With a plethora of players soon to gain the ability of flight (or summon stuff that can) I fell I need to get they aerial movement down pat. The rules on flying do seem quite vague though, even after searching the older threads so I'm looking for a little guidance. The real issue with me is changing altitude and maybe I'm not sure whether the concept is based on the idea of the air being filled with 5' cubes for 3d tactical movement or if altitude is just a declared state.
For example: a raven has a fly speed 40 (8 squares) and wishes to perform a simple 45-degree climb. Does the player move the bird 4 squares (half speed) and simply announce that the new altitude is 20' higher OR does he count distance as if moving diagonally on a tactical grid? The first case would mean he has moved four squares along and four squares up, the second would be three squares along and three up (due to the 1-2-1-2 diagonal movement rules). And what if the flyer was moving diagonally on the battle grid to start with - do multiple diagonals stack?
Cheers for your help
Mark
I'm interested in this aswel :)
Hope to get some solid answers :)
Marked FAQ. I'd also like to know if there is any loss of vertical movement when altitude changes are by more than 45 degrees.
Cheers
Mark
Marked for FAQ: I usually self-police using the diagonal moving guidelines, but I have known people to break out the pythagorean theorem... which seems absurd to me.
The rule of thumb we use for diagonal movement in 3D at our table is: long leg + 1/2 short leg = distance. It's close enough for game purposes (which would have to get rounded to 5 foot increments anyway), and it accounts for the 1-2-1 nature of diagonal movement.
Calculate the X/Y distance first, the same as you would if moving over land, and call this G. Next, figure the height adjustment (vertical distance) and call it V. If the character is climbing less than 45 degrees, then V will be less than G, so you would have G + V/2 = D. If they succeed on the fly check, or have the proper maneuverability, to climb greater than a 45 degree angle, it's just reversed; V + G/2 = D. Just make sure that D is less than their allowed movement and you are good to go.
3D Combat Range Finder. Saves our group a lot of work. FAQ'd.
The rule of thumb we use for diagonal movement in 3D at our table is: long leg + 1/2 short leg = distance. It's close enough for game purposes (which would have to get rounded to 5 foot increments anyway), and it accounts for the 1-2-1 nature of diagonal movement.
Calculate the X/Y distance first, the same as you would if moving over land, and call this G. Next, figure the height adjustment (vertical distance) and call it V. If the character is climbing less than 45 degrees, then V will be less than G, so you would have G + V/2 = D. If they succeed on the fly check, or have the proper maneuverability, to climb greater than a 45 degree angle, it's just reversed; V + G/2 = D. Just make sure that D is less than their allowed movement and you are good to go.
That's a good one - cheers for that.
Mark