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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Chapter 9: Playing the Game / Encounter Mode / Special Battles

Aquatic Combat

Source Core Rulebook pg. 478 4.0
Use these rules for battles in water or underwater:
  • You’re flat-footed unless you have a swim Speed.
  • You gain resistance 5 to acid and fire.
  • You take a –2 circumstance penalty to melee slashing or bludgeoning attacks that pass through water.
  • Ranged attacks that deal bludgeoning or slashing damage automatically miss if the attacker or target is underwater, and piercing ranged attacks made by an underwater creature or against an underwater target have their range increments halved.
  • You can’t cast fire spells or use actions with the fire trait underwater.
  • At the GM’s discretion, some ground-based actions might not work underwater or while floating.

Drowning and Suffocation

Source Core Rulebook pg. 478 4.0
You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier. Reduce your remaining air by 1 round at the end of each of your turns, or by 2 if you attacked or cast any spells that turn. You also lose 1 round worth of air each time you are critically hit or critically fail a save against a damaging effect. If you speak (including casting spells with verbal components or activating items with command components) you lose all remaining air.

When you run out of air, you fall unconscious and start suffocating. You can’t recover from being unconscious and must attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save at the end of each of your turns. On a failure, you take 1d10 damage, and on a critical failure, you die. On each check after the first, the DC increases by 5 and the damage by 1d10; these increases are cumulative. Once your access to air is restored, you stop suffocating and are no longer unconscious (unless you’re at 0 Hit Points).