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If a caster has spent the duration of the Levitate spell moving upward to 2000' how long would it take to float back down again?

Someone_Evil
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Jason Stallard
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    It assume that it takes 100 rounds to reach the maximum height. I can conceive three choices for the time it takes:

    1. A single round at 333 feet per second.

    2. 33 rounds at 60 feet per round (similar to the Feather Fall spell).

    3. 100 rounds at 20 feet per round. (it takes the same time to come down as it did to get up there).

     – Jason Stallard Mar 31 '20 at 11:58

1 Answers1

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Spells do only what they say they do

The levitate spell states:

When the spell ends, the target floats gently to the ground if it is still aloft.

This is all we know about the spell ending, it does not induce feather fall or anything of the sort. We also do not know how fast a gentle float is, so you are going to have to ask the GM (or make a ruling yourself).

Exempt-Medic
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    This is where things hit the ambiguous side of English, but wouldn't it reach the ground immediately because it "float[ed] gently to the ground" when the spell ended? It doesn't start floating towards, it floats to the ground. – Axoren Mar 30 '20 at 16:02
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    @Axoren I don't believe that reading of the description is accurate. I, for one, wouldn't call someone plummeting 2,000 in just 6 seconds floating. (for reference, that's about 225 MPH or 365 KPH) – RevanantBacon Mar 30 '20 at 16:07
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    @RevenantBacon Well, falling 2,000 feet may still be 'floating' Because Magic. – NotArch Mar 30 '20 at 16:43
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    @Axoren Yeah, no, you can't "float gently" at unlimited speed. The spell doesn't say how long it takes; it's incorrect to assume that it therefore means "instantly". – Mark Wells Mar 30 '20 at 18:41
  • I have removed the featherfall component of my question to avoid further discussion on that erroneous point. – Jason Stallard Mar 30 '20 at 20:30
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    @MarkWells DnD isn't a simulation of reality. From the PHB, the only guidance regarding falling speed I can see is Featherfall, which has a speed of 60 ft/round. That's an entirely separate spell, so it's questionable to apply it to Levitate. As best as I can tell, all other falls are assumed to take place entirely within a round. From the guidance offered by the rules, floating after levitate either takes 1 round or 34. Either way, no damage is taken. – Carl Kevinson Mar 31 '20 at 14:49
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    I would also like to point out that in Xanathar's falling speed without any magic involved is 500'/round (about 56 MPH). Feather Fall reduces this to 60'/round (about 1/8th that speed 6-7MPH, a slow jog), and while it's not explicitly stated in Levitate, it is reasonable to attach a similar (or possibly slower) rate of descent to it. – RevanantBacon Mar 31 '20 at 20:37