Physical Conditions - Water (TIP)

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==Physical Conditions==
Of all the Elemental Planes, only the plane of Air is less hostile-at least environmentally. Anybody with an airy water or similar spell at her disposal can cope just fine here. For the most part, the water of the Bottomless Deep is sweet tasting, crystal clear, and neither too warm nor too cold. For aquatic races like the locathah, tritons, sahuagin, kuo-toa, and many others, this is nothing short of heaven (literally, in the case of those races' watery petitioners).
==Getting Here==
Given that the Elemental Plane of Water has one of the least-hostile environments among the Inner Planes (at least to primes and other mortal folk), it should come as no surprise that it's one of the most frequently visited. It's also fairly easy to reach, as there are probably more portals connected to the plane of Water than to any other Inner Plane except Air.
A canny blood'll remember one important fact about portals and such leading to the plane of Water: If the gate isn't already underwater, a body opening it up must know if it's going to let in water or not. More than a few otherwise-intelligent people have drowned after opening a portal to Elemental Water within a building that quickly flooded.
In Muspelheim, the realm of the Ysgardian giants, lies a vast, shimmering pool known as the Silver Eye. While it is said that anybody who looks into the Eye catches a glimpse of what the future holds for him, those who know the dark recognize that the Eye conceals another secret. Anyone who wades out to the middle of the pool (it's only about 3 feet deep) carrying a staff made of yew wood can open a gate to and from the plane of Water. Naturally, the giants who call kip here aren't keen on sharing this secret with outsiders.
Now, the Eye's quite large, about 100 yards in diameter. Once it's open, the gate remains passable for a full hour. Because of this, a sizable force can be moved through the Eye into the plane of Water. This fact isn't lost on those who dwell on either side of the gate.
It's said that the river Oceanus, which joins the four layers of Elysium, flows with the purest water outside of the Elemental Planes. Is it any wonder, then, that this great river harbors a portal link to the plane of Water?
Only the guardinals of Elysium know the exact location of the Oceanus Gate. They make sure that no creature of evil alignment ever finds it. Why they bother with this is something of a mystery, however, for only someone whose heart is pure can open the portal.
In addition, a powerful individual named Ahlic (Pl/♂ water genasi/Ele(W) 17 /NG) watches over this gate. The son of a nereid and a mariner from the Prime Material Plane, Ahlic is said to be able to unleash strokes of lightning from his eyes and exhale gusts of tornado wind. Whether or not this is true, he certainly has done a fine job of controlling access to the Oceanus Gate.
It may be easy to guess at the location of vortices to the plane of Water, but they're generally hard to reach. Many prime worlds are covered with large, ever-churning oceans. Deep beneath their surfaces, when the tide is right and the energies of the multiverse come into alignment, magical channels open. For those clever enough to find these (or unlucky enough to be swept up by them), such vortices provide quick transit to the Elemental Plane of Water. Of course, most surfacedwelling creatures can't hope to survive the pressures found so deep in the ocean. However, two prominent, more accessible types of vortex link the Prime Material Plane with the Bottomless Deep: storm surges and whirlpools. Both hold dangers for the unwary.
STORM SURGES. When great storms arise, they drive the sea madly before them. This buildup of water, which can be far more devastating than the tempest itself, is called a storm surge. When the volume of water and energy forced before a hurricane or typhoon becomes great enough, it creates a temporary connection to the Elemental Plane of Water.
While these vortices are more common than the whirlpools described below, they are far less easy to access. Even the strongest ship stands a good chance of being destroyed before it reaches the heart of a storm surge. And even if a body can maneuver his vessel near the vortex, fighting the winds and currents to actually reach it can be almost impossible.
Most folks who make use of a storm surge vortex do so by accident. They're the hapless victims of shipwrecks or other disasters at sea. When the storm bears down on them, they're consumed by the vortex and drawn away from their own world. No one on their world ever really knows what becomes of them, writing them off as lost at sea.
