Chapter 4 - Movement - Ships and Water Travel

Swimming

All characters are non-proficient swimmers unless they take the swimming proficiency. Untrained swimmers are a fairly hapless lot. When they are unencumbered (at full movement rate) they can manage a rough dog-paddle in relatively calm waters. If the waters are rough, the current strong, or the depth excessive (at sea or far out on a lake) untrained swimmers will panic and sink. If weighted down with enough gear to reduce their movement rate, they sink like stones, unable to keep their head above water. Untrained swimmers wearing any armor other than padded or leather cannot dog-paddle at all. In no way do they make noticeable progress, unless the object is to sink below the surface.

Proficient swimmers are able to swim, dive and surface with varying degrees of success. All proficient characters are able to swim at one half their current land movement rate time 10 in yards, PROVIDED THEY ARE NOT WEARING METAL ARMOR (see armor notes). A character whose movement rates have been reduced to one third or less of normal (due to gear) or WHO ARE WEARING METAL ARMOR cannot swim, the weight of the gear pulls them down.

Proficient swimmers can double their swimming speed if a successful strength check is rolled versus one half the character's normal strength score.

If swimming at one half normal speed (the modified movement rate) or treading water the character can maintain this for a number of hours equal to his constitution score (although he will have to abandon most of his gear). After a character swims for a number of hours equal to his constitution, one constitution check must be made for each additional hour. For each extra hour of swimming one constitution point is temporarily lost. Each hour spent swimming causes a cumulative penalty of negative one to all attack rolls.

All this assumes calm water. If the seas are choppy a constitution check should be made every hour spent swimming, regardless of the character’s constitution. Rough seas can require more frequent checks; heavy seas or storms may require a check every round. The DM may decide that adverse conditions cause a character's constitution score to drop more rapidly than one point a round.

If a swimming character fails a constitution check, he must tread water for one half-hour before he can continue swimming (this counts as time swimming for purposes of constitution point loss). If the character is swimming underwater this time is doubled to one hour.

A character drowns if his constitution score drops to zero.

Characters can also swim long distances at a faster pace, although at increasing risk. Swimming at the characters normal movement rate (instead of the usual swimming speed of one half the normal movement rate) requires a constitution check every hour, reduces strength and constitution by one point every hour and results in a negative two cumulative attack penalty for each hour of swimming.

Characters can swim at twice this speed (quadruple their normal swimming speed) but they must roll a check every turn and suffer the above penalties for every turn spent swimming. As always when an ability score reaches zero the character sinks and drowns.

Upon reaching shore characters can recover lost ability score points and negate attack penalties by resting. Each day of rest recovers one die six ability points (if both strength and constitution points were lost then roll one die three for each ability) and removes two die six points of attack penalties. Characters need not be fully rested before undertaking any activity, although the adjusted ability scores are treated as the characters current score until the character has rested enough to fully recover from the swim. If this rest time is spent underwater the recovery time is doubled. For each full day of rest one die three points are recovered. If both strength and constitution points were lost then one point of each is recovered for each day. Attack penalties are regained one die six per day.

In all cases rest assumes adequate food and water, as well as a semi-comfortable place to recuperate; for example a sandy shore or a soft flowing bed of kelp.

Swimming underwater

Non-proficient characters who attempt to swim underwater flail their arms and legs wildly and swim at a rate equal to one third of the current movement rate times five in yards. Only unencumbered characters may move at this rate, any encumbrance forces a non-proficient swimmer to sink to the bottom.

Characters with the swimming proficiency can swim at a rate of one half their movement times five in yards. Lightly encumbered proficient swimmers can swim at a rate of one third their movement rate times five yards. Moderately or more encumbered characters simply cannot swim until they jettison the extra weight.

