Underwater Equipment (SofS)

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﻿In the broadest sense, the only weapons useful down in the undersea are those that don't have to
fight water resistance when used. That leaves puncturing weapons that require thrusting attack motions, not wide, sweeping slashes. Exceptions are rare. The statistics and the most common allowable weapons from the surface are noted on the table below, followed by brief discussions of weapons native to Serôs and differences they have from Faerûn's arms.
==Serôsian Weapons==
Certain weapons on the Common Serôsian Weapons Table are indigenous to particular races and cultures of Serôs, which requite some explanations.
Bone, coral, and stone weapons: All of these weapons have a greater chance of breaking than forged metal weapons or specially treated weapons, such as fire-hardened cryscoral (see the "Encyclopedia Serôsica" entry on coral) weapons. When any of these weapons deals maximum damage, there is a 1-in-6 chance of breaking the weapon (on a roll of 1 on a d6, the weapon breaks).
Net, Locathah: Similar to a gladiator's net, a locathah net is most often used to foul attacks and snatch weapons from foes, as the weights around the net's rim help open it when swung. Successful attacks then lead to Strength checks by each combatant; if the locathah wins, the net snags the foe's weapon and pulls it from his grasp.
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Crossbow, Shalarin: A light crossbow that will not deteriorate underwater (though it dries out and shatters with one shot after being out of water more than a turn), the shalarin have the most complex missile weapon in Serôs made of coral and kelp.
Note: Surface-made crossbows must save (as metal) against acid for each turn they remain underwater, with failure meaning the weapon is useless. For every turn after the first, a surface-made crossbow suffers a cumulative -1 penalty to this saving throw. Ranges for these weapons are one-tenth normal. Damage is reduced by one point for any quarrel fired from such a weapon. All other bows are useless underwater.
Tapal: This is one of the primary weapons of the tritons, and aside from those Dukars (see the "Magic of Serôs" chapter) who learn the Path of the Tapal, these weapons are never seen outside of triton hands. The tapal is an arcing, razor-edged crystalline blade that wraps around the fist and stretches along the forearm, extending to a point almost to the shoulder. The long outer edge and rounded, front point allow a triton to swim past targets with his weapon arm extended to slash his foes without effort or water resistance, though the weapon also can be reversed to stab with the point end. While they might not displace tridents as the most favored weapons, many beings are intrigued by them and have begun emulating their designs. Larger, two-handed versions also exist, but are very rare.
Tridents: As the most common weapon of Serôs, nearly every race has slight variations on the basic form of this three-tined spear/pole-arm. Merfolk tridents are hydrozoan (see "Encyclopedia Serôsica") shafts set with a carved bone or coral or forged-metal trident head. Each major merfolk clan has its own trident-head design. Sahuagin tridents have a lighter construction allowing them to be thrown (a skill known only by sahuagin). Shalarin tridents are smaller than average with an angled shaft, allowing this race to wield with as strongly with one hand as with two, though the barbed tines also aid in damaging any unlucky foes.
 Table 7: Common Serôsian Weapons
Weapon 	Wt	Sz	Type	Spd	S/M Dmg	L Dmg
Crossbow, Heavy 	14	M 	— 	11 	— 	—
-Quarrel, Heavy 	* 	S 	P 	— 	1d8+1 	1d10+1
Crossbow, Light 	7 	M 	— 	8 	— 	—
-Quarrel, Light 	* 	S 	P 	— 	1d6+1 	1d8+1
Crossbow, Shalarin	7 	M 	— 	7 	— 	—
-Quarrel, Shalarin	* 	S 	P 	— 	1d6+1 	1d8+1
Dagger 	1 	S 	P 	4 	1d4 	1d3
-Bone Dagger 	1 	S 	P 	4 	1d2 	1d2
-Coral Dagger 	1 	S 	P 	4 	1d3 	1d3
-Stone Dagger 	1 	S 	P 	4 	1d3 	1d2
Dart, Sahuagin 	1 	S 	P 	4 	1d4 	1d3
Fork, Military 	6 	L 	P 	8 	1d6 	1d6+1
