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My swashbuckling human warblade just encountered what I presume to be a young dragon of indeterminate color while exploring an underwater cave.

He has his trusty rapier on him, and he’s not afraid to use it. He has the following maneuvers readied:

Soaring Raptor Strike.
Wall of Blades.
Insightful Strike.
Death from Above.

Some of those are jump-themed and/or require jump checks. Which of those maneuvers may I use underwater?

Extra Info: His base land speed is 40 ft., so he can swim 10 ft. per round. Maybe this has an effect on his jump skill modifier?

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It depends on what the maneuver actually requires, so we'll go through them one at a time:

Soaring Raptor Strike

This one works fine. You make a Jump check v.s. AC. You might take a -2 penalty on the Jump check for being underwater (see 'Favorable and Unfavorable Conditions' in the DMG), but, otherwise, you're fine. You probably have a penalty on the attack roll, depending on what you rapier has going on.

Wall of Blades

You can't use this while denied Dex to AC. While swimming, if you fail a Swim check, you lose Dex to AC (unless you don't, but normal human-y people do). So this one is a sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Insightful Strike

This just requires a melee attack and a concentration check, neither of which is prevented by being underwater, though the attack roll is probably penalized and the concentration check almost certainly isn't.

Death from Above

This one is a little complicated. Technically, nothing interferes with its ability to be used underwater, but it specifies that the attack occurs in the air above the creature, which makes things a little weird. Furthermore, you end the maneuver in any space adjacent to the target within 20 feet, which underwater (and in aerial battles) can be a little extra complicated. While the maneuver does say that the overhead air jumping just happens as part of the maneuver (and thus cannot be interpreted as a prerequisite of its initiation), the use creating air above your target for you to move through is something some GMs might balk at. You can probably use the maneuver, but you should check with your DM on this one for sure.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Nice answer. For the Wall of Blades swim check DEX thing: does Uncanny Dodge factor in here? \$\endgroup\$ Nov 2, 2017 at 10:33

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