D&D 5E Flying Tiefling question

[ManBagel]

So I’m playing a tiefling warlock that has made a pact with a Prince of Earth. I get Featherfall from it, so I was wondering if I could fly up in the air dive down at full speed with my staff and cast featherfall at the last second after I hit the enemy. How much extra damage would it do? Feather Fall is a reaction so I see no reason why this wouldn’t work.

 

[jaelis]

Featherfall is triggered by falling, and it doesn't sound like you are falling here. So I don't think it would trigger the reaction.

But I don't think it is needed. You can do what you describe without any risk of hitting the ground, assuming that you have a fly speed. It is basically just a flying charge.

That said, you don't normally get any benefit from charging before an attack. If you have the Charger feat or some other special ability, then you would trigger whatever benefit that had.

Maybe you are thinking about deliberately not flying and falling onto your enemy? Maybe you could do that, but if you cast featherfall before you actually hit, then it would presumably negate any damage to your enemy too.

 

[Inanity]

So I’m playing a tiefling warlock that has made a pact with a Prince of Earth. I get Featherfall from it, so I was wondering if I could fly up in the air dive down at full speed with my staff and cast featherfall at the last second after I hit the enemy. How much extra damage would it do? Feather Fall is a reaction so I see no reason why this wouldn’t work.

yeah it would trigger (IMO; I have done exactly this, outside of combat, its on of my joys of playing really!); do a control freefall until the last minute use your move to well NOT MOVE reaction to cast featherfall and action to acttack; you would most likely have to figure out freefall seed and hav to time your descent and then and boom; it could be an acrobatic form of fighting (flavor wise)...... Neither you nor the eenemy would take damage from the fall (if the enemy takes damage from YOU you would).

 

[Fenris-77]

Well, if the enemy is on the ground I'd say no, I think you're too close to the ground for that to make sense. It sounds like a great narrative bit for aerial combat though. I might let it go for something that was 20' tall or taller too.

 

[Seramus]

I wouldn't have a problem with you "Falling" on someone. You can hit them from 5' away, even if that 5' is above them, then trigger Featherfall before the last square.

But falling usually causes damage to both you and the target. There is a jarring impact. I wouldn't let you avoid that just because you were swinging a weapon. Either it's a colliding "Fall" or a normal weapon attack.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Also keep in mind that whenever a character tries to do anything "at the last second", a DM is perfectly within their rights to ask for a Dexterity saving throw to do so successfully. Feather fall is a fast-cast spell, sure, but the rules still assume that you're normally going to want to cast it at the beginning of a fall.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

If you're falling hard enough to deal extra damage, then you're falling hard enough for you to get hurt by it. It's the same impact, so you can either use it or not, but you can't have it both ways at once.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I wouldn't have a problem with you "Falling" on someone. You can hit them from 5' away, even if that 5' is above them, then trigger Featherfall before the last square.

But falling usually causes damage to both you and the target. There is a jarring impact. I wouldn't let you avoid that just because you were swinging a weapon. Either it's a colliding "Fall" or a normal weapon attack.

Easy to imagine with a spear or similar weapon, letting the spear connect with all that momentum and some of your weight, but featherfalling before it can bring you to a stop.
I’d probably have them take some extra damage, but not full falling damage.

Howver, if you take the risk and roll the dice (ie, Acrobatics, if you fail you don’t pull up in time), Id go full falling damage.

A non-flier using Acrobatics to land on an enemy so they absorb most of the impact and the faller rolls off them and away, I would and have let deal full falling damage while still reducingfalling damage with Acrobatics.

 

[Charlaquin]

Easy to imagine with a spear or similar weapon, letting the spear connect with all that momentum and some of your weight, but featherfalling before it can bring you to a stop.

Wouldn’t it be just as effective, if not more, to simply drop the spear on them?

 

[Coroc]

Easy to imagine with a spear or similar weapon, letting the spear connect with all that momentum and some of your weight, but featherfalling before it can bring you to a stop.
I’d probably have them take some extra damage, but not full falling damage.

Howver, if you take the risk and roll the dice (ie, Acrobatics, if you fail you don’t pull up in time), Id go full falling damage.

A non-flier using Acrobatics to land on an enemy so they absorb most of the impact and the faller rolls off them and away, I would and have let deal full falling damage while still reducingfalling damage with Acrobatics.

Well that would require a STR check though, to see if you can hold on to your spear.