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Pathfinder Unchained / Consolidated Skills / Athletics (Str; Armor Check Penalty)

Climb

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 56
Using Athletics, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, wall, or other steep incline (or a ceiling if it has handholds). You move at one-quarter your speed, though you can move at half your speed if you take a –5 penalty. If you fail the check by 4 or less, you make no progress. If you fail by 5 or more, you fall. A perfectly smooth vertical (or inverted) surface can’t be climbed.

You need both hands free to climb, but can cling with one hand while using the other to cast a spell or take some other action. You can’t use a shield while climbing. You lose your Dexterity bonus to AC while climbing. If you take damage while climbing, you must succeed at an Athletics check against the DC of the surface or fall.

Surface or ActivityAthletics DC
Slope too steep to walk up0
Knotted rope with a wall to brace against0
Knotted rope or rope affected by rope trick5
Rope with a wall to brace against5
Surface with ledges to hold on to or stand on10
Pull yourself up when dangling15
Surface with handholds and footholds15
Unknotted rope15
Uneven surface with handholds (dungeon wall)20
Rough surface (natural rock or brick wall)25
Overhang or ceiling with handholds only30


Climbing Modifiers: The circumstances listed on the table modify Athletics DCs. They stack with each other.

Climbing CircumstanceAthletics DC Modifier
Bracing against two opposite walls (chimney)-10
Bracing against perpendicular walls (corner)-5
Surface is slippery+5


Action: None. Each move action you take requires a separate Athletics check.

Making Handholds and Footholds: You can pound pitons into a wall to change the wall’s base DC to 15. This takes 1 minute per piton, and one piton is needed per 5 feet of distance. You can cut your own handholds into an ice wall for the same purpose if you have a handaxe or similar implement.

Climb Speeds: A creature with a climb speed gains a +8 racial bonus on Athletics checks to climb. See the Climb skill page for more information on climb speeds.

Hauling: You can haul a character up or down on a rope by sheer strength so that character doesn’t need to attempt Athletics checks. You can lift double your maximum load in this manner.