[3.5] What would be the Swim Check to swim through gold coins/treasure?

[Pika...]

So I am thinking that once my group one day finally reaches it's "end game" (aka level 20), I will give them the treat of ending up with a few stories high vault somehow (I have time to think about how I figure).

Basically let their characters off happy, and give the PCs the ability to swim around a bit Scrooge Mecduck style in their new found loot.

Perhaps...just maybe...have a gold/jeweled sea serpent swimming around in there?



ps. Anyone know of such a creature?

[Fishy]

Gold Glide (Ex)

A McDuck can glide through coins, gemstones, cash, or almost any other sort of currency except bullions as easily as a fish swims through water. His burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A Transmute Metal To Wood spell cast on an area containing a burrowing McDuck flings the duck back 30 feet, stunning him for 1 round unless he succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.

[Myshlaevsky]

Gold Glide (Ex)

A McDuck can glide through coins, gemstones, cash, or almost any other sort of currency except bullions as easily as a fish swims through water. His burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A Transmute Metal To Wood spell cast on an area containing a burrowing McDuck flings the duck back 30 feet, stunning him for 1 round unless he succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.

I thought that he was just insanely strong. I mean, have you seen those comics? Scrooge McDuck is practically an unbeatable BBEG.

[Sinfire Titan]

Considering creatures can swim in lava at half their Swim speed or half of what their swim check's result would indicate they could move, I'd say use that. Also, the rules for Lava say that creatures with a burrowing speed can use that to move at full speed.

[chiasaur11]

I thought I was just insanely strong. I mean, have you seen those comics? Scrooge McDuck is practically an unbeatable BBEG.

Less emphasis on the evil.

I mean, he's not a saint (by any measure) but his heart's sorta near the right place. He's one of the neutrals, I'd say.

Possibly Avaricious neutral.

[Myshlaevsky]

Less emphasis on the evil.

I mean, he's not a saint (by any measure) but his heart's sorta near the right place. He's one of the neutrals, I'd say.

Possibly Avaricious neutral.

I agree, actually. For an adventuring party, though, he's pretty well characterised as a BBEG - at first glance he seems to be avaricious, miserly and exploitative without other merits.

Besides, who wouldn't want to try and take that hoard? I mean, if the worst came to the worst you'd probably just end up working for him.

[chiasaur11]

I agree, actually. For an adventuring party, though, he's pretty well characterised as a BBEG - at first glance he seems to be avaricious, miserly and exploitative without other merits.

Besides, who wouldn't want to try and take that hoard? I mean, if the worst came to the worst you'd probably just end up working for him.

True.

I mean, vault with treasures beyond the wildest dreams of any man is exactly the sort of thing that gets your average adventuring party shifting from "We're pretty sure it's evil, so it's okay." to "It's evil if we say it's evil. Loot! Loot! Loot!"

[Person_Man]

I insist that there be a gold swimming giant worm that attempts to eat the PCs once they swim in his habitat.

[Sliver]

BBNG doesn't sound that impressive IMO...

[TheCountAlucard]

Perhaps...just maybe...have a gold/jeweled sea serpent swimming around in there? Anyone know of such a creature?

I believe one of the WotC articles has a method by which a dragon turns into its horde...

[Volkov]

Considering creatures can swim in lava at half their Swim speed or half of what their swim check's result would indicate they could move, I'd say use that. Also, the rules for Lava say that creatures with a burrowing speed can use that to move at full speed.

Gold coins and jewelry, and the occasional art object such as a statue or painting, various trade materials such as spices or wines in crates and barrels, and various bars of precious metals and gems of precious minerals, would be less fluid than Lava, and thus harder to swim through.

[Grumman]

You've got two main problems: viscosity and density.

First, as Volkov has noted, even coins are going to catch against each other a lot more than a fluid would.

Second, gold is more dense than water or lava. This means it takes more strength to move it while swimming, and that you're at greater risk of being suffocated or simply crushed if you try to swim under the surface. Based on the rules from the DMG, ~6 feet of gold coins would be enough to start causing crushing damage every minute.

[Foryn Gilnith]

BBNG doesn't sound that impressive IMO...

Bizarrely, given we were speaking of Scrooge, I thought of "neutral" for the N only after I thought of "*****rdly"...

EDIT: Hm, the forums censor that. Likely with good reason, too. Well, at least I don't have to worry whether I'll catch any flak for it. The ninth citation note of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_etymology should identify it if necessary.

[taltamir]

DC 20 fort save to not break a bone upon impacting the hard METAL...

i know its cool to roll around in gold and all, but swim in it? its gold... try swimming in a pile of rocks... Now granted, gold is a very soft metal, but gold coins are not pure gold and are much tougher.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Player: I swim through my large reserves of gold pieces.
DM: Ok, make a swim check.
Player: I got a thirty-three.
DM: You swim gracefully through the gold, but you begin drowning. Good luck coughing up those gold pieces.

[Volkov]

Now Swimming in molten gold, that'd be fun. And much more lethal than swimming in lava due to the fact that the pressure would increase much more rapidly. So at the bottom of a hundred foot pool, you'd get 20d6 fire damage, and gods know how much crushing damage. Not to mention that the oxygen and CO2 in your lungs would probably combust and form Carbon Tetroxide, thus also creating a burning sensation in you, while also immediately causing you to asphyxiate. Oh and your blood would boil, thus steam would be added to the list of problems, and your body would begin to chemically react with itself, thus turning you into non-living material.