Pls explain fly maneuverability using a Hawk

[DrkMagusX]

With a Hawk as the base starting off with Average Maneuverability can I get some examples as to what it can do.

I am thinking of giving it improved flight to up it to Good Maneuverability.
Can I get some help with how this benefits the hawk.

I am having a hard time understanding the book and would like some further examples to better draw a picture in my mind.

Thank you for any assistance.

[Urpriest]

I don't know if I can do this justice, but I would recommend looking at a copy of Draconomicon if you have access to one. It's got some explanations of flight mobility that are pretty clear and give lots of examples.

[FleshrakerAbuse]

Let's break it down:

Which parts are the hardest for you?

1. Turning.
2. Turning in place.
3. Up speed.
4. Down Speed.

[Daftendirekt]

Check page 20 of the DMG. It has a chart explaining the different flight maneuverabilities.

[Fouredged Sword]

Ok, go here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/movement.htm), lets go line by line to break it down.

Average maneuverability

Minimum forward movement speed

- You must move this number of actual movement (not cost of altering directions or some such) each round or you start to fall per the falling rules. For a Hawk, this is 30ft, (1/2 maximum movement). This means that every round you stay airborn you must burn a move action to keep moving (unless you have a 10ft fly speed and take a flying 5ft step to stay airborn).

Hover - no, you can't hover. A creature that can hover has a zero minimum forward movement and can stop in the middle of the air.

Move Backwards - Flight pays attention to facing. You must pay attention to the direction your character is moving. You cannot fly backwards as a hawk, you have to actually turn around.

Reverse - If you could fly backwards, this is the amount of your total distance lost in making a u-turn inside a single square. You can't as a hawk.

Turn - This is the amount of turning you can do per square covered by movement. A Hawk can turn 45 degrees per square. This means that a hawk can make a banking turn and twist around 180 degrees, but it will cover 6 squares of movement and he will end up 20ft to his left or right. This form of turning does not cost movement. Think of this as turning without slowing down.

Turn in place - This is the amount of turning you can preform without moving squares. This costs movement. A hawk can loose 5ft of movement to turn an extra 45 degrees per square moved. This allows a Hawk to make a breaking turn by moving forward (turning 45 degrees for free), turning an extra 45 degrees for 5ft of movement, moving forward (now right or left of his original facing) and turning 45 degrees for free, followed by turning 45 degrees for an extra 45 degree turn. Then to finish off the hawk moves forward (he has turned full 180 from his original position) and ends up one square to the left or right of his starting position, using 25ft of movement and actually moving 15ft (this is the part that counts towards not falling)

Maximum turn - This is the sum of the creatures tun + turn in place. This is the maximum change in direction per square moved. A hawk can make a 90 degree turn in a square, no more.

Up angle - This is the maximum angle you can fly up. A hawk must fly roughly one square forward for every 2 squares he moves up. Thus he moves 15 feet and manages to climb 10.

Up speed - But those up squares cost double, so it costs him 25ft of movement.

Down angle - A hawk can move down at any angle, just watch out to save yourself enough movement to make that turn at the end or faceplant in the ground after a divebomb. Some creatures can't fly strait down.

Down speed - You also move faster while going down. Each 10ft of downward movement cost 5ft of fly speed, so you can dive 120ft as a move action.

Between up and down - You must move 5ft horizontally between flying down and flying back up. This means that you must have 15ft of horizontal space, and 20ft of movement left to break out of a dive. (10ft to make a 90 degree turn out of the dive moving 5 foot (bottom square of the dive), 5 ft of movement between up and down, and 5ft of movement turning back up.

Hope this helps. Think of your fly speed as a set of points that you can spend to move through the air. 1 point per 5ft of fly speed.

[DrkMagusX]

I will prob give the hawk improve flight to up it from average to good. The hawk will be trying to get around to my allies to deliver buffs n cures. I also want to have him snatch up items away from enemies.

[Spuddles]

Good flight maneuverability gets you the capabilities of a hummingbird.

[Curmudgeon]

Move Backwards - Flight pays attention to facing. You must pay attention to the direction your character is moving. You cannot fly backwards as a hawk, you have to actually turn around.
There's no support for that highlighted statement in the RAW. D&D flight rules pay attention to flight paths, not facing. You can't reverse a flight path, and must turn it in (maximum) 45 degree changes of direction per 5' square of movement. But the Hawk has no required facing in the D&D rules.

[DrkMagusX]

Thanks for all the input. Gonna give the Hawk improved flight to give it good vs average. It needs to be able to fly down and fetch dropped weapons and the back up.