FLYING CREATURES

As mentioned previously, grappling in the air is usually out of the question. This means that many different creatures will use considerably different combat tactics in the air, and their "natural" methods of attack will often be substantially altered.

The following list should help the DM determine how certain creatures will fight in the air. Speed and maneuverability class are also listed. For reasons of space or redundancy, not all flying creatures have been included.

Once familiar with the system, the DM should be able to apply it to any aerial monster.

Aerial servant: 24", class A. If forced to fight, an aerial servant usually resorts to battering.

Avian Bird, Eagle, giant: 48", class D. Giant eagles commonly attack with their talons. They share with their smaller cousins the ability to plummet almost to the ground and then suddenly break their fall and pull out or land safely.

Chimera: 18", class E. The chimera is a clumsy flyer, and prefers to use its breath weapon in aerial battles. It can use its claws or attack with one of its heads.

Cockatrice: 18", class C. The cockatrice is not a strong, steady flyer, and will not go above 300-ft unless provoked into one of its screaming fits of rage. In any case, it will never fly for more than 2-5 turns before landing to rest. The cockatrice's power to turn flesh to stone is an awful one, as it often need only hit to destroy its enemies, and those petrified in the air usually fall and shatter!

Couatl: 18", class A. The couat's tavorite tactic is to throw loops around other flying creatures and constrict them so that neither couatl nor prey can fly. Both plummet to the earth, but the couatl turns ethereal just before impact and thus escapes being crushed.

Daemon, Nycadaemon: 36", class D. Though heavy, nycadaemons are powerful flyers, and can build up great speed and momentum. They act much like flying battering rams, striking for 2-12 points of damage when they hit for as much as 3-18 if they hit another flyer head-on, though this will also damage the nycadaemon 1-4 points). A nycadaemon will try to run its prey close to the ground and then close for a grapple. The wings will be used to batter and confuse and slow their fall, as it attempts to bring its opponent down to the ground where leverage and its full physical strength can be brought to bear.

Demon, Succubus: 18", class C. Succubi prefer not to melee in the air or on the ground, and will use guile, treachery and etherealness whenever possible.

Demon, Type I: 18", class C. These vulture-demons generally slash with their rear talons.

Demon, Type IV: 12", class E. Type VI: 15", class D. These two huge demon types will try to bring their foes to the ground, much like nycadaemons.

Devil, Erinyes: 21", class C. Erinyes will slash with their envenomed dagger or use their rope of entanglement to foul opponents' wings and make them fall.

Devil, Horned: 18", class D. Horned devils will attempt to impale with their fork and rip with their tails as they pass.

Devil, Pit Fiend: 15", class D. These mightiest of devils will usually attempt to force their prey to the ground, where they can leisurely tear them limb from limb. Their clubs and tails are dangerous weapons in the air.

All devils power of illusion makes them difficult and dangerous aerial opponents.

Dinosaur, Pteranodon: 15", class C. These creatures light bone structure makes them unwilling to collide with other creatures in the air, but it necessary they will attempt to spear with their long, pointed beaks. Their preferred method of attack is to drop upon earthbound creatures from above, lift them up to several hundred feet and then allow them to plummet to their deaths.

Dragons: 24" or 30", class E. Lack of maneuverability due to large size may seem to put dragons at a disadvantage in the air, but their powerful breath weapons somewhat make up for this. On an attack pass, a dragon can either bite or use its claws—never both. A dragon may choose to breathe on an approach and then pass and slash with fang or claw.

Elemental, air: 36", class A. Air elementals gain +1 to hit and +2 on each die of damage they inflict when fighting in the air. They move in the same manner as djinn.

Gargoyle: 15", class C. Gargoyles will attempt to spear with their horn or slash with their claws (never both).

Genie, Djinni: 24", class A. Djinn, like all creatures from the aerial plane, are nearly impossible to catch in the air. When a swooping creature approaches them, they simply move aside. In addition, their ability to create illusions and become invisible ensures that all aerial combat will take place only when and where the djinni desires. They are openly contemptuous of those who need wings to fly, or magical aviators such as magic-users and efreet.

Genie, Efreeti: 24", class B. As with djinn, efreet use their invisibility and illusion abilities to good effect in aerial combat.

