D&D 5E What's your opinion on a flying PC race?

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I actually think the 50 movement might actually be more of a problem than the fly. That's 150' on a rogue with cunning action!

 

[indemnity]

Pixies have a fly speed of 30, and Sprites have a fly speed of 40, and they're both tiny creatures

Altitude limit was a thing in for PC pixies in 4e (walk 20' fly 30').

Altitude Limit: You fall at the end of your turn if you are using your racial fly speed and are more than 1 square above the ground.

A pixie could permanently float at a height of 5' and fly 30' in any direction during its turn, however, the pixie would fall at the end of its turn. (Flying creatures didn't take fall damage if the distance was < its flying speed, so practically not a problem unless running or pushed over a precipice.)

The pixie player got some fun movement tricks, thought out interesting combat manouvers, but remained mostly in the same field of play as the rest of the party.

 

[Shiroiken]

If you use the Aaracokra (sp?) as your model, I don't see any serious problems. Like the Aaracokra (sp?), some challenges will be easier, but that's kinda the point of special abilities (like a Rogue having Expertise with Thieves Tools). If you want to make sure to keep the character in check, make sure to use some underground adventures, where flight won't be much of an advantage.

 

[LexStarwalker]

I don't want to mess with maneuverability or flight ceilings, limitations, etc. That's way too noodly and complicated, and we don't see that elsewhere in the system.

I'll either give the species flight, or I won't. I'm not going to give them flight, and then add a bunch of limitations and mechanics the DM has to worry about.

The flight specs I'm proposing come directly from the aarakocra, which is an official race. If Wizards isn't worried about 50 fly speed, I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

So far, having a single Aarakocra in my campaign hasn't caused any trouble, despite my initial reservations. There've been a few encounters/challenges that have been made easier by it, but not enough that I'd consider it unbalancing.

 

[jayoungr]

Pixies have a fly speed of 30, and Sprites have a fly speed of 40, and they're both tiny creatures, so I think a 50 fly speed for a small creature is fine.

Ah, right. I was mixing up small and tiny in my head. My bad.