Taking off from prone

[GnomeGninjas]

A member of my group believes that there is a rule that allows flying creatures to take off from prone, not spend a move action to get up and be un-prone when they are in the air. I can't find this rule anywhere, has anyone else heard of such a rule?

[Big Fau]

It makes sense for thing with a maneuverability of Good or Perfect to be able to do this, but something with Average or lower shouldn't be able to. Either way, it still provokes an AoO if the creature was knocked prone by a creature threatening it.

[ZamielVanWeber]

I have not. I could how it makes sense for certain types of flight (the weird levitation stuff that things like Grell and Beholders get) but after as I know if you are prone you must burn that move action.

[Daftendirekt]

It makes sense for thing with a maneuverability of Good or Perfect to be able to do this, but something with Average or lower shouldn't be able to. Either way, it still provokes an AoO if the creature was knocked prone by a creature threatening it.

Or perhaps regardless of maneuverability, Ex flight can't and Su flight can?

[Big Fau]

Or perhaps regardless of maneuverability, Ex flight can't and Su flight can?

That too makes sense.

[NOhara24]

A member of my group believes that there is a rule that allows flying creatures to take off from prone, not spend a move action to get up and be un-prone when they are in the air. I can't find this rule anywhere, has anyone else heard of such a rule?

Burden of proof is on the accuser. If he wants that to be how the game is played, he needs to prove that the rule exists. In this case, that means he needs to find the relevant source book.


I've never heard of a rule like that.

[Zanthy1]

Burden of proof is on the accuser. If he wants that to be how the game is played, he needs to prove that the rule exists. In this case, that means he needs to find the relevant source book.


I've never heard of a rule like that.

This is a good rule to use for controversial ideas. However in my mind, if the creature is prone, but on its stomach and has wings, then it should be able to fly without having to get up, or if it has a special ability that lets it fly magically, such as the Fly spell. That is just the logical thinking of what I am seeing.

[Zero grim]

One related question I have attached to the OP is where does the rule that says how your limited to movement from prone actually get listed.

This is something that has bugged me for ages, is your movement reduced, can you move at all?

[Spuddles]

Some sorts of flying creatures can't be tripped at all, so for the cases of Yeth Hounds and Beholders, they wouldn't ever have to "get up" from being prone.

Though I suspect I read these rules on the FAQ, so YMMV.

[Dark.Revenant]

Your speed is reduced to 5 feet when prone.

[Zero grim]

Your speed is reduced to 5 feet when prone.

Ahh is that what it is, for the life of me I can never find a reference to where it says that, can someone give a page reference?

[ksbsnowowl]

This rules of the game article covers tripping fliers:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20060321a


Tripping Flyers: A creature flying with wings can be tripped. If the attempt succeeds, the creature stalls and falls 150 feet. See Rules of the Game: All About Movement for details (and a few unofficial additional rules about tripping flying creatures).

Creatures that fly without wings (and any creature with perfect maneuverability) can't be tripped while flying. If the creature is still in the air after stalling, it must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save to recover and resume flying. Otherwise it falls another 300 feet. If it hits the ground, it lands prone and takes falling damage.

[HalfQuart]

I don't think RAW is clear. Here's a couple Rules of the Game articles that shed a little light:
All About Trip Attacks (Part Two) (www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20060321a)


Tripping Flyers: A creature flying with wings can be tripped. If the attempt succeeds, the creature stalls and falls 150 feet. See Rules of the Game: All About Movement for details (and a few unofficial additional rules about tripping flying creatures).

Creatures that fly without wings (and any creature with perfect maneuverability) can't be tripped while flying. If the creature is still in the air after stalling, it must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save to recover and resume flying. Otherwise it falls another 300 feet. If it hits the ground, it lands prone and takes falling damage.
All About Movement (Part Five) (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040706a)

Drop Prone
A creature cannot drop prone while flying. If a flying creature lands, it can drop prone as a free action.
Trip
Most creature using wings or other appendages to fly can be tripped. Incorporeal creatures with perfect maneuverability, and creatures that don't rely on their limbs to fly cannot be tripped when in flight.
Trip Results: A successful trip forces the defender to stall (even if the tripped creature doesn't have a minimum forward speed) rather than knocking the defender prone.
So I didn't see anything about what happens when a creature is knocked prone on the ground and THEN tries to fly, but I would extrapolate that if the creature flies with wings, they would have to stand up before flying. And if they have some other method of flying they would not. Barring any other RAW sources, I would consider this a reasonable house rule.

EDIT: Gah, half ninja'd!

[GnomeGninjas]

Thank you. So it seems that the rule he believes to exists does not exist, there are some unclear definitions of what being a prone flyer does, and logically it would make sense for some creatures to be able to take off from prone.

[Acanous]

The rule effectively states that Wingless, Su fliers can't be knocked prone at all.
Anyone knocked prone needs to burn the action. If he's already prone, he still needs to burn the action.

[HalfQuart]

The rule effectively states that Wingless, Su fliers can't be knocked prone at all.
Well, it actually says they "can't be tripped while flying." Which implies that they can be tripped when not flying.

[Curmudgeon]

A member of my group believes that there is a rule that allows flying creatures to take off from prone
I don't see, mechanically, how that would work. Flying creatures need a full wing flap to get in the air. If their wings are lying on the ground, rather than being elevated a bit in a normal standing position, they're only going to get half a flap.

[GnomeGninjas]

I've researched prone on the srd, though I haven't found any movement penalties. The only things that I have found is that you can crawl 5 feet as a move action and that you can spend a move action to get up. Are there more rules regarding it?

[TuggyNE]

I've researched prone on the srd, though I haven't found any movement penalties. The only things that I have found is that you can crawl 5 feet as a move action and that you can spend a move action to get up. Are there more rules regarding it?

How is that not a movement penalty? :smallconfused:

[GnomeGninjas]

How is that not a movement penalty? :smallconfused:

Crawling (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm) doesn't specify that it is the only form of movement you can take while prone, or that you even need to be prone to do it. This may just be bad writing in the srd though.

[Fouredged Sword]

Here is what I would do as a DM. The player can fly up to their speed as a move action and stand during that move, but they prevoke an attack as they start to fly.

This grants them the ability to move, but eats the same action as standing and takes the same AOO.

There is precedent for allowing the combination of move actions that can be preformed at the same time, such as drawing a sword while moving.

I would simply say that a fly speed of good or perfect (EX) or any (SU) would allow you to stand from prone as part of the move action of flying.