Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 6:THE INNERPLANES78travelers from the Material Plane better than elementalsand other outsiders do.Water CombatWater impedes combat on the Elemental Plane of Water,just as it does beneath the surface of a Material Planeocean. When creatures are involved in combat, the followingrules apply:• Creatures without a swim speed (or a freedom of movementspell or similar effect) suffer a –2 penalty onattacks and damage underwater.• Further, any slashing weapon, blunt weapon, claw ortail attack also deals half damage (subtract 2, thendivide the remainder by 2, rounding down), with aminimum of 1 point of damage dealt. The freedom ofmovement spell negates this penalty.FEATURES OF THE ELEMENTAL PLANE OFWATERThe Elemental Plane of Water holds but one greatimmediate danger, and that is the fluid nature of theplane itself. Unless a traveler can breathe water or hasno need to breathe, any visit to the Elemental Plane ofWater must be brief. Those unable to breathe must holdtheir breath while on the plane and run the risk ofdrowning, as detailed in The Drowning Rule in Chapter3 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide.Creatures made of fire (such as fire elementals) take1d10 points of damage each round on the ElementalPlane of Water, because it has the water-dominant trait.Creatures with the fire subtype are very uncomfortableon the plane.A great difference between the Elemental Plane ofWater and other watery domains is a lack of pressure. InMaterial Plane oceans (and some others), the pressure ofthe water increases with depth. The water pressure cangrow strong enough on the Material Plane to crush thelife out of creatures and bend steel. But the pressure onthe Elemental Plane of Water is no worse than a just fewfeet underwater in a Material Plane ocean, so there are nodire consequences.Long-term survival on the Elemental Plane of Water isfairly easy. Obtaining water is obviously not a problem,though its purity and salinity may pose some difficultiesin specific areas. The abundance of sea life in the plane isenough to satisfy any traveler with a taste for fish.A vague, dim glow that issues from all sides illuminatesthe seas of the Elemental Plane of Water. This glow giveseverything a blue-green aura, but limits clear vision.Normal vision, including darkvision, is limited to 60 feet.Clouds of silt, algae, and other detritus may limit sighteven further.Hot Spots and Ice PocketsThe bulk of the Elemental Plane of Water is within a comfortabletemperature range, like ocean temperatures inwarm or temperate coastlines on the Material Plane.There is no inherent temperature danger to travelers inareas that are within this range.However, in spots the temperature changes dramatically.Hot spots raise nearby water to the boiling point, dealing1d10 points of fire damage to those caught too close. Thewarmest of hot spots may have vortices to the ElementalPlane of Fire, and in these regions flames may brieflyflicker before being inundated by the endless water.Similarly, cold regions drift on the currents, some socold that they sap the life out of those caught within.Unless otherwise protected, creatures take 1d6 points ofcold subdual damage per minute within such an area. Atthe heart of these regions solid ice may be found, and therewander such cold-loving creatures as ice paraelementals.Hot spots and ice pockets are usually no smaller than 300feet across, and ones of a mile or more across have beenreported. Movement is unaffected within these regions.Such areas are hard to spot visibly, but the temperaturechanges around their edges are gradual. Creatures usuallyknow of the approach of a hot spot or cold pocket1d10 minutes before it starts dealing damage. Undernormal situations, this is sufficient time to swim formore moderate waters.Currents, Whirlpools, and BoresMost of the Elemental Plane of Water swirls with a dizzyingtangle of currents, moving the various fixed locationsaround with slow ease. Settled areas are aware of thecourse and heading of other settlements, though the distancesmay become insurmountable and communitieslost to each other through the eternal sea.Some currents are stronger than others. Strong currentsmay drag travelers in a particular direction at up to120 feet per minute (roll 2d6×10 to determine the current’sstrength in feet per minute). Travelers must be ableto move faster than the current to make progress in theopposite direction.Some currents pose a physical danger. Whirlpools arelocalized areas formed by counterflowing currents thatsuck everything within 1d10×30 feet into a tighteningspiral. Those caught within a whirlpool must make aSwim check (DC 15) or take 1d6 points of damage fromthe buffeting current. Make this check every round. Thosecaught in a whirlpool can escape it with a second successfulSwim check (DC 15) or automatically after 2d6 rounds.Some 30% of whirlpools have vortices at their bases,and creatures sucked in are ejected on some other plane,either on the Material Plane or on another plane that hasan area with the water-dominant trait. Make a Reflex save(DC 19) for anyone caught in the whirlpool for eachround after the sixth to avoid being sucked into thevortex. The DM determines where the vortex leads.The most dangerous currents are tidal bores, great fluidavalanches that course through the plane, spreadingdestruction in their wake. Anyone caught in a tidal boremust succeed at a Swim check (DC 20) or take 2d10points of damage. In any event, creatures hit by a tidalbore are dragged miles away by the force of the water.