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

[Rocker26a]

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.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

it...sounds like it'd be redundant, to me. unless your regular speed is higher then your climb speed, then it just sounds like you effectively have a higher climb speed.

 

[Charlaquin]

Definitely a DM judgement call. A climbing speed doesn’t mean you can’t fall, it just means you can move at that speed while climbing instead of using double movement. So, if the Tabaxi monk is scaling a sheer vertical surface with no hand or footholds, I’d be inclined to say they still fall if they end their movement up there… but, a Tabaxi theoretically has cat claws, so assuming the surface is something their claws could stick into, I would probably allow them at least an Athletics check to hang there. I don’t think it would be unreasonable to allow them to do so without a check though.

 

[Rocker26a]

it...sounds like it'd be redundant, to me. unless your regular speed is higher then your climb speed, then it just sounds like you effectively have a higher climb speed.

Well, they're not 1:1, are they? Because of the "on your turn" stipulation. Say for example, you're trying to escape rising lava. A Monk is gonna fall and get cooked, because they can't stay on that wall.

 

[Charlaquin]

it...sounds like it'd be redundant, to me. unless your regular speed is higher then your climb speed, then it just sounds like you effectively have a higher climb speed.

Well, climbing and parkouring up a vertical surface are pretty different. Climbing implies suspending yourself from the surface, whereas with parkour you’re running on pure momentum.

 

[Tonguez]

for the sake of cool Prince-of-Persia style parkour tricks I'd rule that If they also have a climb speed, they can end their turn clinging to a solid surface without falling.

And even if they don’t have a climb speed, they can make a Dex (Acrobatics) check (DC 10–20 depending on surface) to cling to the wall until the start of their next turn. On the next turn they must jump, climb or fall.

 

[Stormonu]

Agree with @Tonguez - the monk can run up/along surfaces, but is meant to end their turn on a horizontal surface or will fall. Those with a climbing speed don't need to worry about it and can just keep going up.

The difference would be apparent with the likes of a 100 ft. cliff. Doing a move + dash (assuming 40 ft. move), the monk might only get up 80 ft. and either then have to anchor themselves or risk falling back down to the ground. The creature/character with a climb speed of 30 ft. might do in a little over 3 rounds, but doesn't have to find anchor points to stop at or automatically fall between rounds.

 

[Rocker26a]

for the sake of cool Prince-of-Persia style parkour tricks I'd rule that If they also have a climb speed, they can end their turn clinging to a solid surface without falling.

Can definitely agree on the basis of cool, there! Puts me in mind of Spider-Man 2 on the PS2. Where you could crawl on walls, or sprint up them. And if you start out sprinting, you gradually slow down, and then automatically switch to crawling.

Though that does make me think of something else; Can our theoretical climbing speed Monk, when they've started their turn clinging to a wall, start running up the wall from that clinging start? For the sake of having their hands free for their turn?