Climb (Str; Armor Check Penalty)
You are skilled at scaling vertical surfaces, from smooth city walls to rocky cliffs.
Ability: Strength
Requires training: no
Check: With a successful Climb check, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, wall, or other steep incline (or even across a ceiling, provided it has handholds) at one-quarter your normal speed. A slope is considered to be any incline at an angle measuring less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline at an angle measuring 60 degrees or more.
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.
| Climb DC | Example Surface or Activity |
| 0 | A slope too steep to walk up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against. |
| 5 | A rope with a wall to brace against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell. |
| 10 | A surface with ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall or a ship’s rigging. |
| 15 | 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. |
| 20 | An uneven surface with narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon. |
| 25 | A rough surface, such as a natural rock wall or a brick wall. |
| 30 | An overhang or ceiling with handholds only. |
| — | A perfectly smooth, flat vertical (or inverted) surface cannot be climbed. |
| :---: | :---: |
| Climb DC Modifier* | Example Surface or Activity |
| –10 | Climbing a chimney (artificial or natural) or other location where you can brace against two opposite walls. |
| –5 | Climbing a corner where you can brace against perpendicular walls. |
| +5 | Surface is slippery. |
* These modifiers are cumulative; use all that apply.
You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand. While climbing, you can’t move to avoid a blow, so you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You also can’t use a shield while climbing. Anytime you take damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means you fall from your current height and sustain the appropriate falling damage.