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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 8754925" data-attributes="member: 58172">Here are fly speeds in the Monster Manual and the Players Handbook.Establishing links between reallife flight speeds and D&D flyThis section of the post compares D&D fly speeds with reallife speeds. In reallife, different species have different flight properties, that dont really simplify straightforwardly into a D&D formula. But a reasonable D&D simplification is reasonable. It considers the eagle to be the standard of comparison between D&D stats and reallife stats. The eagle has a base speed of fly 60. By comparison, certain faster birds, including certain falcons, are more like a base speed of fly 90. With this in mind, the following simplification is reasonable.• Assume all flying creatures can cruise at 5x the base speed. • With exertion, bursts can reach 10x the base speed.• Dives can reach 20x the base speed.To accelerate speed, a creature adds the base fly speed to the current speed, each turn, until reaching the maximum multiple of times. But a dive is a controlled fall, that can achieve the maximum cruise by the end of one turn and the maximum dive speed by the end of the second turn.[SPOILER="CONSIDERATIONS"]I am unsure if these D&D fly speeds are meaningful, because the reallife cruising speeds are separate consideration. Nevertheless, the D&D tradition represents birds (such as raven and vulture) as if generally having a fly 50, namely a speed of 50 feet per turn.Exceptionally strong flyers, like the eagle and the hawk, earn a D&D fly 60 ft.In D&D terms, speed 50 is "swift". Fly 60 is exceptionally fast. But certain species of bird deserve fly 90: the extremity of natural flight.The reallife speeds of eagles depend on the species. A golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, typically flies at 30 mph, but, remarkably, can with exertion reach up to 80 mph horizontally. Their dives can achieve speeds up to 200 mph, such as when snatching prey. There is a reason why animals find the eagles terrifying.The golden eagle typically flies about 30 mph, equivalent to D&D fly 270 feet. (1 mph ≈ speed 9.) If the D&D base fly speed is 60, then it cruises at 4.5x its base fly speed. In D&D, the cruising speed compares to a running speed, at 4x the base speed, but for athletes some higher multiples. The maximum horizontal speed of a golden eagle reaches up to 80 mph, about fly 720 feet, which is a whopping 12x its base speed of fly 60. The dive of the golden eagle reaches speeds of 200 mph, about speed 1800, which is 30x its base speed.By comparison, the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, typically cruises faster, at around 50 mph (average 48 mph). Suppose, its D&D base speed is an extraordinary fly 90 feet. Then its cruising flight is exactly 5x its base speed. The cruise is like an athletic run, albeit comfortably. Its maximum horizontal speed is only about 70 mph, equivalent to fly 630, thus reaching only 7x its base speed horizontally. However, its dive is extreme reaching about 240 mph, namely 24x its exceptionally fast base speedAlso compare the gyrfalcon, Falco rusticolus. It has an average cruising speed of about 60 mph. If its D&D base speed is fly 90 feet, like the peregrine falcon, then its cruising is about 6x its base fly speed. Its bursts of horizontal speed reach about 90 mph, which is an amazing 9x its base fly speed. Its dives at about 123 mph reach about 13x the base speed.Look quickly at a human running. The D&D human can walk at the base speed of 30 feet per turn, and can dash 60 equivalent to a jog. These values are reasonably reallife. The average human runner can run speeds up to about 4x the base speed. But exceptional athletes can achieve speeds of 5x, 6x, 7x, even 8x the walk 30. For example the reallife sprinting records are roughly 27 mph, equivalent to speed 243, which is 8.1x the base speed 30.In comparison, a D&D bird can be assumed to be cruising at least about 4x its base speed, like a running speed. But certain birds are more athletic. The eagle cruises at 4.5x its fly 60. The peregrine at base fly 90, can reach cruising speeds at 5x its base speed. The gyrfalcon at fly 90, can reach cruising speeds at 6x its base speed.For the sake of simplification:• All D&D flying creatures can cruise at 5x the base speed. • With exertion, "sprints" reach up to 10x the base speed.• Dives can reach 20x the base speed. When accelerating speed, the creature adds the base fly speed to its current speed, each turn, until reaching the maximum speed, whether cruising or sprinting. A dive is more like a controlled fall. A dive can achieve the cruising speed in a single turn, and the maximum speed in the second turn. [/SPOILER]The D&D Fly spell grants fly 60 feet. The spell compares to an eagle, and is exceptionally fast. DMs, keep the remarkable Fly speed in mind when adjudicating narratively.Dragons fly 80. Thus their cruising speed across the sky can achieve fly 400 feet, with sprints upto fly 800, and dives at fly 1600 (almost 180 mph).The base speed of fly 90 feet is the extremity of natural flight.At the same time, D&D makes fly 90 the threshold for archetypal speeds. For example, the air elemental, djinni, pegasus, and couatl, all exhibit fly 90.In the Monster Manual, only two creatures have fly 120: the roc and the planatar angel. The solar angel at fly 150 is unique.For fast creatures, birds are generally 50, but strong flyers are 60. 90 is maximum that nature can achieve. Anything beyond 90 is making a point to communicate supernatural speeds.Creatures that tend to hover and drift, compare to a beholder at fly 20, or gas spores at fly 10. The Gaseous Form spell grants fly 10.Otherwise, fly 30 or a fly speed equivalent to the walk speed is common enough, and the list below omits the roughly twenty such creatures in the Monster Manual. Keep in mind, that even these fly 30 speeds can reach "cruising speeds" of fly 150 feet, if traveling in a line across the sky.[SPOILER="D&D CREATURE, BASE FLY SPEED"]Gaseous Form spell, fly 10Gas spores, fly 10Beholder, fly 20[Aarakocra (MPMM), fly=walk]Barbarian, eagle totem, fly=walkCleric, stormborn, fly=walkSorcerer, draconic, dragon wings, fly=walkBat, fly 30Banshee, fly 40Cloaker, fly 40Cockatrice, fly 40Devil, imp, fly 40Devil, spined devil, fly 40Flameskull, fly 40Ghost, fly 40Harpy, fly 40Sprite, fly 40Aarakocra (MM), fly 50Empyrean, fly 50Invisible stalker, fly 50Manticore, fly 50Raven, fly 50Specter, fly 50Vulture, fly 50Willowisp, fly 50Wasp, giant, fly 50Fly spell, fly 60Wind Walk spell, cruise speed 300 ≈ fly 60Bat, giant, fly 60Cambion, fly 60Chimera, fly 60Demon, chasme, fly 60Demon, vrock, fly 60Devil, horned devil, fly 60Devil, imp, fly 60Devil, pit fiend, fly 60Dragon, wyrmling, fly 60Dinosaur, pteranodon, fly 60Eagle, fly 60Faerie Dragon, fly 60Flying snake, fly 60Gargoyle, fly 60Genie, efreeti, fly 60Genie, marid, fly 60Hawk, fly 60Hawk, blood hawk, fly 60Hippogriff, fly 60Owl, fly 60Peryton, fly 60Pseudodragon, fly 60Sphinx, androsphinx, fly 60Sphinx, gynosphinx, fly 60Succubus/Incubus, fly 60Vulture, giant, fly 60Wraith, fly 60Yugoloth, Nycaloth, fly 60Yugoloth, Ultroloth, fly 60Demon, balor, fly 80Dragon, fly 80Griffon, fly 80Eagle, giant, fly 80[Falcon, fly 90]Angel, deva, fly 90Couatl, fly 90Elemental, air, fly 90Genie, djinni, fly 90Nightmare, fly 90Pegasus, fly 90Angel, planatar, fly 120Roc, fly 120Angel, solar, fly 150[/SPOILER]</blockquote>

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