D&D (2024) 2024 Wings

[Yaarel]

This post proposes a cantrip that grants a character wings and true flight, but in a way that is balanced alongside other cantrips. The purpose of this cantrip is to grant character concepts, including certain species, wings at level 1, in a way that is balanced with other level 1 character concepts. Current version:



WINGS
Transmutation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Self
Components: S
Duration: 1 Round

You spread your wings to take flight. Move on foot in a 20-foot line to achieve liftoff. Use your Action each turn, to fly in any direction at a Fly Speed equal to your Speed. You fall Prone if you cease to fly at least 10 feet during the round while in mid air. You remain your size, except you require the space for two sizes larger when your wings extend to fly. Wings cannot fly if encumbrance exceeds your carrying capacity.

When you gain this cantrip, choose whether your wings appear feathery, leathery, insectile, spectral, or other appearance. They are part of your permanent appearance. You can fold your wings back in without an action.

At Higher Levels. At 5th level, you gain the ability to Hover, thus spending your Action to remain in place. At 11th level, you can also use your Reaction to fly. At 17th level, you can also use your Move to fly, thus you can triple your Fly Speed if using all three: Action, Reaction, and Move.

Spoiler: Earlier version

WINGS
Primal, transmutation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: S
Duration: 1 round

You spread your wings and take flight. Use your action, to fly in any direction at a speed equal to your walk speed. While in mid air, you fall if you cease to fly on your next turn. You remain your size, except you require the space for one size larger when your wings extend to fly. You cannot fly if encumbrance exceeds your carrying capacity.

When you gain this cantrip, choose whether your wings appear feathery, leathery, insectile, spectral, or some other appearance. They are part of your permanent appearance. You can fold your wings back in without an action.

At Higher Levels. At 5th level, you gain the ability to hover, thus spending your fly speed to remain in place. At 11th level, you can use your move or your action or both to fly your speed. At level 17, your fly speed increases to double your walk speed.

 

[Aldarc]

As a cantrip? Nope.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Free flight as cantrip? Uhhh

 

[Guest 7034872]

Sure, it's a cantrip, but it also costs the player their action that turn and every subsequent turn in which they continue flying. In light of the importance of action economy, it might be okay. I'd like to see it play-tested a bunch before saying "Yes" or "No" to it.

 

[aco175]

If you use your action to cast the spell and then move 30ft- turn over. rinse, repeat?

Not sure why you need to have permanent wings and not just have spectral things pop out when you cast?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

The action economy limitations make this reasonably balanced for combat. Basically it's an aerial equivalent of taking the dash action, giving up most of what you can do on your turn to get into a position you want. Possibly the biggest problem with a flying character, having them be able to be unreachable in any combat where the enemy lacks a ranged capability, is largely irrelevant here. If they are able to become unreachable here it either requires their action every turn or the DM providing an unreachable place for them to land.

The trouble is that the other reason people like to ban low level flight is that it can cheese out of combat challenges if group members can just fly across the dangerous chasm or to the top of the tower they were going to have to fight their way up. Personally I'm of the school that if you are running so many exploration challenges contingent on players not having flight that you have to ban flight you probably need to rethink your game. Nevertheless flight is a powerful ability, and I'm not sure that the opportunity cost of investing in a cantrip justifies gaining it.

I'd also note that a primal cantrip seems destined for druids, a class specifically kept from using their signature wildshape ability to fly until level 8. I still think investing one of their two cantrips known at level 1 in a rather limited flight ability is probably reasonably balanced.

 

[MarkB]

I'd probably throw Concentration into the duration. And include Hover in the base spell, but ditch the rest of the At Higher Levels stuff.

 

[Charlaquin]

Definitely no. For me, the reason that fly speeds are so valuable is their ability to bypass navigation obstacles. Now, if only one PC in a party of 4 or 5 can fly, and they can’t carry other PCs while doing so, such obstacles are still obstacles for the party, even if they aren’t for the individual character. But I think a flight cantrip would make it too easy for most if not all of a party to be able to access.

 

[MockingBird]

I don't even like that Ardlings have flight. Flight seems pretty powerful at the lower levels.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I'd add more restriction, make hover part of the cantrip and drop the at higher level, or at least make the auto-scale just be a speed bonus.

Gust of Wind Dance
Primal, transmutation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: S
Duration: 1 minute, concentration

You become a light as a draft of wind. Use your action, to fly in any direction at a speed equal to your walk speed for the duration of the spell, until your concentration ends or you end it as a bonus action on your turn. You cannot fly if encumbrance exceeds your carrying capacity and the only action you can take is the Dash, Dodge or Hide action.