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Here are the answers, IMO.
For 1 and 2, No.
A Jump, be it a High or Long Jump, requires the creature to Stride, and then make the jump movement. A creature in the air can only move with Fly, and a creature in the water moves with Swim. Neither uses Stride and Flinging Updraft does not have the 'this may be used with alternate movement types' language.
As a GM, though, I'd probably allow it to be used on creatures in the air because I think that makes sense for an Air Kinesticist to be able to do.
As for three, well, objects can't jump. You can pick up a chair and throw it, sure, but it will never jump on its own. However, a GM could certainly allow you to use it to move something. They would likely put a bulk limit on it, and make it unattended as a requirement, and I know that I would not allow it to be used to make any sort of attack.
However, it is clearly meant to be a mobility too. If I am the Air Kinestist, on my turn I can either try and hinder an enemies mobility, *or* I can use it to move an ally.
And, as PFS has ruled it forced movement, it does not trigger Reactive Strike, meaning you can move a friendly squishy away from a dangerous melee attacker, or move the Rogue into a flanking position right before they go.
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I think the description part of "jumping" was honestly a poor choice.
I see this as a strong wind that forces someone to move. Obviously an enemy could simply choose not to jump...but that doesn't enable them to resist without a saving roll. So jumping doesn't actually seem to be required.
There's also no action expenditure by the target, and no requirement of striding before the "jump".
My ruling as a GM would be that as long as the wind could reasonably "hit" someone or something I'd let it work.
Honestly, I also think this ability should have varying distances based on the size/bulk of the character/thing being moved, but understand why they didn't do that.
Anyways, I'd probably let 1, 2, and 3 work, but I think because the word "jump" is used in the description that none of 1, 2, or 3 work.
It's important to notice that the description doesn't used the term "jump" capitalized so it isn't referring to any jump actions.
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The names of specific statistics, skills, feats, actions, and some other mechanical elements in Pathfinder are capitalized. This way, when you see the statement "a Strike targets Armor Class," you know that both Strike and Armor Class are referring to rules.
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That said this impulse is a bit problematic because it was developed to be used in 2D (except when you thrown an enemy to a hole/cliff) but the description doesn't really prevents it to be used in 3D (throwing a creature to the air and let it fall). So your GM probably will have to rule about it. It can:
If the enemy is in the ground:
If the enemy is flying:
About object pathfinder has a problem with them because if we consider the rules by pure RAW you cannot even Strike an object because it only target creatures (something that's clearly contradictory to many object interactions) so in the same way that we usually ignores this RAW restriction to Strike objects I think we can do the same for Flinging Updraft allowing to use it vs objects too unless they are anchored into the ground.
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Yeah, it could be that the devs didn't want to figure out how to handle what happens to flying creatures if you used this ability on them (it's also not explicitly clear that you couldn't use this ability on them).
However, because the full description of the ability says:
A speeding wind heeds your call, picking someone up and depositing them nearby. Choose a creature within 60 feet of you. The target jumps in any direction, up to a maximum of 30 feet. If the target doesn't land on a space of solid ground within 30 feet of where it started, it falls unless it has a fly Speed but doesn't take any damage from the fall. You choose the distance and direction of the jump.
I wouldn't under any circumstance allow the ability to cause damage. That's not what it's for, it's for repositioning/movement.
If the enemy is in the ground:
Allow to thrown an enemy up to 30ft up making it to immediately fall and take 15 dmg and becomes prone unless it have fly speed or some other method to diminish fall damage like Cat Fall.
Allow to thrown an enemy up but limited to 15ft due gravity considers that goes up is a difficult terrain and costs the double making it to immediately fall and take 7 dmg and becomes prone unless it have fly speed or some other method to diminish fall damage like Cat Fall. (this is my prefered interpretation)
Doesn't allow to thrown an enemy up because it can be considered an exploit (yet this is questionable once that the impulse allows to thrown a creature to a hole or a cliff to take fall damage and that this fall damage is not absurd for a lvl 6 impulse) with the excuse that your wind isn't strong enough to lift the creature high enough. If the enemy is flying:
Allow to thrown an enemy up to 30ft down but probably without do any damage due Arrest a Fall unless the creature choose to not use or already used its reactions.
Allow to thrown an enemy up to 60ft down due the gravity doubles the speed but probably without do any damage due Arrest a Fall unless the creature choose to not use or already used its...
Given the above description I pointed out, I don't think any circumstances should allow you to cause damage, because they explicitly cover a scenario of someone falling father than they are lifted, and while they do fall they explicitly don't take damage. And it is implied that a flying creature in no way needs to expend a reaction or other action to stay at elevation by the "it falls unless it has a fly speed" portion.
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However, because the full description of the ability says:
A speeding wind heeds your call, picking someone up and depositing them nearby. Choose a creature within 60 feet of you. The target jumps in any direction, up to a maximum of 30 feet. If the target doesn't land on a space of solid ground within 30 feet of where it started, it falls unless it has a fly Speed but doesn't take any damage from the fall. You choose the distance and direction of the jump.I wouldn't under any circumstance allow the ability to cause damage. That's not what it's for, it's for repositioning/movement.
