An underwater encounter introduces a third direction: characters can move above or below one another. You can represent that clearly on a flat map without balancing miniatures on tall stands. Use a small set of agreed depth bands and keep the scene's goal easy to see.
Define three depth bands
For a compact scene, try surface, midwater, and seabed. Put a labeled token beside each figure to show its current band. Use words or symbols as well as color so everyone can read the information.
These bands are a suggested tracking aid, not a replacement for your game's movement rules. Agree on how they translate to distances and check the rules you use for swimming, visibility, breathing, and attacks before the encounter starts.
Choose a destination with a clear shape
Draw a sunken arch, a wreck entrance, or a small rocky shelf. The party might need to retrieve a sealed message from beneath the arch before a current shifts the debris. Give them an obvious entry point and somewhere to return afterward.
Use Nautical Creatures by VesnaSculpts to make the location feel inhabited. A crab beside the objective can be a landmark, and an eel near a crevice can signal a place worth investigating. Every creature on the table does not need to become an opponent.
Show currents before they matter
Put arrows along the map edge to indicate the flow you intend to use. Explain its game effect before the players commit to a route. One passage might be easy to enter but difficult to leave; another might offer shelter behind rocks.
If the flow changes, turn the arrows and describe visible signs such as drifting plants or disturbed sediment. The physical marker and the narration should tell the same story.
Track position without crowding the board
When two characters share a map position at different depths, move one figure slightly aside and place a matching numbered marker on the actual location. Keep their depth labels visible. This preserves the model's safety and makes the overlap understandable.
End with an interesting choice: carry the message directly back, investigate a second opening, or help a trapped creature on the way. Keep the environment as the main challenge if that is what the group enjoys.
For a straightforward way to mark the item everyone is looking for, see our objective-marker ideas.
Featured image: VesnaSculpts digital sculpt render of nautical creatures.