Goodman Games

In an upcoming adventure the players are going to encounter a water elemental that attacks with engulf. I can't find the rules for engulf in the core book or in the monster's stat block.

I am guessing it's something like a reflex save to avoid, so I could just make up a number that seems appropriate. Is there an official rule somewhere that I am missing?

Thanks!

page 412 of the core rulebook.

"A water elemental attempts to move over its opponents, engulfing them within its space. It can still slam engulfed targets as it buffets them within its waves, and when a target is engulfed it may begin to drown. An engulfed target attacks at -4 and must make an opposed Str check (against Str 20) to push its way out. For each round it starts engulfed, the target must succeed in a DC 16 Stamina check. When the first check fails, the target is drowning. Once drowning, the creature loses 1d6 points of Stamina per round."

I don't think this answers my question. It covers what happens after a character has become engulfed but not how the initial engulfing occurs. Is it simply an action roll that the elemental takes that needs to roll higher than the characters armor class?

I feel like my players are going to ask to make a saving throw and there's nothing to indicate the DC - but we are all long time Pathfinder players so I could be reading to much into this.

I take it as a simple attack.

"Water elementals appear as living, ambulatory ocean waves."

Don't picture a dude-shaped thing of water. It's a wave. It's a wave filling a hallway.

Where exactly are you going to jump with your Reflex check to get away from it...?

DCC has few fixed rules because you then have the freedom to apply common sense to the circumstances (or whatever kind of sense applies to your campaign).

If the water elemental is in a small space with the characters, it just engulfs them. Simple as that. They then have to figure out how to save themselves...

If it's an open field or something like that, well, okay, they have a chance to avoid the thing. But it's big. It's an ocean wave that can direct itself. They can scatter, but maybe they can't all avoid it. It moves faster than they do (most likely), so even if they get out of the way this round, next round it's closer, then closer still... It is going to get them.

It just is.

Water always wins.