Fly

Version 0.21: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Fly is a status effect that sends you soaring above the ground. It makes traversing terrain with water and lava much easier. The only major downside to flying is that it greatly increases the damage you take from the Airstrike spell; consider landing before facing foes who know it.

Effects

• Ability to safely cross deep water and lava.
• Ignore most effects of shallow water.
• Take 50% more damage from Airstrike spell.
• Minor movement speed bonus for tengu.
• Removal of some stealth bonuses and penalties:
  • The effects of water (bonus for merfolk and octopodes, penalty for everyone else).
  • Penalty from hooves.
  • Bonus from the stealth ego.
  • Bonus for felid paws or penalty for felids walking on Blade Hands.

Sources

Most sources of flight are temporary and will eventually expire. If your flight expires over deadly terrain (such as deep water or lava), you remain in the air but take significant draining every turn until you reach safety.

• Innate ability of low-level tengu. Eventually replaced with permanent flight (see below).
• Potion of flight.
• Using a ring of flight or an artefact with +Fly property (can be canceled manually).
• Casting or being caught in a Tornado (very short-lived).

These sources of flight are permanent, allowing you to continue flying until you decide to stop:

• Innate ability of gargoyles, high-level tengu, and black draconians. Gained when reaching high enough XL.
  • Other draconians may gain the ability by randomly mutating.
• Boots or barding with the flight ego.

History

• Prior to 0.19, you would die instantly if your flight ran out over deadly terrain.
• Prior to 0.17, flight could be achieved using the Flight spell.
• Prior to 0.16, flight protected you from mechanical traps. There was also a Flight card.
• Prior to 0.15, flying creatures had a 2/3rds chance of dodging thrown nets.
• Prior to 0.13, flight could protect you from electrical attacks.
• Prior to 0.12, flight increased the caster's carrying capacity. Also, wands of paralysis, the Petrify spell, and nets could instantly kill flying creatures by dropping them into deep water or lava.