SWIMMING
Other Effects of Moving Water
one-tenth of normal falling damage (rounded up). No falling damage is suffered by a character who is carried over a waterfall that is less than 40 feet high; in such a case, the fall is treated asa normal dive (see the following text). Of course, these guidelines assume that the base of the waterfall does not contain rocks or other obstructions. If a plunge over a waterfall sends a character crashing into rocks, falling damage is assessed as for a fall through the air.
A shallow river or stream in which the water is moving rapidly can harm characters by buffeting them against rocks and other protrusions in the water. As outlined in the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, the Dungeon Master should attach a rating of from 1 to 10 to a shallow, rapidly coursing stream or river, with 1 being the most hazardous. This number represents the amount of time, in rounds, that a swimmer can traverse the water before needing to make a Proficiency Check; in a stream with a rating of 1, a check must be made every round, and in a stream with a rating of 5, a check must be made on the first round, the sixth round, and every fifth round thereafter. Failure on this check indicates that the swimmer has been thrown against the rocks, suffering l d 6 points of damage. A character without swimming proficiency is virtually helpless in similar circumstances, and will suffer l d 3 points of damage every round that he remains in the water. Any character can halt his movement through rough water by grabbing onto a handy protrusion (a big rock, an overhanging tree limb, etc.), assuming that such protrusions are available and within reach. This tactic succeeds if the character makes a successful Dexterity Check; a new attempt can be made every round if desired. After catching onto something, the character must make a successful Strength Check once every two rounds to remain attached; failure indicates that he has lost his grip and is again being swept downstream. Very often, a stretch of rough water culminates in a waterfall. If a character is carried over a waterfall that is 40 feet or more in height, he will suffer falling damage equal to one-half of the amount that would be taken in a normal free fall. However, a saving throw versus breath weapon is allowed. If this saving throw succeeds and the fall covers a distance of at least 40 feet but not more than 100 feet, the character takes no damage; if the save succeeds and the fall is greaterthan 100 feet, the charactertakes
Diving and Surfacing The basic movement rate for a character attempting to swim downward through the water is 2", or 20 feet per round. This figure is doubled for moderatelyencumbered characters and tripled for heavily or severely encumbered characters. In addition, the depth attainable on the first round of a dive can be increased if the character leaps into the water from a point above the surface of the water, as follows: Height of Leap At least 5 feet At least 15 feet At least 25 feet At least 35 feet At least 40 feet*
Extra Depth 1" 2" 3" 4" 5"
* - If a character leaps into the water from more than 40 feet above the surface, the extra depth attainable on the first round of the dive does not increase beyond 5" regardless of the height involved. In addition, a character making a dive from 40 feet or any greater height may suffer falling damage as described above in the text about being carried over a waterfall.
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