The Brine Shark's deep plunge ability reads, " The brine shark dives straight down into the water, moving up to twice its swim Speed in a straight vertical line. It can use this ability while grabbing a creature." The rules for swim speeds say, "Moving up or down is still moving through difficult terrain*." If the Brine Shark's ability just said, "Swim twice down in a straight vertical line," I'd be confident in saying they obly dive 30 feet when using deep plunge. But not using the regular swim action makes me uncertain. How far do Brine shark's dive when using Deep Plunge?
Also, I noticed that creatures grabbing an enemy normally have to release said enemy when they move. Does Deep Plunge override that?
(Background: I am running 5-01 twice at GaryCon, and want to be absolutely sure of the rules before the Shark drags some poor sap to a wattery grave)
*Frustratingly, I can't where it says that swimming up or down without a swim speed is difficult terrain. Help?
How far do Brine shark's dive when using Deep Plunge?
Also, I noticed that creatures grabbing an enemy normally have to release said enemy when they move. Does Deep Plunge override that?
Yes. It also overrides the movement distance and explicitly sets the distance that the action moves to twice the swim speed. And requires the direction of movement to be straight down.
*Frustratingly, I can't where it says that swimming up or down without a swim speed is difficult terrain. Help?
Swim Speed mentions that moving up or down even with a swim speed is difficult terrain. But it feels more like it is a reminder of a rule that is somewhere else that I am not finding. It may be meaning 3D diagonal up and down measurement - though that is a bit of a stretch. Not entirely sure on that.
Yes. It also overrides the movement distance an explicitly sets the distance that the action moves to twice the swim speed. And requires the direction of movement to be straight down.How far do Brine shark's dive when using Deep Plunge?
Also, I noticed that creatures grabbing an enemy normally have to release said enemy when they move. Does Deep Plunge override that?
So the sharks carry the PCs well beyond the range of a heal spell. Yikes. Thank you for the confirmation.
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Just remember that with the remastered Grab rules, Grab is now an additional action after a successful hit that requires an Athletics check.
What that meant for me when I ran this is that the Shark got to move, attack, and grab in one turn, but wasn't able to dive in the same turn. I *did* have a chance to have a shark dive with its prey, but that was only because the character moved up to the shark themself.
So not quite as deadly as it looks at first glance (depending on how hard the players hit).
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Just remember that with the remastered Grab rules, Grab is now an additional action after a successful hit that requires an Athletics check.
What that meant for me when I ran this is that the Shark got to move, attack, and grab in one turn, but wasn't able to dive in the same turn. I *did* have a chance to have a shark dive with its prey, but that was only because the character moved up to the shark themself.
So not quite as deadly as it looks at first glance (depending on how hard the players hit).
That's something to point out to the players, definitely (Taiwalei is supposed to give the players tips the first few turns, and that's definitely the first one to tell them if playing up). I believe grab has always been an action, though; it just now has critical success&failure chances instead of just succeeding. Improved grab is the free action.