I am DMing a game where the PCs are about to have an encounter spanning either aide of a raging river in front of a waterfall. I have looked in the PHB and the DMG, and can’t find the mechanic for being swept away by the force of the river. I know this mechanic existed in 2e and I believe it was carried over into 3e at least (e.g., Forge if Fury). Am I missing something?
On a side note, I am pretty sure there is no penalty for wearing heavy armor (I lost my first ever character due to wearing heavy armor in a 2e campaign). If I am incorrect, please enlighten me.
As you say, there is no inherent mechanic (that I know of) for being swept away by a strong current. However you can take inspiration from the Whirlpool effect of Control Water which says: "Any creature or object in the water and within 25 feet of the vortex is pulled 10 feet toward it. A creature can swim away from the vortex by making a Strength (Athletics) check against your spell save DC".
And I believe you to be correct regarding the heavy armor. It only works to potentially reduce your movement speed. Again you could take inspiration from another source with effects similar to the one you are looking for. Under the 'Wilderness Hazards' section inchapter 5of the DMG, the effects of Quicksand are described as follows:
Quicksand
A quicksand pit covers the ground in roughly a 10-foot-square area and is usually 10 feet deep. When a creature enters the area, it sinks 1d4 + 1 feet into the quicksand and becomes restrained. At the start of each of the creature’s turns, it sinks another 1d4 feet. As long as the creature isn’t completely submerged in quicksand, it can escape by using its action and succeeding on a Strength check. The DC is 10 plus the number of feet the creature has sunk into the quicksand.
If you want to introduce more danger to a strong current, perhaps you could draw on the mechanic above on a failed Athletics check.
I hope this helps you in your efforts to make an awesome encounter for your players :)
There are indeed several penalties regarding armor.
For heavy armor specifically, the only penalty is if your STR is not high enough then your speed is reduced by 10.
If you wear armor that you lack proficiency with, you have disadvantage on any ability check, saving throw, or attack roll that involves Strength or Dexterity, and you can't cast spells.
Short and easy rules could be: > treat moving in shallow water as moving in difficult terrain > DEX based checks are rolled with disadvantage > at the end of each of their turns, let the players make STR/Athletics checks at disadvantage. Failing a test means that they will be moved by the current. Players in medium and heavy armour will need a higher DC to succeed the check (e.g if the normal DC is 10, they will need 15)
PS: Anyone who has ever swum in clothes knows how exhausting it is, not to mention any armour (even padded will be soaked like a sponge. You will be as buoyant as a rock in any metal armour or with a backpack full of spare weapons, tools and coin.)
I am DMing a game where the PCs are about to have an encounter spanning either aide of a raging river in front of a waterfall. I have looked in the PHB and the DMG, and can’t find the mechanic for being swept away by the force of the river. I know this mechanic existed in 2e and I believe it was carried over into 3e at least (e.g., Forge if Fury). Am I missing something?
On a side note, I am pretty sure there is no penalty for wearing heavy armor (I lost my first ever character due to wearing heavy armor in a 2e campaign). If I am incorrect, please enlighten me.
As you say, there is no inherent mechanic (that I know of) for being swept away by a strong current. However you can take inspiration from the Whirlpool effect of Control Water which says: "Any creature or object in the water and within 25 feet of the vortex is pulled 10 feet toward it. A creature can swim away from the vortex by making a Strength (Athletics) check against your spell save DC".
And I believe you to be correct regarding the heavy armor. It only works to potentially reduce your movement speed. Again you could take inspiration from another source with effects similar to the one you are looking for. Under the 'Wilderness Hazards' section in chapter 5 of the DMG, the effects of Quicksand are described as follows:
If you want to introduce more danger to a strong current, perhaps you could draw on the mechanic above on a failed Athletics check.
I hope this helps you in your efforts to make an awesome encounter for your players :)
There are indeed several penalties regarding armor.
For heavy armor specifically, the only penalty is if your STR is not high enough then your speed is reduced by 10.
Short and easy rules could be:
> treat moving in shallow water as moving in difficult terrain
> DEX based checks are rolled with disadvantage
> at the end of each of their turns, let the players make STR/Athletics checks at disadvantage. Failing a test means that they will be moved by the current. Players in medium and heavy armour will need a higher DC to succeed the check (e.g if the normal DC is 10, they will need 15)
PS: Anyone who has ever swum in clothes knows how exhausting it is, not to mention any armour (even padded will be soaked like a sponge. You will be as buoyant as a rock in any metal armour or with a backpack full of spare weapons, tools and coin.)
Thanks, all this is very helpful!