Grip Current
The water you’re standing in swirls suddenly and in the frothy surface you see a thousand hands reaching for you. Clamping down hard, the hands drag you away from the shore, pummeling the breath out of you as they do.
Magical energies have converted a mundane rip current into an active and terrible threat that is able to form in even the shallowest waters. Fortunately such a current ebbs and flows with the tides, typically only being able to strike at high tide and then only once.
Magical Emanations. An adventurer proficient with Arcana or under the effects of detect magic can make a Perception check to identify a gathering of power before they enter the area.
Up and Away. The use of fly , levitate , or similar magic to stay out of the water triggers success for that adventurer.
Spell Solve. Adventurers can make a spellcasting ability check to disrupt the current by casting create or destroy water to destroy 10 gallons of water. Each additional 10 gallons destroyed grants a +1 to the spellcasting ability check. Alternately, they could use any magic that affects weather or dispel magic . Successfully doing so triggers a critical success.
- Once caught in the grip current, a group check by the adventurers can help them escape either by using a Wisdom (Survival) check to swim across its strength, or powering through with a Strength (Athletics) check. Adventurers with a swim speed make this check with advantage .
Potential Outcomes
Critical Failure. Adventurers who fail the check have the air knocked out of them as they are dragged under. In this state, they can only hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to twice their Constitution modifier before running out of breath and beginning to suffocate. They (or an ally) must succeed on an Athletics check to free themselves; however the mental and physical stress leaves them with a level of strife and fatigue . Adventurers able to breathe in water ignore these effects. In addition, each adventurer loses 4 (2d4) supply.
Failure. Each adventurer loses 4 (1d4+2) supply.
Success. The party manage to escape the grip current, swimming clear and back to shore
Critical Success. Escaping the current, the party finds some benefit stirred up by the frothing sea. Roll on the Boons and Discoveries table.