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

[Oofta]

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

Can you drive a car safely at full speed while also doing activities that you could do while walking a normal speed? Seems like distracted driving at best to me. Flying a broom at normal speed doesn't require as much focus and concentration as driving a car down the freeway IMHO. In any case, a replacement of speed is a modifier to your speed, you cannot move using the broom land and then move your normal speed.

So I disagree. Feel free to rule differently.

 

[Bacon Bits]

If I can't Dash on a Broom of Flying, then I should be able to use Steady Aim (Tasha's Rogue optional feature) from a Broom of Flying.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Can you drive a car safely at full speed while also doing activities that you could do while walking a normal speed?

I'm talking RAW, not logic. And RAW, the broom does it's own thing completely separate to what the PC does. It does not require driving.

 

[Ristamar]

If a character is mounted on a broom of flying, can they use their dash action?

D&D Sage Advice ·

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When you take the Dash action, you get extra movement equal to your speed. If you have more than one speed, the relevant speed is the one you're using to move. The Dash action doesn't use the speed of an item/vehicle/mount you're using.​

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Now the broom of flying is an oddball. It has its own speed, like other vehicles/mounts, but the item assumes you rely on your move, rather than your action, to use it. I'd therefore allow you to take the Dash action with the broom.​

 

[Oofta]

I'm talking RAW, not logic. And RAW, the broom does it's own thing completely separate to what the PC does. It does not require driving.

I am also talking RAW. The broom has modified your movement. We just have different conclusions.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

If you really want to play strictly RAW, then I notice that the description of the broom doesn't say anything about the rider being able to steer it...

 

[Flamestrike]

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.

Brooms can't take actions.

 

[Flamestrike]

I am also talking RAW. The broom has modified your movement. We just have different conclusions.

No it has its own movement.
Its no different to how taking the dash action on a boat doesn't make the boat go faster.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I am also talking RAW. The broom has modified your movement. We just have different conclusions.

Oofta man, you're literally just wrong, RAW. Like re-read what the item says. It's vague as hell but your interpretation is not viable even with that. I like the conclusion you're coming to but it ain't even close to RAW, wheres @Paul Farquhar is.

I think that in general, DMs should really want these items to give people a speed and let them dash, because every other option is way more open to problems, but it isn't basic RAW with the broom.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Is there any reason beyond strict RAW not to allow dashing on a broom? I'm not convinced it shouldn't be allowed, but if there were a balance issue I might reconsider.

Without some other reason, RAW alone isn't enough to convince me to tell a player "no" on this one.