{"id":3599,"date":"2024-02-04T17:13:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T00:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/?p=3599"},"modified":"2025-06-26T16:01:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T23:01:59","slug":"dd-5e-rules-swimming-and-drowning-and-water-combat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2024\/02\/dd-5e-rules-swimming-and-drowning-and-water-combat.html","title":{"rendered":"D&#038;D 5e\/5.5e Rules &#8211; Swimming! And Drowning! And Water Combat!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2984\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-300x196.webp\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-300x196.webp 300w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-650x425.webp 650w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-768x502.webp 768w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-1200x784.webp 1200w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules.webp 1300w\" alt=\"Know the Rules\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" \/><em><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2022\/09\/dd-5e-rules-a-prologue.html\">Part of an ongoing series of <strong>5e (2014)<\/strong> Rules notes.<\/a>\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #800000;\">See the end of the post for notes on <strong>5.5e (2024)<\/strong> rules.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>5e has very much simplified (perhaps oversimplified, some argue) the issue of dealing with water as an obstacle, a location for fighting, and a danger. Always remember, <em>D&amp;D is not a physics simulator<\/em> (or, as some have countered, it is a\u00a0<i>horrendously and hilariously bad<\/i>\u00a0physics simulator).<\/p>\n<p>Note that there are a lot of exceptions below for creatures that have a Swimming speed in their stat block.<\/p>\n<h1>Movement in the Water<\/h1>\n<p>Water is basically considered Difficult terrain if you don&#8217;t have a native Swimming speed. That is, <a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/adventuring\/movement\/#:~:text=While%20climbing%20or%20swimming%2C%20each%20foot%20of%20movement%20costs%201%20extra%20foot%20(2%20extra%20feet%20in%20difficult%20terrain)%2C%20unless%20a%20creature%20has%20a%20climbing%20or%20swimming%20speed.\">each foot moved costs two feet of movement<\/a>. If the terrain within the swim is itself Difficult (e.g., a strong current, a kelp bed, etc.), this might increase to each foot moved costs <i>three\u00a0<\/i>feet of movement.<\/p>\n<p>You can, however,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jeremyecrawford\/status\/928362690992410624?lang=en\">use any other movement speed<\/a> (e.g., walking, flying) to swim with.<\/p>\n<p>If the water is &#8220;rough,&#8221; making any progress swimming\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dandwiki.com\/wiki\/5e_SRD:Athletics_Skill\">might require a Strength (Athletics) check<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There is (remarkably) no distinction in speed between <strong>swimming underwater<\/strong> or <strong>swimming on the surface<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t forget the <em>Dash<\/em> action, if you are doing nothing but movement.<\/p>\n<h2>Long-Distance Movement in the Water<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3557\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3557\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3557\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming-300x300.webp\" alt=\"swimming\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming-650x650.webp 650w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming-100x100.webp 100w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/swimming.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3557\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Long-distance swimming<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you have a Swimming speed, you can swim all day without penalty; use <a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/adventuring\/movement\/#:~:text=Forced%20March.,level%20of%20exhaustion.\">Forced March<\/a> rules from the PHB.<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise (per DMG 116), you need to roll a CON Save vs DC 10 for <em>each hour swimming<\/em>. Failure means +1 level of <a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2025\/05\/dd-5e-5-5e-rules-conditions.html\">Exhaustion<\/a>. Beyond that, there is a cap on 8 hours of swimming per day.<\/p>\n<h2>Deep Water<\/h2>\n<p>The pressures and temperatures of deep water take their toll. Per DMG 116, for creatures lacking a Swimming speed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>if swimming <strong>over 100 feet deep<\/strong>, makes every hour count as two for Exhaustion checks and limits.<\/li>\n<li>if swimming <strong>over 200 feet deep<\/strong>, makes every hour count as four for Exhaustion checks and limits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Vision in the Water<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clear water, bright light<\/strong> &#8212; 60 foot visibility to notice an encounter<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clear water, dim light<\/strong> &#8212; 30 foot visibility to notice an encounter (Disadvantage to <em>Perception)<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Murky water \/ no light<\/strong> &#8212; 10 foot visibility to notice an encounter (Disadvantage to <em>Perception)<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The above presume light sources or Darkvision.