The armor check penalty for Climb checks and jump checks is only –4 (masterwork and mithral versions of this armor reduce this penalty as well as the normal penalty). Many Firebrands favor wearing armored cloaks over traditional armor for style reasons, such as matching the cloak to the rest of their outfit. Sample. Ha, I forgot about this when I was building my first halfling rogue. Being made of metal also allows the chain shirt to by made from various special materials. Athletics checks, including the Climb, Force Open, Grapple, High Jump, Long Jump, Shove, Swim, Trip, and Disarm actions. Masterwork Armor. Full plate has an Armor Check Penalty of -6. RingsArmor Proficiency- feat 1. Check: A DC 10 Sleight of Hand check lets you palm a coin-sized, unattended object. Like armor, a character’s load affects his maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, carries a check penalty (which works like an armor check penalty), reduces the character’s speed, and affects how fast the character can run, as shown on Table 7–5. Barding uses the same rules as armor except for the following. This fashion birthed a trend that led to “buckle armor,” a colloquial name for chic armor with spacious tool storage. Source Core Rulebook pg. If don't have Strength 12 (because you're an Alchemist bomber or something) the chainshirt is better for you. If you meet the armor’s Strength threshold (see below), you reduce the penalty by 5 feet. Lightdroplet :. The former begin as young animals but acquire impressive physical abilities as you level up, while the latter share a magical bond with you. Also worth noting that the Armor Proficiency general feat will be good all the way up to lvl 13, as long as you don't mind the -1 armor check penalty if you have 10 strength. Weird that no one has ever caught this before… thanks :)Armor check penalties apply to "Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, except for those that have the attack trait. Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells haste; Cost 18,500 gpMonk "not armor" item. Each additional day spent Crafting reduces the materials needed. Adventurers who don’t wear armor travel in durable clothing. 10. 0Armor Specialization Effects Source Core Rulebook pg. Mostly its an aesthetic choice. A great many characters walk around in medium armor with low STR. Armor Proficiency - you become trained in (light/medium/heavy) armor. Medium Armor AC Bonus Dex Cap Check Penalty Speed Penalty Strength Bulk Group Armor Traits; Power suit +4 +1 –2 –5 feet: 16: 2:. Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. It also lets you wear Medium and Heavy armor without speed reduction at levels 3 and 7 respectively. 234) Sometimes you won’t know whether you succeed at a skill check. If you don't have a high enough STR, you take an armor check penalty to STR/Dex based checks equal to the penalty score, as well as a -X to your SPD. Correct, but if you can reduce the ACP to 0, you effectively take no penalties for not being proficient. Source Core Rulebook pg. Some of the players believes that if you meet the. The frightened creature would get a penalty to both their AC and their Attacks. A character's encumbrance may also incur an armor check penalty. You take a –2 item penalty to attack rolls with an improvised weapon. The creature can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. Broken. But of course, it is also true that "A skeleton retains all the natural. Strength 12; Bulk 1; Category Light; Group Leather. Eldritch Researcher. Under Armor and check penalties in the CRB it states: ("Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. I expect it's the same for armor. 274 4. Eldritch Researcher. Delioth • Master of Master of Many Styles • 5 yr. If your speed is less than 30 feet, you take a -6 penalty for every 10 feet of. 10 Ranks: You can attempt to escape from any entangling. An armor check penalty applies to all Dex- and Strength-based skill checks. 151 Statistics Cost 15 gp Weight 25 lbs. This is called an armor specialization effect. As u/kilgorin0728 stated, Armor Class is considered a DC, and Attacks, along with just about anything that uses a d20 roll, are a check. Feats Other items Enhancements . Arcane Spell Failure Chance 40%; Speed 20 ft. Speed Penalty-5 ft. So both of them have pros and cons. Any item with a number after it in parentheses indicates that the item’s Price is for the indicated quantity, though the Bulk entry for such an item is the value for only one such item. Leather laminar is a good light armor. In fact, Dex-based fighters are still better off with light armor because they will only be a couple points behind in AC in exchange for vastly improved mobility. To determine where it lands, roll 1d8. Pick a high Dexterity armor. Assistive Items (9) View all blighted boons. 