Gravity Boots...???

[Brother Numsie]

Hi, I recently stumbled upon a very nifty item in Planar Handbook called Gravity Boots. I know how they work, but here's the question:

What type of class would benefit the MOST from having the Gravity Boots?

[Burley]

Let me try to help!
But, first...What do they do? For those of us (...me) who don't have that book, but have self-proclaimed "knowledge" (...me), please give me a description of the item.
Include the item creation junks, if you have them, too. It may be something I'd want to throw at my players.

[Adumbration]

They basically let you decide where the gravity is for your character, letting you walk on walls or fly, for an example.

[rockdeworld]

Fighter! Ranger! Anyone who can hit from a distance and can't naturally fly (*cough* wizard)

[Tempest Fennac]

Being as Wizards can already cast Fly (unless they barred Transmutation for some reason), wouldn't other classes be a better choice for this item? Would a Rogue be able to se them with a shortbow to flank enermies? If they could, these would work brilliantly with them.

[Brother Numsie]

Moderate Comjuration; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, false gravity; Price 50,400 gp; Weight 1 lb.

Leather boots which allow the wearer to choose the direction of gravity's pull on him and his equipment. The wearer can move normally on any solid surface by imagining "down" for whatever is below the boots.

Can be activated once per round as a free action. If the wearer drops an item, it falls to the ground as normal gravity takes hold of it.

The wearer can carry another creature (object) so long as he does not let go of it. However, as soon as he lets go the creature (object) falls according to normal gravity.

Technically a creature can fly in this way by choosing up as the new "down" and moves 60' per round. At each new round he can choose another "down" for the direction and loses all "downward" momentum gained.

"the text above is from the Planar Handbook, p.82"

one use I see is for climbing a steep cliff or wall, you define up as "down" while standing beside the wall and if it's higher than 60' you use a free action when high enough to define the wall as "down," then you fall to the wall without taking damage...

And I know this item is a fun thing for grapplers. :)

[Burley]

I'd say a Scout with Spring-Attack (Fly-By Attack?) would get a lot out of it. Or a Barbarian with Pounce.

[BRC]

Oh, the fun with this. Define your enemies face as "Down" while standing at one end of a long hallway...

[Person_Man]

Boots of Gravity (pg 82) are ridiculously overpriced (50,400 gp). In general, you're much better off with Slippers of Spider Climbing (4,800 gp).

I think the best combo would be for a Grapple build that was somehow immune to falling damage without having a Feather Fall effect (which would also slow your Grappled target down). Grapple your enemy, turn on the Boots of Gravity as a free action, moving you and your target to a wall or ceiling or the sky - and provoking AoO (preferably from your party members). Assuming you have iterative attacks and can use them, continue making Grapple checks to deal damage against your enemy. If he's still alive next round, reverse gravity again to an opposite wall or the floor, dealing falling damage.

Its really not necessary, because by the time you can afford it (ECL 12ish) any optimized Grapple build should have Scorpions Grasp (Sandstorm - free Grapple checks) and 12d8ish unarmed damage (A few Monk levels, Fist of the Forest, Expansion, Warshaper, etc). But hey, the visual would be supremely cool.

[Scaboroth]

Oh, the fun with this. Define your enemies face as "Down" while standing at one end of a long hallway...

"The enemy's gate is down!"

[Worira]

Boots of Gravity (pg 82) are ridiculously overpriced (50,400 gp). In general, you're much better off with Slippers of Spider Climbing (4,800 gp).

Except that they let you fly, and wings of flying cost 54,000 GP.

[FinalJustice]

Overpriced, yet fun. 'The enemy face is down' gave me the lulz.

So, everything you hold is affected by the new gravity?
-'I hold on to the BBEG's fortress/tower"
-'Up is down'
-"I let it go"
-????
-Profit?!

[Brother Numsie]

I'm sorry for posting this off topic but WTH!!! Abjurant Champion is total crap.

Mage Armor is a conjuration spell according to Spell Compendium and Shield is an evocation spell...

[Aquillion]

Except that they let you fly, and wings of flying cost 54,000 GP.

They don't let you fly very well, though -- you have to fly in exactly 60-foot increments, allowing (at most) one turn during each (and many DMs might not even allow you that -- it's unclear if you'd have to fall the full distance for that turn before you get a chance to use free actions and change gravity again. In that case, your manuverability is nearly nil.)

Most notably, a rogue is going to have a lot of trouble keeping exactly 30 feet away from an groundbound opponent outdoors -- when you take off, you definitely gotta go 60 feet straight up before you can do anything else, because you already used your one turn for that round to start moving upwards.

Unless you really like the flavor of the boots, just spend the extra GP for the wings.

