Author Topic: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action  (Read 2522 times)

Offline NunoM

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"Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« on: January 29, 2014, 06:54:55 PM »
"Rod of Escape" in MIC p.173 among other useful stuff, has the ability to...

Quote from: MIC p.173
[...]
create a 5-foot-radius spherical ward that repels open water or other nonmagical waterbased liquids (but not creatures), allowing you to cross shallow rivers or fully enter deep bodies of water and remain dry. The rod generates fresh air within this space, so no chance of suffocation exists.

Ok. I made a few assumptions which i believe are correct, but i just wanted to run them by you guys.
1- A character can move and fight freely underwater (i.e. no penalties to movement, attacks or damage) while inside the bubble, and when attacking creatures that are also affected by the bubble.
2- A creature that breathes water will start to suffocate inside the bubble.
3- The character retains every usual means of locomotion available to him/her (ex.: walk, climb, fly), except swim (the character isn't in contact with water). Of course, if traversing (standing or climbing) a surface previously submerged, some modifiers are applicable (unless the bubble dries those as well?)

Am i thinking correctly?
Thanks!

Offline Leviathan

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2014, 07:13:19 PM »
The character would obviously need some way to move in the bubble, like a surface to walk or climb on, or a fly speed that doesn't depend on large wings (if the wingspan is too large, they go out of the bubble). A creature that breathes water, and doesn't breath air, would, I agree, be unable to breathe inside the bubble. Because the bubble repels all the water, so surfaces inside it are not wet and slippery; you should be able to climb or balance on them as easily as on dry land.

Offline Nickname Jr.

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2014, 08:46:55 PM »
Oh my god you'd constantly be getting slapped in the head by all the heavy fish who were curious enough to investigate the bubble only to fall into it with you!  And since you're the center of the bubble, the fish would be stuck against you physically because you'd be the impediment keeping them from completing their transit through the bubble, and this would force you sideways or down to the ocean bottom but never in the direction you wanted to go.  Don't use this method to scuba dive in densely populated reefs!

It's tough to imagine how you'd gain enough traction in the... mid-air.... to move the bubble anywhere.   Just grab on to a big enough fish so it's half in and half out of the bubble and let it panic-swim for the both of you?
« Last Edit: January 29, 2014, 08:50:19 PM by Nickname Jr. »

Offline kitep

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2014, 08:57:00 PM »
Sounds right to me.

Sounds like it *might* make a good umbrella too.  Depends on how the DM interprets "open water".  And if it works vs rain, it should work against a Decanter as well.  That'd be a sight to see :)



Offline Chemus

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2014, 09:28:01 PM »
It looks like you'd be walking along the (water-body) floor, climbing cliffs/trenches, or flying. Taking a balloon filled with air to keep you afloat might be interesting. The pontoon/balloon would, of course, have to be held or attached firmly to the character/rod and be outside the warded area.

kitep's position about rain/decanters looks reasonable as well, but he's correct that it's up to the DM. Does this rod use charges?

It says open water; mud would still impede you, no?
« Last Edit: January 29, 2014, 09:29:37 PM by Chemus »
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Offline NunoM

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2014, 12:06:15 AM »
That bubble ability works 10mins/day.

All the talk about fishing sounds pretty cool as a survival tool :tongue I can just spend 10 mins inside a small river with a bucket waiting for that "fat, juicy wriggling fish"!

Anyway, yes, the character can't rely on water to float, so a downside is that if he's dropped into a lake while the bubble is active, he will fall straight down to the bottom, possibly taking fall damage. It doesn't mention any kind of drag or resistance when in contact with water. It seems that water simply veers off, so a decanter flushing out liquid with the geiser ability against this, would probably have no effect.
So, to cross a river, the character would have to climb down to the bottom of the river bed from the bank on his side, walk along the bottom and climb up the other side.

On mud, i think it would either push it away, if it was too liquid, revealing the bottom underneath, or dry it off, providing a somewhat solid surface to step on.

Offline Nickname Jr.

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2014, 01:20:23 PM »
Maybe to take care of muddy situations he water walks as a built-in effect.

Other applications:
----get no blood on you even if you commit a bloodbath because it'd repel away from you as it splattered.  Good for assassins who want to walk out the front door spotless.  Or for conceited species who believe they're so far above the enemy that they're blameless for killing the foe and it's only right for "no blood to be on their hands" because that's how unworthy the enemy is to exist.

----part of a water wizard's impressive control of her element/surroundings.  Includes toggling to airy water and letting the water inside the sphere to switch to water breathing or rising to the surface with bouyant lifting, then if you want to continue your conversation with a mermaid you could reverse the effect to fill a globe with water centered on that new target. (Also, the umbrella usage for snow & rain & why not add repel vermin and endure elements too for camping in luxury as an elemental wiz).

----instant towel-off after showering.

Offline NunoM

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2014, 02:53:25 PM »
It will probably make it hard to drink a sip of water as well :P
(Tantalus comes to mind)

Offline Leviathan

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Re: "Rod of Escape" and underwater action
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2014, 03:31:42 PM »
The way I understand "open water" is as water not in a container. You could drink normally from a water bottle (or waterskin, in a fantasy setting), but probably not from most fountains. Ask your DM about mugs and glasses.