WHIRLPOOLS. Plenty of primes, and not a few planars, have seen whirlpools at one time or another. Most often, these aquatic cyclones are caused when two currents flowing in opposite directions abrade each other. They're also frequently created when the waters of a lake or river are drawn through a fissure into an underground chamber. These simple phenomenon are interesting curiosities and, if large enough, can even be dangerous.
From time to time, however, a far more useful type of whirlpool forms. When tidal forces align with other sources of mystical energy, they open a conduit that leads directly into the Elemental Plane of Water. These channels can be quite large, drawing ships, sailors, and sea life into their deadly maws. For one reason or another, some regions are more likely to spawn these supernatural whirlpools than others. Those places quickly become known to seafarers, as an abnormally high number of ships vanish without a trace from the area.
==Hazards==
Those who travel the plane of Water find it fairly safe. Still, every plane has its hazards to consider, and the Bottomless Deep is no exception.
===Breathing===
Of course, the Bottomless Deep is most hospitable to those who are naturally able to breathe water. Others have to hold their breath (as described in the AD&D® rules) or find some other means of survival-magical means, most commonly. Spells like airy water or water breathing do the trick nicely. Any number of magical items, such as a ring of water breathing, will do the same. Elemental guides can also bestow the same power upon their charges.
Sages have also proposed technological solutions to the problem of breathing in the plane of Water. The noted artificer Shun Leng (who vanished from his home on Mechanus several years ago) was said to have created a mechanical device which allowed a body to extract air from the water just like a fish. Whether this device even exists, let alone works as promised, is the subject of some speculation.
===Sights & Sounds===
Despite the fact that the water of the Bottomless Deep is lit and very clear, it still isn't as easy to see through as air. As a rule, visibility is limited to no more than 60 feet. Creatures native to watery environs are somewhat better off, being able to see twice as far. Infravision, although still useful in the plane of Water, generally functions at half its normal range (30 feet for most humanoids). In no case can this distance exceed 60 feet, even for aquatic creatures.
On the other hand, sound carries much farther. Unfortunately, it's also almost impossible for nonnatives to discern in which direction a sound originates due to the way it moves through water.
===Combat===
Those used to doing battle in air-filled environments often find underwater combat difficult and dangerous. Such sods had best keep this in mind, because nearly every battle on the plane of Water takes place in the depths.
All of the normal rules governing underwater combat as described in the "Underwater Combat" section of the DMG apply to battles in the Bottomless Deep. The nature of this environment mandates only a few exceptions, such as the fact that the lack of gravity means that net-snared prisoners won't sink to the nonexistent bottom.
===Currants===
Currents forever caress the endless seas of the Bottomless Deep. Like the winds that sweep across the azure skies of the Boundless Blue, these range from delicate, nearly undetectable flows to savage torrents strong enough to carry away the strongest basher.
Currents present the greatest hazard to navigation. It's quite possible for a body to be slowly edged away from his original course when he crosses an unknown current. As a rule, natives of this plane can sense such hazards as they move through them and are able to compensate for the drift. Planewalkers, however, must check (usually on a proficiency or Ability Score) in order to keep themselves on course.
Use the following chart to determine the ferocity of the current in a given area.
1D20 	STRENGTH OF CURRENT	ADJUSTMENT
1-2 	still 	+3
3-4 	light current 	+2
5-6 	moderate current 	+1
7-8 	strong current 	0
9-10 	light bore 	-1
11-12	moderate bore 	-2
13 	strong bore 	-3
14 	light flow 	-4
15 	moderate flow 	-5
16 	strong flow 	-6
17 	light tide 	-7
18 	moderate tide 	-8
19 	strong tide 	-9
20 	doom tide 	-10
The "Strength of Current" column primarily exists to give the Dungeon Master a descriptive reference. The last column indicates an adjustment applied to saving throws (for beings or items), attack rolls, proficiency and ability checks, or anything else that the DM might feel is required based upon the situation. For example, a body swimming in a light current receives a +2 bonus to his proficiency check. In a doom tide, however, he suffers a -10 penalty.
From time to time, currents change, tides shift, and flows reverse. These changes tend to occur quite quickly, far more swiftly than in Prime oceans. Thus, a given current may last for only a few seconds or might linger for decades.
