Climb

Strength, Armor Check Penalty applies

You can scale a cliff, to get to the window on the second story of a wizard’s tower, or to climb out of a pit after falling through a trapdoor.

Climbing is part of movement, so it’s generally part of a move action (and may be combined with other types of movement in a move action). With a successful Climb check, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, a wall, or some other steep incline (or even a ceiling with handholds) at one-quarter your normal speed. A Climb check that fails by 4 or less means that you make no progress, and one that fails by 5 or more means that you fall from whatever height you have already attained.

The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb. Compare the task with those on the following table to determine an appropriate DC. While climbing, you count as off-guard.

Surface or Activity	Climb DC
A slope too steep to walk up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against.	0
A rope with a wall to brace against or a knotted rope.	5
A surface with ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall.	10
Any surface with adequate handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a very rough natural rock surface or a tree, or an unknotted rope, or pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands.	15
An uneven surface with some narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon or ruins.	20
A rough surface, such as a natural rock wall or a brick wall.	25
An overhang or ceiling with handholds but no footholds.	25

Catching Yourself When Falling: It’s practically impossible to catch yourself on a wall while falling. Make a Climb check (DC = wall’s DC + 20) to do so. It’s much easier to catch yourself on a slope (DC = slope’s DC + 10).

Catching a Falling Character While Climbing: If someone climbing above you or adjacent to you falls, you can attempt to catch the falling character if they are within your reach. Doing so requires a successful DC 10 Reflex save. If you succeed, you must immediately attempt a Climb check (DC = wall’s DC + 10). Success indicates that you catch the falling character, but their total weight, including equipment, cannot exceed your heavy load limit or you automatically fall. If you fail your Climb check by 4 or less, you fail to stop the character’s fall but don’t lose your grip on the wall. If you fail by 5 or more, you fail to stop the character’s fall and begin falling as well.