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Is there a ruled threshold in strength attribute required to climb a rope, and do you allow someone in plate (or similar armor) to climb a rope? I've never required either, but this came up recently so was wondering. I suppose someone with a strength brought below 7 might not be able to even without heavy armor on (given their overall weight).

One of the Survival Guides might have something on this - that's the type of rules that are in those books. I don't think you really need a "rule" for it, though. This is something common sense and real-life knowledge should be sufficient to make a judgment call on. I'd probably say that anyone in the very heavy (6") or encumbered (3") encumbrance class due to armor or other gear can't climb a rope - they have to be pulled up. Not sure I'd penalize low-Strength characters beyond their encumbrance penalty putting them more quickly into those encumbrance classes. I tend to assume that even bad-stat D&D characters are in better physical shape and more able to do things like climb, run, swim, and balance than modern sedentary couch potatoes.

Good question. After just finishing the underwater rules for DD, I guess I would go with the 'sink or swim' standard. If a particular encumbrance level is too heavy to swim, then it is also too heavy to climb a rope or wall. At lower STR scores even wearing just leather armor it is impossible, while at the upper end a character could be wearing chainmail and still do it, albeit very slowly. If I wanted to be a real bastard, I might require the rope to make a Saving Throw whenever a heavily encumbered character tried to climb. Of course, this Saving Throw would be made when the climber was at the midway point. Failure and the rope breaks plunging them into the abyss.

Personally, if it was just core AD&D BTB, I would just hand-wave it, and let any character climb up that rope.

The WSG adds in rules, where dice must be rolled.

Personally, I'd prefer to keep it simple, and assume that any PC, regardless of STR or Encumbrance, can climb up that rope.

Climbatize,
Prespos

prespos wrote:Personally, if it was just core AD&D BTB, I would just hand-wave it, and let any character climb up that rope.

The WSG adds in rules, where dice must be rolled.

Personally, I'd prefer to keep it simple, and assume that any PC, regardless of STR or Encumbrance, can climb up that rope.

Climbatize,
Prespos

But when a character falls into a pit and has to climb out, you totally want to make him strip off his armor first so that the monsters who are hiding nearby can rush out and ambush him while he's in his skivvies

prespos wrote:Personally, if it was just core AD&D BTB, I would just hand-wave it, and let any character climb up that rope.

The WSG adds in rules, where dice must be rolled.

Personally, I'd prefer to keep it simple, and assume that any PC, regardless of STR or Encumbrance, can climb up that rope.

Climbatize,
Prespos

Wow, I always make players role for climbing a rope while adventuring (unless its a thief/monk/assassin climbing something easy). Chances are slim to falling alot of the time, but players don't know that. Having to guess makes them sweat.

Guys in heavy armor are going to have a harder time at it, as are weaklings. Guys in light armor will have an easier and faster time at it.

Instead of making players roll for thisnthatneverythinginbetween, I simply tell 'em how long its going to take them to perform an action with rope, armor, fully loaded equipment, etc, and then if the time spent is not acceptable, then they have to make adjustments.

If they try to rush the job so they take less time, thats when I have them start making rolls to succeed. Hrmmm, rope, climbing, armor, fully loaded, etc., sounds like a simple Saving Throw vs. Paralyzation to me!

If your campaign style setting cranked up to HEROIC: do it!
If your campaign style setting is dialled down to GRITTY/REALISTIC: fuhgettaboutit!