D&D 5E Flight ability: Does this make the Aarakocra overpowered?

[FormerlyHemlock]

Prove it. It is clearly more powerful than a permanently active 3rd level spell that would ordinarily require Concentration (because it doesn't require Concentration). How many other racial abilities are clearly that potent?

Well, to be fair: a number of races have what is effectively a permanent, no-concentration version of the 3rd level spell Protection From Energy. Tieflings have fire resistance, dragonborn have various resistances based on color, dwarves have poison resistance AND advantage on saves against poison (so basically, permanent Protection From Poison, 2nd level). Many of them also have permanent Darkvision (2nd level spell, no concentration required).

My judgment is that Flight is clearly better than Protection From Energy because Protection From Energy is so situational, but it's hard to prove it based on analogies to spells. The one metric I can cite is that Flight has a shorter duration than Protection From Energy, so it's presumably considered more potent.

 

[Caliban]

I think the power of perma-flight really depends on how the DM runs the game. If you regularly run into opponents with no decent ranged attacks, it is super powerful.

If you regularly run into opponents who have better ranged attacks than melee attacks (usually spellcasters, but giant with bolders and archers also suck), then it's nearly useless in combat (but still great out of combat) as you just make yourself a target when you fly. Or if you do a lot of dungeon crawls with 10' ceilings.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

If you regularly run into opponents who have better ranged attacks than melee attacks (usually spellcasters, but giant with bolders and archers also suck), then it's nearly useless in combat (but still great out of combat) as you just make yourself a target when you fly. Or if you do a lot of dungeon crawls with 10' ceilings.

If you regularly run into opponents who have better ranged attacks than melee attacks, you're probably not using the MM very much. Even giants, who have one of the best ranged attacks in the MM, have a melee attack that is almost twice as good as their ranged attack. (And they have pretty short range too.)

Even against opponents with decent ranged attacks, like hobgoblins, it can be useful to be able to control the engagement range, especially if your ranged attack is better than theirs. I've seen Shadow Monks singlehandedly win Deadly fights against hobgoblins by virtue of keeping at long range where everybody has disadvantage*, which increases the impact of the monk's Missile Catch ability by making it apply to a greater percentage of the hits that do get scored.

* I don't remember any more why the monk and the hobgoblins could see each other well enough to not cancel out the disadvantage for both sides. Maybe it was dim light in that temple or something, or maybe I made a mistake in applying the darkness rules. It was a while ago.

Anyway, obviously, if you have one of those DMs that likes to make opponents appear out of thin air 30' away from you, like an old Wizardry or Bards Tale video game, perma-flight will be less useful in that campaign because the monsters will just attack other PCs.

 

[Ovarwa]

Hi,

Prove it. It is clearly more powerful than a permanently active 3rd level spell that would ordinarily require Concentration (because it doesn't require Concentration). How many other racial abilities are clearly that potent?

Few people on these forums actually prove very much of anything, because that tends to involve math or formal logic.

In this case, your assertion is not quite correct.

1) The ability to cast Fly on someone else is sometimes better than having the ability to fly yourself. So the spell provides advantages that the racial ability does not.

2) The racial ability is conspicuous, even when not used. Sometimes it is advantageous not to be seen as an obvious flyer, until you're actually flying.

3) The racial ability interferes with armor. The spell does not.

4) If you suddenly find yourself in a long series of adventures in which flight is useless, you are stuck with the racial ability. But if you are a spellcaster, you don't have to cast the spell or prepare it; you can even unlearn it if you aren't a prepared caster.

So it isn't *clearly* more powerful. It's up for people to decide. It's subjective.

Also, having a 3rd level spell available all the time or at-will is not necessarily better than having a 1st level spell always available. It really depends on the spell. For example, being able to cast Shield at-will is usually far better than being able to cast Fly at-will. That's also subjective, of course. But Shield is very useful every time someone attacks you while you have an available reaction; flight is great every now and then.

So the comparison doesn't necessarily mean anything. How many racial abilities are clearly that potent? Let's see. A half-elf gets +2 ability bumps and 2 skill proficiencies and can see in the dark instead. That's kind of great. A VHuman gets the feat of his choice at first level, which is something no one else can touch until 4th level; a feat can really pull a character together more than just a clever trick. Dwarves get perfect stat bumps for a cleric or druid, plus other bennies; less sexy than flight but immediately and always useful. It just keeps going. Not all races are equally awesome, but Aarokoa fail at being the only race that makes sense for a Dex or Wis build. That should be a good hint that they might be really good, but are not at all broken.

