Aerial Boarding Spells [3.5]

[hymer]

What are the lowest level spells a party of five could use to board a flying ship from the ground? The ship might well be half a mile above ground, but probably stationary while the boarding attempt is made. Scrolls will be bought to attempt this, so the lower level, the better (i.e. cheaper).

Thanks in advance!

[Mr Adventurer]

Fly, and Invisibility Sphere

[hymer]

Fly, and Invisibility Sphere

There's no 3.5-version of MotW Feathers?

[Darrin]

There's no 3.5-version of MotW Feathers?

The 3.0 version of feathers is still legal and valid for all 3.5 games. That was one of my ideas. My other ideas:

Winged watcher (Complete Scoundrel) but range is personal and the duration is too short.

For multiple scrolls, summoning a hippogriff is probably your best bet (SMIII or SNAII), but duration is going to be very iffy. A hippogriff can climb 100' per round if it double moves, or 200' per round if it runs.

[Bronk]

For an average humanoid party, a good bet would be the level 2 spell Alter Self, taking the form of an avariel.

The spell lasts for 10 minutes per caster level, and avariels are winged elves that have a fly speed of 50'.

[Cruiser1]

What are the lowest level spells a party of five could use to board a flying ship from the ground? The ship might well be half a mile above ground, but probably stationary while the boarding attempt is made.
Levitate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/levitate.htm): A level 2 spell lasting 1 min/level. Works if the ship is stationary and you start directly below it. If you levitate a log or something, you can carry the entire party on it with one casting.

[Fizban]

At 3,000 feet the number of castings is gonna make most spells lose to Teleport. Levitate will only manage 200'/cl so it won't work until cl15, and then only if your DM allows the log trick (and presumably the party+log would have to total 1,500lbs or less, but 5 well armored medium creatures can go over that). Summon monster 2 is faster but will also only manage 200'/cl.On the other hand you only need one cl12 scroll of Teleport to snag the whole party and do the job instantaneously rather than taking 15 long obvious minutes in plain sight, for only 1,500gp.

[Endarire]

Why do you want aboard this flying boat? What happens if you don't get on? If you do?

[hymer]

Why do you want aboard this flying boat? What happens if you don't get on? If you do?

Mostly homebrewed draconians raid an area from flying ships. An NPC would like to have some scrolls up his sleeve to give to the not flying and barely spellcasting PC party, in case he can persuade them to capture one of the ships for examination. They would attack while most of the draconians are out raiding, during which the ship prefers to remain in the same place, so the raiders can find it again.