3. 0 Certain class features can grant you additional benefits with certain armors. 0. circumstance penalty + conditional penalty + item penalty + untyped penalties. 0 When you use a Strike action or make a spell attack, you attempt a check called an attack roll. Their base land speed is 25 and I want to reduce it to 20 to account for them wearing Scale Mail. Climb Unchained. Armor Bonus +3; Max Dex Bonus +5; Armor Check Penalty-1 Arcane Spell Failure Chance 15%; Speed 30 ft. Armor training lets you add another +4 to maximum dex, as well as reducing Armor Check penalty by as much. The armor check penalty and armor bonus for hastily donned armor are each 1 point worse than normal. K1 : Sep 19, 2019, 08:02 am: 2 people. The target is immobilized and must spend an Interact action to attempt a DC 10 Athletics check to pull the missile free; it can't move from its space until it succeeds. spell_list. It does not. Sash of the War Champion with 3 levels of fighter - no movement penalty for any armor. Take the DC from Table 1. Secret Checks (CRB pg. Your movement and position determine how you can interact with the world. Strength 16; Bulk 2; Category Medium; Group Chain. Oracle 1 with Lame curse - lowers your speed but you're never slowed down by armor. Most races have speed 25, or speed 20 for a gnome or a halfling. 274 4. Your Jump check is modified by your speed. Artifacts View all types of assistive items. Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to AC that this type of armor allows. breastplate), then mithral can make sense, because it's the difference between a 20' and a 30' move speed. Roll a d20 and identify the modifiers, bonuses, and penalties that apply. * If the item is a wand or staff, it uses up twice as many charges when used. 275 4. And also Playing the Game Key Terms. Trait (Regional): Sargavan Guard -1 Trait (Combat): Armor Expert -1 Comfort Enchantment: -1 Masterwork: -1 Armor Ointment: -1 to a minimum of -1 (30g lasts 8 hours. Armor check penalty applies to skills you use, such as stealth and mobility. Source PFU. This armor is simply a layer of heavy, quilted cloth, but it is sometimes used because it’s so inexpensive. The Price and Bulk of barding depend on the animal’s size. Contact Other Plane - Dead Void II (PF2E) October 31, 2023; Cultures of. Such a well-made item functions like the normal version, except that its armor check penalty is lessened by 1. -5 if you're literally in freefall. 448 4. Price 4 gp; AC Bonus +3; Dex Cap +2; Check Penalty -2; Speed Penalty -5 ft. If you meet the armor’s Strength. They are used for Strikes and spell attacks, and traditionally target Armor Class. If you use a military saddle you get a +2 circumstance bonus on Ride checks related to staying in the saddle. There isn't really much complexity to the armor, the different armor types just have different dex requirements to hit the maximum amount of AC. You lash out at a foe that leaves an opening. But no speed penalty. Broken armor doubles its armor check penalty on skills. Unarmored AC scales right alongside armored AC so proficiency isn't really the issue. At level 1, it’s basically just if you have 18 dex (which every dex based martial has). If you have a high enough STR you can negate those penalties. Unfortunately, a 10% chance of failure in an emergency is a very bad idea, and I can’t find any great way of reducing it further. Take for example the Athletics skill, one of the main signature skills for Fighters and Paladins, the classes that use Heavy Armor the most. Check Penalty: You take this penalty to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, except for those that have the attack trait. 0. While wearing your armor, you take this penalty to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, except for those that have the attack trait. A modifier can be either positive or negative, but a bonus is always positive, and a penalty is always. Armor Bonus +8; Max Dex Bonus +0; Armor Check Penalty -7. Armor Bonus +3; Max Dex Bonus +3; Armor Check Penalty-1 Arcane Spell Failure Chance 15%; Speed 30 ft. Check penalties are much less problematic, however, because if you meet a Strength threshold for a specific type of armor you simply ignore. 