Water Walk, Communal - what's the benefit?


Rules Questions


So, I just noticed something that to me seems odd.

Water walk has a duration of 10 minutes/level, and allows you to touch one person per level. Meanwhile, communal water walk has "Targets: Creatures touched" and forces you to split the duration.

As far as I've understood it, when the number of valid touches is stated, you can hold extra charges and touch new targets until you're out of them. However, when the range is touch and the amount of target is not spelled out, as far as I've understood it that means you have to touch everyone at the time of casting, and the maximum amount of people you can touch (assuming they're in range) is 6.

If my understanding is correct, this means that when you can cast communal water walk, as a 7th level cleric, regular water walk allows you to touch 7 people, potentially over several rounds, and give each 70 minutes of water walk. Meanwhile, communal water walk only allows you to touch 6 people, they all have to be touched at the same time, and you can only give them about 10 minutes each.

Am I missing something? This got me really confused.

EDIT: And while we're on it, a minor and probably much simpler question: does anyone know the maximum range of the ocean domain's Surge power? Should I assume 30 ft like most domain powers?


No benefit, someone didn't read the spell before making a communal version.


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What is not to like? You get higher spell level, AND shorter duration...

You are correct that it doesn't make sense. When they started making the communal spells, they probably missed that Water Walking already have multiple targets.


Pupsocket wrote:
No benefit, someone didn't read the spell before making a communal version.

Well, that's sad. They could've made the range close and the target line something like "up to two creatures/level, no two of which can be more than 60 ft. apart" and allow splitting in five minute intervals. That would at least make it (very) circumstantially useful, if nothing else as a crowd control spell in underwater battles.

Silver Crusade

Just to note, you can have 8 people in range to be touched at a single time. The rest of this looks correct, though.


Bigdaddyjug wrote:
Just to note, you can have 8 people in range to be touched at a single time. The rest of this looks correct, though.

Actually, nine, if everyone is medium-sized and you dont have reach; you can touch yourself to. And if you're enlarged, you're in range of touching a whole lot of people.

But that's not the issue.

[qupte=prd]You must touch a creature or object to affect it. A touch spell that deals damage can score a critical hit just as a weapon can. A touch spell threatens a critical hit on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a successful critical hit. Some touch spells allow you to touch multiple targets. You can touch up to 6 willing targets as part of the casting, but all targets of the spell must be touched in the same round that you finish casting the spell. If the spell allows you to touch targets over multiple rounds, touching 6 creatures is a full-round action.


Thread necro, but everywhere I look, Water Walk is a 3rd level Ranger spell whereas Communal Water Walk is a 2nd level Ranger spell. What's up with that?


Possible errata by making Communal a lower level it would actually have some use.


Talonhawke wrote:
Possible errata by making Communal a lower level it would actually have some use.

Yep, this


The developers didn't read Water Walk before adding a Communal version. When Ultimate Combat first came out Communal Water Walk was 4th level. Upon discovering their error they errata'd it to 2nd level.


Apparently the hidden purpose was to enable thread necromancy.

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