Swimming covers staying up, getting somewhere, and going under on purpose. What makes it dangerous is rarely the water itself but the state of it: a character makes a Swimming Success Value test once per minute, and the Success Value is then modified by how exposed the water is and how hard the wind is blowing across it.
| Water | WF 0 | WF 1 | WF 2 | WF 3 | WF 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inland or sheltered coast | 0 | −1 | −2 | −3 | −4 |
| Open water, 1–5 leagues out | 0 | −1 | −3 | −4 | −6 |
| Open water, 6–19 leagues out | 0 | −1 | −4 | −6 | −8 |
| Open water, 20+ leagues out | 0 | −1 | −6 | −8 | −8 |
Rivers, ponds, lakes and any coast within a league of shore count as inland.
The adjusted Success Value gives the distance covered in that minute:
| SV | Distance |
|---|---|
| < 0 | The character sinks. |
| 0 | Treading water. |
| 1 | 80 feet |
| 2 | 100 feet |
| 3 | 120 feet |
| 4 | 140 feet |
| 5 | 160 feet |
| 6 | 180 feet |
| 7 | 200 feet |
| 8 | 230 feet |
| 9 | 260 feet |
| 10+ | 300 feet |
A strong swimmer on flat water covers ground quickly; the same swimmer in a gale needs a Critical Success merely to keep their face above the surface. A character who sinks is in immediate danger of drowning, and Mastery Level in Swimming greatly extends how long they can hold their breath while it is resolved.
Encumbrance. For swimming purposes, multiply base encumbrance from armour and gear by four before modifying for Strength. Soaked clothing weighs even where dry clothing does not — an ordinary suit of clothes carries ENC 10 in the water and a heavy one ENC 20. A Swimming EML reduced below zero permits no test: the character goes under.
Fatigue. Swimming at the full rate is fast swimming and accrues windedness fatigue every minute. A character who reaches at least SV 1 may instead swim slowly, covering at most half the distance but accruing only weariness fatigue, and then only once an hour.