Flying and Running

[FireclawDrake]

Hey folks!

The rules seem to be silent about whether or not you have the ability to use the Run action while flying. The Fly spell specifically states that you can Charge, but cannot run, but what about natural Flight? I mean, the Spider Climb spell states you cannot Run, but you already cannot Run while climbing!

Does ascending count as your movement being 'impeded' as per difficult terrain, thus preventing charges up?

The rules have entires for Burrowing, Climbing, and Swimming, but are completely silent! Please help (preferably with rules text and not speculation!)

[Bizbag]

The rules for movement with a Fly speed refer you to the Fly skill, which doesn't answer much more in the way of your questions.

The 3.5 rules were a bit more explicit (and much more complex; maneuverability dictated much more than a bonus on your Fly check). Perhaps those rules can assist.

In addition, I checked my old book, and a non-OGL source said to use the movement rules to apply to any sort of movement, not just when traveling across a flat surface. That's not RAW, remember. I couldn't find the equivalent statement on the PRG SRD.

So without much clarification, I'd approach it this way: The rules say you can use the Run action to move 4x your speed, in a straight line. If you have a Fly speed, that's a speed you can Run with it, unless the specific rules for that speed say it's not allowed (as Climbing does).

As to charging, the rules for Hampered Movement say that you can't charge if you pass through squares that hamper your movement. Squares that do so do it by doubling their movement cost.

Flying up can be done at half speed, with no Fly check, at a 45 degree angle. You can make a Fly check to ascend at a higher angle, but there is no option to ascend any faster.

However, it's not a double cost per square, it's half speed. They are numerically equivalent, but distinct rule-language. Thus, you can charge up while flying, so long as you meet the other criteria.

The last part's where it gets a little tricky, though: There's an FAQ about vertical movement and speed That seems to imply that the "distance traveled" vertically is mechanically irrelevant.

What that means is, you have to travel 10 feet minimum to charge. If the FAQ dictates that horizontal movement is all that counts, you may not be able to charge *straight* up, but you can charge up as long as you travel 10' horizontally.

[Red Wullf]

See this from 3.5. "A creature can use the run action while flying, provided it flies in a straight line."

Fun fact: Creatures can also run when swimming, but not when climbing or burrowing.