Day 22 of my Adventure Calendar. For 24 days, up until Christmas, I plan to release a lil bit of RPG content. Want to join as well? Join the jam!
Image: Climbing the Mammoth by Chris Karbach
I’ve gone bouldering a few times recently, and it had me thinking about, well, climbing. I came up with the following, which should tie into Cairn and Block, Dodge, Parry. Core inspirations were Lowlife by Sam Sorenson and Veins of the Earth by Patrick Stuart.
Time, Gear, Skill
This framework is based off the core idea of Time, Gear & Skill: If you have none or one, a task is impossible, if you have all three, a task automatically succeeds, and if you only have two, a roll might be involved.
For climbing, I’ve defined these 3 elements as follows. Within each element, we keep track of clear advantages and disadvantages. Next, within each element, we cancel those out, and check the final tally.
Time
Strength. I’d argue that your grip strength determines how much time you have to make a climb; thus, your STR is a good first element. Using the optional rule for Attributes, we see that:
- A STR of 6 or lower is a disadvantage
- A STR of 15 or higher is an advantage
Hurry. Generally, you’d take whatever time you need for a climb. You either have time or you don’t; there’s no added bonus in being extra slow. So, we simply check whether you are explicitly in a hurry, because you’re under attack, being chased etc.
- Explicitly hurrying is a disadvantage
Gear
I’d argue that environmental factors also tie into ‘gear’; favorable conditions might lessen the need for gear, for instance. The list I’d come down to then is:
Equipment. Having dedicated climbing gear, such as proper shoes, gloves, hooks etc. would definitely help.
- Having climbing gear is an advantage.
Rope. Rope is distinct from climbing gear, as the first party member to climb does not have the benefit of rope, but as they take the rope up, other party members do.
- Being tethered to a rope is an advantage.
Climb difficulty. The surface might be easy to climb (vines, lots of natural handholds) or hard (icy, wet, smooth).
- An easy climbing surface is an advantage.
- A hard climbing surface is a disadvantage.
Light. If the climb is done in darkness, it’d be quite difficult indeed. A lantern on your belt would create ‘normal’ conditions (we’re assuming our adventurers are relatively able, after all). Climbing in broad daylight, with the entire route visible, would make planning the climb a lot easier.
- Climbing in darkness is a disadvantage.
- Climbing in daylight is an advantage.
Armor. Heavy armor (armor that grants 3 armor in and of itself) makes it harder to climb.
- Climbing in heavy armor is a disadvantage.
Inventory. Inventory describes both literal things being carried, as well as acting as your stamina of sorts. I would argue that a climb should be easier when you’re carrying less stuff.
- 7 or more empty inventory slots is an advantage.
- 3 or less empty inventory slots is a disadvantage.
Skill
Dexterity. Using our Optional Rule: Attributes again, I’d argue that DEX determines just how good you are at stuff such as climbing.
- A DEX of 6 or lower is a disadvantage.
- A DEX of 15 or higher is an advantage.
Skills. Your adventurer might have specific elements in their backstory that make them better climbers, or skills such as Acrobat.
- Having a background skill or trait that would help with climbing is an advantage.
Putting It All Together
As stated, I’d say that disadvantages and advantages within an element (Time, Gear or Skill) cancel each other out. The core questions are,
- Do you have Time?
- Do you have Gear?
- Do you have Skills?
Therefore, we don’t particularly care if the tally for one element comes down to -3 or not, for instance:
Boris is planning a climb. He has no rope, the surface is wet and slippery, it’s dark and he has only the moonlight to guide him, and he’s wearing heavy armor. His heavy armor is wet from the rain. His backpack is filled with loot, and he has 1 empty inventory slot.
This would mean that for Gear, Boris has 0 advantages and 4 disadvantages (Hard climb, no light, heavy armor, 3 or less empty inventory). Simply put, he has no Gear.
Next:
- If within an element you tally more disadvantages than advantages, note it down as ‘No‘.
- If within an element the advantages and disadvantages even out, note it down as ‘Maybe’.
- If within an element you tally more advantages than disadvantages, note it down as ‘Yes‘.
We’re going to use the Maybe‘s as tiebreakers.
To go back to Boris:
Boris is quite strong, with a STR of 16. He’s not in a hurry. He’s not specifically dexterous (DEX of 12), and he’s not a climber or acrobat.
For Boris, this would mean:
| Element | Tally | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Time | +1 advantage | Yes |
| Gear | -4 disadvantage | No |
| Skill | – | Maybe |
To Roll or not to Roll?
So, going back to the beginning: we check whether you have Time, Gear and Skill. Our method returns ‘No’, ‘Maybe’ and ‘Yes’.
- With 2 No’s or more, you don’t roll. The task is impossible.
- With 2 or more Yes’s, you don’t roll. You succeed.
That leaves 3 possible configurations:
- 2 Maybe’s and a No.
- A Maybe, a Yes and a No.
- 2 Maybe’s and a Yes.
Now, we get to roll. We’re just going to roll a d6, as we’ve already taken all possible character factors into consideration.
- Scenario A, 2 Maybe’s and a No, requires a 5+ to succeed.
- Scenario B, a Maybe, a Yes and a No requires a 4+ to succeed.
- Scenario C, 2 Maybe’s and a Yes, requires a 3+ to succeed.
That’s why we kept the Maybe’s. If you want to simplify this system, just turn the “Maybe’s” into Yes’s and roll a 4+ when there’s 2 Yes’s.
Now, finally, the last twist:
If You Fail The Roll
Check by how much you fail. If you needed to roll a 3+ and you rolled a 1, you fail by 2. If you needed to roll a 5+ and you rolled a 2, you failed by 3.
| Fail by… | Result |
|---|---|
| 4 | 3d6 falling damage to STR; make a Critical Damage Save. Gain a wound: Severe Falling Trauma |
| 3 | 2d6 falling damage to STR; make a Critical Damage Save; Gain a Wound: Severe Broken Leg |
| 2 | 1d6 falling damage to STR; no Critical Damage Save; gain a Wound: Severe Broken Bone |
| 1 | Gain a Wound: Light Bruises |
Feel free to modify/alter this to match with the general vibe of the climb; if there’s a bottomless abyss at the foot of the cliff, the results might be more severe etc.
To Summarize
Ok, I think it’s a lot easier than it sounds. Check this table:
I made an interactive tool: