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View Full Version : [Pathfinder] Raptoran/Flying races?



Alchemistmerlin
2011-03-30, 06:10 PM
So I just picked up Pathfinder and started translating my homebrew world to fit the system.

But, fly is a skill now. So I have 2 races that use Wizard's Raptoran flight rules, I'm not entirely sure how to translate those to Pathfinder. It seems silly to require a race with wings to put points into a skill in order to use them.


Has anyone else encountered this and have any ideas?

Golden-Esque
2011-03-30, 07:10 PM
So I just picked up Pathfinder and started translating my homebrew world to fit the system.

But, fly is a skill now. So I have 2 races that use Wizard's Raptoran flight rules, I'm not entirely sure how to translate those to Pathfinder. It seems silly to require a race with wings to put points into a skill in order to use them.


Has anyone else encountered this and have any ideas?

That's like saying that frogs shouldn't need to make Acrobatics checks to jump over a canyon because their legs are designed for jumping. Fly checks aren't needed for normal flight; the rules specifically state that you only need to make a Fly check when you make complex maneuvers, such as avoiding collisions when flying at break-neck speeds or resisting the push of strong winds. Virtually every creature with wings and almost any character with the Fly spell is going to have ranks in Fly.

Short version, Pathfinder's fly skill is a replacement for the old maneuverability rules (maneuverability only applies a static bonus or penalty to Fly checks now). Point is, you would be making a seriously broken race if you allow them to fly without making fly checks.

Thomar_of_Uointer
2011-03-30, 08:03 PM
Doesn't seem silly at all to me. There's even precedent for "earning your wings" in many fantasy settings, (such as the Rito race from Wind Waker.)

Make Fly always be a class skill for Raptorans, and give them static flight ability based on how many ranks they have in Fly. This means they effectively have 1 less skill point per level, making them a little easier to balance too.

I don't have the race in front of me, but I think an appropriate breakdown would be:
0 ranks - practically no damage from falls
3 ranks - fly at 40' poor for 1 round per level per day
6 ranks - fly at 40' poor anytime
9 ranks - fly 50'
12 ranks - fly 60'
15 ranks - fly 80'
18 ranks - fly 100'
20 ranks - fly 120'

Of course, they'll already have ranks in fly to improve their maneuverability, and it's much more dramatic and suspenseful for players to have to make checks to pull off maneuvers in the middle of combat.

Most races in Pathfinder are slightly more powerful anyways, so you have more room to work them into a balanced race.