I recently got a Broom of Flying in Adventure League, and seeing as I'm playing a Kenku I'm pretty much going to be riding it constantly at every opportunity, but I also wanted to double check some things to make sure I understand how it works, in particular what happens if I get knocked off of it, since I don't exactly have a lot of ways to save myself if I do (I'm playing a Warlock, so I can't easily learn Featherfall).
I was thinking the logical thing to do is purchase a climbing Kit, since it includes a harness and I could just be strapped to it the whole time. But does the broom continue to just hover in place if its rider is knocked off? The item description specifically mentions that it stops hovering when you land, so does that mean it remains in the air until the rider actually hits the ground? If it does start falling could you just speak its command word and get it in the air again before hitting the ground?
Ok, having read its description, it seems in the case you are knocked off, you could command the broom to fly down to the ground (I assume you would be less than 1 mile up), and tell it to slow before you reach ground level, so you dont hit the ground in a lethal way anyway. You would logically need to do a check when you land or go prone (even at 5 feet every 6 seconds, you could hit enough to tumble).
However, to do the above, you would need to either know the area directly beneath you very well, or see it, so I would suggest flying no higher than Darkvision range of the ground at night.
The rules don't really specify what happens if you get knocked off, but I'd rule that it stays in place until you summon it. Strapping yourself to it with a climbing kit seems like a good solution to me. The more consequential ambiguity to me is the effects of fighting while flying. I would argue you need at least one hand holding the broom to stay in place. I can see a DM arguing that even then you are going to have disadvantage on attacks since you are firing from an unstable platform, but I would probably ignore that.
Luckily I'm playing a Warlock and I'm basically just going to be using Eldritch Blast, which only has Vocal and Somatic requirements, so I'll be able to quite comfortably attack from the sky while keeping one hand on the broom. I think that RAW there's no restrictions about it, but I would also agree it would make sense to, say... require someone to make some kind of check if they were using a Longbow or other two handed weapon from the broom.
The rules don't really specify what happens if you get knocked off, but I'd rule that it stays in place until you summon it. Strapping yourself to it with a climbing kit seems like a good solution to me. The more consequential ambiguity to me is the effects of fighting while flying. I would argue you need at least one hand holding the broom to stay in place. I can see a DM arguing that even then you are going to have disadvantage on attacks since you are firing from an unstable platform, but I would probably ignore that.
The description of the broom says nothing about needing to use hands to either stay on it or operate it. The text says:
"until you stand astride it and speak its command word. It then hovers beneath you and can be ridden in the air."
You stand stride it, it hovers beneath you and can be ridden. It doesn't even indicate that the broom is in contact with you since it is hovering beneath you rather than you sitting on it. Of course this is open to DM interpretation in however they wish to run it in their games. However, I've chatted to a few AL DMs about how they run it and the local (RAW) interpretation is that hands are not required to operate it and it has no effect on combat much as a rider of a regular mount using a sword and shield guiding the mount with their legs.
Basically, magic is used to explain why hands are not required to operate it.
However, using a climbing kit to devise a harness allowing you to remain attached to the broom even if you are knocked off might be useful :). On the other hand, the rules don't really cover being "knocked off" magic items so it is again a DM call as to whether the magic of the broom is sufficient to keep someone mounted even if they get hit or knocked backward. Would the broom move backward like all of the character's other gear or would the character be forced away from it? If they are forced away from it then why don't effects that push you back also cause you to drop your weapons or knock other loose gear from your person?
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However, the broom of flying is an item with a specified movement speed of 50' flying (30' if carrying more than 200lbs). Items do not get actions. So if you are riding a broom then you can move 50' but since the broom can't dash you can't use a dash action to move another 50'. You could get off the broom and use YOUR action to dash moving your base movement farther after paying the movement required to get off the broom but the broom won't move more than 50' in a round. On the other hand, boots of flying or the fly spell actually change YOUR movement rate which means that you gain a fly speed AND can use an action to dash and move farther. This is one situation where boots might be preferable to a broom since they are a bit more flexible for movement.
Well, I looked it up and Jeremy Crawford stated that one should be able to Dash on a Flying Broom, and even calls it out as being an unusual case that defies a few traditional rules. But it's still not a hard-and-fast, 100% clarification, since he actually uses the term "I would allow" and not, "The ruling is..."
Mostly my concern was something like, say... getting knocked unconscious in some way. Being 100 Feet in the air still keeps me in the range of Healing Word or something that someone could use to revive me if I take a nasty hit in the air (or if I get targeted by a sleep spell)... but if I just drop straight to the ground I'll be taking a ton of damage that could kill me outright, so as long as I've got a harness and the broom remains in the air, I should be okay. Lol although it would be kind of funny to see what would happen if I remain in the air while knocked unconscious, with no one able to revive me or reach me... even surviving death saves I'd be stuck floating there for at least 8 hours undisturbed to at least get a long rest out of it.
