The Power of Water: 5 New Water-Themed Spells

When it comes to elemental magic, fire has it easy.  Fire burns.  It's direct and easy to understand.  Utilizing the other classical elements in magic - water, air, and earth - requires more outside the box thinking.  Oftentimes cold, electricity, and acid fill in for water, air, and earth, allowing spellcasters to deal direct damage with something other than fire.  From a game design perspective, cold, electricity, acid, and fire are just different flavors of the same thing; switching the type of damage that an elemental spell does rarely has an in-game effect.  But if you are trying to play as a spellcasting character who specializes in water spells, you might find it jarring that the only way you can do damage is with ice.  Water is one of the most powerful forces on earth.  Don't spellcasters deserve more water-themed spells?

Photo by Malene Thyssen, via Wikimedia

The following five spells are designed to showcase the power of water: aquatic sheath allows swimming creatures to move and fight on land; evaporate dries up liquid, destroying potions and damaging water elementals; splash puts out fires and damages fire elementals; water jet blasts enemies with a concentrated burst of water; water shield protects an area from fire spells.

The following text is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2017 Jonah Bomgaars.  This content is designed for the pfrpg.

Aquatic Sheath

School conjuration (creation) [water]; Level cleric/oracle 4, druid 4, shaman 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, summoner 3

Casting Time 1 full-round action

Components V, S

Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

Target one willing aquatic creature

Duration 1 hour/level (see text)

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

This spell creates a magical sheath of water that envelops an aquatic creature, allowing it to breath and move on land.  The spell can be cast in one of two ways: on an existing aquatic creature, or in preparation for summoning an aquatic creature onto land.  If cast on an existing aquatic creature, the sheath lasts for 1 hour per caster level.  If cast in preparation for summoning an aquatic creature onto land, it creates an empty sphere of water resting on the surface of the ground (resembling the spell aqueous orb), into which a single aquatic creature can be summoned.  The summoning must be made by the end of the next round after the water is created or the spell ends and the water disappears; otherwise, the sheath of water persists for as long as the summoned creature does. 

   The water takes on whatever characteristics (salinity, temperature, pressure, oxygen saturation) that the creature within needs.   The water sheath creates a small opening around the breathing oriface of aquatic creatures that need to breathe air (such as cetaceans).  The water sheath can accommodate a single Large or smaller creature, increasing one size category per caster level for every three levels beyond 8^th (Huge at 11^th, Gargantuan at 14^th, Colossal at 17^th); swarms count as a single creature for the purposes of this spell.  A creature enveloped by the aquatic sheath can move freely on land with a move speed of 30 feet, regardless of the creature’s swim speed or other movement abilities in water; it does not interfere with the creature’s Swim speed or abilities if the spell is still active while the creature is submerged in a body of water.  Aquatic sheath grants the caster no control over the movement or actions of the target.  The water is thin, inflicting no penalty on attacks made by or against the creature within. 

   The water sheath grants the creature within fire resistance 10 and vulnerability to electricity (this does not stack with other sources of fire resistance).  Creatures within the water sheath are not affected by inhalation poisons or gaseous spells (such as stinking cloud or cloud kill) unless they are air-breathing creatures with exposed breathing orifaces.  

   This spell can be made permanent with a permanency spell cast at at least 9^th level, expending diamond dust worth 10,000gp.

Evaporate

School transmutation [air, water]; Level cleric/oracle 1, druid 1, ranger 1, shaman 1, sorcerer/wizard 1

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S

Range 10 ft./level

Target up to 2 cu. ft. of liquid/level

Duration instantaneous

Saving Throw none (or Will; see text); Spell Resistance yes

With a  flourish, you cause a quantity of liquid to instantly evaporate.  You can evaporate up to 2 cubic feet of liquid per level; all liquid evaporated must be from a single source (a single pool, a single barrel, a single bottle).  Any non-evaporable substance within the liquid will be left behind as residue (salt water leaves behind a thin crust of salt, etc.).  Unattended liquids evaporate instantly.  Liquid-based magic items (such as potions) and items in a creature’s possession must succeed on a Will save. 

   If the spell targets 10 or more cubic feet of water, it generates a 5 foot cube of steam that obscures vision and grants 20% concealment for 1 round. 

   Alternately, this spell can be targeted at a single creature with the Water subtype.  When used in this way, it deals 1d4 points of damage per caster level (maximum 5d4).  A successful Will save reduces this damage by half. 

   Evaporate counters and dispels aquatic sheath and aqueous orb with a successful caster level check made against the target spell’s Save DC. 

Photo by Roger McLassus, via Wikimedia

Splash

School conjuration (creation) [water]; Level cleric/oracle 0, druid 0, shaman 0, sorcerer/wizard 0

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S

Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

Effect one missile of water

Duration instantaneous

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You fire an orb of water at your target.  You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target.  If the water orb hits a creature with the fire subtype, it deals 1d6 points of damage.  This spell can extinguish nonmagical fires no larger than a campfire. 

Water Jet

School evocation [water]; Level bloodrager 2, druid 2, magus 2, sorcerer/wizard 2, witch 2

Casting Time 1 standard action

Components V, S

Range 60 ft.

Area 60 ft. line

Duration instantaneous

Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance yes

You unleash a concentrated jet of water in a 30 foot line, dealing 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per caster level to all creatures in the area of effect (maximum 10d4).  Any creatures with the fire subtype instead take 1d6 points of lethal damage per caster level.  This spell extinguishes any nonmagical fires in the line of effect. 

water shield

School abjuration [water]; Level bloodrager 3, cleric/oracle 3, druid 3, magus 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, witch 3

Casting Time 1 immediate action

Components V, S

Range 10 ft./level

Area 5 ft. radius sphere

Duration instantaneous

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

With only a split-second of warning, you call into existence a rippling sphere of water that protects those within from fire attacks.  The water shield lasts only for a moment, providing protection from a single instantaneous fire spell or attack (such as fireball, burning hands, or a red dragon’s breath weapon).  All creatures and objects within the water shield gain fire resistance equal to 5 times your caster level (maximum 50) against that one fire effect. 

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-your sodden d20 despot