I would say you hover if your fly skill is good enough to do it on average (DC 20), if not you fall slowly. There are many cases of sleepwalking, heck I used to do it myself.
The Fly spell addresses this, at least round-aboutly {if that's a word}. It states that when the spell ends {even when dispelled, but not when negated by anti-magic}, the character slowly descends for 1d6 rounds.
I think it's safe to assume that if the character becomes unconscious, s/he is no longer using "as much concentration as walking", and the spell would end normally; in this case, kicking in the "slowly descending" part of the spell description.
Of course, any time 'safe to assume' comes into play, it turns into RAI rather than RAW, but I think this case is pretty clear.
As mentioned, walking while unconscious is certainly possible, and is practiced by many, many people every single day.
I would rule that, since Fly is a skill now, the caster would automatically "take X" (I'd have to think on whether that'd be X=1 or X=10). If the result was enough for a Hover, he'd remain in place in the air reflexively (your reflexes still function while unconscious -- that's why you can tickle people who are asleep, etc). If not, he'd descend slowly at whatever rate and angle is supported by the Fly rules (too lazy to look 'em up ATM).
As mentioned, walking while unconscious is certainly possible, and is practiced by many, many people every single day.
I would rule that, since Fly is a skill now, the caster would automatically "take X" (I'd have to think on whether that'd be X=1 or X=10). If the result was enough for a Hover, he'd remain in place in the air reflexively (your reflexes still function while unconscious -- that's why you can tickle people who are asleep, etc). If not, he'd descend slowly at whatever rate and angle is supported by the Fly rules (too lazy to look 'em up ATM).
I'd mostly agree.
Personally, I'd just have them switch into 'off' and the spell just drop them down slowly. Not even for only d6 rounds. I'd rule the fly spell is still in effect, but without you directing it, it just slowly lowers you to the ground. If you wake up before the duration is up, then you can take off again.
I would rule that way because I interpret the fly spell as requiring your input for you to leave the ground and stay in the air. Nothing in the spell says that, but nothing contradicts it either. So it's really just fluff for how magic works in your world.
In my world, the fluff of the spell is that it only keeps you in the air while you will it, and drops you to the ground otherwise, slowly enough to not be harmed.
Now, if you were flying forward under the aerial equivalent of expeditious retreat I might make it a dangerous landing, but if you're just moving at any reasonable speed (say under 60 feet per turn) then it's just a slow lazy fall to the ground.
Of course, if that ground happens to be a raging white water river.... :)
Erm, no. Fly is not a duration: concentration spell, so going helpless does not end it. What it does is making you pummel down to the ground.If going helpless doesn't end it.... then why would you pummel to the ground? The spell wouldn't have ended so you'd still be flying :P
You need to concentrate on flying to fly, so if you stop concentrating, you fall to the ground because you automatically fail all fly checks to remain flying-- you also can't move more than half your speed so you can't remain flying.
Technically, dying or going unconscious doesn't knock you prone, either.
The way I've been handling disabled fliers is to implement the falling at 60ft per round portion of the spell effect.
I also have houseruled randomizing the direction horizontally each round(at the pre-disabled rate of speed and a minimum of 5ft) similar to a thrown-weapon bounce pattern so that the falling creature could end up in the bushes, bonking off a wall, tumble over a cliff, land safely on a feather bed, whatever. However, that is a houserule of mine and thus not pertinent to this thread for RAW or RAI.
In the above example if the Druid was knocked out i'd think he would continue to fly in the same vector and velocity as he had when he was last concious. If he was hovering he would maintain that position unless there was a large change in environment such as wind.. He would have no ability to dodge if somthing interceded his path. As far as others trying to hit him I'd treat it as if he didn't have the fly skill. The spell would terminate normally. The reason is that the fly is a spell interpreting the participants desire to move.
The reason you would fall if walking and you went unconcious is because you involantary muscle system is hadling the work..
If the Mage went unconcious the fly spell would act as normal until the duration was completed.
So, Gorbacz,
While I appreciate your right to disagree with my interpretations at any time, would you please be so kind as to:
A: Support your position with opinions or quotations with evidentiary relevance, and not just nay-say someone else's opinion, because simple negativity without provenance helps no one.
B. Understand that when a rule has a quotation like "using a XXX spell requires only as much concentration as walking" that there is likely a consequence for the cessation of said concentration; it's simple logic.
And
C. Buy yourself a dictionary or become a regular visitor to Dictionary.com, because no one can ever 'pummel to the ground', however, one may plummet to the ground, or even pummel someone who deserves it.
With Kind and Warm Regards,
Ezh
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I'm not sure where this "walking while unconscious" thing is coming from.
Fly gives you the ability to take off into the air. It gives you a fly speed. The rules say with as much concentration as walking.
If you're walking, and you're attacked and fall unconscious, or even put to sleep, you will fall to the footpath.
If you're flying, you will fall out of the air. You don't get held in place by nothing. Gravity applies unless you're doing something to hold yourself up. The fly speed doesn't automatically keep you hovering.
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Erm, no. Fly is not a duration: concentration spell, so going helpless does not end it. What it does is making you pummel down to the ground.If going helpless doesn't end it.... then why would you pummel to the ground? The spell wouldn't have ended so you'd still be flying :P
The problem is that you are unable to make your flying checks.
Before "fly as a skill" it was easy: the spell kept you stationary in mid air until the duration elapsed, then you descended slowly for 1d6 rounds.
Now to hover, even with magical flight, you need to make a check. Unconscious people can't make dexterity based skill checks, you fail.
consequence of failing a hover check? You must move at half your speed or plummet. A interpretation favorable to the PC is that he will have to move half of his movement straight down but he stay aloft. a less favorable interpretation: he plummet.
The float down for 1d6 round after the spell end part is irrelevant:
1) the spell hasn't ended;
2( if that was in effect for the whole spell duration you couldn't make a dive attack of descent at more than 60'/round for the whole duration fo the spell.