<\/p>\n<h1>Doing Stuff in the Water<\/h1>\n<p>By which we mean, of course, combat and magic.<\/p>\n<h2>Combat in the Water<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3605\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3605\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Underwater-Knight.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3605\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Underwater-Knight-300x216.jpg\" alt=\"Underwater Knight\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Underwater-Knight-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Underwater-Knight.jpg 625w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3605\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Note: breathing gear is cheating.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/combat\/underwater_combat\/\">fighting underwater<\/a>, again unless you have a native Swimming speed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Melee weapon attacks<\/b> are at a Disadvantage (as you and\/or your weapons are slowed by the drag of the water) &#8230;\n<ul>\n<li><em>&#8230; except<\/em> for a thrusting\/piercing weapon like a dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, or trident.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This melee weapon restriction Rule-As-Written would seem to apply to fighting while on the surface (swimming), or even while partially immersed (imagine fighting in waist-deep water); I&#8217;m not sure that last makes sense, and an appeal to the DM might be possible. (I <em>can<\/em> see\u00a0<em>any\u00a0<\/em>sort of melee weapon attack being at Disadvantage when standing in, but not under, water, as you are partially Restrained.)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Ranged weapon attacks<\/b> are possible underwater, but they are at a Disadvantage &#8230;\n<ul>\n<li>&#8230; <em>except <\/em>when using a crossbow, net, or a weapon thrown like a javelin, spear, trident, or dart.<\/li>\n<li>They are an automatic miss if beyond normal range.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Magic in the Water<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3600\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3600\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Back-to-the-Future-Enchantment-under-the-Sea.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3600\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Back-to-the-Future-Enchantment-under-the-Sea.jpg\" alt=\"Back to the Future - Enchantment under the Sea\" width=\"640\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Back-to-the-Future-Enchantment-under-the-Sea.jpg 640w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Back-to-the-Future-Enchantment-under-the-Sea-300x171.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3600\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Also known as &#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You\u00a0<i>can<\/i>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeremyECrawford\/status\/717061380453453825\">cast spells underwater<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>But if they have a <b>Verbal component<\/b>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeremyECrawford\/status\/816440444162715648\">you have stopped holding your breath<\/a>\u00a0and have gone into step 2 of Drowning (below).<\/li>\n<li><b>Material components<\/b> may be difficult to manipulate while swimming or immersed in water. Arcane\/Spiritual Foci are your friends!<\/li>\n<li><b>Somatic components<\/b>\u00a0aren&#8217;t a problem, as only a single hand is needed for them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Spells that require a\u00a0<b>to-hit roll<\/b> do so at a Disadvantage (if above water, because of aiming while trying to stay afloat; if underwater, because of the murk and visual distortion underwater, and drag on your body).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3604\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3604\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/True-Lies-swimming-under-water-fire.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3604 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/True-Lies-swimming-under-water-fire.jpg\" alt=\"True Lies swimming under water fire\" width=\"250\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3604\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Great way to resist Fire damage, Harry!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When you are fully immersed in water, you have <b>Resistance to Fire damage<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>But aside from that, spells don&#8217;t do anything tricky. For example, <strong>lightning<\/strong> does <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not<\/span> electrify the whole area. (Remember (a) Bad Physics Simulator, and (b) it&#8217;s not actual lightning, it&#8217;s magic <i>acting\u00a0<\/i>like lightning (handwaves)).<\/p>\n<h2>Going &#8220;Prone&#8221; underwater<\/h2>\n<p>If something should knock you Prone while in the water, you are instead tumbling\/floundering &#8230; but suffering the same status effects as being <a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2025\/05\/dd-5e-5-5e-rules-conditions.html\">Prone condition<\/a> (including slowed movement, Disadvantage to attack, Advantage to adjacent attackers) until you &#8220;stand up&#8221; \/ regain control with half your movement. (References <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeremyECrawford\/status\/968571077679923200\">1<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeremyECrawford\/status\/968575970650112000\">2<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeremyECrawford\/status\/968577454808838144\">3<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h1>Drowning<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DrowningFacts.