8:For example, broken armor would still impose its Dexterity modifier cap, check penalty, and so forth. It applies and increases the multiple attack penalty. Noisy. md at master · foundryvtt/pf2e. Armor (4) View all artifacts. The exact effect depends on which armor group your armor. And there's no way to do so. Meeting the strength of your armor reduces the penalty by 5 meaning you still move slower if you have a plate armor on. Armor check penalties are there to incentivize using strength obviously, but the ones for light armor don't seem so bad. The status penalty to AC if this armor is broken is –1 for broken medium armor, –2 for broken heavy armor, or no penalty for broken light armor. Medium Armor Cost 50 gp; Weight 30 lbs. Those are definitely downsides. Armor Specialization Effects Source Core Rulebook pg. It also starts off with a 6 base. Rune Formulas Source Core Rulebook pg. 203 Unlike light and heavy armor, powered armor requires its own battery, and comes with a fully charged battery at purchase. Stone Plate/ Heavy /level 2 / 35gp/ +6 AC/ +0 Dex Cap/ -3 Check Penalty / -10ft Speed Penalty/ 20 Strength/ 6 Bulk/ Plate Group/ Bulwark, Uncommon Armor Traits In 1E hell knight armor cost 2k next to the 1. I’m trying to remember all the ways to reduce armor check penalty. Note that the speed penalty is not reduced by having a high STR, as is the case with armor. Breastplate has a 5 foot speed penalty; the plate armors have a 10 foot speed penalty. If the ACP reduction of masterwork and mithral stacked, then it would reduce that by 4, to -2. If you meet the armor’s Strength threshold (see Strength below), you don’t. * If the item is a suit of armor or a shield, the bonus it grants to AC is halved, rounding down. Sep 12, 2012, 09:56 pm. Here's a list of skills. When you wear non- noisy armor with which you are trained, your penalty to Stealth checks is reduced by 1 (to a minimum penalty of 0). e. Oct 21, 2019, 10:57 pm. All medium armor has a strength threshold of at least 14, and taking the penalties is really bad. So Strength is required to overcome the armors penalities. Unlike with attack rolls and saving throws, a natural roll of 20 on the d20. When you try to sneak a concealed object past someone who might notice it, the GM rolls your Stealth check and compares it to this passive observer’s Perception DC. Your attack modifier is +9, and your damage bonus is +1. Untrained simply is +0 and does not add your level. Celestial Armor (22,400 gp): Unless you have heavy armor proficiency and a Dexterity modifier of at most +5, Celestial Armor is the best armor in the game if all you need from your armor is AC. An attack roll is one of the core types of checks in the game (along with saving throws, skill checks, and Perception checks). An armored coat is more cumbersome than light armor but less effective than most medium armors. Low-light vision and imprecise scent 30 feet. Armor check penalty will subtract that number (the armor check pen) from skills that 'loud and hard to wear armor' would affect. Such a creature can use the run action while swimming, provided that it swims in a straight line. If you want to increase your character’s defense beyond the protection your armor provides, they can use a shield. An item can have only one fundamental rune of each type,. heavier armor class better protections, but makes physical skill checks harder. Sleeping in light armor does not cause fatigue. That defender loses any Dexterity bonus to AC. Cleric spells granted by a deity. Introduction In Pathfinder 2e, your armor is generally dictated by your class. Price 3 gp; AC Bonus +2; Dex Cap +3; Check Penalty-1; Speed Penalty — Strength 12; Bulk 1; Category Light; Group Leather This leather armor is reinforced with metal studs and sometimes small metal plates, providing most of the flexibility of leather armor with more robust protection. An armor check penalty number is the penalty that applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks by a character wearing a certain kind of armor. If you carry a shield, its armor check penalty applies to your attack rolls. CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS. The -1 penalty on attack rolls is hardly noticeable after level 1 or 2, and the loss of AC when you attack with your buckler arm (including using it as the second hand to swing a 2-handed weapon) is easily fixed by a feat like Unhindering Shield. Fortress Plate. If the fighter does so, he still gains the. Pathfinder has many types of checks, from skill checks to attack rolls to saving throws, but they all follow these basic steps. To some, the elves are objects of awe—graceful and beautiful, with immense talent and knowledge. A custom, lightweight mail is fitted within the lining of a coat or similar apparel, physically hiding the armor while maintaining the wearer's fashion. The Pilfering Hand spell doesn't explicitly state that the armor check penalty doesn't apply, nor does it change disable device or sleight of hand to. Item. PF2e] Rage of Elements,. • 8 mo. Feats If you have the Athletic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Swim skill checks. Armor Specialization Effects Source Core Rulebook pg. If you meet the armor’s Strength threshold (see Strength below), you don’t take this penalty. 