Here is another one of the simple question that I'm putting too much thought into.
Setup:
The party is facing some vile creatures inside a warehouse filled with barrels and crates of all shapes and sizes. One particular stack of crates, each is six feet tall and stacked three high in the shape of a pyramid, or stair-like, giving a player three feet of 'platform' space per-level. The total stack height 18 feet at its summit.
The Ranger wants to get to the higher ground [insert star wars joke here] and decides he wants to climb the crates and get to the summit of the aforementioned stack of crates.
As for references, the Ranger height is under six feet.
Question:
Is the climb simply deducting the Ranger movement climbing up six feet up three feet across and rinse and repeat until they are at the 18-foot summit?
Does the character need to make a Strength / Dexterity ability check to pull themself up each crate based on a set DC all the while deducting movement?
Does difficult terrain come into play for the climb?
Would the same apply if the character base height is taller than the crate to climb?
Bonus Question:
A bar fight breaks out in a tavern and the Ranger wants to climb on top of the bar counter. Does anything ask form above change for a smaller height object?
I would rule that the climb would use the players climbing speed (if they have one) or would use standard climbing speeds (typicaly 1/2 the walking speed). Ability check requirements would be by the DM, but based on the description I would allow the climb without a check. i would also allow them to stop at the top of each box without requiring their hands to hold onto the surface. If the player could jump 6 feet vertical I'd allow them to make the climb by jumping from box ledge to box ledge (if they have a running start they could probably clear the first box anyway, using the jumping rules).
Using these rules, it wouldn't matter about the PCs height. if you assume standard movement for climbing, you are spending 15 feet of movement per box (12 vertical + 3 horizontal). So that would be two movements (or a dash). A Tabaxi with 20' of climbing speed though could do it in a single move (18 vertical + 6-9 horizontal, 24-27 feet total (i'd say 25 for simplicity)
Rules wise. If a creature has a climb speed, use it. Otherwise, climbing costs twice the movement - so 6' of climbing requires 12' of movement.
That's where the rules end and rulings start.
How hard is it to climb these crates? If they have a reinforcing brace across the middle then there are hand and foot holds every 3' and you probably don't need a athletics check to succeed at climbing them. If the crates have holes or the planks forming the crates aren't well fitted then there would be hand and foot holds so again a check would not be needed.
On the other hand, if the crates are smooth wood or metal with no hand holds then the only way to climb them would be to grab the edge and pull yourself up. In this case, I would likely require an athletics check for each crate climbed since pulling yourself up is challenging.
If they make the climb check they expend 15' of movement to climb the crate and move across its top to the next. Scaling another crate would cost another 15' of movement and leave them on top of the second tier of crates.
The easy way is to go with the above choices for how much movement it takes and just let them climb up with no check. Assuming the ranger has at least an average str score, it really shouldn't be much challenge, even if there are no cross pieces, they should be able to do three pull ups. They can even plant a foot and probably have enough traction to give themselves a boost. It's something I (who is not a hero) could do, so it seems like something a person who is a hero should be able to do easily. If you do want them to make a check, it's keep it low (like a DC 10, cause sometimes people do slip), let them use athletics or acrobatics (player choice). But really, keep it easy. It's a good use of terrain and makes combat more interesting; its the kind of thing you want to encourage.
That said, there can be a lot of room in "under 6 feet tall." Are we talking a 5'8" human or elf who could easily reach up to something 6 feet high, or a 3' tall halfling. I might make the smaller creatures have a more difficult check, but I'd use the same rules for amount of movement expended. Halflings already have a lower base movement, so it will make it more difficult for them.
If the boxes are 6 feet high, and the character has a +3 strength modifier, and has a 10 foot run up then they can leap up from box to box - in a heroic fashion, using the standard "high jump" rules at https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/adventuring#Jumping without requiring double cost per 5 ft of movement.
Maybe the rules only allow the first box to be easily handled in this way, but dramatically it would seem appropriate to allow them to leap up one box after another :-)
Great. Now I've got the theme to "The Jeffersons" stuck in my head.
