D&D 5E Feather Fall hanger on

[Arial Black]

Purely as a matter of aesthetics, the HALO thing is more 'cinematic' than I typically appreciate in my games. Sure, superheroes can do it, but I prefer games where the heroes are normal people achieving great things, not superheroes. (Again, just personal preference there.)

Superheroes? Really? Then how come people HALO in real life?

Excitement. Think about action/adventure movies you like: how much less fun would they be if the challenges were not challenges? Instead of "Grab...my....hand....!!!!" it became, "Hey, grab my hand I'll pull you up." Timing your HALO landing is an opportunity for some risk/reward, and I think it's more fun to add some dramatic tension, as well as give players a decision with consequences.

Excitement, yeah! What, you're casting fireball? Roll a DC 15 Athletics check to see if you drop the bat guano and cause the blast radius to be centred on you. Exciting, don't you think?

As for the difficulty of what you are describing, I'm not a HALO jumper but I looked it up: they typically open at around 600 meters. Bear in mind that HALO jumpers are trained. Again, one of my issues is that Wizards are supposed to be the bookish types, not paratroopers.

HALO jumpers pull the ripcord a 600 feet not because 600 is their lucky number but because of three reasons: the parachute needs time to deploy, the deployed 'chute needs time to decelerate you, and in case of 'chute failure you have time to deploy your reserve 'chute.

But all three things are avoided with feather fall: it is 'deployed' with an instant utterance, it instantly changes you rate of falling to 10 feet per second, and there is no spell failure rule in 5E.

Further, the spells learned and used by wizards-especially common 1st level spells-would have been used and commented upon for generations. Every such spell could come with notes on how to use safely, and we must assume that by the time wizards add the spell to their arsenal that they have already gone through this process and are now fully competent with their own spells. There is no rule that says the first few times you cast fireball that you have to make a DC 10 or 15 check to see if you burn your mates! There should be no roll to see if you cast feather fall when you want.

 

[Arial Black]

Such a sudden rapid deceleration can be, should be, very unpleasant. I would not use the term safely at all. Especially since nothing in the spell description states, or even implies a safe deceleration.

In real life, yes. With magic? Not so much.

Every spell does exactly what it says on the tin; no more, no less. The spell states, "A falling creature's rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until the spell ends. If the creature lands before the spell ends, it takes no falling damage and can land on its feet".

Nothing in the spell description implies that it is not safe! Meanwhile, "takes no falling damage" implies that it is safe, bearing in mind that hitting the ground, and its instant deceleration to zero, is what does the damage from 'falling'!

If the spell risked 'deceleration damage' it would say so.

 

[Arial Black]

You are lumping a whole bunch of things together as if they belong in the same category, and they do not.

A previous poster gave the example of holding an action until the guards "look the other way" before moving. I agree with that poster that doing so is putting too much precision on "hold action".

I would rule the same way here:

"I will Hold Action until the guy falls, then cast Fireball." Fine.

"I will Hold Action until the falling guy is at the exact point where the time it takes him to reach the ledge is the same as the sum of the casting time of fireball and the time it will take my fireball to reach the ledge, so that both arrive at the same moment." Not fine. You gonna have to roll for that.

Is this in RAW? No, it's not.

No, it's not. In the game, things with triggers allow you to react to that trigger without randomly rolling to see if you time your response correctly.

DM: The baddy runs past you, leaving your reach.
Player: I use my reaction to make an Attack of Opportunity as he leaves my reach.
DM: I'm afraid that you can't be so precise. Roll 1d6; if you roll a 6 then your attack is in time, otherwise your attack occurs either to soon or too late.
Player:...???...WTF?

DM: The baddy casts magic missile on you.
Player: I cast shield.
DM: Roll a DC 15 Dex check to see if you cast it in time.
Player: WTF?

Player: I cast fireball....there! *points to grid*
DM: Okay, I'll randomly move that target point to...here! Oops, got the king again!
Player: WTF???

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

What? How on Earth did a thread like this reach 11 pages!?

 

[5ekyu]

What? How on Earth did a thread like this reach 11 pages!?