0. Mithral: Mithral armor decreases the speed penalty class by one, giving medium armors no speed penalty, but not helping heavy armor all that much. g. So both of them have pros and cons. This armor is loud and likely to alert others to your presence. Determine the degree of success and the effect. Armor Class is referenced in multiple locations as a DC. Heavy Armor. 0. Mithral: Mithral armor decreases the speed penalty class by one, giving medium armors no speed penalty, but not helping heavy armor all that much. This can be useful when negotiating with enemies, but is sometimes a liability in more genteel interactions. The proficiency was being checked in the check penalty function for some reason and a missing or 0 penalty was skipping it due to a poorly structured if statement. This means you can still wear heavy armor without the strength you just take its speed penalty and check penalties. When you use the Escape basic action, you can use your Athletics modifier instead of your unarmed attack modifier. With the Armor Expert trait you can easily get high AC with no armor check penalty. The creature can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. Athletics (Str) Source Core Rulebook pg. A complete suit of full plate (or platemail, as it is often called) includes gauntlets. Hi there people. 1 In this Act: "body armour" means (a) a garment or item designed, intended or adapted for the purpose of protecting the body from projectiles discharged from a. Armor has zero penalties except movement speed if you fill the strength requirement. If you have 10 or more ranks in Swim, the bonus increases. After leaving the world in ancient times, they returned to a changed land, and they still struggle to reclaim their ancestral homes, most notably from terrible demons that have invaded parts of their lands. Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, both armor check penalties apply. Once you hit 20, swap for Explorer’s Clothing to lose the Check Penalty. Armor protects your character only while they’re wearing it. Feats If you have the Athletic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Swim skill checks. This goes for all armor types, including Light, but my rules cap PC's inherent stats at 20 (+5). Carrying a light load does not encumber a character. 108. You are carrying more weight than you can manage. 277 4. If you fail, you don’t affect the target. Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor , haste ; Price 26,500 gp; Cost 18,500 + 640 XP. Aid is pretty much useless in PF2e as multiple checks are always. . Other than that, Shields and Resistance stack and can absolutely make the difference. This sturdy leather coat is reinforced with metal plates sewn into the lining. It's the attack roll result that an opponent needs to achieve to hit you. 275 4. Clumsy. A broken object can't be used for its normal function, nor does it grant bonuses— with the exception of armor. 16: 3: Composite — Half plate (Level 1. An attack is any check that has the attack trait. If you have 10 or more ranks in Ride, the bonus increases to +4. In this system, characters unlock additional abilities when they attain 5, 10, 15,. This suit of leather armor has plates of fire-treated wood sewn over vital areas. The penalty for not meeting the minimum strength is all but irrelevant for many characters. The wooden armor's statistics are: AC Bonus +3; Dex Cap +2; Check Penalty –2; Speed Penalty –5 feet; Strength 14; Bulk 1; Group wood. Price 2 gp; AC Bonus +1; Dex Cap +4; Check Penalty-1;. starkmaddness Sep 25, 2018 @ 10:07pm. This information is not on the Paizo GM's Screen but comes up frequently in play. It is considered medium armor, except that you must be proficient in heavy armor to avoid taking nonproficiency penalties. Some skills become difficult when wearing bulky armor or shields, so such armor and shields give characters an armor check penalty. 0 A shoddy suit of armor also worsens the armor’s check penalty by 2. View All Rules ». Loads: You can’t tumble when carrying a medium or heavy load or wearing medium or heavy armor unless an ability allows you to move at full speed in such conditions. 275 4. Armor Bonus +4; Max Dex Bonus +3; Armor Check Penalty-2 Arcane Spell Failure Chance 20%; Speed 20 ft. 0. Determine the degree of success and the effect. The feast Armor Assist with a skill check allows you to half the amount of time it takes you or an ally to don armor. Pathfinder 2 Weapon and Armor Traits Quick Reference. 