pull creatures who walk on dirt into that dirt. At the very least I agree that the rules for Water Walk don't say that you can't be pulled into the water, lava, or other substances you're treading slightly above. I wonder if the difficulty of pulling a super buoyant object down into water should merit a penalty on the CMB check to grapple, but that's clearly beyond a Rules Question and into House Rules.
The ring of water walking sounds like it is "always on". I'll advise the player that his PC might really be better off with a ring which boosts his Swim skill or perhaps an item which provides a Swim speed.