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Ultradan has a thread elswhere about conductivity of a shocking grasp spell in water. Is there any place where spells underwater or on the water are covered, like is it in Stormwrack? Can a mage cast shocking grasp on a wet shipdeck and zetz everybody standing on it? I can see fireball quickly becoming the bane of seamen; also druids with warp wood sinking vessels willy-nilly. Seems magic has the potential to possess a little more oomph than a broadside of grape shot on the high seas.
Ultradan has a thread elswhere about conductivity of a shocking grasp spell in water. Is there any place where spells underwater or on the water are covered, like is it in Stormwrack? Can a mage cast shocking grasp on a wet shipdeck and zetz everybody standing on it? I can see fireball quickly becoming the bane of seamen; also druids with warp wood sinking vessels willy-nilly. Seems magic has the potential to possess a little more oomph than a broadside of grape shot on the high seas.
Stormwrack has a short section on the effects of common spells in a shipboard environment but doesn't list shocking grasp. I think a wet deck is not enough to do it, though, but maybe if you're standing in a foot or more of water you could zap anyone within 5', doing 1d2 damage. Water conducts electricity, but if you're immersed the electrical energy tends to disperse, I think. (Any physicists or electrical engineers out there?)
As a player from 'Back in the day' when there were reams of info about how each spell reacted differently underwater, I gotta say that I like the new way of handling that stuff.
A spell does what it does, no matter what the environment.
I really makes things so much easier to keep up with, IMHO.
Okay, I am in need of underwater casting in general. Where is this covered? I have found reference to Fire spells underwater needing a Spellcraft check to work so I am assuming it is possible for a mere humanoid wizard or cleric to cast underwater. Is the answer a Concentration check, with the DC 15 for violent motion? Does this assume non-aquatic humanoids can speak underwater without magical means, or is underwater casting possible only if freedom of movement, water breathing are aiding the character or the silent and still metamagic feats? Or polymorphing self into an aquatic humanoid? Your thoughts and experiences are welcomed.
Okay, I am in need of underwater casting in general. Where is this covered? I have found reference to Fire spells underwater needing a Spellcraft check to work so I am assuming it is possible for a mere humanoid wizard or cleric to cast underwater. Is the answer a Concentration check, with the DC 15 for violent motion? Does this assume non-aquatic humanoids can speak underwater without magical means, or is underwater casting possible only if freedom of movement, water breathing are aiding the character or the silent and still metamagic feats? Or polymorphing self into an aquatic humanoid? Your thoughts and experiences are welcomed.
I don't have the book in front of me but here is my take on it. The Concentration check is for spells with Somatic componenets. If you have Freedom of Movement then the check is not needed. Unless your amphibious, spells with a verbal componenet would not be possible without the Silent spell metamagic feat or a spell that allows you to breath like Water breathing or Airy Water. Now you could say that the Concentration check is being made because of the unfamilarity of being in water (and maybe the rules say that ;) ) but I would only make spellcasters do it the first few times they cast in water. Granted this is just all my opinion. :)
In the core rules most spells are pretty much unaffected from being cast underwater. The rules for fire spells are covered on page 93 of the DMG. You just have to use common sense when describing other spells. According to the basic rules (not OGL sources) electricity spells are not affected by being cast underwater. This is a throwback to 2nd Ed. If you want you could rules that an electrical spell affects a spherical area of a certain radius, but this would diffuse the damage done by the spell. Since shocking grasp and lightning bolt are spells that deal magical electrical damage, I simply rule that the magic of the spells prevents this sort of dispersion of electrical energy. This certainly highlights the "magical" nature of the spells.