Hey all... I'm currently writing my notes for running my very first game/campaign: Dragon of Icespire Peak

I'm going over Gnomengarde (SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED GNOMENGARDE / DRAGON OF ICESPIRE PEAK) 🚨 

There's a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) ✔️ for a successful climb into 4 of the 5 caves

My questions are as follows:

1. Is this climb assuming PCs are attempting to climb by bare hands & feet?

2. If PCs actually own grappling hook, rope & pitons should I, perhaps, lower the DC to an 11?

3. What should I do on any failed rolls: have PCs immediately roll again or try to figure out another way up/in? If I allow them to re-roll, how many chances should I grant them if they fail the DC again?

Any help/advice would be appreciated so thanks in advance 🙏🏾

1 Yes. Plus maybe climbing gear from the various adventure packs.

2. See 1.

3. Now you have to decide fail forward, fail, Fail Forward  take half damage from the fall (1d6 per 10 feet.) Fail full damage for the distance. Or full damage and they may have alerted someone in the cave. 

The rules are notoriously silent on when and how to call for a check. So... Decide whether you want to call a check at the beginning, end, or middle of their movement each turn or just once for the whole cliff. 

1. I'd think so.
2. Maybe, maybe not. It at least reduces the distance they fall when they fail.
3. If they fail they fall and take some damage. Repeat until they either brute force their way up, die, or think of a clever way to get low STR characters up (probably involving rope).

I don't think climbing rope has a check.

Whoa! 😮 

Forgive me for being easily impressed but I love this game!

The way the game mechanics come together & how they work is really genius.

Now I have to look up "fail forward" as I don't believe I've come across these terms yet unless you could save me the trouble & fill me in please & thanks.

Good ideas here as well.

Thanks. 🙏🏾

Quote from eightyocho >>

 

Now I have to look up "fail forward" as I don't believe I've come across these terms yet unless you could save me the trouble & fill me in please & thanks.

 I think Jasperr might be talking about success at a cost and degrees of failure from the resolution and consequences subsection of ability checks section of the DMG.

Keep in mind that there is a walking path into Gnomengarde which they will most likely take. Also, the gnomes are not hostile (mostly). If they choose to climb (and fall), you could have one of the gnomes poke their head over the side and tell them to take the path. 

Yeah I knew about the 1 walking path

That gnome idea is freaking brilliant 

I’m super new to this so I have to build my imagination chops up quite a bit

I could play that rock gnome character like a nosey neighbor, “just take the stairs!” 😂 

Man… I cannot wait to play this game! Sheesh

Thanks for this

I recall reading this but totally didn’t reference this in my head when I asked this question

So many game mechanics to consider & they all seem to fire off at once & work well in conjunction with each other

I guess I have way more studying to do which I’ll do happily!

Thanks again 🙏🏾 

Fail Forward is a new term to me too but instead just Fail and start over. You fail ,some thing happens, but you move forward in the game. Two steps forward and one back.  A failure would be some modules/adventures would have a secret door. If you failed, you never found it. 

Oh one piece of advice. During the gaming session have a 3 minute look up rule. If you can't find something in 3 minutes, make stuff up. And before the next session find the rule and tell your players what the actual rule was. My players sometimes take advantage of that 3 minute rule but it all good.