Need ideas on restricting flying in a fantasy world

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by tantric

If you're twice the distance, current G is sqrt(surface G). That's the inverse square law of gravity. That's specifically why I said "square law" not "inverse square law".

Uh, no, that's very far from being the inverse square law of gravity. That would be an...inverse exponential law? Core form being e^(1/x). An actual inverse square law goes with x^-2.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by tantric

If you're twice the distance, current G is sqrt(surface G). That's the inverse square law of gravity. That's specifically why I said "square law" not "inverse square law". In this case, it's FP, not G, and it's not inverse. If your replusor has a base levitation height of 1m and costs 2FP/hr, at 4m it's 16FP/hr. Intensity is proportional to distance^2, NOT 1/distance^2. Admittedly, I'm only an ecologist, but this isn't rocket science (oh, wait, it is!).

You seem to be applying the exponentiation to the base distance instead of the change in distance, which means changing the unit of measurement can give you different answers.

For an ecological example, if bees can range 1 km from the hive they can feed from about 3.14 square kilometers of flowered meadow. If the bees can range 2x as far, they can feed from 12.56 square kilometers of flowered meadow, which is 4 times as much (12.56/3.14 = 4) and that is because you square the 2x (2*2 = 4).

You would not apply the 2 as an exponent to 3.14, and get 3.14^2 = 9.8596 square kilometers. You also would not apply the 2 as an exponent to 3,140,000 square meters (same area as 3.14 square kilometers) and get 9,859,600,000,000 square meters (which is over 9 million square kilometers).

[vierasmarius]

Since this hasn't been brought up yet, how about limiting the flight ceiling using Low Mana / No Mana Zones? Basically, the ambient mana field is thinner the higher you go, and there can be sudden gusts of No Mana "turbulence". It wouldn't prevent flight, but would help restrict it to the most skilled (or foolish) wizards.

[Kalzazz]

Hmm, why doesn't the 3 per min maintenance cost of Flight prevent it from being used for convenient long distance communication all on its own?

In my own fantasy setting, aerial travel is heavily constrained because if Jupiter, Lord of the Skies, had meant for people to fly he would have given them wings. So brutal turbulence, flying monsters, opaque clouds and lightning storms and all manner of other nastiness awaits humans who dare fly (and more the higher up), so flying travelers stay fairly low and stay ready to land and seek cover whenever things get rough

[tbone]

Originally Posted by tantric

possibly magic comes from the Tree and its roots, and thus the farther you get from the ground, the less functional it is?

I like that idea. Something about flight magic drawing on some property of the earth, or otherwise requiring proximity to the ground. The details could be a mystery even to mages, or perhaps known only to specialists in Earth magics.

Speed limits are also good, as others suggest. Instead of placing simple limits on height and speed, it might be more fun to have speed drop with height. A mage sticking close to the ground can make fair speed, but still has to dodge around obstacles. A mage high up can fly over obstacles, but at a snail's pace...

Hostile aerial environment is also an interesting idea. Maybe prolonged use of flight magic attracts some sort of troublesome or dangerous air elemental?

One more idea: It'd be perfectly reasonable to give encumbrance much harsher speed and encumbrance penalties for fliers. That makes magical flight a lousy way to transport lots of goods, or even a heavily-equipped mage.

And one final option: Don't restrict flight; just hope that characters never think of flight as a sensible way to avoid long, dangerous hikes. Hey, it worked for a certain Oxford professor / fantasy author... : )

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

Hmm, why doesn't the 3 per min maintenance cost of Flight prevent it from being used for convenient long distance communication all on its own?

Skill 25 or Flying Carpet is the usual solution.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by tbone

And one final option: Don't restrict flight; just hope that characters never think of flight as a sensible way to avoid long, dangerous hikes. Hey, it worked for a certain Oxford professor / fantasy author... : )

He thought of it: the eagles can't carry loads long distances. Its even mentioned in the books. The 'loophole isn't a new observation, its just been popularized by a particularly well done rendition of it.

but yes, make it tiring. And if anyone goes for skill 25, say "stop being silly", no one has sword 25.

[Dustin]

Flight only works over ley lines? This would mean that 1000km away along the line might not be so mysterious, but 200km away from the lines could be...

[tantric]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

You seem to be applying the exponentiation to the base distance instead of the change in distance, which means changing the unit of measurement can give you different answers.

For an ecological example, if bees can range 1 km from the hive they can feed from about 3.14 square kilometers of flowered meadow. If the bees can range 2x as far, they can feed from 12.56 square kilometers of flowered meadow, which is 4 times as much (12.56/3.14 = 4) and that is because you square the 2x (2*2 = 4).

You would not apply the 2 as an exponent to 3.14, and get 3.14^2 = 9.8596 square kilometers. You also would not apply the 2 as an exponent to 3,140,000 square meters (same area as 3.14 square kilometers) and get 9,859,600,000,000 square meters (which is over 9 million square kilometers).

So if the repulsor's base height is 1m at 2FP, at 4m it's (4/1=4, 4^2=16) - the same, but if the base height is 2m, it would be (4/2=2, 2^2=4), not (4^2=16) - but since the base height is always going to be 1 unit, it doesn't matter, right?

Yeah, I screwed up on the exponent laws (x^-2 != sqrt(x) but 1/x^2) <sheepish>grin</sheepish>. I had a tooth pulled today and I'm on 30mg of hydrocodone at the moment. It's a miracle I can type. My brain is bouncing around like a ferret in a funhouse. Xanadu and Interzone, yes, math, not so much.

BTW, that's entomology. Ecology is about stochastic population growth and nitrogen/phosphorus ratios. Which very much means I should know about exponent laws, see above. Blah, try again tomorrow. Thanks, y'all.

[Railstar]

Make use of mana zones. High mana and low mana, and the skies do not necessarily match the ground beneath them.

In low mana zones, magical flight or magic carpet can be much more difficult. See how much trouble that -5 skill causes. Maybe it is enough to make the magic carpet no longer functional? Sudden skydiving incidents could lead to a culture where long-distance flight is strongly discouraged.

In high mana zones, why is it high mana? What else is there? Sure, it is easy to fly, but any high magic area you can fly through probably has a number of unpredictable effects in the area, such as wind spirits who might consider the high mana zone their territory and demand tolls or otherwise interfere with flying travellers.