Air Support in Pathfinder: 4 Ways To Get Your Party Airborne ASAP

Flying is one of those things that happens in every Pathfinder game, sooner or later. Whether it's for epic dragon fights, or so you can avoid the deadly bastions of an enemy fortress, the ability to add a third dimension to your party's combat and movement capabilities is a game changer.

The question so many parties face, though, is how do you get into the air?

All right, Ragnar, we just have to get this rope around his neck...

Most of us are content to wait until we hit mid to high levels before we can finally start flying around. And while there are plenty of abilities like bloodline powers or racial feats that kick in around 11th or even 15th level, that's not what this week's installment is about.

Because if you really want to get the most out of being able to defy gravity, then you need to get your hands on that power as soon as possible. So the following methods are meant to get you high in the sky before you hit 6th-level or so. Also, we're looking for permanent ways for you to fly whenever you want to, rather than just for a few minutes when you happen to be in a fight.

Now then, on with the list!

Option #1: Character Race

Some of us are just born lucky, I guess.

One of the appealing traits of fantasy races is that they offer unusual capabilities or helpful bonuses. Some races even grant you a natural flight speed that you have at creation. Your maneuverability will vary, and you'll have to make a lot of Fly skill checks, but the ability to be high in the sky from level 1 onward grants you serious advantages that cannot be overstated. From ignoring difficult terrain, to staying out of the reach of melee-focused enemies, there's a lot to be said for those who can take wing using just what the gods gave them.

Some of the options you have include:

- Gargoyles: According to the playable stat block in the Advanced Race Guide, gargoyles have a natural fly speed of 50 feet. While most DMs probably won't let you have a gargoyle, it is one of the most powerful natural fliers out there.

- Strix: Also statted out in the Advanced Race Guide, the strix is probably one of the most commonly-denied races players have requested. With a natural fly speed of 60 feet, or 20 feet if they have the wing-clipped trait, most dungeon masters view strix as a flying monkey on their backs. If you get one, hold tight and have fun!

- Wyvaran: Paizo's answer to the Dragonborn, the wyvaran is another race that got a lot of attention in the Advanced Race Guide. They have a 30 foot fly speed, but their maneuverability is absolute crap. Fortunately, a high enough investment in the Fly skill can help you get around that minor inconvenience.

- Gathlain: These small-sized, woodland-looking creatures have a surprising among of speed when it comes to getting into the sky. With a 40 foot fly speed, but rather crap maneuverability, you can do quite a bit with them if you can persuade your DM to let you have one.

- Aasimar: While most people are familiar with the Angelic Wings feat aasimar can take later on in the game, there's actually an alternative racial feature that grants them a 20 foot natural flight speed at creation. It's a feature that shows up more than once in my most recent collection 100 Unusual Aasimar, and while it isn't the best speed, it can be boosted through any spells and other items that increase your character's base speed.

- Skinwalker: Skinwalkers debuted in Blood of The Moon, and the Bloodmarked variety have the ability to take Bloodmarked Flight once their BAB hits 5. This adds flight to their list of features they can use when they transform, and their transformations last basically as long as the player wants, making this a solid contender for full-BAB characters with an open feat slot.

While not being added to this list, honorable mention goes to the tengu. Their ability to glide and thus prevent falling damage is very useful in an aerial campaign, and the feat Tengu Wings allows them to grow functional wings for a short period of time per day, but it's not enough to keep up with the rest of the options in this section.

Option #2: Animal Companion

Mount up, loser, we're going adventuring!

Animal companions tend to fill more of a tank role, with bears and wolves as some of the standby favorites. However, there are a lot of animal companions out there that can fly... and some of them start as Medium-sized animals! The vulture is one of my favorites for this purpose, but there are one or two others on the list.

