Underwater spellcasting

[Jacque]

I'm sending my group down below the surface on a mission. They're trying to prepare for new environment but they're having trouble with verbal spellcasting, as no spell seems to give that ability underwater, or perhaps it is included in spells like freedom of movement or polymorphing into an aquatic creature which speaks aquatian?

[Thrice Dead Cat]

RAW is silent on this issue, so you'll have to wing it. Freedom of Movement should save them, as should water breathing, at least, from a "makes sense" perspective. Without either of those, you could treat the spell casters as deaf, which gives I want to say a 20% failure rate for verbal spells until they get used to the new environment.

[theForce017]

RAW is silent on this issue, so you'll have to wing it. Freedom of Movement should save them, as should water breathing, at least, from a "makes sense" perspective. Without either of those, you could treat the spell casters as deaf, which gives I want to say a 20% failure rate for verbal spells until they get used to the new environment.

I agree. There is nothing said on the issue of how to cast underwater but in the Rules Compendium p. 149 it states that magical effects are unaffected underwater except for fire. It is your (the DMs) call as to how the party will speak to each other and how to cast with verbal components underwater.

If I were DMing, I would not want the gap between magic users and melee/archers to get any larger so I agree with Thrice Dead Cat in the fact that you should incur a 20% spell failure chance like they are hearing impaired.

[Optimator]

Any creature that can breathe under water, from natural abilities or spells, can cast under water.