L^: mu2, sh3, levitation	-	R#: (2")*	-	D^: 1t*
C^: v.s.m	-	CT: 2	-	S^: Neg.
A^: S	-	psionic encounter: 25%	-	-

Effect: When a levitate spell is cast, the M-U can place it upon his or her person, or upon some other creature,
subject to a maximum weight limit of 100# equivalence per level of xperience,
ie., a Conjurer can levitate up to 300# (3,000 g.p.) max.. <e>

If the spell is cast upon the person of the magic-user,
he or she can move vertically at a rate of 20' per round.
If cast upon another creature, the M-U can levitate it at a maximum vertical movement of 10' per round.
Horizontal movement is not empowered by this spell, but the recipient could push along the face of a cliff,
for example, to move laterally.
The spell caster can cancel the spell as desired.

Saving Throw: If the recipient of the spell is unwilling,
that creature is entitled to a saving throw to determine if the levitate spell affects it.

Levitate: A crucial fact not mentioned in
the PH is that levitating characters suffer
extreme penalties on 'to hit' rolls with
missile fire, and also when 'actually
swinging a weapon (such as a sword)'. It
is NOT clear exactly which weapons fall
into the latter category.  Some weapons
are  actually totally unusable by levitating
characters (DMG, p52) but the DMG
warns DMs to 'let your players find this
out for themselves!'  Acting in the spirit of
this, I shan't reveal the hit penalties with
other weaopns either; but players and DMs
should sort out just what a character
might be expected to know about combat
while levitated, and what will have to wait
for the 1st experience.
(Imagine #29)

Aerial Combat: Once effected,
this spell takes no concentration on the part of the caster except during changes of height,
so it is quite useful when a magic-user desires to rise above a melee to acquire an open field of fire for his or her spells.
The major drawback is that figures rising out of a battle are automatically assumed to be magic-users and will immediately attract most if not all of their opponents' missile fire.
Recipients of the levitation spell who wish to use bows from their elevated position will find that they are not totally stable,
and thus shooting is slightly more difficult.
Such archers will shoot at -1 "to hit".
This is cumulative, subtracting another point from the archer's chance to hit for each successive round of fire until -3 is
reached, as the archer becomes increasingly unstable.
Continued firing will not lower the archer's chances beyond -3,
and any round spent not firing (or fighting) will allow him or her to stabilize and start again at -1 .
Slinging,
casting javelins or spears,
or actually swinging a weapon (such as a sword) will be at double the minuses "to hit" for archery, ie -2, -4, -6.
Due to the lack of leverage and something to "push" against,
it is impossible to cock a heavy ar medium crossbow while levitating (let your players find this out for themselves!).
Levitating persons are marvelous targets for flying creatures.
They can generally be treated as earthbound targets which are easier to get at,
and fight at a disadvantage.

The DM should remember that though the recipient of a fly spell has full control of his or her movement,
the height of a recipient of levitation is always under the control of the caster,
and if that person is otherwise occupied,
no vertical movement is possible
(of course, this does not apply to magical devices such as boots of levitation,
though everything else in the foregoing section is applicable).

MC: A small leather loop OR
a piece of golden wire bent into a cup shape with a long shank on one end.

Shukenja: The shukenja may levitate himself or another creature, to a limit of
1000 gp (100 lbs) per level of the caster. If cast upon the shukenja, the shukenja
may move 20' vertically per round. If cast upon another creature,
that creature may be levitated 10 feet per round (an unwilling TARGET gets a
save to avoid being affected). No horizontal movement is allowed,
and the caster many cancel the spell as desired.
MC: A small kite and string.

Q: Is there a limit to the altitude attainable
with a levitate spell?

A: The only limit is the spell's duration and
20'/round movement rate (or 10'/round if
cast on another creature). Smart players
will make sure that their PCs leave enough
unused duration to get safely back to the
ground.
(154.96)

gideon_thorne wrote:

Thank goodness for my Protection from Rhetorical Missiles thick skin... 

This thread needed a bit of levity.
 

[Zagyg invokes levitation on all the posts here.]

How's that for levity?

Gary