[Adumbration]

By the way, does the flying bit take a move action or free action?

[jcsw]

I'm guessing free, and you're kinda forced to fall, changing direction is free once a round though, I think... If you had to take move actions to fall, that would be hilarious...

"I charge off the cliff"
-"You know you'd fall right?"
"No, I don't have any more move actions left, so I can't fall"

[Chronos]

I'd say a Scout with Spring-Attack (Fly-By Attack?) would get a lot out of it.

You wouldn't need Spring Attack: Falling is a free action. Which also means that this thing effectively gives you Pounce: Fall in the direction you want to go, and then make a full attack.

[Frosty]

"The enemy's gate is down!"

Salaam, my friend...

[Person_Man]

Except that they let you fly, and wings of flying cost 54,000 GP.

As Aquillion has pointed out, they don't let you fly, they let you fall 60 feet in any direction once per round as a free action. You also can't use them for Flyby Attack, because it specifically requires a Fly Speed.

Having said that, I think Chronos is onto something. You could "fall" directly into an enemy (essentially making your target the "floor" for your gravity), giving yourself free movement every turn. I'm not sure exactly how it would be handled though. Would you take falling damage? Would your enemy? What happens if your enemy is only 10 feet away - do you fall into and past his square, or do you land on him and use him as a surface to stand on? Would your enemy be effected by the altered gravity once you were "standing" on him, or would he be entirely unaffected unless you were grappling him? Would your enemy get an AoO on you because you move through his threatened area and into his space?

Clearly, I'm not sure how it would work. But the visuals would just be hilarious.

[Ned the undead]

Being as Wizards can already cast Fly (unless they barred Transmutation for some reason), wouldn't other classes be a better choice for this item? Would a Rogue be able to se them with a shortbow to flank enermies? If they could, these would work brilliantly with them.

Who bans Transmutation?

[Ned the undead]

As Aquillion has pointed out, they don't let you fly, they let you fall 60 feet in any direction once per round as a free action. You also can't use them for Flyby Attack, because it specifically requires a Fly Speed.

Having said that, I think Chronos is onto something. You could "fall" directly into an enemy (essentially making your target the "floor" for your gravity), giving yourself free movement every turn. I'm not sure exactly how it would be handled though. Would you take falling damage? Would your enemy? What happens if your enemy is only 10 feet away - do you fall into and past his square, or do you land on him and use him as a surface to stand on? Would your enemy be effected by the altered gravity once you were "standing" on him, or would he be entirely unaffected unless you were grappling him? Would your enemy get an AoO on you because you move through his threatened area and into his space?

Clearly, I'm not sure how it would work. But the visuals would just be hilarious.

Your falling right? They'd probaly take falling damage. Also I'd say they get an AoO cause if it's more than 5 ft you "fell".

[FMArthur]

At least you can use this to succeed on Leap Attacks...

I would also wager that you and your opponent need to split the falling damage when you land on them. Where are the rules for falling, again?

[mostlyharmful]

I'm guessing free, and you're kinda forced to fall, changing direction is free once a round though, I think... If you had to take move actions to fall, that would be hilarious...

"I charge off the cliff"
-"You know you'd fall right?"
"No, I don't have any more move actions left, so I can't fall"

They could even glow gold underneath for a few seconds... Then the big drummer smacks you one.

[Inhuman Bot]

Just hearing this makes me think of the TES item..
Also, the best class for this would probly be scout, or that half-ogre Spike chain build.

[sonofzeal]

"The enemy's gate is down!"

Indeed.

[Waspinator]

Battle plan using what I remember of Newtonian mechanics!

Grab enemy. Choose the sun as "down". You both fall upwards towards it. You let go of him once you're as high as you need to kill the guy (let's say 300 feet). Choose the ground as "down". Assuming that you keep your previous momentum, you should continue going up while slowing down and will stop at 600 feet then start falling back towards the ground. Once you are at the 300 foot mark again, choose the sun as "down" again. You will fall towards the ground while slowing down and come to a stop just as you reach your original starting height. Then choose the ground as "down" again and you'll stop at the ground with no relative speed to the earth.

[Toliudar]

Hmm. If you're facing a trip build, and are prone, could you declare the direction where your feet are as "down", therefore making yourself standing again?

[sonofzeal]

Hmm. If you're facing a trip build, and are prone, could you declare the direction where your feet are as "down", therefore making yourself standing again?

No, you'll just fall down the floor as if it was a vertical wall. That's not too bad for Monks though...

[ThePhantom]

They could even glow gold underneath for a few seconds... Then the big drummer smacks you one.

Bongo Bongo fight?

[sikyon]

Newtonian mechanics will make this a headache to simulate in you head. You're going to be playing dungeons and acceleration, now with more protractors!