Ways to get flight for mundanes

[dspeyer]

The recent barbearian thread got me thinking: what are the ways a basically violent or skillful character can get airborn without sacrificing his violence or skills?

Things I've thought of or were suggested downthread:

{table=head]Technique|Type|Cost|Quality|Restrictions
Broom of Flying|Item|17kgp|40avg for 9 hours broken up|200lbs
Wings of Flying|Item|54kgp|60good|
Amber Amulet of Vermin: Giant Wasp|Item|800GP|60good 1min/day|medium or smaller
Owlfeather Armor|Item|8160gp|40good 3/day 5rnd|
Cloak of the Dragon|Item|6kgp|? 10min/day|
Feathered Wings|Graft|10kgp|2x land average|evil
Winged Mask|13kgp|60perfect|must reactivate every 5 minutes
Phylactery of Change|11.2kgp|varies|give up normal body
Eagle Companion|Class Feature|1 level druid or 4 levels ranger|80avg|tiny or smaller
Dire Bat Companion|Class Feature|4 level druid or 8 levels ranger|40good|medium or smaller
Hippogriff|Purchasable Mount|4kgp|100avg|must be medium or smaller
Pegasus|Purchasable Mount or Cohort Mount|4kgp or leadership 8|120avg|nonevil, medium or smaller
Giant Eagle|Purchasable Mount or Cohort Mount|5kgp or leadership 8|80avg|medium or smaller
Giant Owl|Purchasable Mount or Cohort Mount|5kgp or leadership 8|70avg|medium or smaller
Griffon|Purchasable Mount or Cohort Mount|8.5kgp or leadership 12|80avg|medium or smaller
Cauchemar (Nightmare)|Cohort Mount|leadership 21|90good|large or smaller
Fly|Spell|3 levels of Divine Crusader (or 5 of a normal caster or duskblade)|60perfect, briefly|same alignment as god of travel (if DC)
Balance on the Sky|Stance|feat or stance known|as air walk|IL 15 and 3 Shadow Hand
Raptorian|Race||40avg, briefly|5HD
Aarakocra|Race||90avg|
Afflicted were-raven|Template|2LA|40avg|diminutive-small humanoid
Afflicted were-eagle|Template|2LA+1HD|80avg|tiny-medium humanoid
Afflicted were-dire-bat|Template|2LA+4HD|40good|medium-huge humanoid or giant
Dragonborn|Rite|100gp, 24 hours, 2 dex|30avg (briefly at 6hd, generally at 10hd)|good, humanoid
[/table]

I've left out unusual paladin mounts and obtaining roc eggs because there's too much DM discretion involved.

Honestly, this list doesn't look very good. Are there better ways I missed?

[Urpriest]

There are a few grafts that gives wings. Have you taken a look at the List of Necessary Magic Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851)?

[Darrin]

Shapesand -> F-16.

[Jon Everyman]

Dragonborn is an easy way to attach flight to a character.

[Maladaptive]

Aarakocra get 90 ft fly speed with average maneuverability for LA +2, if we are trying to be complete here.

[Crasical]

There are a lot more items for flight, just even in core.

Winged Boots, 16k, 3x a day for 5 minutes each, Fly as the spell.

Flying Carpet, 20/35/60k, at will (200/400/800lb limit), as Overland Flight.

Cloak of the Bat 26k, fly as the spell, only works in darkness, 7 minutes at a time, then disabled for however long you flew.

Ebony Fly is an instant flying mount equivalent to a hippogriff

Obsidian Steed also flies, requires Good alignment.



However, this is obviously the superior way to gain flight as a mundane.



BUOYANT BALLOON
Price 10 gp; Weight 1 lb.
This fist-sized alchemically treated animal bladder is tightly sealed around a small wooden grip. By giving the handle a sharp twist you break a tiny glass ampoule just inside the bladder, filling the bag with buoyant gas and causing it to swell into a 3-foot-diameter sphere. Inflating the balloon is a move action. Once filled, the balloon floats upward at a speed of 60 feet per round. The balloon can lift up to 20 pounds of weight as it rises, though carrying more than 10 pounds reduces its speed to 30 feet per round. Multiple balloons attached to a single object add their carrying capacities together when determining how much weight they can lift. If a balloon is not held or bound in place in some manner, it continues to rise until it reaches a height of 600 feet, or until 10 minutes have passed, after which it pops or deflates and is destroyed.