The following chart can be used to determine the duration of a given current. Bear in mind that while a visiting planewalker probably has no need to know whether a particular current might last for centuries, such information is valuable to the natives of the plane.
1D20 	CURRENT LASTS:
1-2 	1d6 rounds
3-4 	1d6 turns
5-6 	1d6 hours
7-8 	1d6 days
9-10 	1d6 weeks
11-12	1d6 fortnights
13-14	1d6 months
15-16	1d6 years
17-18	1d6 decades
19-20	1d6 centuries
To calculate the area affected by the above rolls, a DM can use the table that determines the size of an elemental pocket (page 14).
===Whirlpools===
As noted above, whirlpools form where two powerful currents brush against each other. To determine the outermost limits of a whirlpool within the plane of Water, DMs can use the size chart associated with elemental pockets. The result obtained from this table indicates the distance from the center of the vortex to the point where it begins to become dangerous. When a being enters this region, he must attempt a saving throw vs. breath weapon or be pulled into the whirlpool's fringe.
Anyone who has been so captured must succeed at a second saving throw or be sucked into the heart of the whirlpool. The period of time between these two saving throws must be determined by the DM based upon the size of the whirlpool. With a successful saving throw, the being manages to fight his way out of the whirlpool.
Those trapped in the heart of the whirlpool are battered by the other flotsam and jetsam sucked into the tempest and wracked by the tremendous currents, suffering 1d6 points of damage per round. A being must succeed at a bend bars/lift gates roll to claw his way back to the whirlpool's fringe.
A whirlpool is a fleeting phenomenon. It eventually breaks up, although it may linger for years before doing so. To determine how long a whirlpool survives, the DM can use the second table presented under "Currents," above.
Some 30%, of all whirlpools contain a vortex to another part of the plane (or the Prime Material Plane) at their center. A body sucked into the heart of such a storm may find that his troubles are only beginning-if he manages to survive the whirlpool in the first place.
===Other Dangers===
Two rarer hazards may also threaten visitors to this otherwise-hospitable plane.
Burn Water. Despite its name, "burn water" is not actually hot. Burn water forms when a pocket of elemental Mineral or Ooze dissolves in the plane of Water. The water eventually dilutes the pocket but becomes tainted and acidic in tum. Such areas are generally twice the size of the elemental pocket from which they were spawned.
Anyone entering an area of burn water must make a saving throw vs. breath weapon. Failure indicates that the victim suffers 2d 10 points of damage; a successful saving throw cuts this in half. Objects brought into such areas must make successful saving throws vs. acid or be destroyed.
Red Tides. A red tide is a torrent of fast-moving water that has become infected with a dangerous disease or microscopic parasite. These flows should be treated as "moderate tides" (see "Currents," above).
Anyone who enters a red tide is instantly affected as if by a cause disease spell. If the creature is not a water breather or is not using magic that allows him to breathe water (instead depending on spells like no breath), then the disease is merely debilitating. If the victim breathes water ( or otherwise takes the water into his body), the disease manifests as a deadly one.
Those with the power to direct currents have used red tides as deadly weapons. Shunting one of these poisoned torrents into an enemy city or stronghold can annihilate or cripple a foe without the risks inherent in a direct attack.
==Moving About==
Getting about in the Elemental Plane of Water is no great trick. All a body has to do is flap his arms, stroke his fins, or otherwise make some effort to propel himself. In a plane where sinking isn't a danger and the risk of drowning has (hopefully) been overcome, just about any sod can manage to swim. Of course, this doesn't mean he'll be fast. The normal rules for swimming apply to such movement (found in the "Time and Movement" chapter of the Player's Handbook).
Natural swimmers find that the Elemental Plane of Water rewards its own kind. Any creature whose description normally includes a movement rate for swimming can travel at twice its normal speed. This does not apply to those who make use of magical items like a ring of free action.
Many explorers make use of mounts when traveling through the Bottomless Deep. These include but are not limited to giant sea horses, hippocampi, manta rays, and various water elementals. If the creature being ridden is a natural swimmer, the doubled movement rate applies even with a passenger.