Airborne PC's?

[Zenos]

I just got an idea about a hi-magic campaign where most of the wars are fought by warmages and/or warlocks in skirmish groups, with some martial initiate support and generaly using magic wands instead of guns. In such a campaign I would want the PC's to be paratroopers, and I am already thinking about rings of feather fall and such for the "parachutes" but I am not realy sure what to use for bringing them over the place they are going to land, as I don't realy want magic mounts like pegasi and giant eagles, but I can't find a suitable flying consttruct. I do not want any kind of airship or anything like it, I want something that is actually similar to a plane. It should have space for at least four passengers (the PC's and the pilot).
Also, would I need any other stuff to simulate modern warfare with magic? I guess I can use golems with wands for hands and crew compartments to simulate tanks.

[hamishspence]

Eberron has at least one huge flying warforged, a bit like the warforged titan.

it sounds like a cross between D&D and D20 modern. the game is not really set up for modern warfare. However.

Warforged titans are pretty standard melee monster. Siege golem from cityscape is very like artillery. Cannon golem in Dragon magazine is part way between the two, more like a walking tank.

Strongholds with the flying enchantment are not exactly planes, but might be fairly close. More of an armoured floating battle platform. It could look like a plane though.

Arms and Equipment guide has at least one piloted walker, and armoured wagons. a bit tank-ish.

Complete warrior had suggestions, stressing that the high lethality of spells and monsters meant fighting might be more successful modern style, sniping, cover, sneaking around, trenches.

[Ivius]

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems...carpetofFlying
It's not really a construct, but you can make it out of sheet metal if you want...

[hewhosaysfish]

Thinking outside the box here, what about a great big teleporter that teleports the PCs into mid-air above the enemies anti-teleport wards. (Largely inspired by the Allied Chronosphere from Red Alert 2.)

[Prometheus]

the game is not really set up for modern warfare. However.

This is quite the understatement. Because of how much power scales in D&D, a few relatively strong characters are likely to prevail against many slightly weaker characters. The closest analogy in modern times is superior technology. If you want it to be like a classic war, the level of the average soldier should be a lot closer to the PCs and mediocre magic items should be widely available even if excellent ones are not.

[Triaxx]

Try just a small airship, something like a flying rowboat. It'll probably carry a pilot, and eight or so passengers if it's big, but around four if it's smaller.

[Triaxx]

Try just a small airship, something like a flying rowboat. It'll probably carry a pilot, and eight or so passengers if it's big, but around four if it's smaller. That should do the trick for you.

[Jastermereel]

I take it that comically large catapults are out?

What about a giant ballista that launches a glider built for four? It's not particularly elaborate and could be made relatively cheaply. Once over the target, the PCs would just need to ready their rings and detach themselves from the glider. It's not particularly magical, but would seem reasonable for launching strike teams in.

[Keld Denar]

Try just a small airship, something like a flying rowboat. It'll probably carry a pilot, and eight or so passengers if it's big, but around four if it's smaller. That should do the trick for you.

I like this idea...except make it an ACTUAL rowboat, with an ACTUAL oarsman. The magic is in the oars, and they provide levitation and propulsion, but have to actually be "rowed" in order to stay aloft. Then have something like the pilot get by an "antiaircraft" disintegrate, fail his save and get dusted. Then one of the PCs can jump in the seat, try to pilot for a couple hundred more feat, before everyone jumps overboard, blows their chute rings, and the rowboat plummets to the ground and explodes in a huge Hollywoodesqe fireball.

Man, that would be an awesome encounter, both fun and memorable.

[Funkyodor]

Great campaign I was in involved flying ships. We were on an enchanted Pinnace (single masted 20 foot long sailing vessel) that could fly via magical wood. The ship could also be enhanced via a control room with other miscellaneous effects like Shield, Protection from Fire, Invisibility, etcetera. The standard crew item was a belt of contingency Feather Fall that went off after falling more than 10 feet, single use only. In 3.5 this could be an immediate action Feather Fall item that only has one charge.

Combine this with potions of Invisibility and Smokesticks for fun paratrooping times. Although Paratroopers are going to want potions of Fly instead.

[Tsotha-lanti]

You use a flying castle or dragons, just like Hicks and Weisman. An adult silver dragon (Huge, Str 27) can carry about 8 heavily armored troopers as a light load.

[ColdBrew]

The Sharn book for Eberron goes more into detail on floaty bits, since it's the City of Towers and sits in a zone strongly connected to the plane of air, which boosts magical flight. They have air taxis that are kind of like longboats, and crystal sleds that one person can stand on and control, kind of like a faster version of floating disk. I think some skirmishing troops on flying disks would be awesome.

[Paul H]

Hi

Use a Magic Carpet for transport.

Cast 'Heart of Air' from Complete Mage on characters. This grants immediate Fthr Fall when required.

Dancing Lights make good flares.
Wands of Empowered Magic Missile for semi-automatic rifles.
Fireball, Flamestrike etc as artillery.
Command Posts use Crystal Balls & Message spells etc.
Stinking Cloud for Tear Gas
Acid Fog as variant of Fuel Air Explosive
Entangle traps for Barbed Wire
Leomunds Tiny Hut for hidden bunkers etc. (They can still see something's there, just not what).
Druids, with their awesome animal companions, spells & wildshape could form your armoured spearheads.
Wizard Diviners & Clerics form Intel branch
Clerics form not only medical Corps, but also logistical support, with Create Food & Water, Endure Elements, and their crafting feats.
Wizards could cast 'Mass Fly' or 'Teleport without Error' on your 'airborne' troops.

List goes on..........
Hope this helps,
Paul H

[Subotei]

In Michael Moorcock's Runestaff books the Granbretan forces use ornithopters - basically mechanical craft that fly by flapping their wings like birds. They're powered by a magical/futuristic engines (its a post-apocalyptic European setting where society has reached a medieval tech level, but some futuristic technologies have been recovered by 'sorcerers'). They're generally in bird form or modelled on other flying beasts from legends.

They're mainly one or two seaters, but there were larger versions in the books if I recall correctly. Were often armed with 'flame lances' - some kind of rediscovered laser or particle beam weapon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_His..._the_Runestaff