![]() Essentially, ranged weapons that are manually drawn like bows or thrown in a swinging motion like a handaxe will make their attacks at disadvantage. Ranged attacks are made at disadvantage unless the weapon is a crossbow, net, or a weapon that is thrown like a javelin such as a spear, trident or dart. Not only that but even if you managed to pull the bowstring back the resistance from the water would slow the arrow making it extremely inaccurate. Ranged Weapon RestrictionsĪs you might imagine, shooting a longbow is terribly difficult underwater. If it isn’t then you have disadvantage on the attack unless you have any swim speed. To remember this simply determine if the melee weapon is a piercing weapon you thrust forward with. I’m assuming that the logic behind this is that you’re clearly an expert at swimming so you’ll know how to swing a sword with enough power and accuracy to reliably deal damage. It’s also because having a swimming speed means that you can use any melee weapon without having disadvantage on the attack roll. This isn’t just because of the increased speed and maneuverability, though. Having swim speed is a huge boon to any melee attackers. This makes practical sense too, there’s less resistance from the water when thrusting as opposed to swinging a slashing or bludgeoning weapon. Notice that all of these are piercing weapons, weapons that are thrust straightforward when attacking. If you are using a dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, or trident you can make a regular weapon attack. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Melee weapon attacks are made at disadvantage by creatures underwater. I’ve found that most aquatic creatures use weaponry that isn’t hindered by being underwater. If you’re using aquatic creatures like merrow as the DM you won’t have to worry about weapon disadvantages. The list of what weapons do work is pretty small so at least it’s easy to remember what will and will not be detrimental to use underwater. Understandably, not all weapons are able to work effectively underwater. ![]() Another, more accessible option, is to obtain a magical item that grants the user swim speed. Some classes and archetypes may also grant swimming speed such as the Path of the Storm Herald Barbarian. ![]() You could gain swim speed as a racial trait from races like tritons or sea elves do. For example, difficult terrain as far as swimming underwater is concerned can be ignored if your character or creature has any amount of swim speed. While this isn’t technically tied into the underwater combat rules, it’s a significant point to remember when running an underwater encounter.ĭifficult terrain just means that characters and creatures move at half speed unless otherwise noted. Movementįirst of all, moving underwater is difficult terrain. For example, it’s more difficult to swing a sword or shoot a bow underwater. The majority of the rules revolve around limiting the effectiveness of certain types of weapons and spells. ![]() Regardless, thankfully the underwater combat rules in 5th edition are pretty easy to remember. Even if you hadn’t intended there to be underwater combat when planning the encounter. On the other hand, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility for an underwater combat encounter to come into play. One of the few scenarios where some additional rules come into play is underwater combat encounters.ĭepending on the campaign or adventure module you’re playing, you may never find yourself fighting throngs of enemies below sea level. While individual combat encounters in D&D 5e are dynamic and ever-changing, the rules that govern these encounters thankfully don’t change much.
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