Spirit Companion Question

[Mahali]

What about the Eagle Shaman build in Primal Power? The eagle just hovers around a couple inches above the ground? Seems weird that it can't fly at all...

~Ryan

True, still can't fly though. After all, it's no weirder than a landshark (fin sticking out of the ground and a shark jumps out of the ground to bite you or a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube spirit that dances/flails around at random).

In about all of the previous threads regarding this consensus is: You can summon it anywhere but can't move it vertically.

I'm not thrilled with that idea but summoning it over a group of enemy is tempered by it not being able to stop their movemet.

 

[Mahali]

...

 

[sirshandlar2]

I still don't agree with that interpretation. It mentions right in the Eagle Shaman discription, "Your spirit companion soars above you allies, keeping a watchful eye for hidden enemies...". Surely they would have mentioned somewhere explicitly that the Eagle spirit can't actually fly if that was the intent.

~Ryan

 

[Neuroglyph]

I have a Shaman in my campaign, and I don't see a real issue with a Spirit Companion flying around. It's really just a special effect of the Spirit Descriptor spells, and moves the speed of the Shaman. It is a spirit afterall, so let it float around.

 

[Mahali]

I still don't agree with that interpretation. It mentions right in the Eagle Shaman discription, "Your spirit companion soars above you allies, keeping a watchful eye for hidden enemies...". Surely they would have mentioned somewhere explicitly that the Eagle spirit can't actually fly if that was the intent.

~Ryan

Surely they would have mentioned somewere that spirits can fly if that was the intent. Don't mix fluff text with rules. "The mole/worm spirit burrows beneath your allies, keeping watchful wiskers/sensative skin altert for hidden enemies..." doesn't allow your spirit to avoid attacks or be hidden because it's not walking on the ground.

They're conjurations and follow conjuration rules. How you describe it doesn't matter.

 

[cdrcjsn]

The spirit is a conjuration, not a summoning.

It has more in common with a Wizard's Flaming Sphere than an actual creature.

That's the reason why it can't fly, because it doesn't have a fly speed (or any move speed).

The creator moves it like a spell effect.

 

[LightPhoenix]

According to the Conjuration sidebar on PHB2 p.220, a conjuration does not need a solid surface to float. If you are playing with a 3D-grid, there's no reason it can't be summoned above another creature as long as the cube is free, and no reason it would fall. In effect, it can fly and hover.

I'm not a Shaman fan, but this gives the Shaman some interesting anti-flier capabilities, as long as you get the SC next to the flier. Since the Shaman already gets some ranged attacks, I don't have a problem with the SC acting out to 20 squares/cubes. I especially don't have a problem with this because if your SC is in the air, chances are you're losing the bonus effects using those powers might give you if it's on the ground.

 

[CapnZapp]

I still don't agree with that interpretation. It mentions right in the Eagle Shaman discription, "Your spirit companion soars above you allies, keeping a watchful eye for hidden enemies...". Surely they would have mentioned somewhere explicitly that the Eagle spirit can't actually fly if that was the intent.

~Ryan

No. Now you're making the mistake of interpreting the fluff as crunch, which is explicitly a nono.

If the spirit could fly, they would have given it a Fly speed.

Not the other way round - by your logic, it also has a climb speed, a swim speed and a burrow speed (because it never says it doesn't). I'm sure you see the fallacy of your position.

 

[CapnZapp]

According to the Conjuration sidebar on PHB2 p.220, a conjuration does not need a solid surface to float. If you are playing with a 3D-grid, there's no reason it can't be summoned above another creature as long as the cube is free, and no reason it would fall. In effect, it can fly and hover.

I disagree with this interpretation. Just because it can be summoned into thin air, and stays there, doesn't mean it can be moved through air (aka flight).

I agree it can "hover" - but not "fly".

 

[CapnZapp]

Nevermind.

It's a conjuration. It stays where it is supposed to stay.

And it moves when you move it.

Sorry, but I don't understand what you're trying to say. Sure it moves when you move it; the question here is whether it can move through air (which for all intents and purposes is identical to flight)

Am I lacking in context?