Griffon: 30", class C (class D when mounted). A griffon will either slash with its forward talons or bite with its powerful beak.

Most flying mounts will be either griffons, hippogriffs or pegasi. All of these should be very difficult to acquire, and even harder to train. None of these types will mix with the others (griffons will eat pegasi or hippogriffs if given a chance, and hippogriffs confined with pegasi will bullyrag them whenever possible).

Griffons are often nasty and bad-tempered. If captured when very young and trained, however, they can become fiercely loyal mounts. Their loyalty is non-transferable once fixed, so they must be disciplined and trained solely by the intended rider. The griffon must be trained and exercised by its owner on a fairly regular basis while it is a fledgling (up to age six months) in order to accustom it to his or her presence and the bridle, blanket, saddle, etc. When the griffon is half-grown a period of intensive training must begin, which will last at least four months. The daily routine must never be broken for more than two days, or the griffon's wild nature will assert itself and all progress will be lost.

After two months of this intensive training, it will be possible to begin to fly the griffon. This will be a period of training for mount and owner alike, as the rider must learn how to deal with a new dimension, and he will probably have no teacher but himself. Imagine the confusing tumult of giant wings, the rush of air, the sudden changes in altitude, and you will realize why an inexperienced rider absolutely cannot handle a flying mount.

Griffons, like all large flying creatures, eat enormous amounts of food, especially after prolonged aviation. Moreover, they are carnivores, and thus very expensive to feed. Care and keeping of a griffon will be a constant strain on the largest treasure hoard. Costs will probably run in the area of 300-600 g.p. per month. It will require special quarters, at least three grooms and keepers, and occasionally an entire horse for dinner (diet will differ, but similar arrangements must be made for all flying mounts).

Harpy: 15", class C. Harpies will use either their leg talons or a weapon in aerial battle. Like eagles, they can plummet straight down and then pull out.

Hippogriff: 36", class C (class D when mounted). Hippogrifts fight in much the same manner as griffons.

Hippogriffs are not so difficult to train as griffons, but neither are they as dependable in a pinch. A training process basically similar to that previously described will be necessary, though occasionally an animal trainer can substitute for the master for short periods if he or she is tied up elsewhere. Once broken, hippogriffs may possibly serve more than one master. They are omnivores, and thus somewhat less expensive to feed than griffons.

Humanoids, Humans/Demi-. Men, like monsters, must behave differently in the air than on the ground. Most flying combat involving humans consists of magical or magically-equipped flyers rising above a melee to gain a positional advantage for the purpose of spell- or missile-casting. This actually isn't as easy as most players would like to think it is, as the different forms of magical flight often have requirements which interfere with such actions.

Flying mounts: All flying mounts will move at one maneuverability class worse than normal when mounted. This applies even if the rider is as small as a halfling or gnome. The only exceptions to this are E class creatures such as dragons, which are large enough to carry human-sized riders at no penalty.

— Normal spell use while riding a flying mount is of course impossible (though certain magic devices may be used).

Levitation: Once effected, this spell takes no concentration on the part of the caster except during changes of height, so it is quite useful when a magic-user desires to rise above a melee to acquire an open field of fire for his or her spells. The major drawback is that figures rising out of a battle are automatically assumed to be magic-users and will immediately attract most if not all of their opponents' missile fire.

Recipients of the levitation spell who wish to use bows from their elevated position will find that they are not totally stable, and thus shooting is slightly more difficult.

— Such archers will shoot at -1 "to hit". This is cumulative, subtracting another point from the archer's chance to hit for each successive round of fire until -3 is reached, as the archer becomes increasingly unstable. Continued firing will not lower the archer's chances beyond -3, and any round spent not firing (or fighting) will allow him or her to stabilize and start again at -1.

— Slinging, casting javelins or spears, or actually swinging a weapon (such as a sword) will be at double the minuses "to hit" for archery, i.e., -2, -4, -6.

— Due to the lack of leverage and something to "push" against, it is impossible to cock a heavy or medium crossbow while levitating (let your players find this out for themselves!).

