The table shown indicates the speed that the character can manage, depending on their strength and how much energy is used. "Sprinting" is swimming all out, as hard as the character can. "Sustained" describes the speed moved as the character keeps pace and breathes normally. Finally, an "exhausted" swimmer would be one that is pushing past their comfort level, so that they are moving slower and saving whatever effort they have left.
As an example, a character with a 14 strength that chooses to sprint, will swim a distance of 8½ combat hexes per round (faster than walking but not as fast as running). This would be 17 total hexes, about slightly over the length of a swimming pool every 24 seconds.
The total base distance, shown in feet, describes the approximate distance the character will be able to swim before they must make a constitution check due to fatigue. Characters that are sprinting or swimming in a sustained manner will get tired. This is determined by the total number of hexes that have been swum, as indicated by the second table.
Once a character has sprinted as far as they are able, they must adopt a sustained pace. They cannot sprint again until they have rested for five minutes, or 25 rounds. Having rested, they may sprint again, but only for one half the distance as before. Afterwards, they must rest for at least twice as long. This continues until the character is no longer able to sprint.
Once a character has swum at a sustained pace as long as they are able, they are no longer able to swim at that pace, nor are they able to sprint, for the remainder of that day (until they have had a full night's rest). This is also true if they have both sprinted and kept a sustained pace for the total time of both combined, as shown on the table. From then on, the character can only swim while exhausted.
For example, a character with a 12 constitution sprints for 11 rounds, then gets out and rests. They then sprint again, for 5 rounds (fractions are ignored), for a total of 16 rounds. The same character then swims at a sustained pace for 29 more rounds. This makes a total of 45 rounds ... the base total of both sprinting and sustained rounds. Thereafter, the character is limited to swimming while exhausted.
Once the character has crossed the total number of hexes they can swim while exhausted, they must make a constitution check. A successful check will let the character swim for an additional 25 rounds, whereupon another check must be made.
Failing this check will indicate that the humanoid's lung capacity/heart/muscles have given out, whereupon the character will slip helplessly below the surface of the water, unable to continue swimming.
Humanoids that are naked and greased may increase their sprinting speeds and endurance (potential distance) by 10%. Transformations that provide fins, flippers or webbed-fingers can increase all speeds and endurance by 30%. Gills or water breathing can increase maximum distances by 100%.
Swimming distances should be adjusted where currents and river flow affect freedom of movement. This will depend on the speed of the current.
Swimming speed will also be affected by wind speed. Reduce both speed and endurance by 20% in a gentle breeze (force 3), then 25% more for each point of force above that: moderate (45%), fresh (70%), and strong breeze (95%). No meaningful swimming can be performed in heavier conditions, which will make the swimmer helpless among the buffeting waves.
Treading Water does not allow any travel but will suspend a constitution check for 1 round per point of constitution.
See Also
Beachcomber
Diving
Free-diving
Oceanography
Player Characters
Sea Life
Swimming Combat
Failing this check will indicate that the humanoid's lung capacity/heart/muscles have given out, whereupon the character will slip helplessly below the surface of the water, unable to continue swimming.
Humanoids that are naked and greased may increase their sprinting speeds and endurance (potential distance) by 10%. Transformations that provide fins, flippers or webbed-fingers can increase all speeds and endurance by 30%. Gills or water breathing can increase maximum distances by 100%.
Swimming distances should be adjusted where currents and river flow affect freedom of movement. This will depend on the speed of the current.
Swimming speed will also be affected by wind speed. Reduce both speed and endurance by 20% in a gentle breeze (force 3), then 25% more for each point of force above that: moderate (45%), fresh (70%), and strong breeze (95%). No meaningful swimming can be performed in heavier conditions, which will make the swimmer helpless among the buffeting waves.
Treading Water does not allow any travel but will suspend a constitution check for 1 round per point of constitution.
See Also
Beachcomber
Diving
Free-diving
Oceanography
Player Characters
Sea Life
Swimming Combat
The situation I continue to struggle with is when characters find themselves unexpectedly in water while encumbered to some degree. In those cases, everyone is anxious to know how long that character can keep their head above water and how effectively they're able to do anything other than try not to drown. Can you even muster up the stamina, coordination and presence of mind to remove that heavy backpack? Can you move yourself just ten feet to grab a rope that's been lowered for you?
ReplyDeleteSilberman,
ReplyDeleteLet's suppose a character falls, as you say, unexpectedly into water, with a heavy backpack. Let's also say the character is more than 5% encumbered, since that is the limit I gave.
First off, I'd rule the character cannot keep their head above water at all. Before anything else, they're going under. We may imagine that they do thrash, but that's just a few seconds before their boots and clothes and backpacks fill with water and they begin to sink.
This is a reason for my breaking down constitution, dexterity and wisdom (stamina, coordination and presence of mind). Above a certain point, if the character can swim ~ let's say 11 points for each ~ there's no need for an ability check. If you can swim, I'd say presence of mind is the only one you actually need; swimming ability gives you the others. If your wisdom is 10, you have to roll. And yes, that does make a VERY sharp dividing line at having an 11 wisdom, intentionally. I like rules that say you can or you can't do something. I'm drawing that line at 10 wisdom and saying, a significant part of the population is going to freak out underwater and drown. Some will get lucky. And some are smart enough to not need luck.
If you CAN'T swim, well, you're going to thrash and drown. Probably. But that's what the others in the party are for. They didn't fall in; or they did, and surfaced again ... they look around, find they can't see Yeats, and dive down for him. THEN it's a question of holding your breath. And coordination. I wouldn't demand a presence of mind check for that.
Is that helpful?
The link to Beachcomber is broken: it points to the old wikispaces wiki.
ReplyDeleteFixed.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alexis. That's some helpful analysis.
ReplyDelete