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How does being/fighting underwater affect spell casting? spells with verbal components? If you are able to breathe underwater does that mean you can talk/cast spells normally?
This came up in my Curse of the Crimson Throne game. I just gave the spell casters a 25% for a spell failing due to 'bubbles' or 'glug glug'.
Is this covered somewhere in the Beta?
If not I think it should be included somewhere.
Thoughts?
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How does being/fighting underwater affect spell casting? spells with verbal components? If you are able to breathe underwater does that mean you can talk/cast spells normally?
This came up in my Curse of the Crimson Throne game. I just gave the spell casters a 25% for a spell failing due to 'bubbles' or 'glug glug'.
Is this covered somewhere in the Beta?
If not I think it should be included somewhere.Thoughts?
This is really a two part question, yes?
1. Casting underwater while able to breathe underwater.
2. Casting underwater while not able to breathe underwater.
My thoughts would be:
1. Yes. For simply the reason that if you cannot cast spells, while breathing underwater, it takes all the fun out of adventuring underwater for spell casters.
2. This is more complicated. If a deafened spell caster suffers a 20% chance of spell failure due to being unable to properly vocalize (PfRPG beta pg.160), then by all means, someone trying to speak in a commanding voice underwater should suffer at least that much chance of failure. If you allow it at all. Since you are assumed to be holding your breath underwater, and if you were to allow casting (with the chance for spell failure), I would think that you would also have to shorten (or eliminate)the casters remaining breath and begin drowning sooner (or on the next round). Barring the spell successfully remedying the problem of drowning of course.
I would also point out that spells with somantic components would also likely be more difficult to cast (ie. additional chance for spell failure). Have you ever tried to make precise gestures underwater?
In my game? I would make the spell caster make a DC 20 + 1/spell level concentration check, and if successful, then roll a 25% chance for spell failure for spells with verbal or somantic spells components. I would make it 50% spell failure for spells with both. Spells with standard action spell casting times (or less) only.
Failure on the concentration check would mean the caster could not muster the attempt. No penalty to time holding breath. Failure on the spell failure chance? Attempt was made. Breath reduced to 1 round left before drowning.
This all of course assumes the caster has "merely" fallen into water and is not grappled or being attacked at the same time.
Harsh? Yes. Swim for the surface (if you can) and save the casting for when you can breathe. I would still give a spell failure chance for the somantic part in any water over your head deep.
Those are my thoughts anyhow.
Cheers
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Hmm, this really isn't covered in the srd or the Beta. Other than saying that spells or spell-like effects with the fire descriptor are ineffective without a Spellcraft check.
My personal opinion would be a character cannot cast a spells with verbal components while under the water, unless of course they are under the effects of a water breathing spell or something similar.
Beta page 321.
Several other books have gone more in depth (pun intended) on this issue, but the most pathfinder has is about invisibility and fire spells underwater... which would lead me to assume that if you can breathe underwater then you can cast underwater (it is possible to talk underwater even if you can't breathe in water... but it's not a happy thing unless you are close enough to the surface to quickly get more air, or have a tank to breath from, and it takes some practice).
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Hmm, this really isn't covered in the srd or the Beta. Other than saying that spells or spell-like effects with the fire descriptor are ineffective without a Spellcraft check.
My personal opinion would be a character cannot cast a spells with verbal components while under the water, unless of course they are under the effects of a water breathing spell or something similar.
I would still give them a chance. I don't like telling players they can't try something, especially things not explicitly covered in the rules. I mean we are playing a game where characters are able to do some pretty incredible things. Casting underwater isn't that unbelievable, given the context. Just hard to do IMO.
Cheers
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...(it is possible to talk underwater even if you can't breathe in water... but it's not a happy thing unless you are close enough to the surface to quickly get more air, or have a tank to breath from, and it takes some practice).
Possible yes, but as you point out, it is not easy and requires practice (for just speaking let alone casting spells), hence the spellcraft check. Even then, success isn't guaranteed, thus the spell failure chance. If wearing armor can impair your ability to cast spells with somantic components then so should straining to speak clearly impair your ability to cast spells with verbal components. This is also why I give a spell failure chance for casting spells with somantic components underwater. If armor can upset the gestures needed to cast, so should resistance from water while submerged IMO.
Cheers