Aquatic questions

[Taran]

My game is going to have an on-water chase involving row-boats.

One of the characters has aquatic and under the description it says they ignore borders when in the water.  Here's my issue:

It's supposed to be super turbulent water, so I feel he shouldn't completely ignore the border, although, he'll probably get along as well as the boats and much better than a regular swimmer.

I'll tell you how I'm setting up the Chase, and perhaps it'll help with people's advice.

I was going to have 2 successful Drive checks at Fair, or 2 Athletics checks at Great(if they're swimming - restricted by Endurance) move a person 1 zone. (I want to count in zones for those on the shore using guns)

Once the enemy is 3 zones further from anyone, they've escaped.

My idea is to give the aquatic character the same difficulty as the boat and no restrictions based on Endurance.

What do people think?

EDIT:  How would you make it so that people start drowning?  A compel using the "turbulent water" aspect if they fail a swim check really badly?

Or would you have the water do an environmental attack against swim or drive or endurance every exchange?  The aquatic person would be immune to these effects, of course.

[UmbraLux]

My game is going to have an on-water chase involving row-boats.

Hehe, sounds amusing! 

It's supposed to be super turbulent water, so I feel he shouldn't completely ignore the border, although, he'll probably get along as well as the boats and much better than a regular swimmer.

Assuming you're talking something like a river's whitewater rapids, speed (and sometimes success at all) relies far more on choosing the correct line through.  A bad entry could get you slowed in an eddy, hung up on a rock, or dumped out of the boat.  With class 5 & 6 whitewater you'll chance areas with too much air to support a boat (leaving you falling with no control).  It may be worth noting, "too much air" does not mean "breathable". 

Both swimmers and muscle powered boaters are going to be moving at the water's speed through any rapids.  Those should be mostly about choosing a good line to avoid delay.  The calmer water between rapids is where you can gain some speed...if you have the strength and endurance to row.

I'll tell you how I'm setting up the Chase, and perhaps it'll help with people's advice.

I was going to have 2 successful Drive checks at Fair, or 2 Athletics checks at Great(if they're swimming - restricted by Endurance) move a person 1 zone. (I want to count in zones for those on the shore using guns)

I'd be tempted to use Survival modified by Alertness for choosing your line through a rapid and Might limited by Endurance for rowing speed between rapids.  A swimmer would have difficulty seeing rapids ahead (simply too low in the water) to choose a line but find travel through calmer waters easy. 

Of course this is all beside the point if you're talking something other than whitewater. 

[Taran]

Yeah, it's not actually a river, though that's a cool scenario.  It's actually a HUGE bay, during a massive storm - at night.  So dark with LOTS of rain and huge waves and wind threatening to capsize the boats.  The enemy is trying to escape from the PC's with a prisoner. 

The enemy is a water mage and has some tricks, so in a worse case scenario he can get away safely...but not with the prisoner.  He'll have some paid thugs on-shore trying to slow the PC's down as he and a lacky try to row away.

It certainly won't be "high speed", but it'll be pretty deadly for anyone going on the water, but with visibility so low, I figured a few zones distance will allow the mage to escape.

I also have a PC with wings, and while she'll be less hampered by the storm, the winds should definitely be a challenge for her.

[UmbraLux]

Hmm, your aquatic character may have an easy time in the bay...he should be able to swim under the turbulence for significant periods, just coming up to breath.  Can your water mage villain summon something nasty to slow down swimmers?

[Taran]

Hmm, your aquatic character may have an easy time in the bay...he should be able to swim under the turbulence for significant periods, just coming up to breath.  Can your water mage villain summon something nasty to slow down swimmers?

(click to show/hide)

Well, summoning is probably a ritual.  He cold definitely put up a offensive block, turning the water to ice - which will stop the PC cold (punn intended)  They're feet in the water and this guy is chest deep with 2 refinements, so he's looking at 6 shift blocks.

But what are you suggesting for the aquatic character as far as swim difficulties?  I mean, sure, he can swim under the turbulence, but it's going to be dark under there and he may get lost and start swimming the wrong direction, so he might be better off swimming on the surface.

[UmbraLux]

A block is an obstacle, it doesn't have to be a physical barrier.  I'd probably model chumming the water to attract sharks as a block.  Point is, you can narrate the block as having summoned sharks...and it probably makes more sense than freezing significant portions of the bay. 

Perhaps a better question - does the mage know the PCs well enough to have a handle on their abilities?  If not, maybe it should be an easy challenge...and a learning experience for the villain.

As for navigation, it's certainly an issue.  I'd suggest using the storm as a block against Alertness and limiting travel skills by Alertness.

[Taran]

Can a water mage magically chum the water?  That would be a separate skill, I think, and he's just not that good at anything else, as most of his other skills are social in nature.

