Water Sprint and level bodies of water


Rules Discussion


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

[spoiler=Water Sprint]Experience and training have taught you that water has just enough surface tension for a master sprinter to traverse the surface. When you Stride in a straight line, if you move at least half your Speed over ground, you can move any amount of the remaining distance across a level body of water. If you don't end your Stride on solid ground, you fall into the water.

If you're legendary in Athletics, as long as you start on solid ground, any part of your Stride can cross the water's surface, even if you aren't moving a straight line, though you still fall into the water if you don't end your movement on solid ground.

I recently encountered someone who believed that the "level body of water" meant "level with the ground." I've always interpreted it as "the water itself needs to be level" as in, not choppy or turbulent (like in a storm or near a water fall).

For example, while fighting upon a sailing ship, could you run off the plank, sprint across the water, and attempt to board an enemy ship nearby by running into a hole caused by battle damage?

Looking for other peoples' thoughts on the matter.


I read it as you do, as in the water itself needs to be a still, level surface. Not "at ground level."

Having said that, I doubt anyone would consider the ocean to be "level water." Waves are certainly not level so unless you're hosting your boarding party on a becalmed sea you might be out of luck


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Baarogue wrote:
I read it as you do, as in the water itself needs to be a still, level surface. Not "at ground level."

Roger that.

Having said that, I doubt anyone would consider the ocean to be "level water." Waves are certainly not level so unless you're hosting your boarding party on a becalmed sea you might be out of luck

That's a fair point.


I would probably cap the distance at the point where you would start taking damage from falling that far. So 10 feet normally, though feats may change that.

If you would take damage from falling onto the water, then you instead fall into the water and take no damage, but you can't continue your movement other than by swimming.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I think ultimately the issue with this question comes down to what happens if you fall in the middle of a stride, which is not really covered by the rules.

I think the above suggestion of letting you continue to Stride as long as you don't fall far enough to take damage is reasonable.


Quote:
For example, while fighting upon a sailing ship, could you run off the plank, sprint across the water, and attempt to board an enemy ship nearby by running into a hole caused by battle damage?

I would follow the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon rules. This is way too cool for me to be splitting hairs.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

One has to wonder about the "straight line" requirement as well.


Ravingdork wrote:
One has to wonder about the "straight line" requirement as well.

I read it simply as not changing your direction during the stride. Leave every space from the side or corner opposite the one you entered


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Baarogue wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
One has to wonder about the "straight line" requirement as well.
I read it simply as not changing your direction during the stride. Leave every space from the side or corner opposite the one you entered

So a short drop or hop is fine then?


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I wonder if this feat is really usable. Any moderately sized body of water is likely to have some sort of wave or something that's going to keep it from being "level" unless it's a perfectly calm day with no winds.


Well, sure - if you want to be really persnickety about it.

:: readies an action to drop a pebble in the pond and cause ripples as soon as the enemy Monk starts Water Sprinting across it. ::

I would probably go with something more usable though. Perhaps only requiring that the water not be a waterfall (not horizontal and therefore not 'level') or so turbulent that it imposes a penalty to swim checks.


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Wouldn't Water Sprint itself cause ripples?


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Farien wrote:
Wouldn't Water Sprint itself cause ripples?

There's a comic strip in there somewhere just waiting to be illustrated.


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breithauptclan wrote:

Well, sure - if you want to be really persnickety about it.

:: readies an action to drop a pebble in the pond and cause ripples as soon as the enemy Monk starts Water Sprinting across it. ::

I would probably go with something more usable though. Perhaps only requiring that the water not be a waterfall (not horizontal and therefore not 'level') or so turbulent that it imposes a penalty to swim checks.

I don't, but the rule is poorly written. If they meant to say rough water or trying to move vertically didn't work they should rewrite the feat.

I agree that it shouldn't be interpreted strictly, but it leaves me wondering exactly what their intention was.

Liberty's Edge

They probably settled on that wording simply because it's more concise than writing something like "You cannot use this to sprint up/down a waterfall, a moving landslide, large waves, or other similar areas of rough water."


Could have just gone with "calm" then.


Farien wrote:
Wouldn't Water Sprint itself cause ripples?

A mosquito lands on the water and the ripples from that cause you to fall... ;)


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

How does this ability interact with control water, and it’s ability to raise or lower the level of the water?


Unicore wrote:
How does this ability interact with control water, and it’s ability to raise or lower the level of the water?

Unless you can somehow cast the spell as a reaction, then you would have to first raise or lower the water level and then have Water Sprint interact with it at the new level.

Though this does make me think of a Zelda dungeon style trick. A gap that is 30 feet wide with a drop to the floor of 60 feet. Cast Pillar of Water and the Monk can run across the top of the pillar.

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