“You may not take a 5-foot step using a form of movement for which you do not have a listed speed.”-Players Handbook Pg.144
(which would mean you can take a 5ft step with forms of movement you DO have a speed listed.)
“Down Speed: A flying creature can fly down at twice its normal flying speed.” -Rules Compendium Pg.92
(which would mean a 5ft step downward while flying would be a 10ft step)
"Gliding: (Ex): A raptoran can use her wings to glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Raptorans glide at a speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability). Even if a raptoran's maneuverability improves, she cant hover while gliding. A raptoran cant glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
If a raptoran becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, her wings naturally unfurl and powerful ligaments stiffen the wings. the raptoran descends in a tight corkscrew and only takes 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter what the actual distance of the fall."
-pg68 Races of the Wild (69 if you have the pdf)
(is gliding its own type of movement, or an altered fly speed, or is it something that just happens whenever you move 5ft downward? If you begin to fall while conscious, do you glide?)
Freefalling
Usually, if youre flying and refuse to take a movement action, and dont have hover, you freefall. If you allow yourself to freefall, do you Corkscrew, despite it saying "if you become unconscious or helpless", or do you trigger glide after you fall 5ft, and move 20ft forward, or do you fall to your probable death, taking damage for every 10ft you fell as usual because you're the only raptoran in the world who would choose to just not glide.
5ft Steps in the Air
If you have a movement speed, you can take a 5ft step using it; That's implied when they say you cant take a 5ft step with a movement speed you dont have. So if youre flying, you can take a 5ft step. If you move downward while flying, you do so at double speed. Most likely your 5ft step downward would be a 10ft step, BUT if while flying, you dont move your minimum forward speed (your natural fly speed) you freefall, so this goes back to the first part. The question is, does taking that 5ft(10) step downward trigger glide, and id say it probably does. I think it does at least.
Hover
None of this really matters if you just take the feat Hover after 10hd. Now you can 5ft step in the air without fuzzy rules, but i have no idea where to put this in the build. There is that variant from Complete Champion where you give up spells for feats, but there are too many good spells for that.
(which would mean you can take a 5ft step with forms of movement you DO have a speed listed.)
“Down Speed: A flying creature can fly down at twice its normal flying speed.” -Rules Compendium Pg.92
(which would mean a 5ft step downward while flying would be a 10ft step)
"Gliding: (Ex): A raptoran can use her wings to glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Raptorans glide at a speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability). Even if a raptoran's maneuverability improves, she cant hover while gliding. A raptoran cant glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
If a raptoran becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, her wings naturally unfurl and powerful ligaments stiffen the wings. the raptoran descends in a tight corkscrew and only takes 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter what the actual distance of the fall."
-pg68 Races of the Wild (69 if you have the pdf)
(is gliding its own type of movement, or an altered fly speed, or is it something that just happens whenever you move 5ft downward? If you begin to fall while conscious, do you glide?)
Freefalling
Usually, if youre flying and refuse to take a movement action, and dont have hover, you freefall. If you allow yourself to freefall, do you Corkscrew, despite it saying "if you become unconscious or helpless", or do you trigger glide after you fall 5ft, and move 20ft forward, or do you fall to your probable death, taking damage for every 10ft you fell as usual because you're the only raptoran in the world who would choose to just not glide.
5ft Steps in the Air
If you have a movement speed, you can take a 5ft step using it; That's implied when they say you cant take a 5ft step with a movement speed you dont have. So if youre flying, you can take a 5ft step. If you move downward while flying, you do so at double speed. Most likely your 5ft step downward would be a 10ft step, BUT if while flying, you dont move your minimum forward speed (your natural fly speed) you freefall, so this goes back to the first part. The question is, does taking that 5ft(10) step downward trigger glide, and id say it probably does. I think it does at least.
Hover
None of this really matters if you just take the feat Hover after 10hd. Now you can 5ft step in the air without fuzzy rules, but i have no idea where to put this in the build. There is that variant from Complete Champion where you give up spells for feats, but there are too many good spells for that.