Holding your Breath

Under normal circumstances (with a good gulp of air and not performing strenuous feats) a character can hold his breath up to one third his constitution score in rounds (rounded up). If the character is exerting himself (i.e. swimming) this time is halved (again rounded up). Characters reduced to one third or less or normal movement because of encumbrance are always considered to be exerting themselves. If unable to get a good gulp these times are reduced by one half. All characters are able to hold their breath for one round, regardless of the circumstances. While attempting to hold his breath beyond this time, the character must roll a constitution check at the beginning of each round. The first check has no modifiers, but each subsequent check suffers a negative two cumulative penalty. Once a check is failed the character must breathe (if he cannot reach the surface that round he drowns).

Diving

All characters can dive to a depth of twenty feet in a single round. For each encumbrance point below normal two feet is added to this depth. A short run of a few feet of height adds ten feet of depth of the first round of a dive. For every ten feet of height above the water an additional five feet of depth is added, up to a maximum addition of twenty feet. Thus with a run and from a height of forty feet or more an unencumbered man can dive fifty feet in a single round.

Sinking

Sinking characters (unconscious characters) descend at a rate of ten feet per round This increases to forty feet per round if wearing metal armor or carrying more than thirty pounds of equipment. Characters swimming straight down can descend at their current swimming rate added to this sinking rate.

Maximum depth

Because the pressure increases dramatically as depth increases there is a maximum depth that characters can function at. The following table shows some examples.

If a character without magical assistance exceeds these limits a saving throw vs. paralyzation to resist the detrimental effects of the pressure is made at the end of each turn spent below its maximum depth. Failure indicates the character takes 4d10 points of crushing damage per round, plus 1d10 points of damage for each depth unit below the creature maximum depth. A depth unit is a number of feet equal to the character’s initial maximum depth. A successful save vs. paralyzation means the character can function in a limited way for up to one day. The character can withstand the pressure at this new depth even if he descends further and fails an additional check deeper. Even with a successful saving throw the following penalties apply: -1 to initiative rolls, attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks for each depth unit below the first. These penalties are in addition to the standard underwater penalties imposed on the character.

Walking on the bottom

Walking is another common method of underwater movement for surface dwellers. This presupposes the character is weighted down enough to stay on the bottom. A character’s underwater walking rate is equal to one third his rate on the surface times five yards per round. Walking is not as tiring as swimming, so there is no loss of Constitution points. Also there is no Dexterity check required to turn and face attackers as there are when swimming.

Maneuverability underwater

Character races not built for living underwater must make a Dexterity check when performing a complex or abrupt maneuver underwater. Failure of this check means the character cannot perform the action till the end of the next round (in the very slow phase). These actions include turning to face an enemy, grabbing for a weapon or coming to a sudden full stop after moving at full speed. Non-proficient swimmers suffer a minus four to their Dexterity check.

Surfacing

All actively swimming characters can ascend at their maximum underwater swimming rates (Swimming underwater). This rate is reduced by two feet for every movement point below normal.

Those simply floating to the surface (unconscious characters) rise at a rate that is five feet per round slower than someone similarly encumbered who is actively swimming up to the surface.

A moderately weighted down character will sink if he makes no effort to swim to the surface.

Armor Notes

Characters can swim in leather or padded armor with no significant reduction in ability (other than weight). Padded armor counts as double weight, because it absorbs water so quickly. Proficient swimmers wearing studded leather, ring mail or hide can swim with a successful strength check. This check must be repeated each hour in addition to the swimming proficiency check; failure indicates additional hour worth of strain on the swimmer. Characters wearing such armor also suffer double penalties to their attack rolls and constitution scores. Swimmers who try to increase their speed suffer an additional one half penalty if wearing one of the above armors (i.e. Strength of 16 to double movement in leather check as 8, in ring check as 4)

Characters wearing heavier armors (banded, splint, chain, etc.) cannot swim, though they can walk across the bottom at one third movement.

Magical armor is treated identically to normal armor in this respect.

Any shield must be dropped before a character can begin swimming.

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