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3603\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DrowningFacts-300x169.png\" alt=\"Drowning\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DrowningFacts-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DrowningFacts-650x365.png 650w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DrowningFacts-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DrowningFacts.png 980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The rules here are essentially the same as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.5esrd.com\/gamemastering\/hazards\/suffocation\/\">suffocation<\/a> rules:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You can hold your breath for\u00a0<strong><u>(CON mod + 1)<\/u>\u00a0minutes<\/strong> (with a minimum of 30 seconds or <em>five rounds<\/em>).<\/li>\n<li>After that you survive\u00a0<strong><u>(CON mod)<\/u>\u00a0rounds<\/strong> (minimum of 1) without needing more air.<\/li>\n<li>After that, you are at <strong>0 hp and are <a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2022\/10\/dd-5e-rules-death-and-unconsciousness.html\">unconscious and dying<\/a><\/strong>. You can&#8217;t stabilize or heal until you can breathe &#8212; even if you make your three successful Death Saves, you only erase any unsuccessful ones and start the process over. You can be magically healed, but that can only get you back up to Step 2 unless you are out of the water by then.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><u>Example<\/u>: A creature with CON = 14 (CON mod = 2) can hold their breath for <strong>3<\/strong> minutes (30 rounds). After that, they start drowning\/suffocating, and have <strong>2<\/strong> rounds (12 seconds) to reach air before dropping to 0 hp.<\/p>\n<p>Note that 3 minutes (or even 1 minute) is a ridiculous amount of time in the game. People tend to be terrified of their character running out of air &#8230; the <em>first<\/em> time they get into underwater combat.\u00a0 (It&#8217;s still a real danger, but not a present one.)<\/p>\n<h1>Workarounds<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>Various races can either breathe underwater, or (such as Lizardfolk and Tortles) can hold their breath for longer, as defined in their stat blocks.<\/li>\n<li><i>Wild Shape<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>Polymorph\u00a0<\/i>can change folk into creatures that can swim or breathe in water.<\/li>\n<li>Anything that magically gives you a Swimming speed will be useful in the above.<\/li>\n<li><i>Water Breathing<\/i>\u00a0is a spell that literally lets you breathe underwater for 8 hours. It&#8217;s a 3rd level for Druids, Rangers, Sorcerers, and Wizards, can affect up to ten people, doesn&#8217;t require concentration, and can be done as a ritual. Alternately, <em>Water Walk<\/em> (same parameters) lets you walk on water and not worry about having to breathe it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1>Wait, that&#8217;s it?<\/h1>\n<p>But aren&#8217;t there some classic tropes that these rule ignore?<\/p>\n<p>Yes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3602\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3602\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3602 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor-650x505.webp\" alt=\"Drowning in armor\" width=\"650\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor-650x505.webp 650w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor-300x233.webp 300w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor-768x597.webp 768w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor-1536x1194.webp 1536w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor-1200x932.webp 1200w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Drowning-in-armor.webp 1664w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3602\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;A Drowning Viking, possibly Olav Trygvason (968-1000) of Norway at the Battle of Svold on 9th September 1000&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ol>\n<li>There&#8217;s no provision for <strong>heavy armor<\/strong> or a <strong>full backpack<\/strong> dragging you to the bottom, etc.; if you are strong enough to wear it, you are strong enough to swim in it (handwaves) &#8230; which is good, because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dandwiki.com\/wiki\/5e_SRD:Getting_Into_and_Out_of_Armor\">it takes 5 minutes to remove heavy armor<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>There are no provisions for <strong>using up breath faster<\/strong> if you are (slowly) flailing about with your greatsword instead sitting still and preserving oxygen.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Again, largely this is because D&amp;D is a crappy physics (and biology) simulator, and intentionally so. The game design thought seems to be &#8220;Does this complication take away from the fun? Does it mean extra calculations, rolls, and otherwise bogging-down of the game? Then simplify or eliminate it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>(Note to self: if I ever decide this is\u00a0<i>too<\/i>\u00a0simplified,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/olddungeonmaster.com\/2015\/05\/03\/dd-5e-drowning\/\">this site<\/a>\u00a0has some interesting homebrewed additions.)