Rules Discussion

The Fly Action
Page 47: The following text replaces “The Fly Action”
section. These rules clarify how flight works and
remove “fly” as an action. The revisions also expunge
“crash” in favor of “fall.” See “Falling,” page 284 of
the Player’s Handbook.

Flight follows the basic movement rules, with the following
clarifications.
✦ Fly Speed: To fly, a creature takes the walk, run, or
charge action but uses its fly speed in place of its
walking speed. A creature that has a fly speed can
also shift and take other move actions, as appropriate,
while flying.
✦ Moving Up and Down: While flying, a creature can
move straight up, straight down, or diagonally up or
down. There is no additional cost for moving up or
down.
✦ Falling Prone: If a creature falls prone while it is
flying, it falls. This means a flying creature falls when
it becomes unconscious or suffers any other effect
that knocks it prone. The creature isn’t actually prone
until it lands and takes falling damage.
✦ Remaining in the Air: A flying creature does not
need to take any particular action to remain aloft; the
creature is assumed to be flying as it fights, moves,
and takes other actions. However, a flying creature
falls the instant it is stunned, unless it can hover.
✦ Landing: If a creature flies to a surface it can hold
onto or rest on, the creature can land safely.
✦ Terrain: Terrain on the ground does not affect a
flying creature if the terrain isn’t tall enough to reach
it. Because of this rule, flying creatures can easily
bypass typical difficult terrain, such as a patch of
ice on the ground. Aerial terrain can affect flying
creatures.

Page 48: In the Special Flying Rules section, replace
the Altitude Limit entry and the Hover entry with
the following entries. These rules clarify how flight
works. The revisions expunge “crash” in favor of
“fall” and remove the requirement that a creature be
hovering in order to shift or take opportunity attacks
while flying. See “Falling,” page 284 of the Player’s
Handbook.
Altitude Limit: If a creature has a specified altitude
limit, the creature falls at the end of its turn if it
is flying higher than that limit. For example, a creature
that has an altitude limit of 2 falls at the end of
its turn if it is flying higher than 2 squares.
Hover: A creature that can hover, such as a
beholder, can remain in the air even when it is
stunned.

✦ Ongoing Damage: If you’re suffering ongoing
damage (page 278), you take the damage now.
✦ Regeneration: If you have regeneration (page 293),
you regain hit points now.
✦ Other Effects: Deal with any other effects that
occur at the start of your turn.
✦ End Effects: Some effects end automatically at the
start of your turn.
✦ No Actions: You can’t take any actions at the start
of your turn.

At the start of your turn, you can make a saving throw
against one effect that a save can end. On a save, the
effect immediately ends, preventing it from affecting
you on your current turn. If you save against being
stunned or dazed, you can act normally on your turn.
If you save against ongoing damage, you avoid taking
the damage.
If you fail the saving throw, you still make a saving
throw against the effect at the end of your turn.

✦ Trigger: Opportunity actions allow you to take an
action in response to an enemy letting its guard
down. The one type of opportunity action that every
combatant can take is an opportunity attack (page
290). Opportunity attacks are triggered by an enemy
leaving a square adjacent to you or by an adjacent
enemy making a ranged attack or an area attack.

Combatants constantly watch for their enemies to
drop their guard. When you’re adjacent to an enemy,
that enemy can’t move past you or use a ranged power
or an area power without putting itself in danger by
allowing you to take an opportunity attack against it.
The most common form of opportunity action is an
opportunity attack—a melee basic attack against the
creature that provokes it.