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If a flying creature was to stun an Aasimar while the Aasimar was flying using Divine Soul, would the Aasiamar fall out of the sky or not?

Recently had two players arguing during a PvP encounter.

Laurel
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  • You refer to an "Aisamer" in your original question. There is no offical race or class (that I know of) with this name, so I took the liberty to change the spelling to Aasimar. In case this is a mistake, please undo my edit. – Nobody the Hobgoblin Nov 29 '22 at 05:59
  • Do you mean divine soul or radiant soul? – SeriousBri Nov 29 '22 at 07:44

1 Answers1

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The Aasimar will fall

The Divine Soul sorcerer's Otherworldy Wings1 feature says

Starting at 14th level,you can use a bonus action to manifest a pair of spectral wings from your back. While the wings are present, you have a flying speed of 30 feet. The wings last until you're incapacitated, you die, or you dismiss them as a bonus action.

The Stunned condition has this effect (among others):

A stunned creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t move, (...)

Because the Otherworldly Wings end if you are incapacitated, you will lose the wings and with them the flying speed and will fall.

All normal fliers fall when stunned

This is not the only reason you would fall. The flying rules state (p. 191 PHB):

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, such as by the fly spell.

The Aasimar's flight is not hovering or due to magic like the fly spell, but due to wings. Because a creature flying with wings falls if it can't move, and you can't move when stunned, again you will fall.

1 There are actually two ways a Divine Soul Aasimar could sprout wings. The other is from the Aasimar races Radiant Soul feature. It says

Two luminous, spectral wings sprout from your back temporarily. Until the transformation ends, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed

These wings would not vanish when you are incapacitated, but they are still wings, so it does not really matter for the answer, you would still fall, because you cannot move.

Nobody the Hobgoblin
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  • Now, if you were playing a 5e adaptation of the old module "Gargoyles", they had a race of gargoyles with magical flight and detachable wings, where the wings only were necessary to control what direction they went :). – Alan Nov 29 '22 at 13:58
  • Notice that the generic rule for flyers state two exceptions, the keywords "hover" and "magic". It does not specify the need for wings to fly. – Mindwin Remember Monica Nov 29 '22 at 17:15
  • @Mindwin Correct, anything that is not hover or magic will drop, including wings. I do spell this out at "The Aasimar's flight is not hovering or due to magic like the fly spell, ...". As wings are neither hover or magic (unless they would say so for the latter), if you use those and get stunned, you drop. – Nobody the Hobgoblin Nov 29 '22 at 17:22
  • I agree. But readers often skim and don't ponder on the answers, seeking a fast-food answer. The caveat above is for them and do not constitute criticism on the answer herein. Also, it's not "magic" unless the keyword appear in the ability's statistic block or is from a spell. Whether magic items that grant a fly speed (but do not make mentions to the spell fly) are considered "magic" is food for another Stack Q&A. – Mindwin Remember Monica Nov 29 '22 at 19:21