Fly Skill

[Nifft]

I want to make a Skill for self-powered flight, which works like Ride for making attacks, casting spells, etc. while flying.

The only prereq is going to be the ability to fly.

(5 ranks in Fly give a +2 Synergy bonus to Ride checks involving flying mounts.)

Does anyone have rules for such a skill? If not, I'll post mine when I finish making them up.

-- Nifft

 

[mmu1]

Hmm... Why don't you post your rules, so I can rip into them? I think this sounds like a Bad Idea, but I'd like to hear more.

 

[Piratecat]

Err... do you require a skill for walking? As it is now, someone's skill at flying is subsumed into the maneuverability class. I can't come up with any real advantage from making it a skill. What's your design logic?

In any case, you should be really, really hesitant to add new skills to the game. If I had to do this, I'd probably make flying a subset of balance, and just use the balance skill.

 

[Nifft]

Walking Skill: nope, you're born knowing how to walk.

The rationale for Fly skill is that you can do many things when flying that you can do when riding, and Ride requires a skill.

Ranks of Fly skill won't affect your ability to fly, just as anyone can "take 10" on riding a horse. But Fly skill will allow you to do fun things while flying, particularly in aerial combat.

-- Nifft

 

[Esiminar]

Walking Skill: nope, you're born knowing how to walk

Are you sure? Last time I checked it took several months to learn to walk (for a human at least) and a human childs muscles are strong enough for 90% of that time.

 

[mmu1]

Walking Skill: nope, you're born knowing how to walk.

The rationale for Fly skill is that you can do many things when flying that you can do when riding, and Ride requires a skill.

Ranks of Fly skill won't affect your ability to fly, just as anyone can "take 10" on riding a horse. But Fly skill will allow you to do fun things while flying, particularly in aerial combat.

-- Nifft

Some of the things you can do while riding have equivalents you can also do while walking (Ride by Attack and Spring Attack, for example). Other things you can do while riding don't have equivalents, but require a feat, not skill use. (Spirited Charge, for example.)

A couple of things require skill use (control mount in combat, negate a hit scored against a mount) but that's because you don't have direct control over your mount the way you do over your own body - and I don't see how either would be applicable to a flying creature.

The current maneuverability system works fine, if you actually use the rules.... And honestly, I don't think we need to see any Gargantuan dragons buying up ranks in Fly so they can turn on a dime.

 

[GuardianLurker]

All of the feats you talk about are already available to the flying mounts, or to the character, regardless of whether they fly or not.

There's also already rules for riding flying mounts (Ride, strangely enough), and for familiarizing yourself with the semi-weightless conditions you'll encounter (a decreasing penalty).

If you really want something to represent advancement in manueverability, a feat is probably better.

Something like this, maybe:

Improved Flying (General)
Prereq: Ability to fly.
Benefit: Manuever class is increased by one, to a maximum of Pefect.

Acrobatic Flying (General, Epic)
Prereq: Improved Flying
Benefit: Manuever class is increased by one, to a maximum of Perfect.
Special: This feat can be taken more than once, and its benefits stack with both itself and Improved Flying.

 

[Andion Isurand]

Well, I have been thinking about allowing Tumble checks while flying....

...so that players may end up fighting like Peter Pan at times....

...athough the Tumble checks made while flying, would primarilliy be used to avoid AoO.....

...although if you were flying through tree branches and such, Tumble Checks might help you there too....

However, I would avoid making the flying feats obslete.

 

[Morgenstern]

I use Tumble for any sort of complex acrobatic manuevers, on the ground or off. The ability to fly just adds a third dimesion to it all.

Not many dragons seem to be into buying ranks of tumble, but if I wanted to represent a sinuous, agile flyer of a dragon (visions of the asian-style snakey dragon from Spirited Away come to mind), the logic of the Tumble skill still holds up. Probably allow a check against DC 18 to manuever as if you were one class better for a round.

 

[Khaalis]

Overall, its actually not a "horrible" idea to introduce a Flying skill for those with Natural Flight, but I think it can be done better with existing skills

Logic and Reasoning as to why it isn't a bad idea:

"Swim: (Monster Manual) A creature with a swim speed can move through water at the listed speed without making Swim checks. It gains a +8 racial bonus to any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. The creature always can choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened when swimming. Creatures can use the run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line."

So following this example you could do the same with a Fly Skill.


Arguments for Using Existing Skills:

Granted Fly already lists the information for "Run" and grants a Maneuverability class.

Technically you could just substitute a Tumble check to cover the "perform some special action or avoid a hazard" clause, and grant all Natural Fliers a +8 racial bonus to Tumble checks performed in the air, and allow them to take 10 on the Tumble check.

OR ... If you really want to get "Particular" you could base the racial Tumble bonus on Maneuverability class.

Clumsy +0
Poor +2
Average +4
Good +8
Perfect +12

This last example is what I use in my games with natural fliers like Avariel (Winged Elves): Tumble checks for avoidance in the air at the listed bonus for their Maneuverability class, and grant the ability to take 10 in most cases (not if caught totally by surprise).