1. You're grappled by say, a human monk.
2. You're able to cast Still and Silent.
3. You do that to cast levitate.
By RAW, what happens?
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal or close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: You or one willing creature or one object (total weight up to 100 lb./level)
Duration:1 min./level (D)
Levitate allows you to move yourself, another creature, or an object up and down as you wish. A creature must be willing to be levitated, and an object must be unattended or possessed by a willing creature. You can mentally direct the recipient to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action. You cannot move the recipient horizontally, but the recipient could clamber along the face of a cliff, for example, or push against a ceiling to move laterally (generally at half its base land speed).
A levitating creature that attacks with a melee or ranged weapon finds itself increasingly unstable; the first attack has a -1 penalty on attack rolls, the second -2, and so on, to a maximum penalty of -5. A full round spent stabilizing allows the creature to begin again at -1.
You float up, the monk continues to grapple you. Perhaps a light penalty to the grappling monk.
By rights, you're Grappled, and thusly are automatically pulled adjacent to the one who initiated it.
Even if you cast Levitate, you can't move because A. Grapple has you locked in place unless the initiator has you move with him, B. The one who initiated the Grapple won't allow himself to move with you, and C. Levitate only gives you an allowance to move horizontally. It provides no mechanical benefit to ignore the rules of Grappling, whereas other spells (Freedom of Movement) specify that they do.
tl;dr: You're stuck, Chuck.
The grappled condition states that 'Grappled creatures cannot move..' as far as movement options go. so if you levitate you would still be trapped by the grapple until you successfully escaped. Same would apply if you had magical flight.
That makes sense. tyvm.
With the weight limit you only get 100blbs combined weight max per level. Assume 350 lbs average for a spellcaster and monk (probably 200 lb monk and 150 lb spellcaster). So at least level 4 to be able to move both. Either the spellcaster has to break the grapple or the grappler gets a Str check to try and add their drag weight limit to your levitate weights.
You still have to be a high enough caster level to beat the weights.
I had something in mind that doesn't matter now: Caster's Tattoo (lesser) + Levitate, followed a round or two later by Boots of Escape to drop said monk on its head. Moot now.
My character is level 8.
Yes, I can still use the boots.
Yes, I can be the Grappler.
Not what I was aiming at.
...I run lots of concept ideas through my head that never make it to the character sheet.
Good question though and worthy of debate.
Argument 1: Grappled creatures cannot move - therefore no you can't levitate.
Argument 2: Assuming the effect is similar to a winch in that you can apply up to 800 lbs of force to pick you up then yes you could levitate.
Argument 3: It's a form of flight and subject to the fly skill, the fly skill is silent on the matter as it is not winged flight.
I would adjudicate that it would require a concentration check as you are being grappled but otherwise is argument 2. At the same time I could be easily persuaded otherwise.
On a related note. If an outsider from the elemental plane of air with perfect flight grapples a creature and takes off with it, can it run?
I'm not sure why you'd need silent spell? You're grappled, not gagged.
Grappling or Pinned
Casting a spell while you have the grappled or pinned condition is difficult and requires a concentration check (DC 10 + the grappler’s CMB + the level of the spell you’re casting). Pinned creatures can only cast spells that do not have somatic components.
Still spell is helpful but you'd still need to make a concentration check to cast the spell (10 + grappler's CMB + spell level). If you can get the spell off I don't see why you couldn't levitate, or any other spell effect for that matter.
I guess you'd also have to make a concentration check to prevent an attack of opportunity from your grappler although I probably wouldn't ask for one if I were your GM and you were able to beat the first check.
Set the combo up one round early, though.
Levitate, then True Strike, beat his CMD with +20 and withdraw up.
He would still get an attack of opportunity. Withdraw only makes your first square not provoke. Your second square 5' up would still be within the opponents threaten range diagonally (most likely).
A creature with the grappled condition cannot make attacks of opportunity. So there is no risk of that due to the casting.
Not sure whether levitating up counts as movement. If not you can 5ft step away before going up.
You can't 5 foot step and then do other movement in the same round.
If you are going to do a withdraw action (as a full round action) just moving straight back or diagonally back from the opponent is still the best way to get out of their threatened range. After that you could start moving vertically with the levitate I suppose.
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Forced is unwilling.
Examples would be reposition, bull rush, hydraulic push...
You or your allies are willing subjects to a friendly spell.
Trying to play semantic games like "My friend is moving me I don't really want to go!" is much like hearing Brere Rabbit cry out "Please don't throw me in that briar patch!"
You are taking a move action to direct yourself to move. The 2nd level spell does not make you immune to AoO.
If you cast levitate on the opponent, and sent him up and away, then you would not get AoO on your opponent and neither would your allies.
Regardless, this has gone way off topic. Feel free to start a new thread to discuss it in greater detail.