This is ideal if you're a small-sized druid, ranger, hunter, or other class that naturally receives an animal companion. You could even use it for clerics with the Animal domain, or those who take feats like Animal Ally out of Faiths and Philosophies. If you don't get a full druid level to advance your companion, then taking the feat Boon Companion out of Ultimate Wilderness is a smart idea. And if you want to play a Medium-sized character, but still want to fly, then you should consider the feat Undersized Mount out of the Advanced Class Guide. There are also some ranger archetypes that get flying mounts, like the hippogriff rider, if you're willing to wait a few levels to claim your sleek ride.

Generally speaking, we're looking at level 1 and level 4 respectively for animal companion flight, which isn't too bad. Provided, of course, you're not too big for your animal companion to haul you aloft.

You need to make sure your animal companion is properly trained so you can ride them, you'll likely need to get the proper saddle made for them, and you might want to take some mounted combat feats to help you run and gun through the skies. If you're going to be shooting from the saddle, that gives you penalties, so it's a good idea to take Mounted Archery. If you're going to be casting spells from a moving mount (as opposed to casting before or after your mount moves), that forces you to make concentration checks, which is also something to keep in mind.

Option #3: Familiars

Oi! Make with the magic already, Mephisto!

We tend to think of familiars as delicate little flowers to keep protected and safe... but you can turn them into a harrier, and rain death from the skies if you want to. With the right options, a familiar can make a perfect perch for an evoker who wants to provide fire support from a distance, or for a conjurer who wants full access to control the battlefield like it was a chessboard.

But how do you make such a tiny animal something you can ride on?

Well, this is another lovely present from Ultimate Wilderness. Because in addition to animal companion archetypes, the book also gave us familiar archetypes. The one you're going to want most for this plan is the Mauler. These familiars are always dumb and aggressive, but that's exactly what you want in a battle mount. At level 3, they can grow to a medium-sized version of themselves, which makes them easily able to be ridden by smaller casters, or by Medium-sized ones with the right feat.

If the idea of a half-mad gnome evoker riding a hawk the size of a condor into battle, blazing bolts flying from his hands as he and his familiar screech in triumph appeals to you, then this is definitely the direction you should be going.

This isn't just an option open for strictly arcane casters, either. If you take Eldritch Heritage in Ultimate Magic for the Arcane bloodline, then that grants you a familiar. You could also take the feat Familiar Bond out of the Familiar Folio, if you want something a little more expedient but which is much more useful for a melee class that just needs a familiar that can become a mount. And, of course, there is a magus arcana that grants you a familiar, as well as several other paths to acquiring such a bonded companion.

The thing to remember is that your familiar/mount needs to be able to carry you and your gear, and that you need the proper skills to ride it the same way you would any other mount. As it grows in level, though, it will gain more natural armor, and Maulers will also gain damage resistance when they hit higher levels. And if you are a caster, you can share spells with your familiar, allowing you to buff it up to become even harder to hurt, and giving it other capacities while it carries you through the battlefield.

And if you take a dip into a different class, Boon Companion works for your familiar just as it does for an animal companion.

Option #4: Eidolon

You didn't forget about me, did you?

The summoner is known for making terrifying tanks via their eidolons, but it's also possible to give yourself a flying mount pretty much right off the bat if you invest the points. A base avian form, and a small-sized summoner can be a deadly combination. Especially if you add in some other traits that let the bird blast from a distance, or if your summoner gets hold of the right scrolls, wands, and other spells to provide the right kind of support from their place on-high in the sky.

Unlike many of the previous options, eidolons are one of those things you can't really tap into from other classes. So for this one, being a summoner is really the way to go.

Make Sure You Bring Your Squad To The Right Campaign

Before you get too caught up in designing your ideal aerial wing, there's one last thing to keep in mind when it comes to these ideas; fliers need room to fly!

It sounds obvious, but it's one of the reasons I wanted to bring an airborne party to a game like Giantslayer, rather than one like Emerald Spire. Because while there may be times in the former adventure path when the party finds themselves underground, or constrained within a relatively small arena, there will be plenty of opportunities for high-flying shenanigans, ranged games, and all sorts of airborne adventures. Whereas in the Spire... well, you're inside all the time, often in cramped, narrow, dungeon-crawl style halls. Not the best place for a halfling wizard named Iceman and his hard-eyed arctic hawk Mauler.

