| 4 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
The fly spell says "[The subject of the fly spell] can ascend at half speed and descend at double speed, and its maneuverability is good."
The fly skill says "[A flying creature] can also turn up to 45 degrees by sacrificing 5 feet of movement, can rise at half speed at an angle of 45 degrees, and can descend at any angle at normal speed."
Unlike in v3.5 where a flying wizard could fly straight up at half speed, these two rules don't seem to contradict one another. Does that mean that Pathfinder spellcasters who cast fly, must ascend only at a 45-degree angle? (Short of making a fly check to ascend at a steeper angle that is.)
The fly skill also says, "without making a check, a flying creature can remain flying at the end of its turn so long as it moves a distance greater than half its speed."
Does a flying wizard have to move at least half his speed to stay aloft? What if he needs to fly 30 feet to stay aloft, but ascend only 20 feet (using 40 feet of movement)? Does that meet the qualifications of moving at least half your speed?
Seems using the fly spell is not as automatic as it used to be. I think you could specifically hover in 3.5, but that now seems to require a check.
I would also add two more questions:
What is the fly speed of a 7th level fighter in heavy armor while using a fly spell?
What is the fly speed of a dwarf with armor or a heavy load?
NOTE - flagged for FAQ
Let's start with the spell's description:
The subject can fly at a speed of 60 feet (or 40 feet if it wears medium or heavy armor, or if it carries a medium or heavy load). It can ascend at half speed and descend at double speed, and its maneuverability is good.Using a fly spell requires only as much concentration as walking, so the subject can attack or cast spells normally. The subject of a fly spell can charge but not run, and it cannot carry aloft more weight than its maximum load, plus any armor it wears. The subject gains a bonus on Fly skill checks equal to 1/2 your caster level.
Should the spell duration expire while the subject is still aloft, the magic fails slowly. The subject floats downward 60 feet per round for 1d6 rounds. If it reaches the ground in that amount of time, it lands safely. If not, it falls the rest of the distance, taking 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet of fall. Since dispelling a spell effectively ends it, the subject also descends safely in this way if the fly spell is dispelled, but not if it is negated by an antimagic field.
So we know the following:
1. You have a "good" fly speed of 60.
2. You gain an additional bonus on fly checks equal to 1/2 the caster level.
3. It specifically states you can ascend at half speed.
4. It can descend at up to double speed.
Now lets look at the fly skill:
You generally need only make a Fly check when you are attempting a complex maneuver. Without making a check, a flying creature can remain flying at the end of its turn so long as it moves a distance greater than half its speed. It can also turn up to 45 degrees by sacrificing 5 feet of movement, can rise at half speed at an angle of 45 degrees, and can descend at any angle at normal speed. Note that these restrictions only apply to movement taken during your current turn. At the beginning of the next turn, you can move in a different direction than you did the previous turn without making a check. Taking any action that violates these rules requires a Fly check. The difficulty of these maneuvers varies depending upon the maneuver you are attempting, as noted on the following chart.
So now we know that if you violate the normal movement rules of flying you must make a check to do so.
Now by looking at the chart beside the fly skill we can see:
"Turn greater than 45° by spending 5 feet of movement (DC 15)"
"Hover (DC 15)"
"Move less than half speed and remain flying (DC 10)"
"Fly up at a greater than 45° angle (DC 20)"
So we also know the DC for attempting any of the things you can do with the fly spell. In fact most anyone with a fly speed can do those things -- it just requires one of the above checks (in fact these 4 checks will cover almost every situation you are in when flying).
Furthermore creatures with a "good" maneuverability get a +4 on fly checks. So a 5th level wizard casting fly for the first time has a +6 to his fly check. Once he gets some practice (and another level) and can put a rank in Fly, assuming a dex of 14, your check will be +13 and you'll nearly auto make a lot of those checks.
Furthermore creatures with a "good" maneuverability get a +4 on fly checks. So a 5th level wizard casting fly for the first time has a +6 to his fly check. Once he gets some practice (and another level) and can put a rank in Fly, assuming a dex of 14, your check will be +13 and you'll nearly auto make a lot of those checks.
Watch out for the fine print, friend.
Creatures with a fly speed treat the Fly skill as a
class skill. A creature with a natural fly speed receives a
bonus (or penalty) on Fly skill checks depending on its
maneuverability: