Masterwork Climbing Kit

[smootrk]

I need clarification for the Climbing Kit & MW Climbing Kit. The text in the PHB is a little contradictory and not clear to me.

I will use SRD descriptions to avoid IP problem:

Climber’s Kit
This is the perfect tool for climbing and gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Climb checks.

Tool, Masterwork
This well-made item is the perfect tool for the job. It grants a +2 circumstance bonus on a related skill check (if any). Bonuses provided by multiple masterwork items used toward the same skill check do not stack.

But, the PHB3.5 description of MW Tools on p130-131 confuses me (especially the last sentence).... Is the bonus for a single MW Climber's Kit +4, or is +2 just like the standard climbing kit? In other words, do the circumstance bonuses in this case stack, regardless of the poor example on p.131?

 

[Nim]

I believe the Climber's Kit is intended to be an example of a set of Masterwork Tools. That is to say, a Climber's Kit is already Masterwork as listed.

 

[smootrk]

I believe the Climber's Kit is intended to be an example of a set of Masterwork Tools. That is to say, a Climber's Kit is already Masterwork as listed.

OK, I see what you are saying. The Climber's Kit is effectively already a MW item. The description in PHB now makes a bit more sense for me. Now, the SRD description is a little lacking and needs to be clarified. In any future edition, each item description should state implicitly that the item is or isn't MW.

 

[Warehouse23]

Prezactly. A good example would be the familiar Thieve's Tools series:

Thieves’ Tools:

This kit contains the tools you need to use the Disable Device and Open Lock skills. Without these tools, you must improvise tools, and you take a -2 circumstance penalty on Disable Device and Open Locks checks.

Thieves’ Tools, Masterwork:

This kit contains extra tools and tools of better make, which grant a +2 circumstance bonus on Disable Device and Open Lock checks.

In our case now, without a rope (simple tool) your pc can't climb a rope (obviously!). With a better (masterwork) set of tools (ascenders, carabiners, etc.) your PC can climb better (+2 bonus).

My sapper PC misses his masterwork shovel....

 

[darthkilmor]

warning: house rule!

I played in a game where the DM let me pick up a climbers kit with some of the parts being adamantine, like a +6 to climb checks. it was $$ but nice. Of course I also had a masterwork fishing pole...yeah, crafty dwarves with too much money is never a good thing. :O