Even if the victim is launched off a cliff several hundred feet high?
That is how the ability reads, but I could see myself ignoring it in a case like that.
Whenever we GM, we can all decide whatever we want, but the rules definitely say no damage.
The big issue to me is, if you allow damage at all, then if you can fling someone 30ft straight up then even on a save they're going to take damage and fall prone, unless they crit save.
And I'm pretty sure that's not how the ability was intended to work.
Given the above description I pointed out, I don't think any circumstances should allow you to cause damage, because they explicitly cover a scenario of someone falling father than they are lifted, and while they do fall they explicitly don't take damage. And it is implied that a flying creature in no way needs to expend a reaction or other action to stay at elevation by the "it falls unless it has a fly speed" portion.
A flying creature that already used Fly action in its last turn doesn't auto fall if it was force moved in the air but a flying creature that isn't flying or that was forced moved to the ground needs to use a reaction to prevent damage.
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Whenever we GM, we can all decide whatever we want, but the rules definitely say no damage.
The big issue to me is, if you allow damage at all, then if you can fling someone 30ft straight up then even on a save they're going to take damage and fall prone, unless they crit save.
And I'm pretty sure that's not how the ability was intended to work.
Agreed. I wouldn't have it do anything noteworthy for a fling upwards, because it says it doesn't.
In most cases if an enemy gets flung off a cliff, they're out of the fight anyway, so the ability dealing damage or not is kind of moot.
Given the above description I pointed out, I don't think any circumstances should allow you to cause damage, because they explicitly cover a scenario of someone falling father than they are lifted, and while they do fall they explicitly don't take damage. And it is implied that a flying creature in no way needs to expend a reaction or other action to stay at elevation by the "it falls unless it has a fly speed" portion.A flying creature that already used Fly action in its last turn doesn't auto fall if it was force moved in the air but a flying creature that isn't flying or that was forced moved to the ground needs to use a reaction to prevent damage.
Nope, that's not what the ability says at all, at least not when I parse it.
It says creatures take no damage, and only fall if they don't have a fly speed.
If the target doesn't land on a space of solid ground within 30 feet of where it started, it falls unless it has a fly Speed but doesn't take any damage from the fall.
The only interpretation I come to of those words are:
1) The creatures do not ever take fall damage2) If they have a fly speed they don't fall
2a) There are no requirements for not falling besides having a fly speed, it doesn't require actively being in flight or spending a reaction. Those are all interpretations that you are trying to add in.
Does this ability make sense? Maybe not in when you look at the rest of the game rules. But as something that can be done hundreds of times a day and even only a crit success can be avoided? Yes
Don't forget that this ability increases the distance moved as you level. At level 10, you could throw someone straight up 60ft on a failed save, or 30 ft on a successful feat. And in both cases (probably) take damage and fall prone, assuming you let the ability deal damage.
Which is exactly why I got back to the words of the ability, which say creatures don't take any damage from the fall.
Whenever we GM, we can all decide whatever we want, but the rules definitely say no damage.
The big issue to me is, if you allow damage at all, then if you can fling someone 30ft straight up then even on a save they're going to take damage and fall prone, unless they crit save.
And I'm pretty sure that's not how the ability was intended to work.
Agreed. I wouldn't have it do anything noteworthy for a fling upwards, because it says it doesn't.
In most cases if an enemy gets flung off a cliff, they're out of the fight anyway, so the ability dealing damage or not is kind of moot.
Yep, push a creature that can't fly off a 50ft cliff, it doesn't matter that it doesn't take damage. It's going to spend rounds getting back to the fight, and so it's unlikely to be relevant.
That's a great point, while Flinging Updraft can't cause damage itself, it can move you into a position that will cause you to take damage. And in the case of pushing someone off a tall cliff, even if they don't take fall damage you're still removing them from the fight for likely the entire duration of the fight so that the party would fight them one on one.
It's quite powerful anytime there is a cliff nearby a fight. Imagine a boss fight on a raised platform. Even if the boss is a level or 2 above the party, the chance of crit saving isn't amazing. The kineticist can repeatedly knock a melee boss off the platform causing them to waste actions trying to get back to the party. Heck even on level ground you can cause a melee boss to waste actions getting into position, which often prevents them from using their most devastating abilities which tend to require 3 actions or already having a PC in range or debuffed.
I'm confused. I keep seeing people mention an enemy having to crit succeed their save to be unaffected, but isn't that the result of a regular success?
I'm confused. I keep seeing people mention an enemy having to crit succeed their save to be unaffected, but isn't that the result of a regular success?
Yep....I read it wrong. Sorry about that.
For whatever reason I read the success line as crit success, and shifted the effects of the others up one "level" as well.
Still doesn't change my position on creatures not taking damage or not falling if they have a fly speed.
But it does remove what I thought was kind of glaring problem that you could just fling any target around and they only had a tiny chance to avoid the affect (because I thought they needed a crit save).