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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Argyle King" data-source="post: 6138493" data-attributes="member: 58416">In contrast to what others have said, I don't like first level PCs being able to fly.  It is a big deal to be able to fly for a lot of reasons; especially in combat.  Think of it this way, the normal non-flying PC has 8 directions they can move on a square battle mat.  A flying PC has 36 directions they can move; that's over a four-fold increase in tactical options.  The three basic functions of a combat unit are to be able to fight, move, and communicate.  Thus far, in one of those areas, just being able to fly increases ability.Now, let's turn to being able fight.  Naturally, the increase in movement leads to more options for attack and defense.  Being able to simply fly over the front line of the enemy is a huge advantage.  You can virtually ignore the defensive set up of a ground based enemy and strike at their valuable assets which are placed behind the front line.  This is one of the reasons why a knight in chess can be a valuable piece.  It's also a big reason why paratroopers and helicopters are integral to modern tactics and the modern battlefield.  In fantasy combat, wizards and similar combatants tend to rely on their allies to keep them out of melee.  Now, to be fair, the last few iterations of D&D haven't been particularly good when it comes to applying real world tactics; the way the worlds have worked tend to reward things which would normally be considered poor tactics in most contexts outside of D&D.  Still, the playtests of Next I've done seem to imply the game is at least giving a passing nod to applying battlefield tactics to how the game works.  Even if that's not the case, let's take a look at how being able to fly helps to aid a caster or a ranged attacker.One of the really nice things about being able to drop a bomb from an airplane is having the knowledge that you're above the killzone.  D&D casters have area attacks which are quite deadly, but this is occasionally balanced by the fact that you need to be concerned about hitting your own people while in a confined space (dungeon.)  At later levels, spells which allow flight help alleviate this by allowing you to float above the battlefield and rain hellfire down upon your enemy while being safely above the area of effect.  Flight at first level allows this right away.  Even better are spells which originate from the space you occupy and expand outward.  A really cheesy trick in 4th Edition was to jump before setting off a burst or blast so as to expand the area you were hitting; flight allows this tactic without even needing to make a skill check.  For the ranged attacker, the benefit is similar to movement.  The possible directions which you can fire a bow or throw a dagger increases by nearly four-fold.  Since there's no facing nor any penalty for targeting multiple targets in D&D, your ability to attack is increased and you don't suffer any drawback for having the benefit.Communication...  there's not much of a concept for that in D&D; at least not in the sense I'm thinking of it, so I'll shift my mind toward things like healing and utility.  Everything I've said thus far helps in this regard.  A cleric can fly over enemies to reach a fallen ally.  A cleric could also float above the battlefield in such a way to heal allies without also healing enemies. All of this is only looking at one aspect of the game: combat.Exploration and environmental challenges also greatly benefit from being able to fly.</blockquote>

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