0. 445) This step is simple. Medium Armor Cost 50 gp; Weight 20 lbs. Your turn then ends. Basically I’m trying to get Heavy armor on a Druid without taking the feat. Cost 2,100 gp; Weight 75 lbs. 0 The Price of a rune’s formula is the same as the Price of a formula for an item of the same level; it can be acquired in the same way as an item. Sure, you get -1 to physical skills, which isn't great. Status. Undead are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. Is this correct? Liquidsabre : Oct 3, 2009, 05:53 pm:The armor has an arcane spell failure chance of 25%, a maximum Dexterity bonus of +3, and an armor check penalty of -3. A character’s encumbrance may also incur an armor check penalty. Price 3 gp; AC Bonus +2; Dex Cap +3; Check Penalty-1; Speed Penalty — Strength 12; Bulk 1; Category Light; Group Leather This leather armor is reinforced with metal studs and sometimes small metal plates, providing most of the flexibility of leather armor with more robust protection. Such a creature can use the run action while swimming, provided that it swims in a straight line. 15 Ranks: If you attack after successfully using Stealth, your target is denied its Dexterity bonus against. An armor check penalty applies to most dexterity-based skills when a character wears armor heavier than leather, and it applies to hide, move silently, parry, pick pocket, set trap, and tumble. At every level its available, it MASSIVELY outperforms equivalent magic like False Life. While wearing your armor, you take this penalty to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, except for those that have the attack trait. Broken armor doubles its armor check penalty on skills. A character’s encumbrance may also incur an armor check penalty. An armor check penalty applies to all Dex- and Strength-based skill checks. Scale mail consists of many metal scales sewn onto a reinforced leather backing, often in the form of a long shirt that protects the torso, arms, and legs. Medium Armor Cost 50 gp; Weight 30 lbs. Source Guns & Gears pg. Sleight of Hand (Dex; Armor Check Penalty; Trained Only) Source PRPG Core Rulebook pg. Source Core Rulebook pg. Anything heavier than drizzle or light snowfall reduces the time it takes for characters to become fatigued from overland travel to only 4 hours. Rogue. 10 Ranks: Stealth check penalties for moving quickly are halved, including the ability unlocked at 5 ranks, moving full speed, and reaching concealment after creating a distraction. So heavy armor is an option but not really a better option. ago. Without making a check, a flying creature can remain flying at the end of its turn so long as it moves a distance greater than half its speed. This is one the the things we really wished to go away from Patfhinder first edition. /15 ft. If you perform an action that has the auditory trait, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost. Whenever he is wearing armor, he reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. Armor class makes you harder to hit. Sash of the War Champion with 3 levels of fighter - no movement penalty for any armor. AC = 16 + your level. 275 4. The armor's check penalty applies to Stealth checks even if you meet the required Strength score. 0. . Sash of the War Champion magic item with mithril heavy armor - Gives you 4 levels of fighter for the purposes of armor training. 0 Price 1,600 gp (+160 gp per Bulk)A character wearing mithral full plate must be proficient in wearing heavy armor to avoid adding the armor’s check penalty to all his attack rolls and skill checks that involve moving. 619 4. Check Penalty. " Notably they do not apply to reflex saves. /15 ft. Pathfinder has many types of checks, from skill checks to attack rolls to saving throws, but they all follow these basic steps. Most wealthy countries with standing armies have a different uniform for use in showy noncombat situations such as parades, coronation ceremonies, and so on. meabolex : Dec 22, 2009, 11:16 am: Jon Heineman wrote: Two questions. If you're a str penalty ancestry, invest nothing into str, and want to make Acrobatics checks w/o a penalty then its slightly better than Padded due to the Flexible trait. #2 WarShrike Sep 26, 2018 @ 3:19pm Any skills that involve movement are penalized by the armor check penalty. The unchained rogue uses these rules extensively, but others can gain access to them with a new feat. It can also turn up to 45 degrees by sacrificing 5 feet of movement, can rise at half speed at an angle of 45 degrees. Noisy. This table provides a