D&D 5E On fairies and flying

[Scott Christian]

Random encounters move "the story" forward in my game too. It's just we probably have a different idea of what "story" is.

Notably, the OP mentions running hexcrawls with what looks like no plot. So if this is more than fair for my game, I wonder why it doesn't work in that person's game or is seen perhaps as "escalation."

That is a great point.
And I didn't mean to say your random encounters didn't move the story forward. There are GMs that are really good at tying random encounters into the fabric of a story. For my style, I prefer to have it a bit more scripted. (Outside of the PCs running off to different stores, etc.)

 

[MarkB]

For example, the thieves' den I just made has secret (the safe way to travel) passages. The others are trapped. They all go to the same place. I can't stand when a door is trapped, but it is obviously a door that would need to be used fifty times a day. That stuff drives me nits.

If a door is used fifty times a day, it's not going to stay secret unless you have very good cleaning staff.

 

[Scott Christian]

If a door is used fifty times a day, it's not going to stay secret unless you have very good cleaning staff.

It is if there are only thieves using it. It's in the thieves' den, not somewhere the public goes. The other door, which leads to the same area, is nothing but a trap.

 

[jgsugden]

I literally never said I would take it away. I merely mentioned it had a cost. Something free, permanent flight at 1st level doesn't have. Calm down.

Why mention that it has a cost other than for purposes of indicating it isn't always going to be available? Seriously.
Think about it.

Literally did not say that. You're really making a lot of assumptions.

Why would you bring up throwing 2d8 hippogriffs at PCs in that context, then?

Again, never said that. You keep on assuming and putting words in my mouth.

You talk about PCs being unwilling to talk and I point out that this is only a short term detriment to them finding out about their terrain via conversation unless everyone is unwilling to talk. Either, you cut off exploration via diplomacy, or using flight to gain information has a regularly available and easy alternative.

Again with the assumptions. As I've said before I've run with PCs who had flight. It sucked all the fun out of the game.

So it sucks all the fun out of the game for you, but you're torn? You're incredibly inconsistent in this thread.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But when you have one that can fly and the others can't, constantly throwing a wrench at the single flying party member so they too have an encounter looks like tit-for-tat. It does not look like a natural encounter.

As I pointed out earlier, most monsters have ranged attacks*, so it makes very little difference, apart from being very dangerous to be the only player who can fly, as you make yourself an obvious target for a hail of arrows.


*one might think the authors of the Monster Manual designed them taking flying PCs into account.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I design encounters based on what would naturally or logically occur in the area.

So do I. But added to that "would pose a threat". So a pack of wolves might be in there area, but doesn't qualify as an encounter because packs of wolves do not attack packs of well armed humans.

 

[jgsugden]

Nevermind.

 

[Scott Christian]

As I pointed out earlier, most monsters have ranged attacks*, so it makes very little difference, apart from being very dangerous to be the only player who can fly, as you make yourself an obvious target for a hail of arrows.


*one might think the authors of the Monster Manual designed them taking flying PCs into account.

So your animated horror, ankheg, basilisk, twig blight, vine blight, bulette, carrion crawler, chuul, crawling claw... oh never mind. That is just using one book and only using A, B and C monsters. None of them can attack a flying PC that is above 30'. But I know, the MM designed them to take flying PC's into account.
Look. There is no convincing you here. I get it. But, at least look at the plethora of low level encounter monsters and natural creatures that can't attack flying PC's and take them into account when discussing flying. Higher levels - you are right. Not a problem. Lower levels, or for a DM that wants nature to have a say in the adventure, flying is problematic.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Only enemies that can fly. And there are lots of monsters that are simply incapable of being a challenge against flyers. Flight as an always-available pc option is terrible if you ever want to use e.g. dinosaurs, wolves, leucrotta, trolls sans ranged weapons, etc, in a way that's meaningful. Or a canyon as an obstacle. Or limited lines of sight because of obstructions. Or...

It's not about coming up with ways to counter flight; it's about all the types of challenges that flight simple invalidates. That's fine if that's the game you want to play, but not all of us do.

It's a meaningful problem for all of 2-3 brief levels of the game. Add in rough winds conditions when you wish to ground a PC for a fight, done problem solved.

 

[iserith]

So your animated horror, ankheg, basilisk, twig blight, vine blight, bulette, carrion crawler, chuul, crawling claw... oh never mind. That is just using one book and only using A, B and C monsters. None of them can attack a flying PC that is above 30'. But I know, the MM designed them to take flying PC's into account.
Look. There is no convincing you here. I get it. But, at least look at the plethora of low level encounter monsters and natural creatures that can't attack flying PC's and take them into account when discussing flying. Higher levels - you are right. Not a problem. Lower levels, or for a DM that wants nature to have a say in the adventure, flying is problematic.

I'm running a tier 1 game right now with an aarakocra PC and have seen none of the issues being discussed here. I recently ran a one-shot with all flying PC fairies (and again for a different group) and nothing was problematic.

What are we really talking about here? A pit trap? A river? A gorge? A character that doesn't take damage in some encounters just like some backline PCs avoid at times? What is really being lost?