|
So our group is currently undecided on what to play next: Ruins of Azlant, or Ironfang Invasion. As far as the story goes, Ruins of Azlant sounds decidedly more interesting and appealing to most of us. However, there's one big problem keeping us from making our decision: We don't know how aquatic Ruins of Azlant is going to be.
Speaking for myself, my previous experience with underwater situations in Pathfinder have been claustrophobic, deadly, and all-around uncomfortable. I was always glad they didn't last for long. The feeling persisted even with supporting magic: Being one dispel effect away from drowning is not my idea of fun.
The Player's Guide unfortunately sends very mixed signals on the topic. The big box on the topic («Will I get wet?») says that while it will certainly happen, aquatic adventuring is «not the primary focus of the adventure path». In contrast with that, the rest of the PG is spent almost entirely listing aquatic archetypes and reprinting the aquatic combat rules (which just sound like a large bag of punishment). Also, all cover illustrations starting from book 3 look show underwater scenes.
Our decision on which campaign to play basically comes down to this question. We would be totally fine if the game occasionally took place in full immersion, but if that's true for entire books or a large fraction of the entire game, we'd definitely opt out. On the other hand, say, if we had to dive to an underground complex which then turned out to contain a breathable atmosphere, that would certainly be fine as well.
Apart from the specific question asked, please post NO SPOILERS for either campaign.
i havent played the campaign, but i'm also interested in the answer to your question, so i will wait for someone to tell us here.
Also, if i would have to think about it based only in what the book is telling us...i think it's pretty sure you will find usefull some underwater fighting/breathing skills, even if the bigger part of the campaign dont take place in the water.
This issue, for me, can be solved answering another question. You know you are going to fight in/under/the water so...do you want to be prepared or unprepared? that's a personal choice.
In my case, i will probably buy pots as fast as i can or, if i can and the DM allows it, i will take a water-friendly race
|
|
It's a pretty big deal for character options, frankly. My current plan is for an Unchained Monk/Occultist focusing on unarmed combat with Dragon Style, but I'd probably have to use either Snake Style or the tiger fork instead because only piercing attacks work... meh... or maybe pick Ascetic Style and go crit-fishing with a waveblade... hm, that's a pretty interesting idea, actually. Snake Style looks like a fun choice in general.
There are very large sections that are entirely underwater. The early parts are mostly above water, while the later parts are mostly submerged, so it works out to probably 25-30% underwater over the course of the entire adventure?
If "close to entire books" is a dealbreaker, then the deal is broken by multiple books.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
All you need to do is plan ahead so that you have multiple underwater survival options. Don't depend on a single water breathing spell.
And since you know this going in, nothing stops you from making race choices and class choices so that you have options.
- aquatic races
- druids who can wildshape into aquatic forms
- spellcasters who can prepare multiple aquatic solutions
- items to deal with aquatic situations
As long as you're prepared, the underwater aspect shouldn't be a big deal.
Frankly, I'd be far more worried about the Cthulhu-themed side of the AP than the underwater side of the street. In any event, I've read through most of this AP and it looks very, very cool. I say, go for it! It's quite a departure from what you're used to, I'll bet.