Changing direction whilst flying

[MegaPlasticMan]

Hi

On the flying maneuvers table it states that you have to do a check to turn greater than 45° by spending 5 feet of movement. Is this check required only if your the total direction changes are greater than 45°, i.e. you could make many 45° changes without a check, or do you have to do it once you have exceeded 45° in one round?

Also, when you fail the check and have wings you might fall, if you don't have wings do you continue on in a straight line? Can you attempt the turn again once you've moved one square. The rules for trying again at the fly skill state that you can try again the following round so it sounds like once you fail in a round, that is it for turning.

Quite confused, so thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Tom Baumbach]

MegaPlasticMan wrote:

Is this check required only if your the total direction changes are greater than 45°, i.e. you could make many 45° changes without a check, or do you have to do it once you have exceeded 45° in one round?

I believe it's the former. That's how I've always played it and seen it played.

MegaPlasticMan wrote:

Also, when you fail the check and have wings you might fall, if you don't have wings do you continue on in a straight line?

You've spent the movement, even though you didn't make the turn. If you've movement left, proceed how you please.

MegaPlasticMan wrote:

Can you attempt the turn again once you've moved one square. The rules for trying again at the fly skill state that you can try again the following round so it sounds like once you fail in a round, that is it for turning.

It does read that way, but I don't believe that's the intent. The "following round" bit, I think, is meant to encompass things like hover. The "varies" bit is the key here, which essentially, at least to me, means, "If it makes sense to retry, you can retry."

[MegaPlasticMan]

Tom Baumbach wrote:

You've spent the movement, even though you didn't make the turn. If you've movement left, proceed how you please.

That's interesting and I quite like it, but it does make me wonder how any character would ever collide with another object (and that is expicitly mentioned in the rules) if they can just sit there spending movement until they succeed in the change direction check.

[Tom Baumbach]

You have a point. I've only ever seen the collide rules used in special circumstances, never because the flier ran into something because he couldn't get out of the way.

[Starglim]

MegaPlasticMan wrote:

On the flying maneuvers table it states that you have to do a check to turn greater than 45° by spending 5 feet of movement. Is this check required only if your the total direction changes are greater than 45°, i.e. you could make many 45° changes without a check, or do you have to do it once you have exceeded 45° in one round?

edit: More to the point, you can turn up to 45 degrees without spending movement or making a check. If you turn 45 degrees, move one square, then turn 45 degrees again, you have not turned more than 45 degrees at any time.

MegaPlasticMan wrote:

Also, when you fail the check and have wings you might fall, if you don't have wings do you continue on in a straight line?

If you fail the check and don't fall, you can turn up to 45 degrees.

MegaPlasticMan wrote:

Can you attempt the turn again once you've moved one square. The rules for trying again at the fly skill state that you can try again the following round so it sounds like once you fail in a round, that is it for turning.

That is it for making the type of Fly check that you failed. You can still turn 45 degrees at a time for the rest of your move.

[Tom Baumbach]

Oh I'm an idiot, I didn't read properly. Yeah, Starglim has the right of it.