Are there any items in the game like a pool noodle or life jacket to help a character stay afloat. There is a buoyancy balloon, but it is meant to make things air born and is a bloody 3' wide.
There's the Windwave Kilt though it seems a bit on the expensive side for what it does.
There's also Besmara's Bicorne. It's a lot cheaper but you have to worship Besmara if you want it to make you float.
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There is a flotation device.
The SRD does not have a price, but AoN does (1 gp, 2#).
Even better is a Rowboat for 50 gp. Instead of a mere +1 Swim, you are assured of staying in a breathable condition unless the waters are very rough.
/cevah
How much flotation do you need ?
While wood does float it does not provide a lot of extra buoyancy. In order for it to be useful as a floatation device it would need to pretty big. A small branch from a tree would be next to useless. A branch large enough to support the weight of a medium character is going to be too big to easily transport.
If you have a Bottle of Air and a Water-proof sack, you could make a flotation device ;D
While wood does float it does not provide a lot of extra buoyancy. In order for it to be useful as a floatation device it would need to pretty big. A small branch from a tree would be next to useless. A branch large enough to support the weight of a medium character is going to be too big to easily transport.Wooden Armor grants a bonus on Swim Checks.
Wooden Armor does not provide a bonus to swim, it just does not impose a penalty. Considering the ACP for Wooden Armor is only -1 that is really not that much. It also weighs 25 pounds. A quarter staff by comparison weight 4 pounds. Using that as a reference point it that would mean that it takes about 25 pounds of wood to get a +1 bonus to swim. That does not sound like something that would be considered easily transportable.
I imagine those half weight wood types are pretty buoyant. Since you only need to displace about .18 cubic feet of water to keep your head afloat without effort, you shouldn't need too much. A darkwood tower shield should be a very successful life raft.
Yea the darkwood tower shield would probably work. Not only would it be fairly buoyant the shape would also help. A large flat surface would help distribute the weight over a large area making it even more effective.
One thing to keep in mind is that the typical adventurer is usually weighted down with armor and other equipment. So what would work fairly well for someone without armor and gear is not going to help the typical adventurer. Sure the wizard or monk may be able to use a flotation device, but the fighter in full plate is going to need something substantially better.