Define "Higher Ground"

[Klaus]

You can only achieve the Higher Ground condition while hovering if you are affected by an Air Walk spell, which allows you to tread on air as if it were solid ground.

 

[TheGogmagog]

Higher ground is often overlooked in our games.
You do also gain a higher ground bonus for being mounted. So I dismiss the replies that say it's for ground only. If you are flying you should gain the attack bonus.

 

[lukelightning]

Hopefully this won't turn into a "definition of ground" debate.

 

[Sunfist]

Higher ground is often overlooked in our games.
You do also gain a higher ground bonus for being mounted. So I dismiss the replies that say it's for ground only. If you are flying you should gain the attack bonus.

Gog, I was just about to ask about that. In one campaign I ran, I had a really cool PC who was a Mounted Warrior and I definitely made use of that +1 bonus when he was on his horse.

It seems to me that if you can gain it from horseback, you should be able to gain it from hovering. If anything, you'd be more maneuverable while hovering.

 

[Thanee]

Standing on a table during a swashbuckling fencing duel.
Being higher up while fighting on a stairway.
Being mounted on a horse (or similar creature).

etc.

Bye
Thanee

 

[hong]

. . .

Oh, mounted ON a horse. I thought you said mounted BY a horse. My bad!

 

[lukelightning]

Higher ground. Emphasis on ground.

You can get higher ground from being on a horse.

 

[Sejs]

. . .

Oh, mounted ON a horse. I thought you said mounted BY a horse. My bad!

I think that actually qualifies as a misuse of the Book of Erotic Fantasy.

That's hard to do, hong. Bravo!

 

[Klaus]

You can get higher ground from being on a horse.

Actually, You get a higher ground bonus for being mounted on a creature larger than the non-mounted opponent you're fighting.

But the premise is still the same: you're physically supported by a solid structure (in this case, a creature) that puts you higher than your opponent.

And here's some food for thought: If you're standing on a 5'-high rock and fighting a Huge Cloud Giant who isn't, do you still get the "higher ground" bonus, even though you're no higher than the giant?

 

[evilbob]

And here's some food for thought: If you're standing on a 5'-high rock and fighting a Huge Cloud Giant who isn't, do you still get the "higher ground" bonus, even though you're no higher than the giant?

See, in my mind, I've always thought of it as: around X feet off the ground, where X = 5' x size modifier for creature you're attacking. In other words, if you're around 5' off the ground for medium, 10' off the ground for large, 15' huge, etc. But I'll admit that this is just how I see it, and I've never seen any RAW that specify.

I would also count flying/hovering as "higher ground." And while I think "good" manuverability is probably a nice cut-off point, I think technically it probably doesn't matter what the creature's fly speed is... which means generally any flying creature is going to get this bonus against any landed opponent.

Edit: My interpretation would also allow for jump checks to count for higher ground, if you jumped high enough (at least for the first attack). That's getting closer and closer to a HR issue, though...