This is an article in the continuing series, “Fun with Magic”, where I examine spells from the D20 System Reference Document, which corresponds to spells from the Player’s Handbook v. 3.5. These spells are in almost every campaign and form the foundation of spells used in Yön. Each article demonstrates strengths and weaknesses of a particular spell and some unique applications for each, to the limit of the author’s imagination, such as it is.
Air Walk
Transmutation [Air]
Level: Air 4, Clr 4, Drd 4
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature (Gargantuan or smaller) touched
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
The subject can tread on air as if walking on solid ground. Moving upward is similar to walking up a hill. The maximum upward or downward angle possible is 45 degrees, at a rate equal to one-half the air walker’s normal speed.
A strong wind (21+ mph) can push the subject along or hold it back. At the end of its turn each round, the wind blows the air walker 5 feet for each 5 miles per hour of wind speed. The creature may be subject to additional penalties in exceptionally strong or turbulent winds, such as loss of control over movement or physical damage from being buffeted about.
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 air walk spell is dispelled, but not if it is negated by an antimagic field.
You can cast air walk on a specially trained mount so it can be ridden through the air. You can train a mount to move with the aid of air walk (counts as a trick; see Handle Animal skill) with one week of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check.
At first, this spell seems like a poor substitute for
fly. It is not. First of all, it lasts at least ten times longer. Secondly, since you are treated as walking on solid ground, you can charge and run. In fact, monks prefer to have this spell cast on them rather than
fly because they can use their own base speed, which at higher levels runs rings around the
fly spell. Third, you have perfect maneuverability with
air walk, since you are walking, not really flying. It lasts a minimum of one hour and ten minutes, which is enough time for several dungeon encounters, although the spell really works better in overland encounters where you have room to maneuver. Don't forget the free height advantage it can give you in combat: +1 to hit if you are on higher ground than your foe, –1 for him to hit you.