Anyway,

Ken

 

[Caliban]

If you regularly run into opponents who have better ranged attacks than melee attacks, you're probably not using the MM very much. Even giants, who have one of the best ranged attacks in the MM, have a melee attack that is almost twice as good as their ranged attack. (And they have pretty short range too.)

I try to make sure opponents have a mix of abilities - even if I have to add ranged attacks where I think it makes sense. And I run a high magic world, where spellcasters are relatively common.

Even against opponents with decent ranged attacks, like hobgoblins, it can be useful to be able to control the engagement range, especially if your ranged attack is better than theirs. I've seen Shadow Monks singlehandedly win Deadly fights against hobgoblins by virtue of keeping at long range where everybody has disadvantage*, which increases the impact of the monk's Missile Catch ability by making it apply to a greater percentage of the hits that do get scored.

If you've got unlimited range to work with, sure.

Anyway, obviously, if you have one of those DMs that likes to make opponents appear out of thin air 30' away from you, like an old Wizardry or Bards Tale video game, perma-flight will be less useful in that campaign because the monsters will just attack other PCs.

I'm currently playing in a campaign where the DM has us trapped in a Mega-Dungeon from level 1. So far, almost everything is corridors and rooms with 10' to 15' high ceilings. Range rarely exceed's 60' before hitting a wall.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I'm currently playing in a campaign where the DM has us trapped in a Mega-Dungeon from level 1. So far, almost everything is corridors and rooms with 10' to 15' high ceilings. Range rarely exceed's 60' before hitting a wall.

But you could still have someone take point or even sneakily scout ahead, presumably. If the scout gets spotted by monsters, any rounds they waste Dashing after the scout are just more time for the rest of the party to prepare for the encounter, e.g. spreading caltrops or ball bearings to buy more time to make ranged attacks. If the scout is Mobile (e.g. Mobile Shadow Monk), they may potentially be hammering the enemy with attacks the whole time they run too.

The kind of DMs I'm referring to would hate that, and would ensure that such an approach would not work. Instead they'd just make the monsters pop out of secret doors in the walls and ambush the party or something as soon as the scout left.

 

[Caliban]

But you could still have someone take point or even sneakily scout ahead, presumably. If the scout gets spotted by monsters, any rounds they waste Dashing after the scout are just more time for the rest of the party to prepare for the encounter, e.g. spreading caltrops or ball bearings to buy more time to make ranged attacks. If the scout is Mobile (e.g. Mobile Shadow Monk), they may potentially be hammering the enemy with attacks the whole time they run too.

The kind of DMs I'm referring to would hate that, and would ensure that such an approach would not work. Instead they'd just make the monsters pop out of secret doors in the walls and ambush the party or something as soon as the scout left.

I thought this was about flight? What you are describing just needs faster movement.

 

[Argyle King]

Being able to fly at will is a powerful thing. There's a reason why air superiority often wins battles. In D&D, there are additional benefits.

If you're assuming a grid, you increase your ability to attack an opponent by over 100%. How? Normally, if you were restricted to one plane of combat, you would have eight directions from which to receive attacks. Even if the assumption is melee only, a flying attacker gains 9 squares from which to attack a creature; more if the creature is a larger size.

Some have argued that being a flying creature makes you more of a target for attacks. I might be inclined to agree with that depending upon the situation, but even that benefits the party because those are attacks which are being directed at you instead of the other party members.

That's not even getting into the added opportunity when the flying creature has ranged attacks and spells available.


I don't think flight is necessarily overpowered, especially not in light of some of the other 5e options and the general feel for which 5e seems to be going. However, I do think it's a strong ability.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I thought this was about flight? What you are describing just needs faster movement.

Excuse me. I thought we were on a tangent talking about certain kinds of DMs who like to "start encounters" at a given (close) range, as opposed to making monsters be somewhere and the party interacting with those monsters when they get close enough.

 

[Omone]

Hi all,
I found this thread very helpful because my pg has reached sorcerer level 5, and now I can choose fly spell.
Understanding the limits of this spell is fundamental, and so I'm deciding to use it more for exploring rather than fighting, but in case it happens I found this combo of spells that I would love to have your opinion about:
- fly
- feather fall
- mirror image
- mage armor

These should help me enough to use my pg's two offensive spells from above:
- fireball
- scorching ray

In case something could go wrong and FF should avoid damage from falling and plus my pg is a tiefling and darkness could cover the gentle fall to the ground.

What do you think about?

Moreover in some other cases I could twin the fly spell to the two fighters of the party and let them reach the Big Boss

Should it be always my first option?