Fly

Dexterity, Armor Check Penalty

You are skilled at flying, either through the use of wings or magic, and you can perform daring or complex maneuvers while airborne. Note that this skill does not give you the ability to fly.

Check

You generally need only make a Fly check when you are attempting a complex maneuver. Without making a check, a flying creature can remain flying at the end of its turn so long as it moves a distance greater than half its speed. It can also turn up to 45 degrees by sacrificing 5 feet of movement, can rise at half speed at an angle of 45 degrees, and can descend at any angle at normal speed. Note that these restrictions only apply to movement taken during your current turn. At the beginning of the next turn, you can move in a different direction than you did the previous turn without making a check. Taking any action that violates these rules requires a Fly check. The difficulty of these maneuvers varies depending upon the maneuver you are attempting, as noted on the following chart. Avoid Falling After Being Attacked: You are not considered Flat-Footed while flying. If you are flying using wings and you take damage while flying, you must make a DC 10 Fly check to avoid losing 10 feet of altitude. This descent does not provoke an Attack of Opportunity and does not count against a creature’s movement. Avoid Falling After Collision: If you are using wings to fly and you collide with an Object equal to your size or larger, you must immediately make a DC 25 Fly check to avoid plummeting to the ground, taking the appropriate Falling damage. Negate Falling Damage: If you are Falling and have the ability to fly, you can make a DC 10 Fly check to negate the damage. You cannot make this check if you are Falling due to a failed Fly check or a collision. See Falling if you fail this check.

Action

None. A Fly check doesn’t require an action; it is made as part of another action or as a reaction to a situation.

Try Again

Varies. You can attempt a Fly check to perform the same maneuver on subsequent rounds. If you are using wings and you fail a Fly check by 5 or more, you plummet to the ground, taking the appropriate Falling damage.

Special

High Wind Speeds: Flying in high winds adds penalties on your Fly checks as noted on the Wind Effects table.

“Checked” means that creatures of that size or smaller must succeed on a DC 20 Fly check to move at all so long as the wind persists. “Blown Away” means that creatures of that size or smaller must succeed on a DC 25 Fly check or be blown back 2d6×10 feet and take 2d6 points of nonlethal damage. This check must be made every round the creature remains airborne. A creature that is Blown Away must still make a DC 20 Fly check to move due to also being Checked. Fly Speed: Creatures with a fly speed treat the Fly skill as a class skill. A creature with a natural fly speed receives a bonus (or penalty) on Fly skill checks depending on its maneuverability. Creatures without a maneuverability rating are assumed to have average maneuverability and take no penalty on Fly checks.

Clumsy –8
Poor –4
Average +0
Good +4
Perfect +8

Size: A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Fly checks depending on its size category:

Fine +8
Diminutive +6
Tiny +4
Small +2
Large –2
Huge –4
Gargantuan –6
Colossal –8

Restriction

You cannot take this skill without a natural means of Flight or gliding. Creatures can also take ranks in Fly if they possess a reliable means of flying every day (either through a spell or other magical manner, such as a Druid’s wild shape ability).

Skill Unlock

A character who selects this skill for the Signature Skill feat or a Rogue who selects it for their Rogue's Edge class ability gains the following abilities when they reach the designated number of ranks in this skill:

5 Ranks: A successful DC 20 Fly check allows you to make a 45-degree turn without sacrificing movement.
10 Ranks: A successful DC 30 Fly check allows you to ascend at a 45-degree angle at full speed. You treat falls after midair collisions as 10 feet shorter with a successful DC 10 Fly check, plus 10 feet for every 10 points by which you exceed the DC.
15 Ranks: A successful DC 30 Fly check allows you to make a 90-degree turn without sacrificing movement, or a 180-degree turn by sacrificing 5 feet of movement. You are considered one size category larger when determining wind effects on Fly checks.
20 Ranks: A successful DC 35 Fly check allows you to fly straight up at full speed. You are considered two size categories larger when determining wind effects on Fly checks.

Fly