Does standing on a floating disk grant a higher ground bonus? Just eyeballing it a three foot height difference seems like it would affect a battle, but I've never seen a precise definition of what constitutes higher ground.
I've seen people default to a five foot difference but if your classic "high ground" scenario is two guys fencing their way up a staircase I don't think that's typically five feet of vertical height difference.
I'd give Higher Ground bonuses for standing on things lower than that. Standing up on a staircase, even one step, is enough to put a lot of gravity into your blows which, to me, is what the bonus is meant to convey.
(note: IRL, a single step on a staircase is about 8-9 inches, give or take based on local building codes, or lack thereof).
Just make sure to check your weight restrictions. The disk only holds 100 lbs/level so you don't want to overload it and shut it down.
Especially when the disc is either adjacent to, or has to be directed by (move action) the caster. Sure you can get a +1 to hit when something runs up to you, but you can't very easily bring the fight to the enemy on it.
Thanks for the helpful replies!
Has there also been a definitive ruling that you can move the floating disk while you stand on it? I've seen long threads on the subject here but it always seems to come down to personal GM preference.
Alternatively, if all you can do is direct the disk on where to be relative to yourself, how would you guys handle these scenarios:
(1) Direct the disk to stay under your feet, then engage in a series of five foot jumps towards your destination. Roll for each jump? IIRC the DC for a five foot jump without a running start is 10, so at lower levels it wouldn't be completely automatic.
(2) Two disks, one directed to be under your left foot, one under the right foot. This seems like it ought to let you airwalk without any acrobatics checks at the cost of an extra spell. Would you let somebody moving this way get a charge bonus, assuming they moved via an appropriate charge lane?
I'll admit that a lot of the appeal of option (2) for me is the cinematic imagery of it, but it would be nice if it weren't a complete waste in terms of mechanics.
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I don't think there is an official response for riding the disc(s). I will say, from a physics POV, your scenario 2 still won't work if the discs are pinned relative to you - you're effectively on a frictionless surface and can't get forward momentum going.
I also don't think scenario 1 gets around it either - if you direct the disc to stay at your feet, it stays there even when you try to jump. You've effectively glued it to your feet. Basically you'd need something besides the disc to push off of.