quick reference for how far you can move with a Climb or Swim action. This armor is loud and likely to alert others to your presence. They will suffer the armor check penalty to their attacks just like a mage wearing armor would. It gains a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. Dexterity Modifier Cap (Dex Cap) Source Core Rulebook pg. There isn't really much complexity to the armor, the different armor types just have different dex requirements to hit the maximum amount of AC. Source Core Rulebook pg. No. Strength 14; Bulk 2; Category Medium; Group Composite. If you have 10 or more ranks in Swim, the bonus increases. Barding. check_penalty [n] Armor check penalty. The bonus is actually a penalty reduction, so it "stacks" in that it reduces both penalties--3 for the tower shield, 1 for the plate, putting you at -12. Broken armor still grants its item bonus to AC, but it also imparts a status penalty to AC depending on its. David knott 242 wrote: The rule about being fatigued from sleeping in medium or heavy armor in Pathfinder can be found in the Endurance feat. Aside from Full Plate and non-armor clothing, all armors have a combined AC Bonus and Dex Cap of +5. A modifier can be either positive or negative, but a bonus is always Positive, and a penalty is always negative. $egingroup$ Unless this is a specific magic item, bucklers made using mithral special material will not lose that -1 penalty to attack rolls, as mithral only affects armor check penalty, spell failure chance, max dexterity and the proficiency to wear the item by one category (for armors). Champion or fighter should give some armor proficiency, and general feats exist to get the proficiency without class feats. /20 ft. See bucklers. Pyotr_WrangeI. (And heavy armor has 1 more maximum AC than light and medium) The fundamental runes are the exact same for everyone. Whenever a shield takes damage, the amount of damage it takes is reduced by this amount. They are used for Strikes and spell attacks, and traditionally target Armor Class. Your trait can reduce this to 3, and Mithral lowers ACP by 3 to drop it to Zero. This determines the initial misdirection of the throw, with 1 falling short (off-target in a straight line toward the thrower), and 2 through 8 rotating around the target creature or grid intersection in a clockwise direction, as illustrated in the diagram above. If you have the Acrobatic feat, you get a bonus on Acrobatics checks (see Feats). So Strength is required to overcome the armors penalities. Armor Specialization Effects Source Core Rulebook pg. You'll only be using it for five levels, at which point you can grab the Leather with 10 str requirement for negating the penalties. This is separate from and in addition to the armor’s Speed penalty, and affects you even if your Strength or an ability lets you reduce or ignore the. View all types of armor. 0. Spell Attack Rolls Source Core Rulebook pg. You are better at using that armor’s natural advantages to protect yourself. Being fixed now. You generally need only make a Fly check when you are attempting a complex maneuver. For example, if you have a Dexterity modifier of +4 and you are wearing a suit of half plate, you apply only a +1 bonus from your Dexterity. An armor check penalty applies to all Dex– and Strength-based skill checks. Fighter 7 - Armor never slows you down. The two likely outcomes are: Noisy's was intended to be removed or generalized to GM fiat rather than have a specific numerical penalty. You can also dive, flip, jump, and roll to avoid attacks and overcome obstacles. Armor Check Penalty: Any armor heavier than leather, as well as any shield, hurts a character's ability to use Dexterity- and Strength-based skills. Moving around in exploration and downtime modes is relatively fluid and free form. In fact, I chose Orc to show that if we switch that Dexterity in the Background step to Strength, and change nothing else, we have the 16 Strength and 12 Dexterity for any of the +4/+1 Medium. Speed penalty of armor or shield. The combat is just too good. If you have no armor proficiency it gives light armor, light armor give medium, etc. When you use the Sudden Charge class feat while wearing this armor, your Strike deals an additional 1d8 damage. Pathfinder 2 Weapon and Armor Traits Quick Reference. Climb As part of a move action, you can use Athletics to climb up, down, or across a slope, a wall, or another steep incline. If you're going all the way to heavy armor, and you don't have much dex, and you don't use skills that invoke armor check penalties, then mithral doesn't do much for you. If you have the Athletic feat, you get a +2 bonus on Swim checks.