Constant Levitation Mechanically Underwhelming at Level 16

[singingzombies]

Constant Levitation
Your power has unbound you from the earth below, letting you float harmlessly over traps and unstable terrain. You’re affected by a constant air walk, except the highest you can walk is 5 feet above the ground. While your psyche is unleashed, you’re also affected by a fly spell.

This is mechanically super cool, but comparable feats at Level 16 are giving characters permanent flight. Because you can only Unleash Psyche in a significant encounter this mechanically is more inline with temporary or in-combat flight abilities that are granted by mid-level options. The advantage of Constant Levitation is the fact no actions are required to activate the flight in combat and the constant Air Walk at 5-feet above the ground.

But since it doesn't actually grant true out-of-combat flight (You aren't trying to fly the One Ring to Mordor with Constant Levitation), I don't see why this feat needs to be Level 16. To keep it as is, it should be probably be a lower-level option.

Preferably, it feels weird you are able to passively float at 5-feet above the ground but require significant in-combat stress to actually fly. I would prefer... using a Focus Point to at least get a temporary boosted flair of flight for out-of-combat use.

This feat is really cool, just hopefully tweaked and cooked a bit more before final release.

[Karmagator]

I mean, constant air walk one square above the ground on its own is pretty damn good. You just ignore a lot of trap triggers, difficult and hazardous terrain. It's of limited use in combat, though, that is true. The flight part I'm pretty happy with, though. Makes sense thematically and is pretty damn effective when you need it most in combat, which complements the other part of the feat.

But yes, it could be better and has some issues.

For one, it might also need some clarification/elaboration for what exactly constitutes "the ground". For the most part it is pretty self-explanatory, but I don't think it is intended that the moment you air-walk over water or anything liquid, you fall and drown. I would also like a failsafe for when the ground suddenly becomes a lot lower, like with a trapdoor or false floor triggered by your allies (since you don't).

The flight part is pretty in-line with existing stuff. Keep in mind that there are only two - admittedly very weak for 18th level - class feats (fiendish/celestial form) that grant a permanent fly speed, so that isn't the best bar to set. Th rest are ancestry feats, which work with different design choices in mind, have prerequisites, give only the fly speed and are one level higher. There is only a single feat which gives permanent flight before level 17, which is Fully Flighted from the strix ancestry.
My Problem here is a different one, which is a similar one to the first part. There is no falling protection for when your unleash ends, which these feats usually provide. See Dragon's Rage Wings as an example.

A built-in feather fall would make things a lot smoother and fit the fantasy very well.

[Sanityfaerie]

Karmagator wrote:

The flight part is pretty in-line with existing stuff. Keep in mind that there are only two - admittedly very weak for 18th level - class feats (fiendish/celestial form) that grant a permanent fly speed, so that isn't the best bar to set. Th rest are ancestry feats, which work with different design choices in mind, have prerequisites, give only the fly speed and are one level higher. There is only a single feat which gives permanent flight before level 17, which is Fully Flighted from the strix ancestry.

Permaflight from mounts is also available to the summoner at 14 from class feats (and to the champion at 20, though they're also the ones that get fiendish/celestial form). It's available to the druid via wild shape, Soaring Shape, and Perfect Form Control at 18. The alchemist can get permafly via class feats by using Improbable Elixirs and Eternal Elixir.

Admittedly, in each of these cases it requires multiple feats to achieve (as do most of the ancestry cases)

[HumbleGamer]

I've seen worse lvl 16 feats that I'd trade for this one.

[Thunder999]

Druids can get flight for a focus point at level 8, literally half this level, out of combat 5ft air walk is nice, but it's not really on par with real flight.

Flight is strong because you can be out of a melee enemy's reach, bypass the need for climbing and swimming.

All this does is let you float over water and maybe not trigger a trap, but we're 16th level, traps probably aren't overly reliant on pressure plates at this level.

[rayous brightblade]

I think what hurts this feat the most is that Thaumaturge gets constant flight at level 16 and they are both on the same playtest.

[Gaulin]

I feel moving this feat to a lower level and granting permanent flight feat at 16 makes sense. Costs two feats, like most perma fly options.

[Sanityfaerie]

Thunder999 wrote:

Druids can get flight for a focus point at level 8, literally half this level, out of combat 5ft air walk is nice, but it's not really on par with real flight.

Flight is strong because you can be out of a melee enemy's reach, bypass the need for climbing and swimming.

All this does is let you float over water and maybe not trigger a trap, but we're 16th level, traps probably aren't overly reliant on pressure plates at this level.

This *does* give in-combat flight (with all benefits thereof) once you unleash. It's just that unleashing takes a little while in most cases.

The "combat flight in wild shape" that the druid gets is somewhat constraining of combat options, though - you can't use it to stand back and blast in the same way, because the flying forms generally don't offer blasting.

[Karmagator]

Mh, how's this:

Level 10 feat "Constant Levitation" - permanent airwalk 5ft off the ground

level 16 - "Psychic Flight" (prerequisite: Constant Levitation)- permanent fly speed, +10ft status bonus to fly speed if Unleashed

-

I really like tying something to having your psyche Unleashed, because it feels good if the parts of your class are interacting and it just fits so damn well.

[WWHsmackdown]

Karmagator wrote:

Mh, how's this:

Level 10 feat "Constant Levitation" - permanent airwalk 5ft off the ground

level 16 - "Psychic Flight" (prerequisite: Constant Levitation)- permanent fly speed, +10ft status bonus to fly speed if Unleashed

-

I really like tying something to having your psyche Unleashed, because it feels good if the parts of your class are interacting and it just fits so damn well.

I like this

[nick1wasd]

Karmagator wrote:

Mh, how's this:

Level 10 feat "Constant Levitation" - permanent airwalk 5ft off the ground

level 16 - "Psychic Flight" (prerequisite: Constant Levitation)- permanent fly speed, +10ft status bonus to fly speed if Unleashed

-

I really like tying something to having your psyche Unleashed, because it feels good if the parts of your class are interacting and it just fits so damn well.

This is exactly what I was thinking when I first read the feat, then I reread it again and got sad. I mean, Legion and Magneto fly like this, it's classic! You gotta be able to yeet yourself with telekinesis to fly around menacingly!

[Candlejake]

I agree a telekineticist hovering around is a fantasy i was really hoping for. And there already is an example in pf2 which captures that flavour and that is cosmos oracle. I like the idea of splitting up the feat into two! Maybe a level 10 feat giving you hovering and maybe free feather Fall and then flight at 16

[VampByDay]

Let’s not forget the heavens Oracle that can get this at level 1 if they blow all their focus points (admittedly, with some downsides.)

[Perpdepog]

VampByDay wrote:

Let’s not forget the heavens Oracle that can get this at level 1 if they blow all their focus points (admittedly, with some downsides.)

I think you mean level 11. A cosmos mystery oracle can't progress to their major curse until that level, and the major curse is where you are able to ignore ground-based hazards.

[Evindyl]

Karmagator wrote:

Mh, how's this:

Level 10 feat "Constant Levitation" - permanent airwalk 5ft off the ground

level 16 - "Psychic Flight" (prerequisite: Constant Levitation)- permanent fly speed, +10ft status bonus to fly speed if Unleashed

-

I really like tying something to having your psyche Unleashed, because it feels good if the parts of your class are interacting and it just fits so damn well.

There's also a progression with Unleashing.

There's the lvl8 thing that makes Unleash last 5 rounds.
There's the lvl14 thing that lets you be Unleashed immediately
So something more progressive (like Sylph wings and Sprite wings and Strix wings) would be awesome, especially centered in Class Feat selections vs Ancestry.