Flying, spells and AoO

[gpetruc]

Hello
I decided to use winged elves in my campaign world , but now I'm having a few problems with some rules

1) can you cast spells while flying ?
I house-ruled that you can cast them without concentration check if you fly at half your speed (that is the minimum, considering the average manovrability). To cast a spell at higher speed I ask a concentration check DC 10+spell level.


2) Suppose you don't have flyby attack.
You move (flying downwards) and attack the enemy (that has a normal 5ft reach). Your turn ends. At his turn he attacks you. Then it's your turn again: you attack and then continue flying (upwards) to get away from combat.
- Is this correct ? or it breaks some rule ?
- Do you provoke an AoO when flying away ? I think yes, but I'm not sure.
- If you can't hover and you don't want to provoke AoO the only way is to fly away with a double move or to land there (in the square you were flying over when you attacked) ?

3) Now suppose you have the Flyby Attack feat:
In your turn you fly, dive (or simply fly down), attack, and fly away, all in one round.
Do you provoke AoO by flying away ? (i think yes again, but I'm not sure)

4) If you have Rapid Attack and Flyby Attack:
Can you do the same as (3) without provoking AoO ?
(I think yes, the feat could apply also to flying movement)

5) Can you use a long spear and make a dive attack ?
The M M considers only monsters, and says that if you make a dive attack you deal only claw damage. But I don't have claws.

6) Do thrown or missile weapons work as usual or do they have some penality?
For example:
If I throw a dagger, do I have some to-hit modifier ? (I think not)
And if I use a crossbow ? (I think neiher, except that probably I can't reload the x-bow afterwards)

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

1) Yes, all you have to do is use a standard action. So you can move your full speed and cast. Same as any other movement type you can do with a move speed. Or you can double move, run, etc.

2) Same as If you were walking away. So you provoke an attack of oppertunity.
However, you can use the spring attack feat if you have it.

3) No attack of oppertunity, same as if you were walking and had the spring attack feat. (Flybay attack is much easier to get though.)

4) Huh?

5) Don't think so. However you can charge, you just don't get double damage.

6) No, however if you can't hover, making a full attack can be hard. Flying is the same as any other movement type.

In sum, fly works the same as any other movemen type, except you may be force to spend a partial action each round moving if you can't hover (Avg or worse).

 

[AuraSeer]

1) Casting spells while flying is allowed. IMC it doesn't require a concentration check; that seems like a DM Call to me. I figure that for a winged creature, flying is instinctive, and doesn't take any more thought than walking does.

2) Attacking and moving will draw an AoO, the same as for a ground-based combat. You draw an AoO whenever you leave a threatened square.
You're right about getting away without drawing an AoO. If all the flyer does is move, his starting square is not considered threatened, so he can either fly away or walk away safely. However, note that if he has low maneuverability, he might have to fly through another threatened square and draw an AoO that way.

3) According to the SRD, the Flyby Attack feat doesn't affect whether you draw an AoO. (It does not work like Spring Attack.) So when you leave the threatened square, your enemy gets an AoO.

4) Er... I'm not familiar with the Rapid Attack feat.

5) If you don't have claws, I'd allow you one attack with any in-hand weapon. That is, unless your arms are connected to your wings-- like those of a bat, or a flying squirrel-- in which case it's foot-claws or nothing.

6) As long as your hands are free while flying, I would not assess a penalty to your ranged attacks. Reloading a light xbow (with the foot stirrup) might not be possible, but that's a DM call, since there's no specific rule in the books.

 

[gpetruc]

About the Rapid Attack: I meant Spring Attack, but I didn't remember the english translation of the feat name.

How hight does the threatened area extend ?
I'll say 5ft + normal reach for medium creatures, and something less for smaller ones.

About the flyby attack I agree with AuraSeer: the SRD does not mention AoO in the feat description, so probably it won't prevent AoO from being drawn due to the movement.

 

[da chicken]

1) Look at the difference between levitate and fly. Spells do exactly what they say; nothing more, nothing less. Levitate explicitly tells you about penalties for trying to attack while levitating. There are no penalties at all for spellcasting while levitating (unless you are making attack rolls) since the description doesn't mention any. Fly, in the other hand, doesn't mention any difficulty at all. There are, therefore, no penalties.

2) Yes, it is correct. Yes, you provoke an AoO. you can avoid an AoO many ways, primarily by making a 5 foot adjustment out of reach, or moving (not running) and then performing no other action. It does not have to be a double move, and yes, you can run while affected by the fly spell; you would move at 90 x4 (or x3 if you are encumbered or wearing heavy armor).

3) I agree with AuraSeer. Flyby Attack does not state that you do not provoke AoO, so unless you had Spring Attack as well, you would. Note that being able to cast fly does not allow you to take Flyby Attack, and you do not actually meet the prerequisite of having a fly speed. By the same token, bull's strength does not allow you to take Power Attack and tenser's transformation does not allow you to take Improved Critical at level 9. I suppose that is not an explicit rule and that you might be able to take it but only use it when the prerequisite is met, but I argue it is definately inferred.

4) Yes. You could also use Shot on the Run for ranged attacks.

5) Yes. It would be called a charge, and would be resolved exactly the same: -2 AC, +2 to hit. You would move not less than 10 feet and not more than 180 feet (90 x2). You would have to move in a straight line. You would be able to make a single melee attack at the end of the charge action. Additionally, it is likely you would gain an additional +1 to hit due to being higher than the defender. The dive attack would not be required, and you would not be able to take that action as you lack claws.

6) Other than the standard modifers (Range, Str & BAB for the Dagger; Range, Dex & BAB for the Crossbow) you would not get any additional combat modifers. If instead you were making melee attacks, you would likely gain a +1 for being on higher "ground".

[Edit: Change answer on #4]