Thanks.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Here is another one of the simple question that I'm putting too much thought into.
Setup:
The party is facing some vile creatures inside a warehouse filled with barrels and crates of all shapes and sizes. One particular stack of crates, each is six feet tall and stacked three high in the shape of a pyramid, or stair-like, giving a player three feet of 'platform' space per-level. The total stack height 18 feet at its summit.
The Ranger wants to get to the higher ground [insert star wars joke here] and decides he wants to climb the crates and get to the summit of the aforementioned stack of crates.
As for references, the Ranger height is under six feet.
Question:
Is the climb simply deducting the Ranger movement climbing up six feet up three feet across and rinse and repeat until they are at the 18-foot summit?
Does the character need to make a Strength / Dexterity ability check to pull themself up each crate based on a set DC all the while deducting movement?
Does difficult terrain come into play for the climb?
Would the same apply if the character base height is taller than the crate to climb?
Bonus Question:
A bar fight breaks out in a tavern and the Ranger wants to climb on top of the bar counter. Does anything ask form above change for a smaller height object?
I would rule that the climb would use the players climbing speed (if they have one) or would use standard climbing speeds (typicaly 1/2 the walking speed). Ability check requirements would be by the DM, but based on the description I would allow the climb without a check. i would also allow them to stop at the top of each box without requiring their hands to hold onto the surface. If the player could jump 6 feet vertical I'd allow them to make the climb by jumping from box ledge to box ledge (if they have a running start they could probably clear the first box anyway, using the jumping rules).
Using these rules, it wouldn't matter about the PCs height. if you assume standard movement for climbing, you are spending 15 feet of movement per box (12 vertical + 3 horizontal). So that would be two movements (or a dash). A Tabaxi with 20' of climbing speed though could do it in a single move (18 vertical + 6-9 horizontal, 24-27 feet total (i'd say 25 for simplicity)
Most of this is up to the DM,
Rules wise. If a creature has a climb speed, use it. Otherwise, climbing costs twice the movement - so 6' of climbing requires 12' of movement.
That's where the rules end and rulings start.
How hard is it to climb these crates? If they have a reinforcing brace across the middle then there are hand and foot holds every 3' and you probably don't need a athletics check to succeed at climbing them. If the crates have holes or the planks forming the crates aren't well fitted then there would be hand and foot holds so again a check would not be needed.
On the other hand, if the crates are smooth wood or metal with no hand holds then the only way to climb them would be to grab the edge and pull yourself up. In this case, I would likely require an athletics check for each crate climbed since pulling yourself up is challenging.
If they make the climb check they expend 15' of movement to climb the crate and move across its top to the next. Scaling another crate would cost another 15' of movement and leave them on top of the second tier of crates.
The easy way is to go with the above choices for how much movement it takes and just let them climb up with no check. Assuming the ranger has at least an average str score, it really shouldn't be much challenge, even if there are no cross pieces, they should be able to do three pull ups. They can even plant a foot and probably have enough traction to give themselves a boost. It's something I (who is not a hero) could do, so it seems like something a person who is a hero should be able to do easily. If you do want them to make a check, it's keep it low (like a DC 10, cause sometimes people do slip), let them use athletics or acrobatics (player choice). But really, keep it easy. It's a good use of terrain and makes combat more interesting; its the kind of thing you want to encourage.
That said, there can be a lot of room in "under 6 feet tall." Are we talking a 5'8" human or elf who could easily reach up to something 6 feet high, or a 3' tall halfling. I might make the smaller creatures have a more difficult check, but I'd use the same rules for amount of movement expended. Halflings already have a lower base movement, so it will make it more difficult for them.
If the boxes are 6 feet high, and the character has a +3 strength modifier, and has a 10 foot run up then they can leap up from box to box - in a heroic fashion, using the standard "high jump" rules at https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/adventuring#Jumping without requiring double cost per 5 ft of movement.
Maybe the rules only allow the first box to be easily handled in this way, but dramatically it would seem appropriate to allow them to leap up one box after another :-)
Great. Now I've got the theme to "The Jeffersons" stuck in my head.
Thanks.
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.