Underwater Combat 5e rules

SRD 5.1 rules text (the 2014 rules), under combat.

When adventurers pursue sahuagin back to their undersea homes, fight off sharks in an ancient shipwreck, or find themselves in a flooded dungeon room, they must fight in a challenging environment. Underwater the following rules apply.

When making a melee weapon attack, a creature that doesn't have a swimming speed (either natural or granted by magic) has disadvantage on the attack roll unless the weapon is a dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, or trident.

A ranged weapon attack automatically misses a target beyond the weapon's normal range. Even against a target within normal range, the attack roll has disadvantage unless the weapon is a crossbow, a net, or a weapon that is thrown like a javelin (including a spear, trident, or dart).

Creatures and objects that are fully immersed in water have resistance to fire damage.

Which weapons work underwater

Following the rules above, the weapons that avoid disadvantage underwater:

WeaponKindDamage
DaggerMelee1d4 piercing
JavelinMelee1d6 piercing
SpearMelee1d6 piercing
ShortswordMelee1d6 piercing
TridentMelee1d6 piercing
Light CrossbowRanged (within normal range)1d8 piercing
DartThrown (within normal range)1d4 piercing
Hand CrossbowRanged (within normal range)1d6 piercing
Heavy CrossbowRanged (within normal range)1d10 piercing
NetThrown (within normal range)—

SRD monsters with a swimming speed (59)

These don’t take the melee penalty, whatever weapon they use.

More combat rules