We've got a creature that has a swim and land speed. Can he use the charge action from water onto land? We're split 50/50.
I'd say yes, citing how crocodiles, killer whales, and some sharks will charge onto land. Because the creature has a swim speed it can easily charge through water... it can also charge on land.
Another player says no, she points out that having a swim speed will not allow the creature to ignore the assumed difficult terrain of the shore line.
Is this in the rules anywhere, or should we house rule this allow amphibious (and a select few aquatic) ambush creatures to charge from water onto land?
|
If the creature has both movements then neither would be a rough terrain for the creature, it can charge, although I don't know that any ruling/rule specifically says you can. There is no impediment for a creature with both a land and water speed from either so I can't imagine why there would be a problem for it.
|
"Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. Charging, however, carries tight restrictions on how you can move."
Personally, I would say that you couldn't unless the enemy is within 5 ft of the waterline. My logic is that you start your action using the swim speed to move up to double of your swim's speed movement.
Seems like this might be much debated so I would just houserule it for your group.
The question in this case, since the creature has both swim and land speeds, is, does the sand at the shoreline count as difficult terrain? And yes, it does, because your feet tend to sink in it. So the creature cannot actually charge on the shoreline using its land speed.
HOWEVER...
You are correct that crocodilians, killer whales, and even sometimes sharks (amongst other aquatic or semi-aquatic creatures), do indeed attack by ambush by throwing themselves up onto the shoreline in a quick, charge-like attack. They allow their momentum to carry them forward into the surf.
I would say this is something like combining a jump with a charge, for want of a better analogy. Now, I often allow characters in my games to combine a jump (Acrobatics) check into their charge, so long as they can land in a free square at the end of the movement to complete the attack. I don't think it is unreasonable to allow this creature the same. It seems like it is the best, easiest and most realistic way of doing it. Barring a ranked Acrobatics check, go with Dex or Strength (since the creature has to cover some distance). Just set the DC by the Long Jump table in Core, counting from where the surf begins and the target sits. If the check succeeds, the attacker lands adjacent and the charge is resolved. If the check fails, the attacker is stopped in the surf until its next action.
Now, your doubting Thomasina friend may object to this, since it is not explicitly stated to be a function of the rules. But it jibes fairly well with what whales, etc., do, and that's something she can see in any National Geographic special. Point her to YouTube or Netflix.
I don't think there is a clear position from rules. I might allow it, but only with 5 to 10ft of the body of water. Otherwise I would say there is too much loss of momentum when switching from swimming to running/charging.
|
|
I don't think there is a clear position from rules. I might allow it, but only with 5 to 10ft of the body of water. Otherwise I would say there is too much loss of momentum when switching from swimming to running/charging.
The rules actually are clear. The only foggy part is whether or not any area of merging is difficult terrain. It is not necessarily considered such per the rules, however difficult terrain is mostly left to the GM to determine or outlined within modules for play.
So basically if the GM determines that the 5-10 feet of area where water meets ground is difficult terrain, then it is. If the GM doesn't decide it is than it isn't. The definition of Difficult Terrain in the rules doesn't have many examples, and none that draw a comparison to this.I personally would say that if some creature is adept enough in the 2 environments to have the same movement rate in each then it should be fine charging from one to the other.
Crocodile has a swim of 30 and a land movement of 20...not as adept across the land as in the water. Let's say the water leads out onto land with no bogginess or much of a slope or impediment. I couldn't see a Croc swimming 10', coming out onto land and going another 30' in a charge, yet, by the rules, it can. It doesn't happen in real life so it just seems weird in Pfinder.