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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The Farmer Ranger

Most folks don't think too much of Old Man Prichard. Sure, he raises some of the best vegetable crops in the valley, and his long-tooth hound Brutus is a near-legendary beast among the wee ones who've tried to steal from his apple orchard, but he's just another old-timer. He comes down from his place with his walking staff in hand, and a satchel that always has a few berries nestled next to his pipe, and he has a pint or two at the local inn. He always knows where to find the best tobacco hereabouts, and he's wood wise enough that other farmers listen when he talks. He takes no guff, either, and his thick-knuckled hands can still shoot arrows straight as he sees.

And, while no one would call him such, Prichard might be most accurately represented as a ranger.

Aragorn? Never heard of her.

Rangers Can Put Down Roots, You Know

When we think of rangers, we tend to think of the iconic characters from Lord of The Rings. The rangers in Tolkien's work were more of an irregular military unit, specializing in guerrilla warfare and unusual tactics, using stealth and sudden strikes to overcome superior foes. However, too often we confuse the profession of ranger (a guerrilla fighter at home in the wilderness) with the class of ranger (which is just a pack of abilities, proficiencies, and skills). And that kind of confusion can often mean we ignore fun concepts... like the farmer ranger.

Rangers' abilities are meant to allow them to function in nature with minimal problems. They're survivalists with the ability to adapt to any climate, and whose knowledge allows them to track prey, and identify not just what a plant is, but what may have harmed it recently. Rangers have a special bond with a certain kind of land, or they have a trusty animal companion who goes everywhere with them. They're also gifted at fighting, and hunting, certain types of creatures. Skills and features which would be completely at home tending crops in goblin country, or riding the range in disputed orc lands.

There's a quote from a fantasy novel I once read that I'm going to paraphrase. "Farmers? That's the best insult you have? I don't know about you, soldier, but I want farmers in my army. They work from sun-up to sun-down, they know what to eat and what to keep out of their mouths, and they've raised cute little animals since they were babes, and looked into their eyes when they gutted them for the winter meals. Farmers know how to handle a blade, and when it comes time to eat or be eaten, they do what it takes to survive."

While the lands may change, and the crops you can grow change with them, people will always need food. And while these homegrown rangers might have sheepdogs in the forests, hunting hawks on the plains, or great horned goats in the mountains, their ability to read the land, and to always find a way to get the job done, never wavers.

Even better, a lot of them can cook!

For more inspiration, check out 5 Tips For Playing Better Rangers.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Animal Companions, Cohorts, and Familiars, Oh My!

Your character is the way you interact with and affect the game world. Whether you're an ancient vampire running Wall Street or a holy warrior standing against a tide of evil you have only this single skin to wear when you step into the game world.

Or do you?

I am a polymorphed dragon, and I want to be your friend.

Almost every game has a mechanic that grants you some form of companion. Whether it's a magical familiar, a supernaturally loyal bear, or just a sidekick you've picked up along your adventures there are plenty of rules that grant you a little bit of backup. These companions and followers are more than just one more set of mechanical bonuses to be used and forgotten though; they are a huge opportunity to roleplay, and to deepen your character's back story.

Who And What Are They?

The primary questions you need to ask is who and what your companions are. If you're a level one wizard that raven on your shoulder is more than just a talking bird; it's a part of your magic. It's a part of who you are and the journey you've taken. You have to ask yourself where and how you acquired it, what language you've taught it to speak, and what sort of relationship you've had with it. For instance, did your aunt give you the Corvax from her own aerie when she heard you had been accepted to wizard's college? Did you teach it to speak the language of your homeland so that no matter where you go you have a reminder of home near to hand? Does your raven have favorite foods like eyeballs? Is it solemn or profane, quiet or strident? Does it like people, or are you the only one it tolerates? Has it ever run off or gotten hurt?

