What happens to stunned flyers?

[Menexenus]

Suppose someone flying around by means of the Fly spell is stunned by a mind-flayer's stunning attack. What happens to the flyer, according to the D&D rules?

Do they hover in place where they ended their last turn?

Do they continue on their previous trajectory until they hit something?

Do they feather fall to the ground?

(I suppose I could look all this up myself, but I'm lazy and you all are smart.)

Thanks for the help.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

no one knows. Its been debated before.

 

[Darklone]

DMs call. All of the above mentioned things could happen.

 

[Kurashu]

When I saw the title, I thought, "They gape in awe as they plummet to the ground."

 

[Aust Diamondew]

If they can't hover they fall.
A stunned person's legs don't stop working causing him to fall prone.

Thats my reasoning anyway, might be wrong.

 

[Dross]

If they can't hover they fall.
A stunned person's legs don't stop working causing him to fall prone.

Thats my reasoning anyway, might be wrong.

I'd tend to follow this myself except in specific situations, say being able to stun a beholder that naturally/magically "floats" or magical flight allowing you to hover.

In reality falling objects keep their forward momentum as they fall. How much you want to go with this realism is your call.

You could have different answers based on the mode of flight (wings v magic) and manouverablility for instance.

 

[was]

probably would glide down to the ground like a wounded bird

 

[Beckett]

probably would glide down to the ground like a wounded bird

That's basically what the raptorans from Races of Wild do. Their wings stiffen, they do a tight corkscrew to the ground, and take 1d6 damage regardless of height.

 

[frankthedm]

Most stunned flyers fall.

It can be agrued even fly spell users fall for fly thanks to this sentence:

Using a fly spell requires only as much concentration as walking, so the subject can attack or cast spells normally.

In effect saying if you can't concentrate enough to walk, you can't use the ability of flight the spell gives you.

I think this is a good thing since it rewards those who stay on the ground or keep close enough to the groun so falls won't be fatal.

 

[lukelightning]

My ad-hoc house rules:

If the creature has non-magical and non-bouyant flight
(probably wings) it falls. If it has magic or bouyant flight (e.g. beholders or an animated Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloon) it hovers in spot (though the animated balloon is probably immune to stun...but that's a whole nother issue).

I'd consider reducing the falling damage by half or something because of the aerodynamics of the winged creature.