<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Any changes here with 5.5e?<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-4197\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo.png\" alt=\"dnd 5.5\/2024\" width=\"215\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo.png 215w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo-208x300.png 208w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 215px) 85vw, 215px\" \/><\/a>The rules in 5.5e (2024) for swimming (and drowning) aren&#8217;t changed too much from 5e (2014).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">One place there is more clarification seems to be with when these swimming rules come into play for movement and combat.\u00a0 The Difficult Terrain definition notes it applies in water<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/br-2024\/rules-glossary#DifficultTerrain:~:text=Liquid%20that%E2%80%99s%20between%20shin%2D%20and%20waist%2Ddeep\">between shin-deep and waist-deep<\/a>. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">Water any deeper than that you are arguably either swimming (feet off the bottom) or most of your body is underwater and your movement (for moves and combat) are hampered enough that the swimming rules start to apply.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/br-2024\/rules-glossary#Swimming\">Swimming<\/a> is defined in 5.5e:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">While you\u2019re swimming, each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot (2 extra feet in Difficult Terrain). You ignore this extra cost if you have a Swim Speed and use it to swim. At the DM\u2019s option, moving any distance in rough water might require a successful DC 15 STRength <em>(Athletics)<\/em> check.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">That&#8217;s pretty close to 5e, if a bit more simplified.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The drowning rules are a little different (though, as before, they come up under <a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/br-2024\/rules-glossary#SuffocationHazard\">Suffocation<\/a> as a Hazard):\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 plus its CONstitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds) before suffocation begins.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">So far, so same.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"> When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it gains 1 Exhaustion\u00a0level at the end of each of its turns. When a creature can breathe again, it removes all levels of Exhaustion it gained from suffocating.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Here&#8217;s where things get interesting (and simpler in a useful way) in 5.5e. Rather than have a final CON-based seconds to get to air and then dropping to 0 hp, you &#8220;simply&#8221; start accruing <a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2025\/05\/dd-5e-5-5e-rules-exhaustion.html\">Exhaustion<\/a> each round, i.e.,<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Your D20 Test rolls are reduced by (2 x Exhaustion level)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Your Speed is reduced by (5\u2032 x Exhaustion level)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">This is <em>fully<\/em> reversable, <em>instantly<\/em>, upon being able to breathe again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em>But,<\/em> if it goes on 6 rounds (6 levels of Exhaustion), you are dead. Not dying. Dead. No Death Saves or Stabilizing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Simpler. Not necessarily more or less dangerous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The rules on <strong><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/basic-rules-2014\/combat#UnderwaterCombat\">combat underwater<\/a><\/strong> remain the same as far as disadvantages and weapon \/ range limitations if you don&#8217;t have a Swim Speed. I could not find any commentary on <strong>spellcasting underwater<\/strong>, but presumably it is much the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">There is still no distinction made for hauling around massive weight or armor\u00a0 and how well you can swim (or sink). There is also still no modification in the drowning rules for minimizing activity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Deep Water<\/strong> swimming has been modified (DMG 68). Only a 100 foot level is specified; after swimming an hour at that depth or below, creatures without a Swim speed need to succeed on a DC 10 CONstitution Save or take a level of Exhaustion. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">If water is particularly &#8220;<strong>frigid<\/strong>&#8221; (DMG 68), then creatures can be immersed in it up to CON minutes; after that, each minute requires a DC 10 CONstitution Save or take a level of Exhaustion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sooner or later, you end up fighting in the water. Or swimming. Or being held under the surface. So how does that work in 5e?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48,44,78],"tags":[121,50,122,120],"class_list":["post-3599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-onedd","category-dd","category-dd-5e-rules","tag-drown","tag-rules","tag-suffocate","tag-swim"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3599"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4376,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599\/revisions\/4376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}