Winged Dervish?

[Talya]

Favorite races thread got me thinking about Averiel and Fey'ri, and then I started thinking about how well wings would work in a dervish dance.

Anybody have any ideas on special optimizations you'd need to really take advantage of flight as a dervish?

[Bears With Lasers]

A reach weapon. If you attack them from out of their reach and in the air, they can't close with you unless they can fly themselves.

[the_tick_rules]

what about bows.

[Talya]

Bows really don't qualify as a slashing weapon.

[Annarrkkii]

Defeats the purpose of dervishing.

Reach weapons would be absolutely nice... Only problem would be getting Flyby Attack instead of Spring Attack. I think.

[Talya]

Defeats the purpose of dervishing.

Reach weapons would be absolutely nice... Only problem would be getting Flyby Attack instead of Spring Attack. I think.

Whipping along at 15' altitude and hitting everything below you that can't fly is sick...you don't even NEED to raise tumble.

I suppose you'd want to take feats that raise your flight speed, as dervish fast movement will apply to your feet, not your wings.

[Annarrkkii]

Certainly. Actually, considering how beefy most flight speeds are, a few potions of Expeditious Retreat (50 gp for a minute) should tide you over nicely.

[Darkxarth]

Certainly. Actually, considering how beefy most flight speeds are, a few potions of Expeditious Retreat (50 gp for a minute) should tide you over nicely.

There is no effect on other modes of movement, such as burrow, climb, fly, or swim

Lame, but true.

[AtomicKitKat]

It really all boils down to what you mean when you say "Flight speed is double your base land speed." and how it interacts with "Your base land speed is improved by X feet." :)

[Ramza00]

Don't play an Avariel, whatever you do, don't play an Avariel.

Play a Elf with the Winged Creature Template instead. What you get for 2 LA

Winged Creature +4 Dex, +2 Wis. Speed is Land+20 feet. Maneuverability is based off Dex.
17+ is perfect, 15 is good, 11 is Average, 7 is poor, 6 or lower is clumsy

Plain High Elf +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
Total effect (Winged High Elf): +6 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Wis, 50 feet speed, if you have a base dex of 11 you have perfect maneuverability.
Favored Class Wizard
LA of 2

Gray Elf -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence
Total effect (Winged Grey Elf): -2 Str, +6 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, 50 feet speed, if you have a base dex of 11 you have perfect maneuverability.
Favored Class Wizard
LA of 2

Wild Elf +4 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence
Total effect (Winged Grey Elf): +8 Dex, -2 Con, -2 Int, +2 Wis, 50 feet speed, if you have a base dex of 9 and you have perfect maneuverability.
Favored Class Sorcerer
LA of 2

Wood Elf +2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence
Total effect (Winged Grey Elf): +2 Str, +6 Dex, -2 Con, -2 Int, +2 Wis, 50 feet speed, if you have a base dex of 11 you have perfect maneuverability.
Favored Class Ranger
LA of 2
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vs
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Avariel
+4 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis
50 Flight with Average Maneuverability.
Does double damage with a charge (it is called a dive but it is identical to a charge besides you do double damage if using a piercing weapon).
Favored Class Cleric
LA of 3

Read more here
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=704014

I won't dare show you a CO link on the subject, they are far more cruel

The higher ECl isn't worth it the dive ability. You shouldn't be charging when you have 3 less HD than everybody else. A winged creature elf will have the same net stats, and a better maneuverability and is 1 ecl lower.

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Especially don't play an Avariel if you are going into dervish and thus won't be using the dive ability and you wont' be using piercing weapons for Dervish requires slashing weapons.

Just play one of those other elves listed but call yourself an avariel.

[Necromas]

Kusari-Gamas are slashing weapons right? Dual wield those and booyah, reach light weapons you can dance with and have all the spiked chain cheese.

Make sure to get perfect maneuverability so you can dance around freely.

Get magic items with 'cloud wings' and 'wings of air' on them (level 2 druid spells) for +30ft fly speed and a step up in maneuverability. Then of course there's a feat that only requires a fly speed and bumps your maneuverability another step so you can go for pretty much any race with average maneuverability and up it to perfect.

Note: Perfect Maneuverability also gives you +12 to aerial trip attacks and overruns (against other flying creatures).

[OzymandiasVolt]

It really all boils down to what you mean when you say "Flight speed is double your base land speed." and how it interacts with "Your base land speed is improved by X feet." :)

It's crystal clear. If your fly speed is twice your base move speed and your base move speed increases, so does your fly speed. This is assuming of course that your fly speed is specifically based on your base move speed and doesn't just happen to be exactly double your base move by coincidence.

[Zincorium]

Kusari-Gamas are slashing weapons right? Dual wield those and booyah, reach light weapons you can dance with and have all the spiked chain cheese.

Make sure to get perfect maneuverability so you can dance around freely.

Get magic items with 'cloud wings' and 'wings of air' on them (level 2 druid spells) for +30ft fly speed and a step up in maneuverability. Then of course there's a feat that only requires a fly speed and bumps your maneuverability another step so you can go for pretty much any race with average maneuverability and up it to perfect.

Note: Perfect Maneuverability also gives you +12 to aerial trip attacks and overruns (against other flying creatures).

Kusari Gamas are an excellent weapon choice for TWF and Dervish especially.

Still, I can't help but wince when I try to picture something with wings swinging two around in combat.

[TheOOB]

Still, I can't help but wince when I try to picture something with wings swinging two around in combat.

Probally because most Double-Weapons styles a humanoid would use would chop off a winged creatures wings.