D&D 5E Climbing a tower rules 5e

[DND_Reborn]

Or would you rather move things forward to whatever it is they find inside the tower?

It depends on getting into the tower is part of the challenge--or are just what is inside the tower the challenge?

If figuring out how to get in is part of the challenge (as it seems in the OP) then it is a matter of interest how they get in.

 

[iserith]

It depends on getting into the tower is part of the challenge--or are just what is inside the tower the challenge?

If figuring out how to get in is part of the challenge (as it seems in the OP) then it is a matter of interest how they get in.

I think it's important to note that the use of dice or not doesn't actually constitute whether there's a challenge or not.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I think it's important to note that the use of dice or not doesn't actually constitute whether there's a challenge or not.

Sure, you don't have to use dice... just like you don't have to make a check if there is no significant consequence to failure.

Simply finding and breaking the window, telling the DM how they will scale the tower, etc. could be acceptable to the DM to overcome the challenge.

Or, it might not be enough.

Personally, if you are scaling 80 feet and risking falling to your death, I am making you roll LOL!

 

[iserith]

Sure, you don't have to use dice... just like you don't have to make a check if there is no significant consequence to failure.

Simply finding and breaking the window, telling the DM how they will scale the tower, etc. could be acceptable to the DM to overcome the challenge.

Or, it might not be enough.

Personally, if you are scaling 80 feet and risking falling to your death, I am making you roll LOL!

I would, but only if there's a complication other than just climbing as that is more in line with the D&D 5e rules. If there's no complication and no time pressure, you just succeed by spending 2 feet of speed for every 1 foot of progress.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I would, but only if there's a complication other than just climbing as that is more in line with the D&D 5e rules. If there's no complication and no time pressure, you just succeed by spending 2 feet of speed for every 1 foot of progress.

That's cool, but for me being 80 feet in the air, hanging onto a rope, and risking death IF I fall would be scary as hell and should warrant a check. YMMV of course.

 

[Blue]

A javelin is a simple weapon with a range of 30/120 - I'd consider a grappling hook that you have the time to swing to build up momentum at least that range. A 1" x 1" window is roughly Pixie sized, so it's AC should be in the same neighborhood once you adjust to DEX 0 - that's AC 5. Even with disadvantage for long range and lack of proficiency in grappling hook, that's do-able in a one or two casts if you have a positive DEX mod.

Trying to apply real-world physics to hitting it while you apply game-world mechanics to hitting similar targets is inconsistent.

 

[Blue]

That's cool, but for me being 80 feet in the air, hanging onto a rope, and risking death IF I fall would be scary as hell and should warrant a check. YMMV of course.

Parsing this sentence I get:
If the rope I am climbing is 80 feet in the air, it should be more difficult to climb up then if that same was lower because the penalty for failure is greater.

That's not supported by the rules. The damage if you fall is a lot greater, but if you want to climb up 30 feet, the difficulty to climb is the same if that 30 feet is 100 feet in the air or directly above trampoline. The knotted rope and wall to brace against do not change.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Parsing this sentence I get:
If the rope I am climbing is 80 feet in the air, it should be more difficult to climb up then if that same was lower because the penalty for failure is greater.

That's not supported by the rules. The damage if you fall is a lot greater, but if you want to climb up 30 feet, the difficulty to climb is the same if that 30 feet is 100 feet in the air or directly above trampoline. The knotted rope and wall to brace against do not change.

That's not it at all. The DC doesn't change.

My point is I would require the check for the element of peril with an 80-foot climb, but not with a 10-foot climb. The hazard (falling) is significant if you fail the one (80-feet), not the other (10-feet), due to the damage you'll sustain.

FWIW, if a DM even insisted on the check for a 10-foot climb, I would be fine with that....

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

That's cool, but for me being 80 feet in the air, hanging onto a rope, and risking death IF I fall would be scary as hell and should warrant a check. YMMV of course.

I think this depends on the character. I'd reward inspiration if the player gave his character a complication due to climbing an 80 foot, dc5 rope. When running high ropes courses, I've seen people freeze up while being at heights as low as 20 feet, despite being perfectly safe. So much so that I had to go up and rescue them and bring them down.

So if a character had some kind of backstory or background related to heights that made it more of a risk for the party, that would be cool to me.

 

[iserith]

It feels like there's a lot of legacy thinking going on here i.e. climb = "climb check." That's not how it works in this game. Climbing is just a matter of a hit to a character's speed unless there's a difficult situation that complicates the climb. As laid out by the OP, there were no such difficult situations in play.