My level 9 party of five is going to fight an Aboleth and its minions. Some of the issues I found are sight underwater, blindsight-and-water, and ranged attacks fired into water.
These are the rules for the fight that I have come up with, combining official rules with rules reflecting the specific environment. Suggestions? Critiques? Missing stuff?
Swimming speed is equal to half walking speed, rounded down.
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
An underwater creature that casts a spell that uses verbal components may cast the spell but immediately begins drowning.
When making a melee weapon attack, a creature that doesn't have a swimming speed (either natural or granted by magic) has disadvantage on the attack roll unless the weapon is a dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, or trident.
A ranged weapon attack automatically misses a target beyond the weapon's normal range. Even against a target within normal range, the attack roll has disadvantage unless the weapon is a crossbow, a net, or a weapon that is thrown like a javelin (including a spear, trident, or dart).
Creatures and objects that are fully immersed in water have resistance to fire damage.
When a creature outside of the water makes a melee weapon or ranged weapon attack against a creature just beneath the surface of the water, the attack is made normally no matter the weapon. Vice-versa is also true.
When a creature outside of the water makes a ranged weapon attack against a creature 5 feet under the water or deeper, the target has three-quarters cover. Vice-versa is also true.
Blindsight detects the water as an object.
Aboleth Lair Water:
The water in the lair and surrounding areas is dark, murky, and supernaturally foul. Visibility is limited, so a creature can see normally within 5 feet, has its sight lightly obscured within 5 to 10 feet, and has its vision heavily obscured beyond 10 feet. In other words, a creature two 5-foot squares away is heavily obscured.
However, sound traveling through the water usually indicates the general location of a creature to other creatures in the water, particularly if an attack is made or spell is cast. Sounds are very muffled when traveling from water to air and vice-versa.
Additionally, ingestion of the water will result in severe vomiting 3d4 minutes later.
If you wanted to make things a bit easier on spell-casters, you could have the casting of a spell reduce the amount of time they can hold their breath by 1 minute, rather than instantly start drowning. So that wizard with a Con of 14 could hold their breath for 3 minutes, but if they cast a spell, they're reduced to 2 minutes.
That's totally a choice of how easy/hard you want to be on spell-casters, either approach should work.
You've got rules across the air-water barrier to be no effect next to the surface, 3/4 cover 5' down - I'm assuming that 10' or more below, and they can't attack? You didn't spell that out exactly.
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If you wanted to make things a bit easier on spell-casters, you could have the casting of a spell reduce the amount of time they can hold their breath by 1 minute, rather than instantly start drowning. So that wizard with a Con of 14 could hold their breath for 3 minutes, but if they cast a spell, they're reduced to 2 minutes.
That's totally a choice of how easy/hard you want to be on spell-casters, either approach should work.
You've got rules across the air-water barrier to be no effect next to the surface, 3/4 cover 5' down - I'm assuming that 10' or more below, and they can't attack? You didn't spell that out exactly.
10 feet or more would be three-quarters cover as well, but seeing and identifying them down there would kind of be tricky. I'll add that though. Thanks!
Going to go harder on spellcasters with the breathing, but they have Water Breathing, so... that shouldn't be a big problem.
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Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
Yep. Started there - and quoted from there - but I wasn't aware of the rules of underwater visibility. Thanks! Glad to see they pretty much agreed with me.
And yes, seems like there are some gaps about amphibious combat. I figured firing into water provides some good cover due to decreased velocity and refraction.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
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My level 9 party of five is going to fight an Aboleth and its minions. Some of the issues I found are sight underwater, blindsight-and-water, and ranged attacks fired into water.
These are the rules for the fight that I have come up with, combining official rules with rules reflecting the specific environment. Suggestions? Critiques? Missing stuff?
Swimming speed is equal to half walking speed, rounded down.
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has 2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
An underwater creature that casts a spell that uses verbal components may cast the spell but immediately begins drowning.
When making a melee weapon attack, a creature that doesn't have a swimming speed (either natural or granted by magic) has disadvantage on the attack roll unless the weapon is a dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, or trident.
A ranged weapon attack automatically misses a target beyond the weapon's normal range. Even against a target within normal range, the attack roll has disadvantage unless the weapon is a crossbow, a net, or a weapon that is thrown like a javelin (including a spear, trident, or dart).
Creatures and objects that are fully immersed in water have resistance to fire damage.
When a creature outside of the water makes a melee weapon or ranged weapon attack against a creature just beneath the surface of the water, the attack is made normally no matter the weapon. Vice-versa is also true.
When a creature outside of the water makes a ranged weapon attack against a creature 5 feet under the water or deeper, the target has three-quarters cover. Vice-versa is also true.
Blindsight detects the water as an object.
Aboleth Lair Water:
The water in the lair and surrounding areas is dark, murky, and supernaturally foul. Visibility is limited, so a creature can see normally within 5 feet, has its sight lightly obscured within 5 to 10 feet, and has its vision heavily obscured beyond 10 feet. In other words, a creature two 5-foot squares away is heavily obscured.
However, sound traveling through the water usually indicates the general location of a creature to other creatures in the water, particularly if an attack is made or spell is cast. Sounds are very muffled when traveling from water to air and vice-versa.
Additionally, ingestion of the water will result in severe vomiting 3d4 minutes later.
Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
Generally looks pretty solid.
If you wanted to make things a bit easier on spell-casters, you could have the casting of a spell reduce the amount of time they can hold their breath by 1 minute, rather than instantly start drowning. So that wizard with a Con of 14 could hold their breath for 3 minutes, but if they cast a spell, they're reduced to 2 minutes.
That's totally a choice of how easy/hard you want to be on spell-casters, either approach should work.
You've got rules across the air-water barrier to be no effect next to the surface, 3/4 cover 5' down - I'm assuming that 10' or more below, and they can't attack? You didn't spell that out exactly.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
10 feet or more would be three-quarters cover as well, but seeing and identifying them down there would kind of be tricky. I'll add that though. Thanks!
Going to go harder on spellcasters with the breathing, but they have Water Breathing, so... that shouldn't be a big problem.
Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
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D&D Beyond FoundersThat all looks reasonable to me!
For reference (mostly for anyone else reading this). The only two sections of official rules I am aware of are:
Underwater Combat - Chapter 9 of the Player's Handbook
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/combat#UnderwaterCombat
Swimming & Underwater Visibility - Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/adventure-environments#Swimming
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Yep. Started there - and quoted from there - but I wasn't aware of the rules of underwater visibility. Thanks! Glad to see they pretty much agreed with me.
And yes, seems like there are some gaps about amphibious combat. I figured firing into water provides some good cover due to decreased velocity and refraction.
Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.