"Bunnies. it must be bunnies!" #Anya4Ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ZAuGkttzI

 

[Guest 6801328]

But all three things are avoided with feather fall: it is 'deployed' with an instant utterance, it instantly changes you rate of falling to 10 feet per second, and there is no spell failure rule in 5E.

Funny I just re-read the description and didn't see the word "instant" anywhere.

And if it did instantly change your velocity to zero it would have the exact same effect as hitting the ground. Physics for the win.

I think maybe I need to hack up a web app where a number counts down from 100 to 0 as if you were falling that number of feet and you press a button pausing it. I'll have it keep track of the number of attempts. Could be worth some laughs.

Oh, yeah, and as far as the Shield spell question: yes, it's just as improbable as the HALO trick. Which is why the text of the spell explicitly allows it.

 

[5ekyu]

Elfcrusher...

under your ruling...

if my character drops off a 200' ledge and tries to cast FF after 50' of fall instead of right away and lets for the sake of argument assume it works... what then happens for the rest of that character's turn as far as falling...

1 - they fall/descend no further right now but are considered to be descending at 60' rate
2 - they fall/descend 10' more and drop no further right now but are considered to be descending at 60' rate
3 - they fall 60' as the descent rate of feather fall would indicate
4 - something else

 

[Guest 6801328]

Elfcrusher...

under your ruling...

if my character drops off a 200' ledge and tries to cast FF after 50' of fall instead of right away and lets for the sake of argument assume it works... what then happens for the rest of that character's turn as far as falling...

1 - they fall/descend no further right now but are considered to be descending at 60' rate
2 - they fall/descend 10' more and drop no further right now but are considered to be descending at 60' rate
3 - they fall 60' as the descent rate of feather fall would indicate
4 - something else

Regardless of whether it's at 200' or at 150', you fall 60 feet in between each of your turns.

Why don't you explain what sort of clever trap you're trying to lure me into, and I'll think of an answer. That will save us a few back-and-forths.

 

[Guest 6801328]

No, it's not. In the game, things with triggers allow you to react to that trigger without randomly rolling to see if you time your response correctly.

DM: The baddy runs past you, leaving your reach.
Player: I use my reaction to make an Attack of Opportunity as he leaves my reach.
DM: I'm afraid that you can't be so precise. Roll 1d6; if you roll a 6 then your attack is in time, otherwise your attack occurs either to soon or too late.
Player:...???...WTF?

DM: The baddy casts magic missile on you.
Player: I cast shield.
DM: Roll a DC 15 Dex check to see if you cast it in time.
Player: WTF?

Player: I cast fireball....there! *points to grid*
DM: Okay, I'll randomly move that target point to...here! Oops, got the king again!
Player: WTF???

Your examples are so moronic that I'm tempted to not even bother responding, but, you know, Internet....so....

1st-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, M (a small feather or a piece of down)

Duration: 1 minute

Choose up to five falling creatures within range. A falling creature’s rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until the spell ends. If the creature lands before the spell ends, it takes no falling damage and can land on its feet, and the spell ends for that creature.

Point out to me the part that says you the trigger is at an elevation you choose. It doesn't. It just says "falls".

Now, I'm willing to concede that a possible interpretation is "while you are falling, at the specific moment/altitude of your choice" but that is not what it says. And it's not the interpretation I would use.

 

[5ekyu]

Regardless of whether it's at 200' or at 150', you fall 60 feet in between each of your turns.

Why don't you explain what sort of clever trap you're trying to lure me into, and I'll think of an answer. That will save us a few back-and-forths.

See, i am pretty sure if i assume anything about your ruling it will invite a response about putting words into your mouth or assuming what you are thinking... Based on history.

So i ask again, is it one of those three or another?

Or are you to the point of refusing to answer even basic questions about your various interpretations of how feather fall was intended to work and is done at your table?

What would happen during the rest of the casters turn as far as their falling distance AFTER they fell 50 ft and then cast a FF at your table? Fall 10 more (60 total) fall 60 more (full ff distance) or other?



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