How would you adjudicate rappelling down a string from a flying kite?

[Primitive Screwhead]

I would say that rappeling down a line is a Climb check based on Dex. Synergy bonus for 5 ranks in Use Rope.

Rappel from: DC
Wall 5
Overhang 10
Kite 15

Speed would be a matter of increasing difficulty. The base speed would be your climb skill in feet.
-5 DC for half speed
+5 DC for double speed
+10 DC for triple speed
..etc

In this manner your 2nd level Ninja with 5 ranks wach in Climb/Use rope has a skill of 5 ranks +2 Dex mod +2 synergy = 9
Out of combat he can take 10 and quick rappel {DC 15} from an overhang at a rate of 18' per move action or 36' per round... or fast down a wall {still DC 15} at a rate of 27' per move action or 54' per round.

In combat, a roll of 6 or more gets him zipping along, while a roll of 1 has him fall off.


In order to attack from above.. the best option would be to slide over the target, then drop on top of them.. with a Kite I would require an BAB roll modified by INT to hit a chosen square ala thrown weapons.
Potential for AoO as the Ninja drops through threatened zones and the Ninja's attack at the end of the drop would be considered a Charge, resolved before the landing of the Ninja.

Of course.. see above posts for problems with the whole Kite thing.. but it is very well entrenched in eastern myth/movies.
For the traditional Kite Ninja attack, I would require a Prof: Kite Pilot skill

But.. this has wandered a bit off course into HR territory.


Dammit! I am a Poster C again!


I would disagree with not getting to use the Hide skill, and think the penalties of 'guards dont look up' off balance the penalties to 'you can only hide under under your flying kite' and would rule that its a straight hide vs spot.
Sometimes its best to keep D20 mechanics as a general level instead of getting into the 'but in the real world...' stuff.

Sort of like: you're standing on the edge of a roof. You have a rope tied to the eaves across the street. You want to swing across the road and into a window of the building across from you. What skill are you checking?

Rope Use.. of course ..
Why didn't you climb in the window when you were tying the rope over there anyway?
Seriously, I would use a Climb check in this situation as it is the closest skill to the action. Tumble may come into play when you learn the glass window is closed.. but thats another story.

Oh... and getting back out would be interesting.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Dammit! I am a Poster C again!

To the guillotine with you!

 

[Silveras]

Has it occurred to anyone else that the only way to make sure that the kite stays more-or-less where needed is to have its anchor point be where the target is ? So someone has to sneak into camp and attach the anchor rope to ... the general's bed ? Then sneak out, get the kite, launch it, and maneuver down the rope to reach... the general's bed ?

I mean, otherwise, the rope is dangling from a godawfully large kite that, while perhaps hard to see (though I agree with Len that it is quite likely to be spotted), is not likely to be all that hard to HEAR as it flaps around in the wind ?

Or, if the winds "happen" not to be sustained at enough force to keep the kite aloft on the night it is needed ... our brave assassin is likely to be taking some d6s of falling damage as s/he lands in a random spot in the camp.

 

[Jack Simth]

Has it occurred to anyone else that the only way to make sure that the kite stays more-or-less where needed is to have its anchor point be where the target is ? So someone has to sneak into camp and attach the anchor rope to ... the general's bed ? Then sneak out, get the kite, launch it, and maneuver down the rope to reach... the general's bed ?

A kite is almost never directly overhead of it's anchor (usually a person on the ground); he'd just have to find an anchor point such that the wind direction goes directly towards the enemy camp (hope none of them have the Scent ability....) and have the rope be on a winch on the kite - flyer controls the length, and leaves the kite once over the target location.

Now, a hot-air balloon, on the other hand....

 

[Nim]

If the landing zone is lit then he'll be seen as he comes down. Just like if you're walking on the ground and you walk near a campfire.

Agreed. Once he falls into the radius of the actual light, he no longer has concealment and cannot hide. At that point, he's almost certainly spotted instantly. However, because the light radius is only 20 feet, there's a good chance that he can still get the jump on the guards and/or the general. He might or might not get a surprise round, but if he has a good initiative bonus, he can potentially catch them flat-footed. The main benefit is that he's not spotted UNITL he gets to the target.

 

[Storyteller01]

OF course, if you have friends, you can have them set up a distraction. Guards are less likely to look up when someone is sniping from the ground.

 

[domino]

The main benefit is that he's not spotted UNITL he gets to the target.

Bingo.

And I don't know that you would need to worry about hearing the kite. As high as it would have to be to be hard to see, even in the dark, the normal noise of the camp, wind blowing across the tents, talking, tending to gear would probably mask the snapping of the kite cloth.

 

[Fieari]

I'd still offer the camp a listen check. Fairly high DC, but I'd also simulate cumulative "Aid Another" bonuses for there being quite a few guards.

 

[ken-ichi]

I know for a fact that a person can be lifted by a kite on a very windy day. A plain old box kite can do this.
If you create a large kite then you would not need such a windy day.
Anyway, the ninja can rappel down to 20 or 30 feet from a fire and still be in the shadowy illumination area. If he is lucky there will not be many active lookouts on the inside of the camp. This may allow him to drop from shadowy light to actual cover from the tents. This might allow the ninja to stay pretty much in concealment or cover depending on the placement of the guards. A little distraction of some sort might be needed if there are some guards near the drop zone.
As to the sound, if the wind in enough to lift the kite the wind is strong enough to make the tents flap and with all the other sounds of the camp it might be very hard to distinguish between the kite and a tent on the ground.

All in all I think this is a great plan and finally something that doesn't default to using a magic spell. Of course no plan survives contact with the enemy and this one could get real ugly real fast depending on how the guards and lookouts are placed. As I plan on starting an Iron Heroes game soon this sort of thing is what I hope to see as solutions to what normally would be handled by the boring "I cast fly on the ninja" solution.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Remember, the rope used to get down will be there till you leave. A rope falling from the sky may get noticed.