Could you use the broom to haul things if you suspended them under the broom. I am wondering if I could tie the broom to a trunk or a barrel. it seems as long at I don't exceed the weight it would work.
Jeremy Crawford said in a Sage Advice that you can dash with a Broom of Flying. Here's specifically what he said: "Now the broom of flying is an oddball. It has its own speed, like other vehicles/mounts, but the item assumes you rely on your move, rather than your action, to use it. I'd therefore allow you to take the Dash action with the broom"
Jeremy Crawford said in a Sage Advice that you can dash with a Broom of Flying. Here's specifically what he said: "Now the broom of flying is an oddball. It has its own speed, like other vehicles/mounts, but the item assumes you rely on your move, rather than your action, to use it. I'd therefore allow you to take the Dash action with the broom"
The interesting thing is that the description of the broom no where indicates “but the item assumes you rely on your move, rather than your action, to use it”. The description of the broom gives specific instructions on how to mount it (and unlike a horse, this doesn’t cost any movement) .. but otherwise does not indicate it is any different from any other vehicle or controlled mount.
JCs quote also makes clear it is how he’d want to run it as DM and not a general interpretation of the rules or RAI .. “I’d therefore allow you ..” is JC ruling on how he’d want to run it since them broom description itself says nothing about using your movement.
Personally, I’d tend to house rule that a creature could use the movement of a controlled mount or vehicle instead of their own movement (thus allowing things like a mounted knight to ride in and attack with a lance) .. but since a broom is a vehicle it would still not have the ability to Dash the way a horse or other mount would.
Broom of Flying:
“This wooden broom, which weighs 3 pounds, functions like a mundane broom until you stand astride it and speak its command word. It then hovers beneath you and can be ridden in the air. It has a flying speed of 50 feet. It can carry up to 400 pounds, but its flying speed becomes 30 feet while carrying over 200 pounds. The broom stops hovering when you land.
You can send the broom to travel alone to a destination within 1 mile of you if you speak the command word, name the location, and are familiar with that place. The broom comes back to you when you speak another command word, provided that the broom is still within 1 mile of you.”
The Broom of Flying is an uncommon magic item that is really too strong for what it provides, permanent flight. Let's compare it to the Winged Boots for example, another uncoomon magic item that provides flight. The Broom provides a 50 feet flying speed, compared to the "speed equal to your walking speed" of the Winged Boots, also, the Broom flight is permanent while the Winged Boots have a set time limit. Finally the Boots require attunement while the Broom does not. And if you look a bit further, only the carpets of flying (very rare items!) surpass the utility of the Broom, with higher weight limits, faster speed and no attunement. But they are VERY RARE!
All that aside, the wording of the Broom is very vague. It says the Broom is moving, not that you move with it. It does NOT provide a fly speed to its user. So it's up to interpretation if you need a hand to hold it or not, or if you can even balance on the Broom like a skateboard. The rules don't specify anything. The idea of the climber's kit is solid I think, although you'd need to talk to the DM on how long it would take to strap yourself to the broom (you won't be on the Broom 24/7 right?).
Also, regarding the command word, since it doesn't require attunement, anyone can really use the command word if they know it. For clever DMs, this can open up some interesting opportunities.
I agree there are a lot of gaps in the rules for how brooms of flying work. There are also a lot of instances where the power of a magic item has little correlation to its rareity (maybe magic carpets are very rare because they are very hard to produce and provide little extra benefit to a broom.
A DM can either base the magic items made available to the party in terms of their power to the campaign rather than rarity or they can fill in the gaps of a broom of flying to make them more suitable as an uncommon action.
If a broom requires a hand to hold their effectiveness in combat is significantly less than winged boots. If a flying creature making a shove attack or a warlock using repelling blast or any of a number of other ways of forcing movement result in you being seperated from the broom again the PC might be willing to sacrifice an attunement slot for winged boots.
stand astride it and speak its command word. It then hovers beneath you and can be ridden in the air. It has a flying speed of 50 feet. It can carry up to 400 pounds, but its flying speed becomes 30 feet while carrying over 200 pounds. The broom stops hovering when you land.
You stand on it and ride it. It doesn't say you need to hold it with your hands. It also does not say you get knocked off if you are hit.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
So because it doesn't say you need to hold it your hands you just ride it? Then I guess you don't need hands to ride a horse either because you also simply "ride" it and it doesn't say anywhere you need a hand to do so. You can even "ride" a chariot without using hands because it's not stated anywhere that you need to hold it your hands. Or steering a ship, that also doesn't state you need to hold anything with your hands. lol
In none of those videos is the rider hit by an effect that forces them to move 5ft (or more) so we don't know if the horse would go with them.
