D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Ring of Feather Fall (Brain-Bleeder from my Players)

[Archade]

Okay, question posed by my players which makes my brain hurt when I try to answer it ...

A ring of Feather Fall works as the Feather Fall spell, Caster Level 1. Fine.

Revised Feather Fall now has a duration of 1 round, or 60 feet of falling. So does that mean the ring only protects from 60 foot falls? Or would the ring kick in on subsequent rounds.

This is not clear ...

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Feather Fall
Transmutation
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 free action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets: One Medium or smaller freefalling object or creature/level, no two of which may be more than 20 ft. apart
Duration: Until landing or 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) or Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

The affected creatures or objects fall slowly. Feather fall instantly changes the rate at which the targets fall to a mere 60 feet per round (equivalent to the end of a fall from a few feet), and the subjects take no damage upon landing while the spell is in effect. However, when the spell duration expires, a normal rate of falling resumes.

The spell affects one or more Medium or smaller creatures (including gear and carried objects up to each creature’s maximum load) or objects, or the equivalent in larger creatures: A Large creature or object counts as two Medium creatures or objects, a Huge creature or object counts as two Large creatures or objects, and so forth.

You can cast this spell with an instant utterance, quickly enough to save yourself if you unexpectedly fall. Casting the spell is a free action, like casting a quickened spell, and it counts toward the normal limit of one quickened spell per round. You may even cast this spell when it isn’t your turn.

This spell has no special effect on ranged weapons unless they are falling quite a distance. If the spell is cast on a falling item the object does half normal damage based on its weight, with no bonus for the height of the drop.

Feather fall works only upon free-falling objects. It does not affect a sword blow or a charging or flying creature.

 

[Pielorinho]

From the rings description:

Activation: Usually, a ring’s ability is activated by a command word (a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity) or it works continually. Some rings have exceptional activation methods, according to their descriptions.

Feather Falling: This ring is crafted with a feather pattern all around its edge. It acts exactly like a feather fall spell, activated immediately if the wearer falls more than 5 feet.

My reading? The character falls 5', then falls 60'. However, since he's still falling, the ring is automatically re-activating every 5'.

If it said that the ring activated after the wearer falls more than 5' at normal speed, it'd be different.

Daniel

 

[Tabarnak Smokeblower]

Since the ring doesn't have limitations on charges / activations per day, I'd say the ring kicks back in every round.

TS

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I believe that the Ring of Featherfall would be treated the same as the Ring of Invisibility, in that it can be reactivated ad nauseum. And since Featherfall activates as a quickened spell, this means unlimited falling protection.

 

[Tabarnak Smokeblower]

it can be reactivated ad nauseum

Ad Nauseam indeed, with all the falling 5 feet, drifting for 60', falling 5', etc...



TS

 

[Jhyrryl]

If you wanted to add the extra complication and be a "jerk DM", you could probably rule that a character still takes 1d6 damage for each 10 feet fell while not under the ring's effect. It all depends on how you want to interpret: "However, when the spell duration expires, a normal rate of falling resumes."

A nice DM would rule that you're at 60 ft. per round, but a not-nice DM would rule that you're at the rate you were at when the spell kicked in.

 

[Chimera]

Duration: Until landing or 1 round/level

That tells me that it will last a maximum of 1 round per level of the caster.

So if you cast the spell yourself as a 7th level Wizard, you've got a maximum of 7x60 = 420 feet of falling before it wears off.

(Aside: Don't be telling me as a GM that you activate it at exactly 420 feet, because I will roll in a random factor to "correct" for the fact that no one has that great of a range-finding sense or precision of casting. Especially if they're in free fall at a terminal velocity of 185 mph (or 271 feet per second).)

But a ring, unless it is limited in the number of charges per day, will reactivate 5' after the last charge wears off, so you can effectively fall all day long. It will just be damned uncomfortable to experience those sudden, stomach wrenching 5' drops (wherein your speed effectively doubles from 10 to 20 feet per second, then slows back down in about 1/3 of a second) every 6 seconds.

 

[Waldo]

I think 'normal rate' is supposed to be applied to acceleration here, not velocity.

 

[Jhyrryl]

New amusement for festivals! Something between sky-diving and bungee-jumping.

High-level wiz/sorc hands out rings of feather falling to all the kids, then teleports them a couple-thousand feet into the air. <g>

 

[Pielorinho]

But a ring, unless it is limited in the number of charges per day, will reactivate 5' after the last charge wears off, so you can effectively fall all day long.

Not exactly. When you're under the influence of a feather fall spell, you "fall slowly." The ring activates "immediately if the wearer falls more than 5 feet." Not "if the wearer falls at a normal rate for more than 5 feet."

That means that the ring is constantly activating, even while you're still falling. There shouldn't be any 5' periods of free-fall mixed in.

Daniel