Hover Drones Discrepancy

[Johann Weiss]

I'm posting this in case anyone else uses the search function and doesn't think to check the FAQ (like I stupidly did). The Hover drone now has perfect maneuverability so much of what is discussed here is redundant. I mean still no full attack but at least hovering is now a swift action for it.

http://paizo.com/starfinder/faq#v5748eaic9wbl

[DerNils]

Which does not Change anything, to be honest. As it normally doesn't have a Swift Action. So the main discussion is unchanged.

[kaid]

Honestly I think they need to relook at their flight rules a bit. They make total sense for winged type flight but really don't seem to work correctly when dealing with things like hover drones/contemplatives who are flying by the power of their mind but apparently have trouble hovering and same with barathu who are floating gas bags who apparently are bad at floating.

[kaid]

It may make sense for them to make a new category of hover that covers things like weird telepathic flight/floating flight/hover drone type flight. Stuff that has nothing to do with aerodynamic flight.

[Jinjifra]

Sorry to thread necro, but this is confusing me too and I wanted to put down my reading of it. Here is the relevant text to hovering with perfect manueverablity

Core Rule Book Page 135 wrote:

If you have perfect maneuverability, you can hover automatically without attempting a check, though you can hover as a swift action instead of a move action if you succeed at an Acrobatics check (there is no penalty for failure).

Its a little bit confusing and I feel like there are two valid readings of it:

1st is if you have perfect maneuverability you can hover indefinitely without any action or check. If a check is required for dangerous winds or extreme conditions it takes a swift action with no penalty for failure.

2nd reading is that if you have perfect maneuverability you can hover with a swift action. You have to make an acrobatics check to do so but it doesn't matter if it fails.

I think both are valid readings of the rules and I keep going back and forth in my head over which one is implied by the text. For me RAI for the drone at least is the 1st reading.

[Garretmander]

Fly wrote:

Safe flight typically requires momentum. If you wish to

stay in place, or hover, while flying, you must attempt an
Acrobatics check as a move action.

Hovering automatically without a check from perfect maneuverability would still require a move action.

I think the intent of the FAQ is that a drone can hover with a swift action & skill check and still shoot.

Master Control wrote:

As a move action, you can directly control your drone. This

allows the drone to take both a move action and any standard
action this turn (one from your control, and one from its limited
AI). If you also take a swift action, your drone can take a swift action as well, or it can combine its actions into a full action.
Your drone must be able to see or hear you, or be within range
of your custom rig, for you to directly control your drone.

But it seems you have to donate your move action in order to give the drone a swift action, if you could donate just your swift action everything would be fine.