No, he doesn't know their abilities at all.  In fact, they broke in on a ritual and he fled with the prisoner before they even started fighting the Ritualists, so he doesn't have a clue.  That said, the PC's managed to get away alive and are still pursuing, so he's not going to underestimate their determination.

I was more thinking the block would be aimed at the PC in question, freezing the water around him specifically, preventing him from moving.

Good idea for the block against alertness.  I have to re-think the chase.  I'm also still considering the storm making an environmental attack against anyone out in the water or flying in the air.

[Taran]

How about this:

The water is considered a border 3.
Having a boat reduces this by 2 making it border 1 (the equivalent of tagging "boat" every round)
Aquatic and Wings ignore the border.
So these would be circumstances in ideal weather.

Because it's storming:
All movement based skills are restricted by awareness and awareness skills suffer from a 2 shift block.
Every round the "storm" attacks anyone over, in or on the water, which can cause people to be pulled under water, fall from the air, capsize the boat etc...
Actually, I might have the storm attack people on land as well, to represent debris flying and hitting people.

[InFerrumVeritas]

Honestly, if it's a large bay in a storm, he's barely going to notice the storm if he can breathe underwater.  He spent refresh on the power, I wouldn't try to nerf it.  Just compel him to dive instead of swim near the surface.  If he swims near the surface, he'll face the full barrier.

He'll also run into visibility issues if he dives.  I'd treat this as a compel as well, or require Alertness checks/have it modify his skills.  If he can't see in the dark, that'll be an issue too.  Magic light probably won't work in the water.

On the surface, I'd compel the aspect "Stormy Waters" and give him a fate point for nullifying the part of the power that ignores boarders caused by water.

[UmbraLux]

Because it's storming:
All movement based skills are restricted by awareness and awareness skills suffer from a 2 shift block.
Every round the "storm" attacks anyone over, in or on the water, which can cause people to be pulled under water, fall from the air, capsize the boat etc...
Actually, I might have the storm attack people on land as well, to represent debris flying and hitting people.

How bad is the storm?  If it's 'capsize boat' bad, the Awareness block should probably be higher. 

I do agree with IFV - if you negate part of his power it should be via a compel.

Sounds like a fun set up, I'm interested in hearing how it turns out! 

[Taran]

Well, it's a row-boat...so I don't know how hard it is to capsize one of those with large waves.

I wasn't going to penalize him, but I was going to attack him with the storm.  TBH, it's hard to paddle/swim in wavy water but I think I'll keep it as I described and use the storm for compels, as you say.

I'm running tonight.  I'll let you know!

[Taran]

I ran the session and it worked out fairly well, with only a couple of glitches.

The party split up, so only 2 showed up as the Main baddie was escaping via row-boat with his prisoner tied up inside.  He'd enlisted a rower as well as 4 thugs to watch the shore to prevent anyone from pursuing.

The first PC walked up to the thugs (she was female) and asked them if there was a party.  She managed to waste some time (allowing her lingering party members to catch up before the fight started, but also allowing the boat to get a head-start).  The thugs tried to jump her and "get their way" with her, but she's actually a half-ogre with human guise, so she just threw one in the turbulent water.  Meanwhile her fellow PC had remained out of sight, thanks to the Awareness block.  He ran up and pushed a second guy in the drink.  That's when the rest of the party arrived.

The aquatic person jumped in the water after someone pointed out the boat, but never actually saw the boat until 4 exchanges in. (darn alertness block)

While the fight raged on shore(one thug climbed out of the water while the other flailed there fore the rest of the combat),  the main Ranged guy, declared there was a harpoon and rope on hand and used craftsmanship to rig it to his musket (game takes place in 1600's).  He then proceeded to declare a bolt of lightning outlining the boat and rolled a legendary guns maneuver to "tether the boat".

Finally, the aquatic PC saw the boat(thanks to the lightning), made his way out to the boat. While the wizard was trying to pry the harpoon off the boat, prisoner flung himself into the water for a rescue.

The half ogre flailed a while in a second boat before sprouting wings to fly at the water mage who promply hit her for 13 stress worth of damage. (good rolling vs bad defending) She conceded and helped the aquatic person get the prisoner to shore, where the battle on land was finishing up.  The storm was starting to do damage at this point.  The wizard got away, using a potion and a couple of FP's (to survive the storm)while his driver was not so lucky.

The aquatic PC helps the souls of drowned victims and has taken ghostspeaker...so it'll come in handy soon enough when the drivers body washes to shore.

[Vairelome]

Even if it didn't go to plan (party split up, WHY?!?...speaking as a player who has had this happen a number of times, it never goes well), sounds like a success!  You had the usual mix of epic good luck (legendary hookshot maneuver  ) and epic bad luck (13 stress to the flying half-ogre  ).  Sounds like solid work; even if the Alertness block was more effective than intended, your PCs adjusted and nailed the primary objective.