Swimming

[jdizzy001]

How do you handle swimming while the PC's are in armor. I know of 3 different methods. 4 if you count the no swimming in armor method.

1. Penalty = ac bonus of armor (ie- steel breastplate [ac +5] invokes a -5 penalty to swim).
2. Penalty = ac bonus of armor x2 (steel breast plate invokes a -10 penalty to swim).
3. PC's who engage in swimming while wearing armor do so with disadvantage (roll 2d20 and take the lowest result).
and
4. "You're wearing armor? You sink to the bottom."

To be honest, in my 14 (18? I forget) years of gaming no one has ever tried to swim in armor.

[Treebore]

I allow them to swim with armor like leather and studded leather, but with armor like Full Chain and heavier they sink like the stone they are. Its an issue of buoyancy, not Strength. If you have negative buoyancy, you sink. Maybe, just maybe, I'll let them fight to stay more or less on the surface for a round or two.

[mbeacom]

In my games: Want to swim? Take off that armor.

Maybe, in an emergency, and if I'm feeling particularly benevolent, I'd let them survive in calm waters wearing leather and remove metal armor while in the calm (with some successful checks of course). But otherwise, yeah, take it off first. This actually came up in a recent session. The group was trying to get to a ruin that sat on a small island in the middle of a small lake within a fetid swamp. They had to remove their armor and swim across with it floating on small hand made rafts. Luckily for the party, they all rolled well against the infected leeches that were present in the boggy swamp water they swam through.

PS. Where'd you get #3? It sounds like D&D Next but I've not see that rule in the playtest. Is this a homebrew rule for Next?

[jdizzy001]

The concept of disadvantage is from 5e. But I just thought it seemed appropriate for swimming.

[mbeacom]

The concept of disadvantage is from 5e. But I just thought it seemed appropriate for swimming.

Ok, that's what I figured was the case. Advantage/Disadvantage is a pretty awesome mechanic and it's very portable and widely useful. I think I would be be pretty ok with something like the following:
1. Remove armor to swim and make swim related ability checks normally.
2. While wearing leather (or lighter) armor, make swim related ability checks with disadvantage.
3. Swimming while wearing metal (or similarly bulky/heavy) armor is not possible.

[Arduin]

I allow them to swim with armor like leather and studded leather, but with armor like Full Chain and heavier they sink like the stone they are. Its an issue of buoyancy, not Strength. If you have negative buoyancy, you sink.

That's partially true. One CAN use str to stay above water if you have negative buoyancy. If I expel the air from my lungs I start to sink (I have very little body fat) yet I can swim and make it to the surface. I have done it with some dive weights too. It is very tiring though.

[jdizzy001]

The concept of disadvantage is from 5e. But I just thought it seemed appropriate for swimming.

Ok, that's what I figured was the case. Advantage/Disadvantage is a pretty awesome mechanic and it's very portable and widely useful. I think I would be be pretty ok with something like the following:
1. Remove armor to swim and make swim related ability checks normally.
2. While wearing leather (or lighter) armor, make swim related ability checks with disadvantage.
3. Swimming while wearing metal (or similarly bulky/heavy) armor is not possible.

That is clever. No one in my games has ever tried to swim in armor. Granted, my games almost never involve water but the one time I did include water for swimming it was in a game with my brother. My brother is far more interested in story than game so when he went to swim in the water without being told, he removed his characters breast plate because he had never seen someone swim in armor. It made a better story so we went without it.

[Dracyian]

When it did come up in our game, which was fairly ofter as my PC was a pirate with her own boat, leather armor and lighter was allowed if you knew how to swim, if you didn't you floundered and metal armor it was a challenge to stay afloat and swimming was typically not allowed

[tylermo]

In the Savage Worlds rpg, or the 50 Fathoms setting book, I believe the weight of leather armor was doubled when wet. Not sure if that matters, but just throwing it out there.

[Arduin]

In the Savage Worlds rpg, or the 50 Fathoms setting book, I believe the weight of leather armor was doubled when wet. Not sure if that matters, but just throwing it out there.

The additional weight is water so is neutral as far as buoyancy goes. Although after several hours it might get water logged (displacing air trapped in the leather).

[Dracyian]

In the Savage Worlds rpg, or the 50 Fathoms setting book, I believe the weight of leather armor was doubled when wet. Not sure if that matters, but just throwing it out there.

The additional weight is water so is neutral as far as buoyancy goes. Although after several hours it might get water logged (displacing air trapped in the leather).

And quite possibly ruin it, that is why you get waterproof armor lol

[Arduin]

In the Savage Worlds rpg, or the 50 Fathoms setting book, I believe the weight of leather armor was doubled when wet. Not sure if that matters, but just throwing it out there.

The additional weight is water so is neutral as far as buoyancy goes. Although after several hours it might get water logged (displacing air trapped in the leather).

And quite possibly ruin it, that is why you get waterproof armor lol

Interesting point. Leather armour is made by boiling in oil. As a result I imagine it is pretty waterproof. At least as measured in hours...

[Omote]

There's rules for this in the old Wilderness Survival Guide from TSR. The penalties are harsh, but appropriate.

~O

[jdizzy001]

There's rules for this in the old Wilderness Survival Guide from TSR. The penalties are harsh, but appropriate.

~O

I would like to see them. Where can I get or view a copy of TSR's survival guide?

[Rigon]

There's rules for this in the old Wilderness Survival Guide from TSR. The penalties are harsh, but appropriate.

~O

I would like to see them. Where can I get or view a copy of TSR's survival guide?

Here.

R-

[Arduin]

There's rules for this in the old Wilderness Survival Guide from TSR. The penalties are harsh, but appropriate.

~O

I would like to see them. Where can I get or view a copy of TSR's survival guide?

Here are the mechanical rules.

wsg swim.png (142.96 KiB) Viewed 536 times

[jdizzy001]

Thanks, looks good, eh.

[Omote]

There's also numerical penalties in the Wilderness Survival Guide for attacks, damage, etc. I do not recall those things off-hand, but I know my CK uses them in his C&C game... and they suck hard. Movement is also reduced by a % of some sort.

~O

[Arduin]

There's also numerical penalties in the Wilderness Survival Guide for attacks, damage, etc. I do not recall those things off-hand, but I know my CK uses them in his C&C game... and they suck hard. Movement is also reduced by a % of some sort.

~O

If you're trying to swim in chain, you aren't going to be attacking. Unless it is while you are sinking rapidly to the bottom...

[Dracyian]

There's also numerical penalties in the Wilderness Survival Guide for attacks, damage, etc. I do not recall those things off-hand, but I know my CK uses them in his C&C game... and they suck hard. Movement is also reduced by a % of some sort.

~O

If you're trying to swim in chain, you aren't going to be attacking. Unless it is while you are sinking rapidly to the bottom...

Just position yourself above the fish and dive sword first....

[Arduin]

There's also numerical penalties in the Wilderness Survival Guide for attacks, damage, etc. I do not recall those things off-hand, but I know my CK uses them in his C&C game... and they suck hard. Movement is also reduced by a % of some sort.

~O

If you're trying to swim in chain, you aren't going to be attacking. Unless it is while you are sinking rapidly to the bottom...

Just position yourself above the fish and dive sword first....

[TheMetal1]

The CKG has rules for swimming on page 145. Anything heavier than leather it is impossible to swim. str checks and Challenge Levels for various water types - calm, rough, etc.