Is this a cheese? Draconic feats from Complete Arcane

[Diirk]

Hmm, I went to look up the bit in the DMG you mentioned.. on page 24 under simultaneous activity it mentions Tordek triggering a trap (but not what sort) and it saying you'd be within your rights to rule that it isn't actually triggered until the end of the round... I don't see anything about falling into a pit trap etc tho.. do you have a page reference?

I'm being open minded about this hanging in mid air til his next turn thing while I investigate the rules further (altho the bit on simultaneous activity in the DMG suggests to me that he'd either fall at the end of his turn, or the end of the round... not at the start of his next turn).

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Then why did they change featherfall so that you can cast it when it isn't your turn?(equivalent to an immediate action)

They didn't. It's a free action. The closest thing is the passage "You can cast this spell with an instant utterance, quickly enough to save yourself if you unexpectedly fall". But this doesn't change the fact that it's a free action that counts as the one quickened spell for the round (in other words, swift).

That's where the fact that this isn't a computer game kicks in: The DM decides that this shouldn't doom you to fall down that trap door, breaking your neck 30 feet below, only because an enemy opened it on his turn and you can't cast a free action then.


But back on topic: The spirit of the rules could be either way here. It could be a short burst of flying, so you cast, and fly a short way. Or, it could be a temprary ability to fly, which could be maintained by repeated casting, flagging and waxing as you cast spells of different level.
The remainder of your turn could be meant "until you made your move action", or "till just before your next turn". It wouldn't really be the first time they had an awkward phrasing in the rules.

 

[Diirk]

The passage states "Casting the spell is a free action, like casting a quickened spell, and it counts toward the normal limit of one quickened spell per round. You may even cast this spell when it isn’t your turn."

I'm pretty sure thats the definition of an immediate action, I'm not sure I have that book tho. But an immediate action is just a swift action that can be cast outside your turn right ?

Anyway, the closest I can see you getting to continuous flight would be if you cast a spell and fly up... your flight runs out at some point and you start to fall at the start of your next turn (for the sake of argument).

I'd go along with the falling 150 feet in the first round like a stalling flying character, which means if you want to keep flying, you have to cast another standard action spell while you fall... As a standard action is roughly half your turn, you'd fall 75 feet in this time (actually not, due to acceleration.. so be nice and say 50 feet or something I guess). So as long as you're at least 50 feet up, you fall 50 feet, get your spell cast (assuming you made the concentration check) and can fly again. Otherwise you hit the ground rather unpleasantly.

Of course featherfall at the start of your turn in the 2nd round changes things a bit... it slows you down to 60 feet of falling per round (say 20 feet for half the round) so you'd yoyo dramatically less

Regardless you'd have to be careful about what spells you cast to make sure the distance you can fly is great enough to keep you above the ground on your next turn... not to mention you'd look really, really stupid.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Hmm, I went to look up the bit in the DMG you mentioned.. on page 24 under simultaneous activity it mentions Tordek triggering a trap (but not what sort)

I could've sworn it was a pit trap.

Anyway, even though they don't mention what kind it is, if it were a pit trap, it wouldn't be triggered until the end of the round, which means Tordek wouldn't fall until the end of the round.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

The passage states "Casting the spell is a free action, like casting a quickened spell, and it counts toward the normal limit of one quickened spell per round. You may even cast this spell when it isn’t your turn."

And of course you're right. I seem to have unlearned to read somehow. So according to the definition, it is an immediate action.

Swift and Immediate actions are in a ton of books now. Swift appeared in Miniatures handbook for the first time, Immediate in the Expanded Psionics. They have been used in many other books since (and redefined every time...)