I was looking at getting a magic item for my Barbarian and leaning towards getting Winged Boots. Do any of my fellow Barbarians who have magic items for flying have any other suggestions or recommendations?
Winged boots are my favorite, mostly because there's not really any debate about what they do. The main downside is that they take up your attunement. The broom of flying and carpet of flying are more useful for non-combat flight, and don't take attunement but their effectiveness in combat is entirely on the DM.
Under most DMs, the broom of flying can't be beat - its rules text is incompatible with the rules for movement in such a way that almost all DMs simply re-interpret it as granting the relevant flight speed (which varies by weight) with hover. It 100% beats winged boots for combat flight under those assumptions. Because it's not compatible with the game rules, your DM may well rule differently - for example, by applying the rules for being mounted, despite the broom being an object, not a creature.
Carpets of flying are portable cover, with the potentially crippling downside that unlike worn items like winged boots or the cloak of the bat, you can be knocked off the carpet with forced movement (again, almost no DMs will let forced movement force you off a broom, but YMMV). I find they're fantastic platforms for ranged output - both offensive and support - but for a Barbarian who needs to get into melee, you really don't want it to be even possible for a spell to separate you from your flight.
So I agree with Lunali that winged boots are the best choice if you're operating without knowledge of how your DM will rule on the broom. Don't take a cloak of the bat for combat flight - it explicitly occupies your hands in order to fly, and you need your hands to commit egregious violence.
Unless you are in an AG group or something with with different DMs, everything is down to the DM. In a normal campaign, your DM decides what loot you find / is available and if in a shop how much it is. Wings of flying are strictly inferior to winged boots but if you find wings of flying as loot be glad that is what you have. If the magic shop charges twice as much for the boots it is your decision which to take.
For the broom you would want to know how the DM deals with it, do they treat it as being mounted, Do you stay in contact with the booom if a fighter hits you with a pushing attack or you get hit by repelling blast? etc.
Another thing with the broom that is up to the DM about the broom s use of dash. Wniged boots say "you have a flying speed" where the broom says "it has a flying speed", ift is clear that you can dash while wearing the boots but if the broom has an action it can use to dash you are then treating it like a creature.
Under most DMs, the broom of flying can't be beat - its rules text is incompatible with the rules for movement in such a way that almost all DMs simply re-interpret it as granting the relevant flight speed (which varies by weight) with hover. It 100% beats winged boots for combat flight under those assumptions. Because it's not compatible with the game rules, your DM may well rule differently - for example, by applying the rules for being mounted, despite the broom being an object, not a creature.
Carpets of flying are portable cover, with the potentially crippling downside that unlike worn items like winged boots or the cloak of the bat, you can be knocked off the carpet with forced movement (again, almost no DMs will let forced movement force you off a broom, but YMMV). I find they're fantastic platforms for ranged output - both offensive and support - but for a Barbarian who needs to get into melee, you really don't want it to be even possible for a spell to separate you from your flight.
So I agree with Lunali that winged boots are the best choice if you're operating without knowledge of how your DM will rule on the broom. Don't take a cloak of the bat for combat flight - it explicitly occupies your hands in order to fly, and you need your hands to commit egregious violence.
Another issue with the flying carpet is they are quite destructable when used in combat much. so it's a good way to lose your magic item.
Another issue with the flying carpet is they are quite destructable when used in combat much. so it's a good way to lose your magic item.
Yes, that's true. Once it counts as cover, by definition it's distinct from you and can be attacked separately. Assuming your DM follows the listed advice in the DMG, it should be AC 11, a paltry 18 or 27 hit points depending on size, and have resistance to all damage, with immunity to poison, psychic, and likely bludgeoning and thunder, assuming your DM is paying attention to the guidelines. If you're going to use it as a shield, coating it in something or strapping something to it is a good idea. The 5x7 carpet carries the most weight per square foot, so it's the most efficient option for carrying an armor plate. An absurdly thick steel plate at 5'x7'x3/16" (double the thickness of even particularly thick plate armor - more than double the thickness of any plate armor a real human would wear) weighs about 265 pounds and the carpet can carry 600 pounds. That'll get your carpet's AC up to 19, much more comfortable.
Another issue with the flying carpet is they are quite destructable when used in combat much. so it's a good way to lose your magic item.
