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There are some classes, like the vengeance paladin's capstone or the Tempest Cleric's 17th level Stormborn feature, that grant a flying speed to a creature.

Is this considered 'magical' flight or is it mundane flight?

I'm thinking of this with regard to the rules on falling when a creature has their speed reduced to 0 or if knocked prone:

If a flying creature is knocked prone, has its speed reduced to 0, or is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the creature falls, unless it has the ability to hover or it is being held aloft by magic

David Coffron
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NotArch
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  • Have you seen this related question? Is there a reason this is not enough to also answer your question? – Sdjz May 21 '19 at 14:09
  • @Sdjz I had, but the paladin capstone or Tempest Cleric's 17th level stormborn don't seem mundane, but neither use 'magic.' They felt enough of an edge case to ask about. There are some that also don't make sense, like the Paladin's divine strike. JC's tweet overrules the general rule here so clearly there may be a difference of intent. – NotArch May 21 '19 at 14:16
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    Neither feature says anything sprouting wings or having a jet pack pop out of the character's back. It kinda has to be magic, doesn't it? In the case of the tempest cleric, I've always imagined it to be a strong updraft of wind that can hold them aloft. – krb May 21 '19 at 14:39
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    @krb The Venegance Paladin specifically does actually: "Wings sprout from your back and grant you a flying speed of 60 feet." – David Coffron May 21 '19 at 14:40
  • Right, I must have been thinking of a different class on the paladin. – krb May 21 '19 at 14:41
  • Might this be better to be focused on one class feature instead of in general? The answer will depend on the individual wording of each class feature as there's no general answer saying that all class features that grant flight are or are not magical. I'm not sure how many class features fit the bill here, but it seems likely to be more helpful if you pick one and focus on it to me. – Rubiksmoose May 21 '19 at 14:44
  • I think this question might be a dupe of How do I know if an ability is magical?. Thoughts? – Rubiksmoose May 21 '19 at 18:44
  • @Rubiksmoose I've already responded to that above to SDJZ, but ultimately I'm not sure. Would this question and other similar ones also be a dupe? – NotArch May 21 '19 at 18:50
  • @NautArch (oops I missed that exchange!) hmmmm. That is a good point. Technically both of them do meet all of our criteria for duplicates except maybe providing an obvious answer since there is not an explicit "yes this ability is magical" for every ability. However, the question does seem fully encapsulated by the other question and the answer is the same. The method for determining if something is magical is the same for everything. On the other hand, sometimes finding that wording can be tricky and different for each ability. – Rubiksmoose May 21 '19 at 18:55
  • @NautArch on the other other hand, this question doesn't actually pick any particular ability to focus on either, so it is literally just asking "how can I tell if all these abilities that do [x] are magical" which basically a slightly less broad form of the linked Q and more dupe-y than any of the ones asking for a specific ability (IMO). – Rubiksmoose May 21 '19 at 19:01
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    @Rubiksmoose It's been up all day without anyone VTC as a duplicate. Not sure it's worth a gold-badge worth doing it if no one else thought so. But I'm also not that invested in it that I'd be upset if we marked it as a dupe. – NotArch May 21 '19 at 19:03
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    @NautArch sounds very reasonable! :) I don't think it's doing any harm at the very least and since nobody else had taken the leap to vote, we can just leave it. In the future if these kinds of questions get too prolific we can always revisit the issue. – Rubiksmoose May 21 '19 at 19:08

1 Answers1

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It will depend on the feature itself.

The Sage Advice Compendium clarifies what is meant when a rule references magical. This question tackles that topic in depth, but in short, an effect is only magical if the rules say they are. Otherwise they are simply a mundane part of the D&D world (however magical they would seem in our world).

As for the specific examples you gave...

Neither the Tempest Cleric's Stormborn, nor the the Vengeance Paladin's Avenging Angel count as magical for this purpose. This is because they do not satisfy any of the following conditions:

  • Is it a magic item?

  • Is it a spell? Or does it let you create the effects of a spell that’s mentioned in its description?

  • Is it a spell attack?

  • Is it fueled by the use of spell slots?

  • Does its description say it’s magical?

Contrast this to the Storm Sorcery Sorcerer's Wind Soul feature which says:

You also gain a magical flying speed of 60 feet.

Since this flying speed is explicitly called out as magical, it would hold you aloft even if you are knocked prone, or your speed is reduced.

David Coffron
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