D&D 5E Dashing with flying magic items, yea or nay?

[Sword of Spirit]

Winged boots (uncommon attunement) and wings of flying (rare attunement) give you a flying speed, so yes, you can Dash with them. However, a broom of flying (uncommon) and a carpet of flying (very rare) do not. They have a flying speed themselves. So the question is, should the user be able to Dash with them?

I'm trying to determine how to run this in context of examining balance between the 4 flying items. I think broom of flying is overly powerful without an action to activate, so I require one. I also require one hand to maneuver it (no hands required if you don't move that turn). Even then, it's still arguably as good as both the wings and the boots. It's almost as fast as the wings (and their speed is the only thing they have going for them, so that's apparently the reason for their rarity) with an unlimited duration (same as the carpet). If the broom and the carpet lack the ability to Dash, that would give a clear reason for the boots and wings to be considered more powerful. I don't think the carpet needs that limitation, but for consistency I'd probably apply it and it would probably still be fine--after all, it has an unlimited duration and if you could Dash with it that would effectively be it's movement outside of combat. Ideas?

 

[Flamestrike]

I make the broom attunement, and limit the boots to a bonus action activation, at which point they cast fly (as the spell) without concentration, 3/ day.

But yeah, when you dash you double your movement speed. You can dash with those items just fine.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

I agree with Sword of Spirit. The items that do not grant you a flying speed cannot be used to dash since the dash action doubles your speed, not the speed of an object you are sitting on. If a character is floating down a river on a log and the speed of the log is 60 feet due to the flow of the river, using a dash action does not make the river flow at 120 that round or the log suddenly twice as fast as the river it is in. Another example is being on a horse. If you dash, the horse doens't gain double speed. It has to dash, which it can do because it is a creature. The same holds true for a carpet or broom you are on. It has a set speed and only your speed increases when you dash.

 

[Flamestrike]

I agree with Sword of Spirit. The items that do not grant you a flying speed cannot be used to dash since the dash action doubles your speed, not the speed of an object you are sitting on.

Thats correct, Dash only doubles your speed, not the speed of your mount or the broom.

The boots give you a flying speed, so they're golden.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Dash doesn't "double your speed". It gives you extra movement equal to your speed.

The rules for the broom are very vague. It talks about the broom moving, it doesn't say anything about using the rider's move/action/bonus action to control it. So you could rule the broom flies 50 feet, then the rider jumps off and runs up to their move. Then takes a dash action and runs their move again.

However, if the DM rules that the broom is a controlled mount the rule is this: The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it. It moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge. A controlled mount can move and act even on the turn that you mount it. In this case the Broom can take the dash action (or disengage or dodge).

The simplest way to do it is to have the broom's movement replace the rider's movement. In which case, again, the dash action is allowed.

 

[Oofta]

I don't see why you couldn't dash based on the wording of the rules

When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after applying any modifiers.​

When you're flying with magic the magical flight is a modification to your movement and (potentially) your speed.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Dashing represents using your entire turn to move as much as you can, if you're not dashing then you're spending much of the turn stationary and doing something else. So I see no problem with dashing when using a tool to move instead of your feet.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't see why you couldn't dash based on the wording of the rules

When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after applying any modifiers.​

When you're flying with magic the magical flight is a modification to your movement and (potentially) your speed.

As I said, the wording is vague, and I would certainly use your interpretation, but RAW, the broom does not modify a character's speed, it has it's own speed.

 

[Oofta]

As I said, the wording is vague, and I would certainly use your interpretation, but RAW, the broom does not modify a character's speed, it has it's own speed.

Replacing your speed is modifying it as long as you are using the broom. It's like in the Harry Potter movies my wife made me see, when Harry really needs to move fast he's leaning in and grabbing the broom with both hands. I always describe dashing as an action "tax", because you're dashing you don't have time to take an action.

In any case I'm just relaying how I rule.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Replacing your speed is modifying it as long as you are using the broom.

But RAW it doesn't replace your speed. It moves, and you ride it. It's a vehicle, like a ship.

In any case I'm just relaying how I rule.

Which is fine, but the rules are not clear enough to make that the only way to rule.