Globe of Tranquil Water

[Purple Dragon Knight]

I'll ask the obvious question: upon casting this spell, would a cleric need to hold his breath if he can't breathe underwater???

[Velcro Zipper]

That's the way I understand it, but you can cast Air Bubble to get around it for the cost of a 1st level slot. I'm actually very impressed with this spell if it works the way I'm envisioning it. My witch recently used this spell to devastating effect against a pair of glabrezu demons.

At the beginning of the adventure I cast Ride the Waves on myself for the water breathing and swim speed. It lasts hours so I was prepared when I eventually encountered the demons and cast Globe of Tranquil Water. The spell description says the bubble moves with you so I swam up into the air taking the bubble with me and catching the two demons within the water. The following round I summoned four augmented giant celestial octopuses within my water bubble. 36 attack rolls later the fight was over.

The way I see it, you're surrounded by water which means you need to be able to swim to move effectively. If you swim up, the bubble is going to follow you, but you can't swim out of the bubble so it just goes up with you effectively turning your globe into a flying fishbowl. Even better, any swimming allies can come with you.

Another strength of the spell comes from all the defensive benefits you get for fighting from underwater. Improved or total cover, defense from ranged combat, potentially half damage from melee attacks and possible immunity to fire are all significant perks.

The rest of my party and my GM all looked at me funny when I cast Ride the Waves and we were nowhere near the water. Well, who's laughing now?

[Ascalaphus]

Velcro Zipper wrote:

The spell description says the bubble moves with you so I swam up into the air taking the bubble with me and catching the two demons within the water. The following round I summoned four augmented giant celestial octopuses within my water bubble. 36 attack rolls later the fight was over.

The way I see it, you're surrounded by water which means you need to be able to swim to move effectively. If you swim up, the bubble is going to follow you, but you can't swim out of the bubble so it just goes up with you effectively turning your globe into a flying fishbowl. Even better, any swimming allies can come with you.

You're correct that it does that as written, but it's sooooo weird... I strongly suspect the idea of the spell was that it makes any water around you calm, not that it creates water out of nowhere. It's an abjuration spell, not conjuration (creation).

[Sangerine]

Think you may be misinterpreting the spell.

I've never seen a "bubble" of any material fully comprised of said material. Looks to me like the bubble is more akin to a shell or hollow sphere, especially given the implied similarities to anti-plant shell.

So no, you don't need to breath underwater inside it (it's a bubble, it has air in it).

No you can't drown other things in it (again, it's a bubble).

If you're in other water (a lake, pond, lagoon, etc) then that water within a 20 ft radius is always calm.

TL;DR: You're not surrounded by water, you're enclosed in a bubble.

[VRMH]

Sangerine wrote:

I've never seen a "bubble" of any material fully comprised of said material.

Depends on the bubble, doesn't it? A soap bubble is a thin shell. But an air bubble is 100% air.

[Sangerine]

VRMH wrote:

Sangerine wrote:

I've never seen a "bubble" of any material fully comprised of said material.

Depends on the bubble, doesn't it? A soap bubble is a thin shell. But an air bubble is 100% air.

You mean the air bubble created by air surrounded by some other material like water, oil, dough, etc? :P

[VRMH]

Sangerine wrote:

VRMH wrote:

an air bubble is 100% air.

You mean the air bubble created by air surrounded by some other material like water, oil, dough, etc? :P

Yes, that bubble. The bubble itself is 100% air, even though its size - and indeed its very existence - is defined by the surrounding material.

[Velcro Zipper]

From the Area text in the spell, it seems like its actually a 20-ft radius sphere of water. Under Area, it's listed as an emanation and, according to the CRB, an emanation spell functions like a burst spell(a burst spell affects whatever it catches in its area,) except that the effect continues to radiate from the point of origin for the duration of the spell. Most emanations are cones or spheres.

The caster is the point of origin so water is constantly emanating from the caster out to 20ft. in every direction for the duration, ergo flying fishbowl.

[Gnome Prankster]

Right but you shouldn't be able to rise more than 20' off the ground if that is the case. The edge of the bubble wouldn't lift off the ground suddenly. I'd rule you could certainly do a swim check to move at 1/4 speed as a move action but no higher than 20' off the ground in your silly little bubble.

[Joesi]

Wow this is a terribly worded spell description. Well not the whole description, just really a single word or two. It's 100% a mistake.

After people here explained to the OP how it works I agree with them 100%. The spell is definitely an aura of calming, and should be called that. Entirely ignore the word "bubble of calm water" (or re-read it as "bubble that calms water"). If it actually generated a sphere of water it wouldn't talk about how it protects from rain. Think about it! Same sort of thing with the specific way that it talks about preventing creatures from being moved. It's referring to how the water is calmed.

In addition if it did generate a sphere of water, there would be some sort of other text describing how it works or interacts, or just something else confirming that it exists. It would mention about how the caster would or wouldn't need a water breathing spell, the protection that the water offers, how well you can see through the water, that it could float in the air (or not), etc. There's nothing confirming it providing a water sphere whatsoever.

As Velcro Zipper said in their first post, their interpretation is extremely powerful. They didn't say OP, but it is OP. "OP" hardly even gives it's power justice, it's closer to broken. Constant full cover (it would never be partial cover) protects from nearly everything.

The spell essentially calms any whether/environment effects around you, except lighting as explicitly stated. I'd also say that it would protect from harmful vapors (ex. cloud kill), since if it moves fog it should be moving all air particulates.