This spell failed to make the transfer from 4th to 5th edition.
There might have been a balance issue, since a lvl spell could cause death by drowning, if a Stm roll of 6+ was failed. but it at least incapacitated first 3 minutes while the target was coughing up water.
I could live with the same concept but less harsh consequences. Like no risk of death, but some serious annoyance from water in the lungs. Probably requiring Concentration to cast spells, and also a risk of missing turns.
It may be higher level in 5th, because 4th has Target Small which was less than Individual which is the smallest in 5th.
But I like the effect for Aquam faeries first example.
I agree that it is a nice effect, but I have always thought it odd in the basic framework. Supposedly you CrAq inside the lungs of some person or creature, a location which you cannot perceive and hence cannot affect according to Hermetic Limits.
A concentration duration Cr(Re)Aq to make a bubble of water around the head of the unfortunate target of the spell would do that (conc+Re so that thew bubble maintains its shape and stays around the head when they move).
I don’t like the aesthetics of the water bubble.
What about a reverse Lungs of the Fish!
Air turns to water as it enters the victim’s lungs.
Muto Auram et Aquam, Base 4 “transform an amount of air into another element” +2 Voice +1 Diameter +1 Part = 20
Should follow rules for deprivation us require a harsh concentration roll.
That would probably be the cleanest way to do it, reverse Lungs of the Fish. You may run into the question of if you can 'move' the spell to follow the person (or if you need to!) that I've had different responses based on who was running the game.
I rechecked the book for levels, considering that the Grip of the Choking Hand is level 25, I don't think that level 20 but for You Drown Now would be too unreasonable providing it's duration was only concentration, unless it made the person mute for the spell duration.
To make it level 20 while only conc. rather than Sun, I would add one magnitude for complexity in aiming (since technically you don't see the inside of the target's lungs.
As per ArM5 p180 "Deprivation" - It's a stamina roll with an ease factor that starts at 3, and increases by one for every time period that passes. You will be unlikely to lose more than one fatigue level in the first couple of minutes, as time goes on you're virtually guaranteed to lose a level every 30 seconds.
For concentration - well, it's putting you in danger but not damaging you as quickly as being hit with a weapon, so it's less than 15. Maybe a 12, but a case could be made for 9.
Sure @darkwing
In the normal time frame of a conflict, it’s unlikely to be really dangerous, unless the scene drags out.
Personally I’d go for D:Diam rather than Conc, to free the magus do to other stuff in the meantime. So it would really only be 4 Stm rolls, starting af EF 3 and up to 12. Assuming Stm 0 statistically 3 rolls would fail, for high Stm 2 rolls would.
As for Concentration when almost drowning I’m also on the 9-12 range, hovering towards 12, because otherwise the spell seems quite weak.
At least compared to the old spell, but then again it was overpowered.
But unable to breathe air only water, almost Drowning should IMHO have more consequence than fatigue loss over time.
I might rule that a Stm botch causes Not unconsciousness but collapsing and coughing up water, unable to do anything else for a few rounds.
And maybe using voice for spells should be hampered, although not impossible.