Tossing out another Lanthorn question upon which for you all to chew:
A mage casts Fly, which allows him/her to, basically, Levitate as well, with no thought required. The spell description notes that only minimal concentration is needed to alter direction and speed, implying that remaining stationary requires no thought (in my interpretation).
The mage is rendered DEAD, stunned, or unconscious while aloft. NO Dispel Magic has been employed.
Does he/she fall immediately?
Or does he/she remain stationary until the duration expires?
-Lanthorn
p.s. this scenario has come up in game OFTEN for me, including yesterday!
Should the spell duration expire while the subject is still aloft, the magic fails slowly. The subject floats downward 60 feet per round for 1d6 rounds. If it reaches the ground in that amount of time, it lands safely. If not, it falls the rest of the distance, taking 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet of fall. Since dispelling a spell effectively ends it, the subject also descends in this way if the fly spell is dispelled, but not if it is negated by an antimagic field.
From a purely technical point of view, I would look to the fact that the spell has a specific duration that is not dependent upon the concentration of the caster. Therefore, the simplist interpretation is that the unconscious flyer simply hovers in the spot they went unconscious at.
However, here are a few potential considerations which each DM may use as they wish to alter such effects.
1) It seems reasonable to assume that flying under the effects of a fly spell is as simple as walking. What happens to a walker who falls unconscious or dies? they immediately fall to the ground.
2) I don't know if it is a general rule for spells or if it is only specifically mentioned in some spell descriptions, but you may consider that any spell immediately ends when its caster falls unconscious or dies. In this case, the spell immediately ends and the flyer crashes to the ground. (cf 4) as well.) Of course, this would not apply to some spells with permanent durations. In general terms, I play assuming that spells and their effects end when the caster dies or falls unconscious, but there are many spells whose effects such a rule does not apply to.
3) Perhaps the Fly spell remains in effect under such circumstances, but, lacking even minimal direction, causes the unconscious flyer to slowly fall to the ground as if under the effects of a Feather Fall. They may then hover a few inches above the ground/water/whatever other surface they would otherwise come into contact with.
4) If 3) is opted for, perhaps a flyer traveling at great speed who suddenly becomes unconscious or dies continues to move, but their trajectory and speed slowly decrease until they finally come to a rest floating a few inches above the ground or crash into something hard.
Hope these suggestions help.
SirXaris
Edit: Spelling.
Last edited by SirXaris on Tue Jul 24, 2012 5:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
YES, they do! I am always open to multiple interpretations and arguments, either way. Or, if someone can cite a specific rule from a source (particularly if it is 1 or 2e, given the location of this post...if not, that is OK, too!), I would appreciate that as well.
I for one have always ruled that spells are tied to the mage that cast them. So when the mage dies his link to the magic ceases with him. Now spells which are permanent do not cease and a transformation to a Lich keeps the mage in contact with magic the same way his undead body walks the prime material plane.
This is my rule as I never wanted the question as what happens when the mage who cast the spell dies. Now if your using hovering on deaths door, one may assume the link remains and the mage will hover until the spell ends, at which point the mage will plummet to his untimely death.
Spells with durations last until they wear off, even if the Wizard is dead, unless the spell description (or the DM) says otherwise. As to fly, you might wish to have a Wizard who is in uncontrolled flight (for whatever reason) drift slightly in the air. Perhaps use the grenade-like missiles scatter chart direction for drift direction, plus a dice for ascend/descend. Total distance could be random as well (1d4 movement drift).
I don't think I have ever seen this question come up before. Total DM adjudication here. Above is one idea, but make it do what you want it to. _________________ - Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -
Ceb and Argon, thank you both. I have been really baffled by this situation because it has come up several times throughout the years:
1) Had two mages Flying in a combat situation (like dogfighting) over the Woolly Bay until the PC wizard finally managed to slay his rival (I think the coup de grace ended with a well-placed and close-quarters Burning Hands spell, but this was YEARS ago...). I ruled that since the enemy was still moving (tried to strafe the PC with a touch-related attack) upon death, his momentum carried him along. This resulted in a KER-SPLAT! in the Bay. To add insult to injury (and death), I dimly recall that he wore a Ring of Water Walking, too, that I ruled would NOT permit his body to sink, so he hit the water HARD.
2) When I was a player, my PCs slew a Flying mage over said Woolly Bay (my PCs were likewise battling the Slavers, too, in a similar, cross-over campaign). He just hung there in mid-air, like a gruesome, bloody pinata. In the end, I think my characters somehow retrieved his corpse by lassooing his body (or grapple, perhaps...again, been a while) and pulling him to the deck.
3) Just recently, a PC wizard was grappled by shambling mound (see associated 'shambler' thread, if you like) and was being engulfed to his ultimate doom. Luckily for the sorceror, he had already enacted a Fly spell prior to the engagement. Obviously he was going to die, and as he was physically weak (as most mages tend to be), he cannot break free. The mage wisely uttered a Dimension Door spell as his legs disappeared into the plant monster's abdomen and he continued to get dragged inside it. POOF! He reappeared HUNDREDS of yards above the shambler, but now he was 'stunned' as per the spell's description. I had to rule, based on prior DM adjudication, that he was, basically, Levitating above the creature. Although the wizard escaped with his life, the shambler made off with the mage's dropped gear, including a Cloak of Displacement!
So, ya see, these situations do come up!
Thank you all for your postings!!! More Lanthorn queries to come, count on it!
If a flying creature is killed/knocked unconscious it drops like a stone, except maybe an air elemental or a few others from the Elemental Plane of Air. Using this logic, the mage would drop as well. Or just rename the spell to "Advanced Levitate".
And now back to our regularly scheduled discussion thread...
This is an interesting situation that I haven't had happen. I would rule that if they were killed/knocked unconscious it would depend on the cause. For example, if a ballista were the cause, the force would certainly take them somewhere, even to the ground. If they suffered a heart attack I would probably rule that they drift for the duration.
I think the reason why the flying creatures drop like the proverbial stone is b/c they are flying on their own power.
With the Fly spell, magical energies are at work instead of muscle power. As Ceb noted, spells continue onward til their durations end, and thusly, I deduce that this would likewise hold true for a Fly cast on an aerial person, even if he/she is dead. Seems bizarre, perhaps even counterintuitive, but there ya have it!
Keep posting, if for no other reason than occasional comic relief!
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Luckily for the sorceror, he had already enacted a 
Good point! 