A lot of questions for a level one caster, right?

The questions only get bigger the more powerful your companions become. How did the druid manage to tame a tiger? Did she raise it since it was a cub, or is it the gift of nature magic and worship that allows her to command the animal's loyalty? Is the animal a totem of her god, or a conduit to the forces of nature? If you acquired a cohort, how did you do it? What does that cohort want, and why did he or she approach you? What sort of bond do you begin with, and how does it change over time?

How Does Your Companion Change You?

Adding companions to the story does more than put another mini on the table; it forces you to deepen your primary character's back story to include this other character. This gives you a lot of opportunity to flesh out parts of your character you may not even have thought about. Is the companion someone from the character's past? Does the companion challenge the character's way of looking at the world, or give them a higher standard to rise to? Does the companion instead represent something your character once did, creating a real sense of continuity in your adventure?

Hellooooo Leadership!

Let's try some examples instead of working in the purely theoretical, shall we?

Say you have your stereotypical barbarian; big, brutish, angry, prone to outbursts and to challenge those he feels are disrespecting him. He's been gaining a reputation, and one day a young woman from his tribe wanders into town. She's looking for him because she wants to come along on his adventures.

What happens now? Does the barbarian maintain his uncouth ways, or does he attempt to appear more like a hero because someone who knows him in a way no one else does is now there to witness his behavior? Does he try to impress her? Is he protective of her? Does she know any embarrassing stories about him, or does she have a childish nickname for him that he never quite outgrew? Does he allow her to believe the swollen stories of his deeds, or does he tell her the truth about what he did and didn't do?

Let's try on another example. Say your paladin's mount is slain in battle, and she is grieving for the loss of her friend. Would her god see this and attempt to ease that suffering by sending a divine creature to serve in the mount's stead? Would the paladin accept the gift gratefully, or reluctantly? How long does she have to train with her new mount before the two of them achieve the oneness of mind and purpose that the paladin had with her original mount? What sort of relationship develops over time; do they become close, or will they always be two creatures simply serving the will of their master?

Examine Your Relationship Dynamics Carefully

Unless your storyteller takes control of these secondary characters they are the only characters other than your PC whose motives and actions you can really control. That also means that you can add to the collective story with them in meaningful ways.

Don't forget that these secondary characters are still characters, though. They have goals and desires and arcs all their own.

Sometimes they just want to watch the world burn... which is still a goal.

I'll give you a spoilery example (avert your eyes if you're playing Curse of the Crimson Throne). Early on in the game you get a chance to save a pseudodragon from captivity, and if you do so you can make him your friend. Spellcasters (my character Egil is tiefling rogue/magus in addition to being a town guardsman) can even convince Majenko to become a familiar. I did, and the sheer number of combats this cat-sized monkey wrench had ended with his sleep poison has become nearly legendary at the table.

Majenko is much more than just a self-absorbed house cat with scales and a stinger, though. Throughout the course of the adventure he's become a bosom companion to my tiefling, and has even shared in his crusade to return his city to order. Majenko has also fallen in love with a silver pseudodragon (one of my other followers), and the two of them have a brood in the Shingles of Korvosa. I have essentially written in a whole subplot about a character who was freed from slavery and who has fought by his friend's side, and who had to leave his family behind in order to help his best friend on a quest. While it might seem like fun and games, Egil has made it one of his sworn vows to return his friend back to his mate and his children. In essence having this friend turned a demonic-looking batman-with-a-badge into a more fully-fleshed character who has more emotions, connections, and reasons to step up and be a hero.

That's what adding secondary characters to your game can do; give you surprise character growth in addition to a dedicated healer or someone who's always willing to be your flank.

Also, check out one of the great stories of how a cohort not only expanded a single PC's plot, but helped alter the course of an entire game by looking at The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone.

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