Fly

[Dark Dragon]

Hi guys,

are there some good rules for this nasty fly spell??? I'm DM in a group where the two mages use this spell as a standard to kill off "tough" ground monsters. It's really always the same: the fighters and priests get somewhat beaten up, the mages are just fine and the "challenge" was not worth its XPs...
I'm short of blowing the mages to hell by an other flying, perhaps invisible mage...

 

[Cloudgatherer]

Can always through some flying monsters at them or add a flying ability to some tough ground monsters. There really isn't anything wrong with the spell itself, it's a good tactic to use against ground based creatures (we do it in modern military, "air superiority"). If those mages memorized a fly spell that day, and see a big nasty flying monster, they've essentially wasted a spell as the monster may want to try and keep it's air superiority.

Later.

 

[Larcen]

Throw more creatures that use missile weapons at them. Preferably en-masse.

That, or lower the ceilings in all your dungeons and crowd some really tall monsters in there. Giant clubs make great "fly" swatters.

 

[Crothian]

Dispel magic is always good. But here's one I always liked:

Group runs into large band of ogres. As the fight goes on, the mage uses fly and goes into the air and wins the battle. However, while up ther e an air predatory beast (roc, dragon, giant eagle, any thing that flies and near the top of its foodchain) see's it and come in for lunch.

 

[Gargoyle]

Remember that Dispel Magic doesn't cause the mage to fall, they sink slowly, just as if the spell duration ran out.

Sounds like you just need more flying foes and ranged attacks. I recommend an Order of the Bow Initiate from Sword and Fist. They'll make your mages into great targets.

 

[Dragonjester]

Nothing like 9' ceilings to take the wind out of a flying wizards sails

 

[Dark Dragon]

Hmmmm, well...I'll just explain a simple tactic that thwarts ranged attacks with arrows/bolts, dispel magic, magic missile and fireball/flamestrike...The mage is protected by Resist Elements (Fire), Protection from Arrows and Shield. He just flies around in 400 ft above ground and releases one fireball after another, first targeted on an enemy mage. If things get worse for him or he runs out of spells, he retreats and starts another attack later.
If you want to play a level 9 mage properly, he'll use Fly, Improved Invisibility and Haste. He should attack by surprise, using some empowered or maximized magic missiles and killing enemy spellcasters first. The rest is just easy.
And that's the tactic that'll come up again in my group when the Time of Trouble is over and spells will work fine again. I'don't want to use powerful airborne creatures all the time to go after the mages.
In dungeons, a Fly spell is not that useful, that's right. But a party doesn't run through dungeons only.

 

[billking]

The solution for illusions is divinations.
The soultion for transmutations is abjurations.
So use them.

A simple alarm perks their attention and makes them wary. The caster of that alarm should probably then expend a claurvoyance to size up the incoming threat. The enemy spellcaster then call the grunts to arm themselves (perferrably with ranged weaponry so all can shoot at the doorway easily) and bar up the doors. (Arcane locks are optional.) After getting the doors open, the grunts shoot at the open doorway; even though each has a 50% chance to miss it could still pelt the flier with multiple arrows; and spellcasters soak the area with dispel magics, or he could simply launch his own fireball at the doorway.