Levitating persons are marvelous targets for flying creatures. They can generally be treated as earthbound targets which are easier to get at, and fight at a disadvantage. The DM should remember that though the recipient of a fly spell has full control of his or her movement, the height of a recipient of levitation is always under the control of the caster, and if that person is otherwise occupied, no vertical movement is possible (of course, this does not apply to magical devices such as boots of levitation, though everything else in the foregoing section is applicable).

Fly spell: Utilizing a fly spell takes as much concentration as walking, so most spells could be cast while flying, either while hovering or moving slowly 13" or less).

— There is no penalty for archery while flying assuming the archers are hovering—if they are moving, see AERIAL COMBAT, Aerial Missile Fire), but there are minuses for slinging or swinging weapons, and these are the same as the penalties for archery while levitating, i.e., -1 to hit, cumulative per successive rounds until -3 is reached.

— Persons using a fly spell (or a magical device which confers that power upon the bearer, such as a ring of flying) will move at maneuverability class B.

Flying persons involved in ground melees attract missile fire much as levitators do. Flying persons involved in combat with other aerial creatures do so in the same manner as any other creature of their maneuverability class.

Broom of flying: These devices must be moving at least half speed to function. With practice, they can be controlled by the rider's knees, so an experienced broomsman can melee in the air.

— However, all spell use is impossible while riding a broom, though some magical devices (such as wands) could be used.

— Brooms are maneuverability class C.

Carpet of flying: Carpets are the most stable of flying devices, and thus the most valuable.

— Though they are class C as pertains to maneuverability, they can hover or move at any speed the controller desires (up to the stated maximum).

— While hovering or moving slowly they are ideal platforms for spell- or missile-casting (quick motion tends to disrupt magical concentration, even it the spell-user is not the one controlling the carpet).

They are not so easily adapted to aerial melee, as passengers will tend to get knocked off the carpet and fall to the ground. Attempts to weave straps or seat belts into a flying carpet will generally destroy its dweomer.

Wings of flying: These devices are maneuverability class C and the wearer must be moving at least half speed to maintain flight.

— Though the wings leave the aviator's hands free for fighting, it is impossible to concentrate enough to cast spells due to the continual bodily motion involved.

— This does not prohibit the use of some magical devices that duplicate spell effects (rings, wands, etc.).

— Like an eagle, the wearer of wings of flying can plummet a great distance and still pull out safely if the wings have not been previously damaged.

Ki-rin: 48", class B. Ki-rin will generally attack with their horn to impale.

Lammasu: 24", class C. Lammasu will use their claws it forced to fight. They are hard to hit in the air, as they can dimension door away from an attack path.

Manticore: 18", class E. Manticores are clumsy flyers, but they will not hesitate to fling their tail spikes at opponents who come too close (Cf. AERIAL COMBAT, Aerial Missile Fire). They can also employ their front claws.

For all missiles fired in the air, treat short range as medium (-2 to hit) and medium range as long (-5 to hit) as pertains to chance of hitting. Fire at objects at long range will always miss. The range penalties also apply to missile-firing creatures such as manticores (treat as composite long bow as pertains to range).

Pegasus: 48", class C (class D when mounted). In flight, pegasi fight with their front hooves.

Pegasi are greatly valued for their speed, which makes them virtually the fastest things in the air. Their training is a long process similar in many respects to that of griffons. They will serve only good characters — all others will find them totally intractable. Like griffons, their loyalty is given to only one master in lifetime.

Peryton: 21", class C. A peryton will attempt to impale with its sharp horns.

Pseudo-dragon: 24", class B. Pseudo-dragons rely on their poisonous stingers in aerial combat.

Roc: 30", class E. Rocs generally attack using their huge and powerful talons. Amazingly enough, considering their great size, they can plummet straight down like eagles and then arrest their fall by a sudden unfurling of their wings.

Shedu: 24", class C. Shed will strike with their powerful hooves if they become involved in aerial combat, though their power to become ethereal allows them to avoid this if they so desire.

Sphinx: 24", 30" or 36", class D. The various sphinxes nearly always employ their fore claws in an aerial battle, though the roar of the androsphinx is also a potent weapon, as it weakens opponents and could make them unable to fly.

Wyvern: 24", class E. On an attack pass, a wyvern will attempt to either bite or sting.

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