After taking another look at the idea, I see your point. I mostly just wanted a quick transport method for non-mages, sort of a flying alternative to the gate spell, but the shifter abilities are big in direct PK usefeulness.

Perhaps limiting it to going to a random room in a selected area, or only to mobs instead of players, that might bring it into being reasonable. Then again, while that's great for one thing I'd enjoy it for (exploring), it could also still allow a quick getaway from being PKed by simply going up into the air. While I love being able to avoid ambushing PKers who catch me unprepared, that in itself could be overpowered.

So, even though the contest's over, my non-coder attempt to tweak the idea into workability: A slow and interruptable takeoff into the air (maybe a full tick or two), and can't take off at all while engaged in combat. Then, once over an area, something along the lines of an assassin's vanish skill to determine where the touchdown spot (random outdoors room) is in that area.

The logic behind this is that even if arials get the altitude an air shifter can, without proper tail feathers for guidance it's a bit tricky to get altitude and to land quite where you want to.

---Whether it's ever an inherent or not, it's still a race appropriate idea that might be worth the time to consider eventually.