How would you let an octopus survive out of water?

[The Pressman]

Question in title.

Spells, items, etc.

[MightyTim]

The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus seems to manage ok.
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

[The Pressman]

If only it was real.

[Connington]

Ring of Landwalking, from Stormwrack, p130. 10,000 GP. Gives you the ability to breathe air, and a land speed at the cost of your swim speed. Technically, the description says it only works on aquatic or monstrous humanoids, but neither of the base spells seem to have that requirement.

[Greenish]

If only it was real.

You asked us about spells that would help an octopus survive out of water, yet the (claimed) fictionality of the tree-octopus is an impediment somehow. I don't quite follow.

[JeenLeen]

If D&D 3.5, probably just use the rules for drowning but with 'in air' as drowning. It's not completely realistic probably, since being without water's buoyancy and other environmental things probably adds injury, but it's a good standard.

If some other system, whatever is similiar to Fortitude saves, Stamina rolls, etc. Or they can live 'x' minutes based on the stat.

If they make the rolls, they survive. If not, they start to 'drown'.

[The Pressman]

You asked us about spells that would help an octopus survive out of water, yet the (claimed) fictionality of the tree-octopus is an impediment somehow. I don't quite follow.

Because the DM would probably use that as a justification for it not to work. Spells, now those he can handle.

[Greenish]

Because the DM would probably use that as a justification for it not to work. Spells, now those he can handle.

Very well then. Breathe Air is hours/level spell that allows one to breathe air. Fins to Feet, despite the name, can also change a pair of tentacles to feet, granting 30' land speed.

[Edit]: Adapt Body would work too.

[NeutralAwesome]

Have it/someone bind a tiny water elemental inside its gills? I know there is an elemental graft feat in Eberron that give airbreathers the same deal with air elementals.

[The Pressman]

Is that in ECS, or a different one?

[NeutralAwesome]

Is that in ECS, or a different one?

Magic of Eberron. Also, now that I think on it it was a water elemental in the back of your throat so you never got thirsty and some other bonus maybe. Same general idea anyway.

[Greenish]

Is that in ECS, or a different one?

Offhand, I'd claim the grafts were in Magic of Eberron.

[Mikeavelli]

A Wizard did it.

In one campaign, I introduced the Octo-Mole. Think Owlbear, but instead of existing purely to kill adventurers and make biologists cry, it was also pretty good at digging tunnels.

[Lothmar]

- - Wow, I just had this weird image of a druid with a small octopus as an animal companion who wears a bucket full of water on his back. xD

Or give the octopus an ion stone so it can breath and then keep it in a bag of holding/portable hole full of water and drop in fish etc for it to eat. Hmm, now to figure out how to keep the temperature livable since it'd be in the dark etc thus being cold (uncertain how cold etc... need to review astral plane info.).

Wow, now I want to build a spell called 'astral aquariam'. *Chuckle*

[The Pressman]

A Wizard did it.

In one campaign, I introduced the Octo-Mole. Think Owlbear, but instead of existing purely to kill adventurers and make biologists cry, it was also pretty good at digging tunnels.

Do you still have a record of it? Stats, etc.

[The Pressman]

Actually, I could just hire a wizard to cast Polymorph any object and turn the octopus into a tree-climbing air breathing resilient octopus. All bonuses to duration apply, and it is permanent.

[FMArthur]

D&D already has rules for octopi naturally surviving without water. When it's still very small and has survived long enough in the breeding tank, you insert it into the ear of a humanoid...

[The Pressman]

Because all of those octopi are actually stunted Illithids! It all makes sense now!

[Prplcheez]

I read a story once about an octopus that escaped from an aquarium and went to a library and started destroying books... Can't find it now, but if it was true, then an octopus could stay out of water for a few hours. You could probably just bring a bucket of water with you and dunk it every hour or two.

[Domochevsky]

...you will have to come up with a bit more information for that.

[Zach J.]

Haha, if you're not sick of me I might give it a try later tonight. As long as no one else is interested. Also, is that the same Domochevsky from deviantART?

[Altair_the_Vexed]

It's not octopi - that'd be if it were a Latin derived word, and it's Greek. Octopods, octopodes, octopuses - take your pick, just not octopi.


Stormwrack has your official WotC answers - but ask your DM to let you reverse Water Breathing.
Also, you might want to cast Levitate on your octopus: they don't walk too well on land.

[Eldan]

Well, there's a spell in the SpC which lets you survive out of water.

Anyway, if it's not too long, the Octopus should do fine, they can survive for quite some time.

[The Pressman]

I was sort of thinking just PaO it into an octopus that is amphibious, strong enough to be as strong on land as it is in the water, and then it should fulfill enough of the bonuses to be permanent.

[ericgrau]

Holding its breath. For longer times, just magic the problem away with a ring of air breathing or w/e.

"Octopuses kept as pets have been known to open the covers of their aquariums and survive for a time in the air in order to get to a nearby feeder tank and gorge themselves on the fish there." - Wikipedia

They are smart, strong, mobile and flexible buggers.

[Domochevsky]

It better be, seeing how links to my dA page are in my sig.

(You can have the octopus though. )

[Zach J.]

Haha, sorry I'm a bit blind sometimes. Thanks although there's no reason that we can't both do an octopus. The more pictures the better, right?

[The Pressman]

Also, if either of you do draw, it, try to make it so that all the spaces are enclosed. I use inkscape to do primitive paintbucket fills, but when you leave gaps it doesn't work. However, shading with closely spaced low-slope zigzags, like on the goggles here, it makes a lovely effect when filling in.

[The Pressman]

What if, starting as a 5th level character, took the Wild Cohort feat, and instead used a polymorphed octopus. The octopus would be polymorphed using polymorph any object to be able to walk and breath on land in addition to in water. It would also have a slightly higher INT. This would fulfill enough of the conditions that it would be permanent. I know that this is against the riles, but how heinous is it? In that, how many DMs would be implacably against it?

[Kaww]

Who cast PaO? What is it now? If you want to increase it's int is it magical beast?

Not to heinous, but what are you playing?


I probably would not allow it.