Water Rules

Armor in water

In general, heavy armor is not common on ships. The weight tends to be the most prohibitive factor – falling overboard in full plate normally results in death. Occasionally, soldiers will don light or medium armor for a battle, but most of the time sailors go unarmored.

The time it takes to remove armor when in water is halved with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.

Armor in water - Light Armor

Attempting to swim while wearing light armor requires a DC 10 Strength check each round. Failure means you have a speed of 0 as you go under water for that round and lose one held item, shield or weapon (your choice as to what you drop).

Removing your armor after entering the water takes one minute (10 rounds). During this time you cannot swim or take any other actions. Make a DC 10 Dexterity check each round. Each successful round keeps your head above water and counts as one round of the rounds required to remove your armor. Failure means that you went under water this round and made no headway in removing your armor. After 3 failures you receive one level of exhaustion.

Armor in water - Medium Armor

Swimming in medium armor requires a DC 15 Strength check each round. On a success, if you are on the surface at the beginning of the round, you stay on the surface. Each foot you swim cost you two extra feet of speed, and you can take no other actions besides shouting and stowing a weapon. Failure means you sink 10 ft and lose any still-carried shields or weapons. On the round following a failed save you are under water. After that, on a successful save you can swim toward the surface at a rate of 15 ft per round. On failure you sink another 10 ft.

You can attempt to remove your armor, but you will be sinking at a rate of 10 ft per round during this time. It normally takes 5 minutes (50 rounds) to doff your armor.

Armor in water - Heavy Armor

You cannot swim while wearing heavy armor, giving you an effective speed of 0. Whenever you are in water, you lose any carried shields and weapons and begin to sink. Make a DC 25 Strength check each round. Success keeps your head above water, or if you start the round under water you can swim 15 ft toward the surface. You can take no other actions. Failure means you sink another 20 ft.

You can attempt to remove your armor, but you will be sinking at a rate of 20 ft per round during this time. It normally takes 5 minutes (50 rounds) to doff your armor.

Climbing up on a Ship

If within 5 ft of a moving ship, you must make a DC 10 Strength check. Failure means that you cannot move this round, you are using all of your strength to simply keep your head above the waves. Once you reach the ship, you must make as DC 15 Strength (Climb) check to climb back onto the ship. Failure results in you falling back into the water.

Drowning

After 1 + your Constitution bonus minutes of holding your breath underwater you fall unconscious, your hit points fall to 0, and you begin making your death saving throws as per the standard rules.

However, if you become stable there is a problem. If you are still under water you can’t remain stable. So you must start making death saving throws again. This continues until you die unless you are saved in some way.

Falling off a Ship

This can be hazardous to your health. If you fall or are pushed overboard, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity check to enter the water without damage. Otherwise you receive 1d6 hit points damage from the fall.

– If you fall overboard you will splash down 1d6+5 ft from your ship.
– If you are pushed overboard you will fall 2d6+5 ft from your ship.
– If you jump or dive into the water you can enter the water at any point up to the maximum distance you can jump.

Underwater

You can swim underwater as long as you can hold your breath (see “Drowning”). Your underwater swimming speed is the same as your surface swimming speed. You can swim straight down at half that speed. You can swim straight down at 15 ft per round if holding the equivalent of medium armor or 25 ft per round if holding the equivalent of heavy armor.

Without armor you can swim toward the surface at a rate of 20 ft per round.