I think it makes sense that a flying broom is neither being worn or carried so if someone riding a broom is shoved or subject to another effect that moves them the broom does not move with them. You can make a case for holding the broom means you are now "carrying" it so it does come with you.
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I recently got a Broom of Flying in Adventure League, and seeing as I'm playing a Kenku I'm pretty much going to be riding it constantly at every opportunity, but I also wanted to double check some things to make sure I understand how it works, in particular what happens if I get knocked off of it, since I don't exactly have a lot of ways to save myself if I do (I'm playing a Warlock, so I can't easily learn Featherfall).
I was thinking the logical thing to do is purchase a climbing Kit, since it includes a harness and I could just be strapped to it the whole time. But does the broom continue to just hover in place if its rider is knocked off? The item description specifically mentions that it stops hovering when you land, so does that mean it remains in the air until the rider actually hits the ground? If it does start falling could you just speak its command word and get it in the air again before hitting the ground?
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
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Ok, having read its description, it seems in the case you are knocked off, you could command the broom to fly down to the ground (I assume you would be less than 1 mile up), and tell it to slow before you reach ground level, so you dont hit the ground in a lethal way anyway. You would logically need to do a check when you land or go prone (even at 5 feet every 6 seconds, you could hit enough to tumble).
However, to do the above, you would need to either know the area directly beneath you very well, or see it, so I would suggest flying no higher than Darkvision range of the ground at night.
The rules don't really specify what happens if you get knocked off, but I'd rule that it stays in place until you summon it. Strapping yourself to it with a climbing kit seems like a good solution to me. The more consequential ambiguity to me is the effects of fighting while flying. I would argue you need at least one hand holding the broom to stay in place. I can see a DM arguing that even then you are going to have disadvantage on attacks since you are firing from an unstable platform, but I would probably ignore that.
Luckily I'm playing a Warlock and I'm basically just going to be using Eldritch Blast, which only has Vocal and Somatic requirements, so I'll be able to quite comfortably attack from the sky while keeping one hand on the broom. I think that RAW there's no restrictions about it, but I would also agree it would make sense to, say... require someone to make some kind of check if they were using a Longbow or other two handed weapon from the broom.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
The description of the broom says nothing about needing to use hands to either stay on it or operate it. The text says:
"until you stand astride it and speak its command word. It then hovers beneath you and can be ridden in the air."
You stand stride it, it hovers beneath you and can be ridden. It doesn't even indicate that the broom is in contact with you since it is hovering beneath you rather than you sitting on it. Of course this is open to DM interpretation in however they wish to run it in their games. However, I've chatted to a few AL DMs about how they run it and the local (RAW) interpretation is that hands are not required to operate it and it has no effect on combat much as a rider of a regular mount using a sword and shield guiding the mount with their legs.
Basically, magic is used to explain why hands are not required to operate it.
However, using a climbing kit to devise a harness allowing you to remain attached to the broom even if you are knocked off might be useful :). On the other hand, the rules don't really cover being "knocked off" magic items so it is again a DM call as to whether the magic of the broom is sufficient to keep someone mounted even if they get hit or knocked backward. Would the broom move backward like all of the character's other gear or would the character be forced away from it? If they are forced away from it then why don't effects that push you back also cause you to drop your weapons or knock other loose gear from your person?
----------
However, the broom of flying is an item with a specified movement speed of 50' flying (30' if carrying more than 200lbs). Items do not get actions. So if you are riding a broom then you can move 50' but since the broom can't dash you can't use a dash action to move another 50'. You could get off the broom and use YOUR action to dash moving your base movement farther after paying the movement required to get off the broom but the broom won't move more than 50' in a round. On the other hand, boots of flying or the fly spell actually change YOUR movement rate which means that you gain a fly speed AND can use an action to dash and move farther. This is one situation where boots might be preferable to a broom since they are a bit more flexible for movement.
Well, I looked it up and Jeremy Crawford stated that one should be able to Dash on a Flying Broom, and even calls it out as being an unusual case that defies a few traditional rules. But it's still not a hard-and-fast, 100% clarification, since he actually uses the term "I would allow" and not, "The ruling is..."
Mostly my concern was something like, say... getting knocked unconscious in some way. Being 100 Feet in the air still keeps me in the range of Healing Word or something that someone could use to revive me if I take a nasty hit in the air (or if I get targeted by a sleep spell)... but if I just drop straight to the ground I'll be taking a ton of damage that could kill me outright, so as long as I've got a harness and the broom remains in the air, I should be okay. Lol although it would be kind of funny to see what would happen if I remain in the air while knocked unconscious, with no one able to revive me or reach me... even surviving death saves I'd be stuck floating there for at least 8 hours undisturbed to at least get a long rest out of it.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Could you use the broom to haul things if you suspended them under the broom. I am wondering if I could tie the broom to a trunk or a barrel. it seems as long at I don't exceed the weight it would work.