[Greenish]

Celestial Armor, in addition to its good stats, allows you to cast Fly a few times a day.

[Curmudgeon]

Winged Creature (Savage Species, pages 137-138) grants wings, naturally; it's an inherited template for +2 LA. Unseelie Fey (Dragon Compendium, pages 222-223) will give wings, though it's up to your DM exactly how that works; it's +0 LA but changes your type to Fey, meaning you'll probably have some racial HD.

Outsider Wings will give wings to an Aasimar or Tiefling. (It's by race, not Outsider type, so Lesser versions of those will work OK as well.) Improved Dragon Wings (Races of the Dragon) will do the same if you've got the dragonblood subtype. Each of these feats requires another feat, so it'll cost 2 feats to get flying.

[Snowbluff]

Shapesand -> F-16.

F22 would net you a higher sustainable top speed, but would cost you more sand.

[Ekul]

Don't forget to mention that Dragonborn also costs most of your racial features.

[Darrin]

Animal Devotion (Complete Champion). 1 minute of overland flight, available from 1st level.

Dragon Wings/Improved Dragon Wings (Races of the Dragon). 30' (average) fly speed, 1st level/dragonblood only.

Outsider Wings (Races of Faerun). Fly speed equal to land speed (average). Aasimar/Tiefling only, although some DMs may allow Otherworldly feat or other outsiders (Neraphim).

Fleshshifter Armor (Book of Vile Darkness). Leather armor +1, alter self at will, switch to Air Mephling, Avarial, Saurial Flyer, Aarakocra, or Raptoran.

Flying Force Surfboard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10294124&postcount=5) (Various sources, but this particular Flying weapon property is from Magic of Faerun). Creates a 10' x 30' flying wall of force that you can direct and ride around on like a surfboard.

Air Mephling (Planar Handbook). 10' (perfect) fly speed, LA +1.

Avariel (Races of Faerun). 50' (average) fly speed, LA +3.

Flyer Saurial (Serpent Kingdoms Web Enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20040717a)). 50' (average) fly speed, LA +3.

Hengeyokai Crane (Oriental Adventures). Hybrid form has 20' fly speed, crane form 60'. LA +0 per 3.5 update (Dragon #318).

Hengeyokai Sparrow (Oriental Adventures). Hybrid form has 20' fly speed, sparrow form 50'. LA +0 per 3.5 update (Dragon #318).

[Alleran]

There are a few grafts that gives wings. Have you taken a look at the List of Necessary Magic Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851)?
If he doesn't want to risk going evil, then I think the wing cost will jump to something like 100000gp or the like (for zelekhut wings) if he wants a graft.

Although there's that air elemental graft for the legs that gives you a 20 foot fly speed with perfect maneuverability.

[Waker]

Shape Soulmeld (Airstep Sandals) can net you a flying speed. Though you need to end on a solid surface at the end or fall. Getting essentia is needed to do much with it.

[Beleron]

Phoenix Cloak

[Feint's End]

In Pathfinder. Be a Sylph and take Aery Step and Wings of Air.

edit: also you forgot one of the best flight items for a decent price. Winged Vest for 12 000. 5 times a day swift action flight 60ft (good) for 5 rounds. While that seems bad to some since you just have it for a very limited time a da the real seller is the swift action activation. Enemy caster just flew up and laughs at you? Swift action and charge! It's probably the flight item I pick on every mundane if I can't get it otherwise (until later and perma flight)

[NiteCyper]

Either Mulhorandi Divine Minion (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a) template, (Improved) Dragon Wings (http://rpg.stackexchange.com/a/48189/7980) feat(s) (Races of the Dragon) (if Dragonblood subtype), or Half-Dragon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfDragon.htm) (if Large or larger).

[Necroticplague]

Technically, there's a different wing graft in the same book as Feathered Wing, though its name escapes me. Replace the buffet with some energy resistance, massively increased cost.

[NiteCyper]

Technically, there's a different wing graft in the same book as Feathered Wing, though its name escapes me. Replace the buffet with some energy resistance, massively increased cost.




Membranous Wings: Membranous wings resemble those of a succubus, pit fiend, or bat. The grafted creature can fly at a speed equal to twice its normal land speed, with average maneuverability. The grafted creature gains fire and cold resistance 10.
Prerequisites: Graft Flesh, fly, protection from energy, creator must be a fiend; Market Price: 50,000 gp.


The errata and 3.5 update do not modify this entry.