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Regarding creatures with magical means of flight (i.e. Fly spell), what happens when a creature with magical flight fails a fly skill check when attempting to turn more than 45 / 180 degrees during leveled flight. Do they move forward 5 feat or stay in their square for the failed check? Can they perform another check by sacrificing another 5 feet of movement?
For example, a wizard casts Fly on himself and jumps off the roof of a tall building (while wearing a red cape, of course). He has 30 feet of movement available, so he moves 10 feet forward and then wants to make a 90 turn (no change in elavation). He fails his Fly skill check. Does he move forward another 5 feet or is stationary in the square he failed the check? Can he perform another Fly skill check to turn 90 degrees by sacrificing another 5 feet of movement? I'm also assuming his Fly spell will keep him from falling on failed checks.
Thanks!
I'm going to do this out of order:
Can he perform another Fly skill check to turn 90 degrees by sacrificing another 5 feet of movement?
Try Again: Varies. You can attempt a Fly check to perform the same maneuver on subsequent rounds.
This line in the fly skill implies to me that you can't attempt a fly check to perform the same maneuver twice in the same round. You must wait until a subsequent round.
Does he move forward another 5 feet or is stationary in the square he failed the check?
He spends the five feet of movement, but since he fails the check, he doesn't get anything for it. He has 15 feet of move remaining.
At this point he can choose;
He can't attempt the 90 turn again until next round (see above).
He could make a 45 degree turn instead of the 90 he wanted and continue moving.
He could end his move here, but he'd have to make a DC10 check for moving less than half distance. Failure means he does not remain flying (he falls).
He could continue to move straight forward. If he moves AT LEAST another 5 feet, he's now moved 15 feet against his 30 foot speed (even though he's spent 20 of movement to do it). That's at least half, so he won't have to make a check for moving less than half.
At this point he can choose;
He can't attempt the 90 turn again until next round (see above).
He could make a 45 degree turn instead of the 90 he wanted and continue moving.
He could end his move here, but he'd have to make a DC10 check for moving less than half distance. Failure means he does not remain flying (he falls).
He could continue to move straight forward. If he moves AT LEAST another 5 feet, he's now moved 15 feet against his 30 foot speed (even though he's spent 20 of movement to do it). That's at least half, so he won't have to make a check for moving less than half.
This topic has been discussed before, inconclusively.
However, Slim's summary seems to be the only possible reading of the rules. If you fail to make your manoeuver check, for whatever manoeuver might require a check, you *must* move half your move distance, at minimum, in a manner that doesn't require a fly check roll: straight ahead, 45 degree turn, etc.IMHO, Slim is being too forgiving to allow a second manoeuver with a second fly check in the same round. The "try again" wording is frustratingly vague, I suggest ruling that you can only make one fly check for manoeuvering per round.
Also note that anytime you move less than half your speed, you need to succeed at a fly check or you simply fail to fly. Logic would suggest that if you are no longer flying, you fall, although the spell does have provisions for using a feather fall effect once you stop flying.
Another inconclusively argued point in many other threads involves whether or not you get the +4 for "good manoeuverability" in addition to the half caster level bonus. Without a FAQ you must expect table variation, as there are reasonable arguments on both sides.
IMHO, Slim is being too forgiving to allow a second manoeuver with a second fly check in the same round.
Possibly. If so, simply remove the "He could end his move here ..." from my list of options.
