Flying creatures getting stunned...

[Tatterdash]

I searched the forums for advice on this, but didn't find anything. Do they stop flying? Do they hover unable to take actions?

[King of Vrock]

Winged or Magical Flight? In either case they can take no actions that round so they cannot make their Fly skill checks. For the most part they'd fall, though with the fly spell you could treat it as if the spell had ended or been dispelled and let them float slowly down for 1d6 rounds.

--Vrocket ship

[Starglim]

A Fly check is not an action. The creature can't take a move action or 5' step, so it must make a DC 15 Fly check to hover, or fall.

[Tatterdash]

King of Vrock wrote:

Winged or Magical Flight?

Winged... Magical Flight is a little more clear.

[Fergie]

This is a little bit of a gray area.

"Stunned: A stunned creature drops everything held, can't take actions, takes a –2 penalty to AC, and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any)."

Is different then:

"Paralyzed: A paralyzed character is frozen in place and unable to move or act. ... A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it becomes paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. ..."

My thought is that you don't drop like a stone, but since you are unable to take move actions, that has some consequences related to the fly skill.
Fly skill: "Hover DC 15 fly check" and "If you are using wings and you fail a Fly check by 5 or more, you plummet to the ground."

So if you are not using wings, or don't fail your skill check to hover by five or more, it doesn't really say what happens... I guess you could assume that you can't hover, and lose your fly speed in altitude, but I can't find anything in the rules about failing fly checks.

I think I may have to FAQ this one.

Can someone under the influence of a Fly spell take a 5-foot step?
What is the speed of a high level fighter in medium armor using a Fly spell?

[wesF]

Tatterdash wrote:

I searched the forums for advice on this, but didn't find anything. Do they stop flying? Do they hover unable to take actions?

Just my opinion, but for most winged creatures I would assume they fall to an untimely death.

[Josh M Foster]

Fergie is right. Helpless is not mentioned. Nor is falling prone. If I have the wherewithall to stand, then the harpy has the wherewithall to hover there dumbfounded. Requires a fly check, though, for the purpose of hovering.

The check doesn't require an action, it's part of flying and going nowhere. Ergo you can hover without taking an action. Ergo you can hover stunned.

[Ice Titan]

Stunning is not being knocked prone or being forced to fall. If stun made a flying creature drop, stun would also make a walking creature fall prone.

And being stunned definitely does not end magical flight.

[Ambrus]

Fergie wrote:

What is the speed of a high level fighter in medium armor using a Fly spell?

Is he African or European?

Sorry. I couldn't resist. =P

[Starglim]

Fergie wrote:

Can someone under the influence of a Fly spell take a 5-foot step?

Yes, in any direction except upwards. He can take a 5' step with a form of movement for which he has a listed speed, but not if it would cost 2 or more squares of movement.

[Nicos]

Ice Titan wrote:

Stunning is not being knocked prone or being forced to fall. If stun made a flying creature drop, stun would also make a walking creature fall prone.

And being stunned definitely does not end magical flight.

Does somebody know if Ice titan is right?

[Albatoonoe]

If the creature doesn't move more than half it's fly speed when its next turn rolls around, then yes it would fall. Until then, it would not plummet.

[Nicos]

And what about magical fly?

[Albatoonoe]

Taking a look at the book, it doesn't say that it functions any differently. I would assume the same, unless there is errata somewhere.