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I have a player who wants to know if they could use Arcane Eye above and below water (or any other liquids). I initially said yes, however, after reading the spell it says,
“A solid barrier blocks the eye’s Movement”
and I began second guessing my decision. In the context of this question and the 5e rules how “solid” is water and would it prevent Arcane Eye from entering or operating in it?
Water is not a solid unless it freezes. When you fall into water from a high enough altitude it feels solid but it isn't. The phenomena of it "feeling solid" is actually the fact that the object (us) has less binding energy than the kinetic energy upon impact. Therefore, water not being solid would not prevent the Arcane Eye. It being in water could hinder or alter what the eye sees depending on DM ruling on how clear the water is.
The spell Arcane Eye states:
You create an invisible, magical eye within range that hovers in the air for the duration.
Since spells do what they say they do and nothing else, the Arcane Eye would not be hovering nor in the air, so therefore cannot be used underwater.
The solidity of water does not matter in this case. What matters is that the eye would not be able to be used underwater because of the wording of the spell.
