Unseen servants and flight?

[Inevitability]

Last session, one of my players enacted what may have been the craziest plan I've ever seen.

First, he cast Unseen Servant as a ritual five times, then directed the servants to carry him. As each has a carrying capacity of 30 pounds and his character only weighs 120 or so, this was easily possible.

Next, he directed all servants to 'move up to 15 ft.' As in, they move up 15 ft. It goes without saying that this had me checking the spell all over, but I couldn't find anything prohibiting it.

Then, he commanded all his servants to move in a certain direction while keeping him up. He then lied back, relaxed, and proceeded to ritually replace any missing servants.

My question is; does this work? Or is there something I've missed?

[rollingForInit]

Last session, one of my players enacted what may have been the craziest plan I've ever seen.

First, he cast Unseen Servant as a ritual five times, then directed the servants to carry him. As each has a carrying capacity of 30 pounds and his character only weighs 120 or so, this was easily possible.

Next, he directed all servants to 'move up to 15 ft.' As in, they move up 15 ft. It goes without saying that this had me checking the spell all over, but I couldn't find anything prohibiting it.

Then, he commanded all his servants to move in a certain direction while keeping him up. He then lied back, relaxed, and proceeded to ritually replace any missing servants.

My question is; does this work? Or is there something I've missed?

Does he really only weigh 120 pounds? Where's his equipment?

The spell specifies that the servant has speed of 15, not that it has a flight speed. So that could totally be the argument against it if you wanted.

That said: cool idea if you decide that servants can fly (to clean the top of that bookshelf?). However, consider that casting the spell as a ritual takes 10 minutes. During those minutes, you have to spend your action concentrating on your spell. Being carried by five individuals is hardly a joyride, so I'd personally rule that he wouldn't be able to cast the ritual continuously. That is, I really don't think you can "lie back, relax and proceed to ritually replace any missing servants". After a while I'd at least start having him make constitution saving throws to keep his concentration - and if he misses a single ritual, even by a minute, the whole thing fails.

I would totally allow it if a player kept spending spell slots, however.

Also consider that the servants have 10 AC an a single hit point, so basically if a bird flies into it or its hit by anything, it could easily die and then the character would fall. The unseen also aren't intelligent at all, so they'd need constant directions. There's a whole lot of things that could go wrong - I would even say, that will go wrong - during an extended flight. But as a means to get up to the roof of a building, maybe? Sure.

If they can fly.

[Inevitability]

Does he really only weigh 120 pounds? Where's his equipment?

The spell specifies that the servant has speed of 15, not that it has a flight speed. So that could totally be the argument against it if you wanted.

That said: cool idea if you decide that servants can fly (to clean the top of that bookshelf?). However, consider that casting the spell as a ritual takes 10 minutes. During those minutes, you have to spend your action concentrating on your spell. Being carried by five individuals is hardly a joyride, so I'd personally rule that he wouldn't be able to cast the ritual continuously. That is, I really don't think you can "lie back, relax and proceed to ritually replace any missing servants". After a while I'd at least start having him make constitution saving throws to keep his concentration - and if he misses a single ritual, even by a minute, the whole thing fails.

I would totally allow it if a player kept spending spell slots, however.

Also consider that the servants have 10 AC an a single hit point, so basically if a bird flies into it or its hit by anything, it could easily die and then the character would fall. The unseen also aren't intelligent at all, so they'd need constant directions. There's a whole lot of things that could go wrong - I would even say, that will go wrong - during an extended flight. But as a means to get up to the roof of a building, maybe? Sure.

If they can fly.

Player is an elf wizard, so he does weigh very little and has almost no equipment. And well, I did have him roll for staying aloft. The party was in a giant storm, and the wizard thought this would be a good way to avoid being swept away by the waves. Being blown away by the gusts of wind was something he didn't think off. He made all saving throws, though.

[rollingForInit]

Player is an elf wizard, so he does weigh very little and has almost no equipment. And well, I did have him roll for staying aloft. The party was in a giant storm, and the wizard thought this would be a good way to avoid being swept away by the waves. Being blown away by the gusts of wind was something he didn't think off. He made all saving throws, though.

In that situation, I think the Unseen Servants should definitely have to make saving throws as well. Avoid being blown away sounds like it could be a Strength save? And they have -4 on those. I'd also make the Wizard do some Dex saves just to cling to his Unseen Servants.

[Galen]

The servants do not have a listed Flight speed, therefore they cannot fly. Rule-wise, this is the end of the story. Case closed.

Now, fluff-wise, the player may argue two things:

a. It says "command the servant to move 15'", and these 15' can be in any direction. You can respond that the exact same language is used for the Ranger's animal companion - the player "can command it to move up to its speed", and that doesn't mean the ranger's wolf can suddenly fly.

b. The servant is an entity made of pure force, and doesn't have to stay on the ground. You can respond that it still needs leverage to be able to lift stuff. Or, come up with whichever fluff explanation that meets your fancy. It's a spell. What do we know about the physics of spells?

But anyway, rule-wise, your case is watertight. If it has no listed Fly speed, it can't fly.

[Mrmox42]

As a DM, I would totally allow a player to fly using enough Servants - but I am very rigid in my interpretation of the Ritual rules. I like rituals to be something with drawing magic circles, lighting candles and positioning skulls in the right places.
And this would be quite hard to do, while hovering gently about the landscape.

Still, I see the Servants as made of pure force and able to go whereever you will them, within the spell's parameters.

It is actually a clever use of a spell.

[Daishain]

My ruling? hell no, for the following reasons

1. no fly speed= cannot fly

2. What exactly a ritual entails is not listed, but it would typically involve objects arranged in a certain pattern along with careful motions involving the same, and is almost certainly designed to be done using a table surface and/or a section of open ground. I'm not sure there's anything that you can do that would be described as a ritual while being carried through the air like that.

3. Flying through the air would drastically reduce what one is strong enough to carry by comparison to what one can carry on the ground. The max limit of those five servants under such conditions is likely closer to 50 pounds altogether.