Brian Stephens 938's page

I can't seem to find a clear answer regarding armor penalties while swimming, which seems to be my only hurdle preventing me from care-free swimming. Here's my 1st lvl Undine Character with Amphibious alt racial trait:

Undines have a base speed of 30 feet on land. They also have a swim speed of 30 feet, can move in water without making Swim checks, and always treat Swim as a class skill.
Undines with this racial trait gain the aquatic subtype and amphibious special quality.
[Aquatic Subtype: These creatures always have swim speeds and can move in water without making Swim checks. An aquatic creature can breathe water. It cannot breathe air unless it has the amphibious special quality. Aquatic creatures always treat Swim as a class skill.]

As far as I can read it, I don't need to roll for swimming or breath checks underwater and get a +8 to do anything special. Since I don't have to roll to swim or breath, could I get away with wearing armor that has a higher AC penalty without affecting my ability to swim or breath underwater?

I just hit lvl 6 and started book 3 in Reign of Winter. I'm taking a look at Arcane Archer and the prospect of free fire elementally enhanced magic arrows seems pretty sexy in such a winter wonderland.

I'm also looking into putting a point in Wizard and focusing on the Transmutation school so I can cast Haste on a regular basis at 3rd lvl.

Anybody have any insight or personal experience running this prestige class?

+20 Bonus to Perception for secret doors only on the first floor? To a room that he's already aware of? If anything he'd be more useful with the same skills for the dungeon if he wasn't in constant danger already in being obliterated.

Did anybody bring him along and have a positive experience with him?

So is anybody else writing back stories for these NPC's? I don't even write and I'm already planning to write a damn book for these guys.
Seriously, I've already done one for Aravashnial when the party leaves him to 'guard the cultist prisoners for a bit,' while they run off to be epic heros. Now I'm conjuring up a story for the night when Irabeth offers Anevia her love potion, (giggity).