Coping with PC flight

 

Yeah, I have a PC who decided to play an Owlin.  So, I present to you:

Ways a DM can overcome/limit PC flight advantages

FLYING CHARACTER (DIS)ABILITIES:

* Your bones are light/hollow: you take double damage, and suffer critical hit on 19 or 20, from bludgeoning weapons

* Feathers are vulnerable to fire: fire spells, flaming arrows, hurled flasks of oil set aflame--all do double damage

* If you take a critical hit while flying, a wing is broken (see next entry)

* If one/both wings are broken/destroyed while flying --> PC falls out of sky and takes falling damage that increases with altitude (this imposes a potential cost for flying at higher altitudes)

* If flying PC is rendered dizzy/dazed/stunned/unconscious/asleep/"held"/paralyzed/petrified--> PC falls out of sky and takes falling damage that increases with altitude (this imposes a potential cost for flying at higher altitude) (foes with ranged Sleep or Hold Person spells become very dangerous)

* Very limited carrying capacity while flying (no med/hv armor, encumbered at lower weight)

* Flying (climbing/hovering) takes a lot of energy--> exhaustion effects sooner, limited flying time, increased food depletion rate

* Takeoff/landing requires X horizontal feet of unobstructed "runway" (can't takeoff in thick forest, etc.)

* Flight requires minimum of Y ft of vertical clearance (can't takeoff indoors/underground unless ceiling higher than Y ft)

* Flying, even hovering, is jerky movement--> penalty (-2 or whatever) to your ranged attacks due to "shooting while moving", similar to shooting from a moving horse

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS:

* Mist/Fog/Rain --> limits range of vision when flying --> flying PC effectively blind

* Strong wind -- prevents flight

* Storm lightning -- zaps you

* High altitude (e.g., mountains) --> "Thin Air" --> air can't support flying PC --> PC falls out of sky ("Thin Air" also limits maximum flying altitude anywhere)

* High altitude --> "Low Oxygen" --> PC becomes dizzy (warning), then passes out --> PC falls out of sky ("Thin Air" also limits maximum flying altitude anywhere)

* Regions/zones with natural or magical "Thin Air" --> air can't support flying PC, and low oxygen --> PC falls out of sky

MONSTER/FOE FACTORS:

* When flying, foes can see you from farther away--gives away party location (when flying, foes easily spot you if you're being chased/trying to hide) (this imposes a potential cost for flying at higher altitude) (due to this, flying PC's may want to fly "nap of the Earth", but this limits the flying PC's range of vision, and brings them within range of more ground-based missile weapons)

* Foes with natural flying ability (obviously)

* Foes with flight/levitate spells (obviously)

* Foes with ranged weapons: bow/crossbow (obviously), but also: thrown rocks! (ogres/trolls/giants love these!), thrown dagger! (thieves, bandits, assassins), thrown hand ax (bad guy barbarians/vikings love these!), javelin/spear (orcs love theses!), sling! (evil acolytes and zealots love these!), slingshot! (goblins love these), blowgun (with paralyzing poison!, for goblins, thieves, bandits, jungle humanoids), boomerang (plains/steppe raiders and bandits, evil tabaxi)

* Foes with lassos (rangers and horse-riding bandits love these!), nets (pirates and swamp/frog/mudmen love these!), bolo (gnolls love these!), fishing pole with long line and hook! (rangers/druids/pirates love these!), etc., --> catch/grapple flying PC --> PC falls from sky

* Foes in elevated positions--in a tree, on a hill/ledge, on a rooftop/battlement, etc.--> increases vertical range of foe's attacks (bowshots, thrown rocks/daggers, etc.)

* Foes with flying pets/minions: hawks, falcons, bats, stirges, bees, etc., that can attack/distract you

* Foes with ranged sleep/hold person/paralyze/petrify spells/abilities --> PC falls out of sky

* Foes with "Anti-flight", "Anti-levitate", "Thin Air", "Invisible Floating Net", etc., spells (add these spells to game spell list)--> PC falls out of sky

* (big) Aerial predators--manticores, giant vultures, wyvern, etc.--spot you more easily, think you're a snack--increased chances in random monster checks

* And finally: Dragons don't like things flying in their territory--increased chances of dragons in random monster checks