Gaff/Hook 	2 	S 	P 	3 	1d4 	1d3
Harpoon 	6 	L 	P 	7 	2d4 	2d6
-Bone Harpoon 	5 	L 	P 	7 	1d6 	1d10
-Sahuagin Harpoon 	6 	L 	P 	6 	2d4 	2d6
-Sahuagin Harpoon 	6 	L 	P 	6 	2d4 	2d6
Javelin 	2 	M 	P 	4 	1d3 	1d3
-Bone Javelin 	2 	M 	P 	4 	1d3 	1d2
-Coral Javelin 	2 	M 	P 	4 	1d3 	1d3
-Stone Javelin 	2 	M 	P 	4 	1d3 	1d2
Knife 	— 	S 	P 	4 	1d3 	1d2
-Bone Knife 	— 	S 	P 	4 	1d2 	1d2
-Coral Knife 	— 	S 	P 	4 	1d2 	1d2
-Stone Knife 	— 	S 	P 	4 	1d2 	1d2
Net 	10	M 	P 	11 	— 	—
Net, Locathah 	7 	M 	P 	8 	— 	—
Net, Sahuagin 	10	M 	P 	9 	1d4 	1d3
Spear - One-handed	5 	M 	P 	6 	1d6 	1d8
Spear - Two-handed	5 	M 	P 	6 	1d6+1 	2d6
Spear - Long 	7 	L 	P 	9 	2d6 	3d6
Sword - Broad 	4 	M 	P 	7 	1d4 	1d6
Sword - Cutlass 	6 	M 	P 	7 	1d3 	1d4
Sword - Long 	4 	M 	P 	7 	1d4+1 	1d6+1
Sword - Short 	3 	S 	P 	3 	1d6 	1d8
Tapal 	4 	M 	P/S 	5 	1d8 	1d8
Tapal, greater 	7 	L 	P/S 	7 	2d4 	2d4+1
Trident-Standard 	5 	L 	P 	7 	1d6+1 	2d4
Trident-Merfolk 	5 	L 	P 	7 	1d6+1 	2d4+1
Trident-Sahuagin 	8 	L 	P 	6 	1d8+1 	3d4
Trident-Shalarin 	7 	M 	P 	6 	2d4+1 	2d4+1
==Serôsian Armor==
Most adventurers are surprised by the relative lack of armor among the races of Serôs. Once visitors learn the importance of mobility, speed, and maneuverability in swimming and combat, they realize that armor as they know it needs to change.
The shalarin and tritons craft two special types of armor. Silverweave is a flexible, light fabric made of silver coral fronds (see "Encyclopedia Serôsica") that are treated to become as durable as chain mail but as light and flexible as cloth. Silverweave is worn only during wars, and these are most often leggings to protect one's mobility (one can't swim with a badly wounded leg). The harder, bulkier (but more ornamental and durable) armor is pearl armor, which roughly equates to plate armor though it is much lighter than metal armor. These armors work differently in that they have no set AC of their own: they simply add +2 or +5 AC bonus respectively to the wearer's normal AC. For more on these armors, see "Encyclopedia Serôsica."
==Serôsian Clothing==
As surprised as Faerûnians are about the lack of armor among Serôsians, they are less surprised by the general lack of clothing among these societies. As very few fabrics provide any protection or warmth in the water, the primary purpose for the invention of clothing is negated.
The most non-utilitarian items worn by any native of Serôs are jewelry, including rulers' crowns at Eadraal and other kingdoms, and magical items. Crowns are often carved from coral or scavenged gold from shipwrecks is sometimes melted and recast into a crown, though they are smaller, lighter, and more streamlined than any surface ruler's crown. A merfolk crown tends to cling to the head and fan backward through the monarch's hair, with a large forehead guard that comes to a point on the nose. Shalarin rulers wear no crowns; their ruler's symbols are unique bracers worn on the left arm. The eadar (emperor) wears a platinum bracer, the finars (kings) wear gold bracers, and the golmars (dukes) wear coral bracers inlaid with some gold. Some younger shalarin (and the aging eadar, who found the trend interesting) have pierced the crowns of their dorsal fins with gold loops taken either from treasure hoards or the ears of dead pirates.
Members of all Serôsian cultures do wear belts, harnesses, or bandoliers when equipment and weapons need to be worn or carried. These items, which appear similar to supple leather, are almost all made in one of two methods: woven kelp fronds treated for durability or treated sea-snake and eelskin. Very few wear more than this due to the drag such items create when swimming. Clothes were once common among the nobility of Aryselmalyr, though that may have simply been a hold-over from the elves' days as surface dwellers. Today, the only clothing regularly seen on any of the major aquatic races are the courtly finery among the sea elves and the shalarin, and these diaphanous silken weaves simply mark the wearer as a certain rank or position.