Help give me air!!!

[Fox]

How can i get my characters to hold their breath for EXTREMELY long periods of time!!!!!

[Packrat]

Hi Fox;

...I get the feeling your in the Collasium...Your characters need to get scuba gear....(Breathers and helmets)..You can get it at the shipyard in brimloch... .. However, before you can buy them, you have to bring the shop owner 3 shells..( the shells are dropped by the carb o the sea when you kill them, but not all crabs drop a shell.. .)

There's also a post in the BEST TIPS thread, on page 4, ( Breathers TIP, multiple) if you have more than one character and are in a hurry...If you try this tip... save before you go into town..I've done it wrong a few times . It can be tricky.

[Felix The Assassin]

Air and scuba gear is very overrated. Who needs it. As a young trickster, @ 5th level Bard, one may acquire the art of Iron Lung, for the right price and level. I can swim the majority of Collasium, only using the natural air pockets. On the occassion that I cannot find a air pocket, I have been known to cast Breath of Air. But scuba gear on this precious face, and a stupid shell taking up my second weapon slot, NEVER!

An Assassin on the prowl.

[Bungleau]

But remember, grasshopper, that the scuba tank in the second slot gives a monk a second attack hand-to-hand. Without it, the poor monk can only hit but once.

Never played a bard beyond level 3, so I haven't seen what skills a bard can learn in the guilds. You've piqued my curiousity; I may start up a game to find out.

[Radek]

The air problem:
1. The Athletics skill increases the time you can spend under water considerably. With Athletics 12, you can afford to do Collasium without underwater breathers (using Breath of Air and Restore Health spells).
2. The Iron Lung trait doubles the time you can spend under water. There are 2 sources of the trait:
a) You can buy the trait in the thieves guild when you reach level 5 for the guild. I am not sure whether everybody is offered the trait or whether only thief-like roles are offered it.
b) The Ring of Neptune (Collasium) contains the trait. The ring is in the 4 stars chest near the exit from Collasium.
With the trait and the skill, you can forget underwater breathers completely.
3. The Breatch of Air spell (Vine magic, level 6) clears the "drowning bar" completely. But it also takes one half of HP of the caster away. Use the spell with the Restore Health spell (Spirit Magic, level 6) - and only if your Athletics is enough high. Otherwise, you will be so busy with casting the spells that you will be unable to do anything else.
Summary: the primary tools are the Athletics skill and the Breath of Air and Restore Health spells. Later on, you can gain the Iron Lung trait.