Strength.
Check: With each successful Climb check, the character can advance up, down, or across a slope or a wall or other steep incline (or even a ceiling with handholds) at one-quarter her normal speed.
A slope is considered to be any incline of less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline of 60 degrees or steeper.
A failed Climb check indicates that the character makes no progress, and a check that fails by 5 or more means that the character falls from whatever height he or she had already attained (unless the character is secured with some kind of harness or other equipment).
The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb. If the climb is less than 10 feet, reduce the DC by 5.
Since the character can’t move to avoid an attack, he or she is flat-footed while climbing (the character loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence).
Any time the character takes damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means the character falls from his or her current height and sustains the appropriate falling damage.
Accelerated Climbing: A character can try to climb more quickly than normal. The character can move at half her normal speed, but the character takes a –5 penalty on her Climb check.
Making Handholds and Footholds: A character can make handholds and footholds by pounding pitons into a wall. Doing so takes 1 minute per piton, and one piton is needed per 3 feet. As with any surface with handholds and footholds, a wall with pitons in it has a DC of 15. In similar fashion, a climber with an ice axe or other proper implement can cut handholds or footholds in an ice wall.
Catching Yourself When Falling: It’s practically impossible for a character to catch herself on a wall while falling. Make a Climb check (DC equal to wall’s DC + 20) to do so. A slope is relatively easier to catch on (DC equal to slope’s DC + 10).
Action: 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). Every move action that includes any climbing in a round uses the same Climb check. Catching yourself or another falling character doesn’t take an action.
Special: Someone using a rope can haul a character upward (or lower the character) by means of sheer strength. Use two times a character’s maximum load to determine how much weight he or she can lift.
A character can take 10 while climbing, but can’t take 20.
A character without climbing gear takes a –4 penalty on Climb checks. At the GM’s discretion, certain kinds of climbing attempts might require only a rope or some other implement, or even just one’s hands and feet, rather than a full set of climbing gear to avoid the penalty.
A creature with a climb speed has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC higher than 0, but it can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. If a creature with a climb speed chooses an accelerated climb (see above), it moves at double its climb speed (or at its land speed, whichever is slower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Such a creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Defence (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.
A character with the Athletic feat gets a +2 bonus on all Climb checks.
*These modifiers are cumulative; use any that apply.
