D&D 5E On fairies and flying

Scott Christian · Oct 1, 2021

Henadic Theologian said:
It's a meaningful problem for all of 2-3 brief levels of the game. Add in rough winds conditions when you wish to ground a PC for a fight, done problem solved.

I agree, it is easy to solve. I gave a list of ways to solve it. The problem comes when you have one PC that can fly. Players that choose this, that is one of their things. So when the DM constantly comes up with ways to negate it, it becomes a tit-for-tat, where the player feels like their tat means nothing.
Ever play in a game where the DM does all this work. Has this cool laid out plan. Then boom, the player does something inventive or clever or uses their gear or power in a unique way, and it just shatters the DMs plan. Everyone (and the DM) is like - That was awesome! Now, pretend you build a PC, and every time you tried to do that the DM came up with some reason to negate it. It kind of sucks. And that is what I think many layers will feel those first few levels.
Look, most players are going to take a flying PC because, you know, they picture flying to be this cool mechanic that keeps them out of trouble and a skill that can be used in all sorts of useful ways. Now, if every time they try the wind gets strong, the carrion crawler can suddenly jump 60', the gelatinous cube also just happens to have stirges nearby - it will not be fun, but rather a point of frustration.
That is flying at low levels. Not to mention what it does to DMs who like more natural encounters.

Maybe I am wrong, but I don't see what is so hard about seeing both sides here.

iserith · Oct 1, 2021

Scott Christian said:
Look, most players are going to take a flying PC because, you know, they picture flying to be this cool mechanic that keeps them out of trouble and a skill that can be used in all sorts of useful ways. Now, if every time they try the wind gets strong, the carrion crawler can suddenly jump 60', the gelatinous cube also just happens to have stirges nearby - it will not be fun, but rather a point of frustration.

Who advocates for this though (emphasis mine)?

Scott Christian · Oct 1, 2021

iserith said:
I'm running a tier 1 game right now with an aarakocra PC and have seen none of the issues being discussed here. I recently ran a one-shot with all flying PC fairies (and again for a different group) and nothing was problematic.

What are we really talking about here? A pit trap? A river? A gorge? A character that doesn't take damage in some encounters just like some backline PCs avoid at times? What is really being lost?

Running a campaign with all flying PCs would never be a problem. Because then it is the expectation. Like a sea campaign or air travel campaign. The PCs are all flying, so it is not always an isolated attack on a single PC.

And I have agreed that for some DMs and players, it will never be a problem. One group I play with always expects there to be things above, in front of, behind and below. That's cool. It's fun. It also makes zero sense. But the game world is on a level of ultra-fantastical. So it works. In other campaigns, it will be a problem for the first few levels.

Scott Christian · Oct 1, 2021

iserith said:
Who advocates for this though (emphasis mine)?

Every time is a bit of a hyperbole. How about 50%, or more realistically 70%. That is enough to discourage. Let's pretend this: Your wizard finally gets fireball. You and the group have been waiting. Now the DM's makes the spell (with water, closed quarters, civilians, etc.) unable to be cast 50%-70% of the time. I don't know about you, but most players I know would roll their eyes. That is flight at low levels.

iserith · Oct 1, 2021

Scott Christian said:
Every time is a bit of a hyperbole. How about 50%, or more realistically 70%. That is enough to discourage. Let's pretend this: Your wizard finally gets fireball. You and the group have been waiting. Now the DM's makes the spell (with water, closed quarters, civilians, etc.) unable to be cast 50%-70% of the time. I don't know about you, but most players I know would roll their eyes. That is flight at low levels.

Who are these DMs that do this such that you feel comfortable making a sweeping statement about "flight at low levels?"

MichaelSomething · Oct 1, 2021

Why fly when you can ride a Corgi???

cbwjm · Oct 1, 2021

MichaelSomething said:
Why fly when you can ride a Corgi???

Hah! I have a pixie player in my game at the moment who is wanting a corgi mount.

doctorbadwolf · Oct 1, 2021

Henadic Theologian said:
It's a meaningful problem for all of 2-3 brief levels of the game. Add in rough winds conditions when you wish to ground a PC for a fight, done problem solved.

Even then, the rest of the party still has to deal with the ground critters, so at best you’ve got one PC that doesn’t need defending.

And again, if a bird wouldn’t fly in it you don’t want to, and also you’ve got a PC up in/above the tree canopy, where flying predators and giant jumping spiders live and hunt.

Paul Farquhar · Oct 1, 2021

Scott Christian said:
So your animated horror, ankheg, basilisk, twig blight, vine blight, bulette, carrion crawler, chuul, crawling claw... oh never mind. That is just using one book and only using A, B and C monsters. None of them can attack a flying PC that is above 30'.

Those mostly live underground or are ambush predators.

And being stoned by a basilisk gaze is likely to be pretty fatal to a flying PC. And the ankheg has this: Acid Spray (Recharge 6). The ankheg spits acid in a line that is 30 feet long and 5 feet wide, provided that it has no creature grappled. Each creature in that line must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6)acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Flying PCs are not a problem. If they are higher than that, then you have a split party. Both the groundlings and the flyers are at greater risk. The flyer isn't going to be very popular if they plunk away with arrows whilst the earthbound party members are massacred. And the earthbound party members aren't going to be able to help when the flyer is attacked by a swarm of stirges (or didn't you read the Monster Manual up to S?).

Paul Farquhar · Oct 1, 2021

Scott Christian said:
One group I play with always expects there to be things above, in front of, behind and below. That's cool. It's fun. It also makes zero sense.

It's a fantasy world full of flying and burrowing monsters (and people). It makes zero sense for someone living in that world not to anticipate it.

D&D 5E On fairies and flying

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