I think that is supported by the wording, since you don't have to be riding it to command it.
Jeremy Crawford said in a Sage Advice that you can dash with a Broom of Flying. Here's specifically what he said: "Now the broom of flying is an oddball. It has its own speed, like other vehicles/mounts, but the item assumes you rely on your move, rather than your action, to use it. I'd therefore allow you to take the Dash action with the broom"
The interesting thing is that the description of the broom no where indicates “but the item assumes you rely on your move, rather than your action, to use it”. The description of the broom gives specific instructions on how to mount it (and unlike a horse, this doesn’t cost any movement) .. but otherwise does not indicate it is any different from any other vehicle or controlled mount.
JCs quote also makes clear it is how he’d want to run it as DM and not a general interpretation of the rules or RAI .. “I’d therefore allow you ..” is JC ruling on how he’d want to run it since them broom description itself says nothing about using your movement.
Personally, I’d tend to house rule that a creature could use the movement of a controlled mount or vehicle instead of their own movement (thus allowing things like a mounted knight to ride in and attack with a lance) .. but since a broom is a vehicle it would still not have the ability to Dash the way a horse or other mount would.
Broom of Flying:
“This wooden broom, which weighs 3 pounds, functions like a mundane broom until you stand astride it and speak its command word. It then hovers beneath you and can be ridden in the air. It has a flying speed of 50 feet. It can carry up to 400 pounds, but its flying speed becomes 30 feet while carrying over 200 pounds. The broom stops hovering when you land.
You can send the broom to travel alone to a destination within 1 mile of you if you speak the command word, name the location, and are familiar with that place. The broom comes back to you when you speak another command word, provided that the broom is still within 1 mile of you.”
There are no actual rules for getting knocked off...
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
The Broom of Flying is an uncommon magic item that is really too strong for what it provides, permanent flight. Let's compare it to the Winged Boots for example, another uncoomon magic item that provides flight. The Broom provides a 50 feet flying speed, compared to the "speed equal to your walking speed" of the Winged Boots, also, the Broom flight is permanent while the Winged Boots have a set time limit. Finally the Boots require attunement while the Broom does not. And if you look a bit further, only the carpets of flying (very rare items!) surpass the utility of the Broom, with higher weight limits, faster speed and no attunement. But they are VERY RARE!
All that aside, the wording of the Broom is very vague. It says the Broom is moving, not that you move with it. It does NOT provide a fly speed to its user. So it's up to interpretation if you need a hand to hold it or not, or if you can even balance on the Broom like a skateboard. The rules don't specify anything. The idea of the climber's kit is solid I think, although you'd need to talk to the DM on how long it would take to strap yourself to the broom (you won't be on the Broom 24/7 right?).
Also, regarding the command word, since it doesn't require attunement, anyone can really use the command word if they know it. For clever DMs, this can open up some interesting opportunities.
I agree there are a lot of gaps in the rules for how brooms of flying work. There are also a lot of instances where the power of a magic item has little correlation to its rareity (maybe magic carpets are very rare because they are very hard to produce and provide little extra benefit to a broom.
A DM can either base the magic items made available to the party in terms of their power to the campaign rather than rarity or they can fill in the gaps of a broom of flying to make them more suitable as an uncommon action.
If a broom requires a hand to hold their effectiveness in combat is significantly less than winged boots. If a flying creature making a shove attack or a warlock using repelling blast or any of a number of other ways of forcing movement result in you being seperated from the broom again the PC might be willing to sacrifice an attunement slot for winged boots.
stand astride it and speak its command word. It then hovers beneath you and can be ridden in the air. It has a flying speed of 50 feet. It can carry up to 400 pounds, but its flying speed becomes 30 feet while carrying over 200 pounds. The broom stops hovering when you land.
You stand on it and ride it. It doesn't say you need to hold it with your hands. It also does not say you get knocked off if you are hit.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
So because it doesn't say you need to hold it your hands you just ride it? Then I guess you don't need hands to ride a horse either because you also simply "ride" it and it doesn't say anywhere you need a hand to do so. You can even "ride" a chariot without using hands because it's not stated anywhere that you need to hold it your hands. Or steering a ship, that also doesn't state you need to hold anything with your hands. lol
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Right around 3:01
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Great so to fly the broom you need a proper saddle to keep you from falling from it.
Got it.
Now I imagine Brooms of Flying being like speeders from Star Wars
In none of those videos is the rider hit by an effect that forces them to move 5ft (or more) so we don't know if the horse would go with them.
I think it makes sense that a flying broom is neither being worn or carried so if someone riding a broom is shoved or subject to another effect that moves them the broom does not move with them. You can make a case for holding the broom means you are now "carrying" it so it does come with you.