Yes, that's true. Once it counts as cover, by definition it's distinct from you and can be attacked separately. Assuming your DM follows the listed advice in the DMG, it should be AC 11, a paltry 18 or 27 hit points depending on size, and have resistance to all damage, with immunity to poison, psychic, and likely bludgeoning and thunder, assuming your DM is paying attention to the guidelines. If you're going to use it as a shield, coating it in something or strapping something to it is a good idea. The 5x7 carpet carries the most weight per square foot, so it's the most efficient option for carrying an armor plate. An absurdly thick steel plate at 5'x7'x3/16" (double the thickness of even particularly thick plate armor - more than double the thickness of any plate armor a real human would wear) weighs about 265 pounds and the carpet can carry 600 pounds. That'll get your carpet's AC up to 17, much more comfortable.
Yes. But then you have to watch out for DM's that decide that doing such changes it's flight characteristics so you have little control. Some DM's will think of this once you get into these kind of off the books modifications. some won't.
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I was looking at getting a magic item for my Barbarian and leaning towards getting Winged Boots. Do any of my fellow Barbarians who have magic items for flying have any other suggestions or recommendations?
Winged boots are my favorite, mostly because there's not really any debate about what they do. The main downside is that they take up your attunement. The broom of flying and carpet of flying are more useful for non-combat flight, and don't take attunement but their effectiveness in combat is entirely on the DM.
Under most DMs, the broom of flying can't be beat - its rules text is incompatible with the rules for movement in such a way that almost all DMs simply re-interpret it as granting the relevant flight speed (which varies by weight) with hover. It 100% beats winged boots for combat flight under those assumptions. Because it's not compatible with the game rules, your DM may well rule differently - for example, by applying the rules for being mounted, despite the broom being an object, not a creature.
Carpets of flying are portable cover, with the potentially crippling downside that unlike worn items like winged boots or the cloak of the bat, you can be knocked off the carpet with forced movement (again, almost no DMs will let forced movement force you off a broom, but YMMV). I find they're fantastic platforms for ranged output - both offensive and support - but for a Barbarian who needs to get into melee, you really don't want it to be even possible for a spell to separate you from your flight.
So I agree with Lunali that winged boots are the best choice if you're operating without knowledge of how your DM will rule on the broom. Don't take a cloak of the bat for combat flight - it explicitly occupies your hands in order to fly, and you need your hands to commit egregious violence.
Yeah I’m definitely looking more at combat utility than anything else, which is why the boots originally caught my attention
Unless you are in an AG group or something with with different DMs, everything is down to the DM. In a normal campaign, your DM decides what loot you find / is available and if in a shop how much it is. Wings of flying are strictly inferior to winged boots but if you find wings of flying as loot be glad that is what you have. If the magic shop charges twice as much for the boots it is your decision which to take.
For the broom you would want to know how the DM deals with it, do they treat it as being mounted, Do you stay in contact with the booom if a fighter hits you with a pushing attack or you get hit by repelling blast? etc.
Another thing with the broom that is up to the DM about the broom s use of dash. Wniged boots say "you have a flying speed" where the broom says "it has a flying speed", ift is clear that you can dash while wearing the boots but if the broom has an action it can use to dash you are then treating it like a creature.
Another issue with the flying carpet is they are quite destructable when used in combat much. so it's a good way to lose your magic item.
Yes, that's true. Once it counts as cover, by definition it's distinct from you and can be attacked separately. Assuming your DM follows the listed advice in the DMG, it should be AC 11, a paltry 18 or 27 hit points depending on size, and have resistance to all damage, with immunity to poison, psychic, and likely bludgeoning and thunder, assuming your DM is paying attention to the guidelines. If you're going to use it as a shield, coating it in something or strapping something to it is a good idea. The 5x7 carpet carries the most weight per square foot, so it's the most efficient option for carrying an armor plate. An absurdly thick steel plate at 5'x7'x3/16" (double the thickness of even particularly thick plate armor - more than double the thickness of any plate armor a real human would wear) weighs about 265 pounds and the carpet can carry 600 pounds. That'll get your carpet's AC up to 19, much more comfortable.
Yes. But then you have to watch out for DM's that decide that doing such changes it's flight characteristics so you have little control. Some DM's will think of this once you get into these kind of off the books modifications. some won't.