[PF]Grounding Fliers

[Occasional Sage]

The typical approach to combating an airborne threat is to have a fly speed yourself. What ways are there to reverse this, by forcing the (dragon/demon/wizard/rabid sparrow) to stay on the ground?

[ArcturusV]

Make them crash into something or take a fall for some reason.Thus if you pop a wall of force in the face of something flying it smacks into it, or otherwise cannot move enough to keep aloft by it's maneuverability rating (presuming not perfect), and thus crashes. Or have someone bull rush/overrun it in the air. Or do something like drain it's Dex so it hits 0 and they fall.

[TuggyNE]

There are a few ways to do ranged trip attacks, but I think most of them require special weapons, such as bolas. However, a flyer tripped (in 3.5) will stall, and thus lose altitude, and perhaps crash. This only applies to creatures that use wings to fly. (IIRC, PF nerfed this, so tripping flyers does nothing.)

[Cerlis]

I think there is a spell somewhere for that.

As for stuff like bolas you have to be careful because things with magical perfect flight can just stop right there and then and dont need forward movement in order to fly.

Things that need to move to fly...well.

I'd imagine anything that uses melee flyby attacks that grappling is an option.

Readied actions are your friends.

[Zaq]

Reversed Seek the Sky is probably your best bet, since there's no save involved. You want the lesser version, not the greater version; the greater version makes them take falling damage, but the lesser version prevents them from getting back up again.

[sleepyphoenixx]

There is Earthbind (Druid 2, Sor/Wiz 2) in Draconomicon.
Fort save or set fly speed to 0ft, even if they save it reduces speed by 10ft/cl.

[Greenish]

I think there is a spell somewhere for that.Earthbind, Wingbind, and Downdraft (SC) can all do it.


[Edit]: In addition to bolas, lassos, and nets, harpoon (Frostburn) can also be used to really inconvenience a flyer with average or worse maneuverability.

[Thurbane]

If they are wearing armor or have encumbrance, enough Strength drain/damage might do it as well (depending on the form of flight).

[Feytalist]

There's also tanglefoot bags, but they're not very good. 10ft range increment, Reflex DC 15 negates. Still, decent for low-level.

[CIDE]

Wasn't there an arrow that knocks the target down in Dragon Magazine somewhere?

[Tarlek Flamehai]

The typical approach to combating an airborne threat is to have a fly speed yourself. What ways are there to reverse this, by forcing the (dragon/demon/wizard/rabid sparrow) to stay on the ground?

As DM or as PC?

[Telonius]

I suppose you could Sovereign Glue an Immovable Rod to somebody's back...?

[nedz]

If they are flying magically then you can dispel them.

If they are using wings then you can entangle, trip, etc. in order to cause them to stall.

If they have inherent magical flight, eg an Air Elemental, then it is more difficult.

[The Viscount]

Paralysis will also prevent fliers with wings from moving.

[Occasional Sage]

As DM or as PC?

Oh certainly as the PC. The DM has scads of options here.

For winged flyers the Hold X line works well too I know, assuming the save DC is reasonable.

I should've mentioned that this is Pathfinder, where melee gets even fewer nice things than in 3.5, which wrecks trip and therefore bolas.

Edit: the problem with Wall of Force is that I cast it on my turn, and fliers can move in a wholly different direction without a check, as long as the turn is between rounds.

[TuggyNE]

Edit: the problem with Wall of Force is that I cast it on my turn, and fliers can move in a wholly different direction without a check, as long as the turn is between rounds.

Use a readied action.

[Urpriest]

Most Wind spells have a disproportionate effect on flyers, even in PF. Low save DCs though typically.

[LeshLush]

I suppose you could Sovereign Glue an Immovable Rod to somebody's back...?
That is amazing.