Changes of Note

• The swim skill does not exist in this setting. When Swim is offered as a class skill, the character receives Acrobatics in its place. When both Swim and Acrobatics are offered as class skills for the same class, the character gains the Athletic feat as a bonus feat instead of the Swim skill.

• Acrobatics can be used to launch yourself out of the water, similar to high jumps and long jumps. It can also be used when diving into water to avoid taking any damage.

• Climb can be used by races without legs to increase their land based movement speed, essentially pulling themselves along the ground.

• Most craft skills work normally underwater, with the exception of metalworking. Some races that are immune or resistant to heat can use thermal vents for such work but otherwise requires dry land to accomplish.

• Perception: Vision is perhaps the least valuable of you senses. Sound on the other hand carries better. DCs for sight based perception checks are increased, but decreased for sound based checks if actively listening.

• Stealth works normally but there is additional use: Scuttling from sight: Fish will often bob to the surface or sink to the bottom in an unpredictable zigzagging motion to escape predators. To the hunter that is watching them, they appear to drift off into oblivion, although they still might only be less than 20 feet away. These fish are using the flickering glow and lapping waves of the surface or the swirling gloom and ambient sounds of the deep for concealment. A fast and stealthy aquatic character can do the same. Several very specific conditions must first be met before even attempting this task. First, you must have a base swim speed of greater than 30 feet. Next, either you must be able to move upwards to within 25 feet of the water’s surface, or you must be able to move downward to at least 100 feet below the surface. In either case, in one round you must move upward to at least 20 feet above the shallowest observer or downward to at least 20 feet below the deepest observer, and pass through at least 6 squares while doing so (moving at a swim speed of at least 30 feet, but still less than your base swim speed). If the surface is less than 30 feet away from you, you cannot attempt this task by moving upwards. Likewise, if the seabed is less than 100 feet away from you, you cannot attempt this task by moving downwards. If you move at a speed that is greater than half of your base swim speed, you incur a -5 penalty to your Stealth check. If you move through 12 squares or more to perform this task, you gain a +5 bonus to your Stealth check. If all the conditions are met, you can make a Stealth check to disappear while being observed. To an observer that fails his Perception check versus your Stealth check, you appear to jerkily scuttle off and then disappear suddenly. You are in fact, hiding in the concealment provided by the unique sound and lighting effects found in these specific levels of the sea. If you are hiding above the observer, and the observer moves to a square adjacent to you or to a depth shallower than you, you lose concealment. Similarly, if you are below the observer and the observer moves to an adjacent square or a lower depth than you, you also lose concealment. While this is a particularly tricky use of the Stealth skill, it can give a character an opportunity to use stealth even while being observed in open water.

• Survival can be used to track, though targets do not leave the typical trail. Trails have a much shorter lifespan underwater.

• New spell lists are presented for each spell casting class. A selection of core spells has aquatic variants often with new names and effects. This is to either give them an aquatic theme or make them available to be used underwater. I will not be posting every spell list. I will accommodate those that make it into the game.

• Invisibility does work underwater.

• Etherealness, Freedom of Movement, and Incorporeal Effects: While subject to these effects, creatures are immune to the effects of pressure and drag. In addition they maintain zero buoyancy, regardless of their load. As soon as the effect wears off, so does the immunity.

• Cold Energy Effects: At depths of fewer than 300 feet, spells that create extreme cold also form potentially damaging ice crystals. Below 300 feet, the pressure is too great to form ice from water. This causes spells to deal half cold and half piercing damage.

• Fire Energy Effects: Replaced by steam. Cannot catch objects on fire. Large amounts of steam can create a curtain of bubbles that can make it difficult to see.

• Electricity Energy Effects: These attacks are invisible while underwater. If the spell requires an attack roll the target is considered flat-footed.

• Levitation: This spell essentially takes over the buoyancy of a creature or object, superseding any forces natural buoyancy exerts. Creatures can swim and fight normally while under the effects of this spell while below the water. They can float up, sink down, or remain level all at the given rate of the spell. However, once above the water, levitation works as written.

• Other Flying Effects: Under the water, effects that let you fly give you 0 buoyancy regardless of load. One-quarter of the fly speed conferred by magic can be applied to the subject’s base swim speed with a successful Fly check, DC 15. Subjects cannot add this speed in areas with a current moving faster than 30 feet, or when they are disoriented.

• Prone Effects: Any effect that renders a creature prone, instead renders a creature disoriented. Disoriented (condition): The character has lost track of which way is up and therefore cannot account for buoyancy and is terribly off-balance. In addition to not being able to sacrifice swim speed to battle the effects of buoyancy or water currents, the character gains a -4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use any ranged weapon. A spinning and flopping disoriented defender gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, but takes a -4 penalty to AC against melee attacks. Righting oneself is a move-equivalent action that provokes an attack of opportunity. A character can, as a free action, choose to flop around so erratically that he causes himself to become disoriented. This would be a good way to avoid ranged attacks, as the target becomes harder to hit as its movement becomes chaotic and unpredictable.

• There are three new classes available through the setting. The Kahuna which typically replaces the Druid. The Siren which typically replaces the Bard. The Mariner which typically replaces the Ranger. I will not be supplying these new classes but I can make them available to players after the selection process. Even though these new classes are supposed to replace core Pathfinder options, the Druid, Bard, and Ranger are still available for play.

• Throwing weapons do not work underwater. They become plunge weapons instead. Plunged weapons are in fact propelled at full speed in the direction of their buoyancy. To be used effectively, the character must be either directly above (for negatively buoyant weapons) or directly below (for positively buoyant weapons) their intended target. The plunge weapon has a range increment, much like a thrown weapon, but is often slightly longer than their thrown counterparts. Nearby currents moving at a speed of 50ft or more can be used to aid in adjusting your aim.

• Classes that receive a movement bonus apply it to their swim speed instead of land speed. Barbarians and monks would be a good example.

• Classes that provide a mount use a large or medium Hippocampus.

• New weapon groups are available and weapons pretty much work without penalty underwater, though projectile weapons don't quite have the same range. Even bows are available, though with a strength requirement.

• Bloodlines, mysteries, and kineticist elements of both fire and air are unavailable.