D&D 5E (2014) Monk's Unarmoured Movement Improvement & Climbing Speed

[Charlaquin]

...if you mean the monk feature implies mirror's edge style wallrunning, then i mean...sure. but you have a hand on the wall while doing that. if there's a hand hold you could use to make use of your climb speed there anyway, why would using the unarmoured movement improvement change that? i could see maybe a check to actually grab the hand hold and not just go flying from momentum but other then that i don't get it.

with improved unarmored movement there doesn’t even need to be a hand hold. It allows you to climb up completely sheer vertical surfaces, you just fall if you don’t end your movement on flat ground. A climb speed doesn’t typically allow that (unless you also have spider climb), but it also doesn’t usually carry a risk of falling.

Granted, if it’s a surface that would otherwise be climbable, I don’t think improved unarmored movement really offers any benefits that a climb speed doesn’t. Unless there are other factors complicating the climb that would necessitate a check. I guess in that case, you could unarmored movement to scale the surface without a check, and use your climb speed to justify being able to stay suspended without falling.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

Uh. Yeah... I'm aware. It's not a scenario... Covered by the rules. That's why I... Posed the question. To this... Forum.

pose question
get a response
make fun of how part of the response is phrased without acknowledging the rest of it

classy.

with improved unarmored movement there doesn’t even need to be a hand hold. It allows you to climb up completely sheer vertical surfaces, you just fall if you don’t end your movement on flat ground. A climb speed doesn’t typically allow that (unless you also have spider climb), but it also doesn’t usually carry a risk of falling.

if the climb speed isn't applicable then...well...the climb speed isn't applicable, is it? i don't think situations where you couldn't use your climb speed anyway are exactly relevant here. maybe i wasn't clear enough about that though.

Granted, if it’s a surface that would otherwise be climbable, I don’t think improved unarmored movement really offers any benefits that a climb speed doesn’t. Unless there are other factors complicating the climb that would necessitate a check. I guess in that case, you could unarmored movement to scale the surface without a check, and use your climb speed to justify being able to stay suspended without falling.

yeah that's what i was thinking.

 

[Rocker26a]

pose question
get a response
make fun of how part of the response is phrased without acknowledging the rest of it

classy.

Yes well, you said something... Blatantly incorrect. And followed it up with... This tedious affect. That sort of... Kneecaps any desire. To proceed with... An actual discussion.

 

[SkidAce]

Think of it as a nearly impossible to climb glass wall.

Monk with vertical movement...up and out...

Character with climb speed...unlikely...

Monk with climb speed...up as far as vertical movement allows...if not "up and out" then makes a climb check at same nearly impossible DC or falls back down.

 

[Nikosandros]

This is some rules minutia I wanted to get a second opinion on, I could find a definitive answer on it.

So, Monk's Unarmoured Movement Improvement at 9th level allows you to "move along vertical surfaces (and across liquids) on your turn without falling during the move". What I'm trying to pin down in my mind is; how does this interact with a character that has a climbing speed? Say from a racial bonus like a Tabaxi, or a magic item, etc. Such a character spends all their movement ascending a vertical surface, then ends their turn. Do they fall as normal, do they make a check to stay up there, does it depend on the surface in question?

I imagine this may come down to DM fiat, unless I've missed something really obvious, but yeah it'd be good to have some additional input.

I think it depends on the surface. If it's impossible to climb, they fall. If it requires a check, they have to make one or fall. If it doesn't normally require a check, they just stay up there.

 

[Distracted DM]

Just keep in mind that climb speed =/= spider climb. Having a climb speed means that instead moving at half speed while climbing, you move at full- but you still need to make ability checks to climb! When folk forget this, I point them to the common Potion of Climbing which grants both a climb speed, and advantage to climbing checks.

So RAW, with regards to Tabaxi, a climb speed wouldn't help. Buuut I'd consider giving them a little bonus on the check to grab a handhold and not fall, or more likely I'd let them use acrobatics (dex) instead of athletics (str) if they were better at that for the strict purposes of not falling.

 

[Retros_x]

but you still need to make ability checks to climb!

If I remember correctly only when the climb is especially difficult as for example a slippery surface or a steep angle or even overhang.

 

[Distracted DM]

If I remember correctly only when the climb is especially difficult as for example a slippery surface or a steep angle or even overhang.

I guess I took it for granted that checks are only required when failure is a possibility

Spoiler: But here's the entry, you're right.

 

[GreyLord]

So good to know that when I was younger and climbing mountains...somehow I avoided the 5e rule that I would fall off the mountain rather often, only being able to climb to a point where I'd fall and lose 1d6 (at least) HP of damage.

I mean...who would imagine that I would have the super power to climb during one round...and hang on to the same spot on that mountain wall I climbed to so that I could climb higher the next round!