Spirit Companion Question

[Belphanior]

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

Only creatures have a speed score. A spirit companion is a pimped up Bigby's Hand. Tell me, would you also assert that the Mage Hand cantrip can only crawl over the floor? Or do you think it can float up to a shelf in order to pick up a jar or book?

 

[DracoSuave]

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.

It doesn't have a regular speed either. And yet it is movable.

Are you mistaking this power effect as a creature?

 

[LightPhoenix]

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".

Except that the sidebar is explicit in saying it doesn't need a solid surface. That means it can, for example, float over a pit. By your interpretation, it therefore can't be moved, since moving it through air is flight. That makes no logical sense.

 

[Mahali]

Except that the sidebar is explicit in saying it doesn't need a solid surface. That means it can, for example, float over a pit. By your interpretation, it therefore can't be moved, since moving it through air is flight. That makes no logical sense.

I think that's why most people play it as being summoned anywhere but can't move vertically (fly) except to follow terrain.

 

[KarinsDad]

I think that's why most people play it as being summoned anywhere but can't move vertically (fly) except to follow terrain.

Most people?

Did you take a poll on this?

Cause, this thread is the first I've heard of it. The rules indicate that movable conjurations can just flat out be moved, no direction limitations added unless the power states so.

If a power allows you to move a conjuration, at least 1 square that the conjuration occupies must remain within the power’s range.

Isn't 5 squares straight up within the power's range of a 20 range conjuration?


There are no rules TMK that put creature type of movement restrictions (such as Fly) onto conjurations.

Do you know of such a rule?

 

[eamon]

If a conjuration can be moved horizontally over a pit and follow (mildly-sloping) terrain up or down, then, for consistency, it can effective fly or descend at will - your will. After all, a pit is nothing special; it's just a region of lower altitude. Apparently you can either follow the terrain down or float over it.

It's not necessary to permit it to rise in altitude without terrain to support it, though that's be a slightly weird distinction.

In any case, the rules don't have much of anything to say about 3D in general, so I'd try to just let it fly... ...and deal with balance problems as they arise. Not permitting arbitrary 3D movement forces the DM to choose for each and every conjuration a bunch of limiting factors without any guidelines from RAW, which doesn't sound ideal to me.

It's not like conjurations in general nor the spirit companion in particular actually do particularly much (such as carry things or manipulate doors or whatever), if I'm not mistaken, so I hope this isn't a balance problem.

 

[Mahali]

Most people?

Did you take a poll on this?

Cause, this thread is the first I've heard of it. The rules indicate that movable conjurations can just flat out be moved, no direction limitations added unless the power states so.

Nope.

Then you haven't been looking here and, certainly not, on WoTC Forums since PHB2 came out. It has been asked several times and brought up in other threads as well.

Isn't 5 squares straight up within the power's range of a 20 range conjuration?

There are no rules TMK that put creature type of movement restrictions (such as Fly) onto conjurations.

Do you know of such a rule?

The rules are permissive based saying "you can do x" not "you can't do x". If you're okay with all conjurations being place anywhere that's fine. Thematically, our group isn't fond of a floating wall of whatever without some indication that rules or designers support it. Actually, I'm okay with that as long as they're vertical. Making a fire/ice ceiling sounds like to severe a rules raping to allow.

 

[Nichwee]

The rules are permissive based saying "you can do x" not "you can't do x". If you're okay with all conjurations being place anywhere that's fine. Thematically, our group isn't fond of a floating wall of whatever without some indication that rules or designers support it. Actually, I'm okay with that as long as they're vertical. Making a fire/ice ceiling sounds like to severe a rules raping to allow.

I suddenly thought about the vertical wall idea you gave. What about a walled box?

I mean you start in a sqaure, go up one, forward, right, down, forward, left, left, backwards (all moves one square/cube of movement each, and direction relative to the orign square). This has just put a complete box around a grounded monster of size medium, for 9 squares of wall (it has diagonals open at most corners, but you can't go diagonally around corners so no opening for the trapped creature to get through - and if the corners touch no LoS for teleporting either).
A fully sealed (even against diagonal moves) box would require 17 squares (8 around and 9 over the top).