Action to climb?

[Bellberith]

i am pretty sure it is just movement speed to climb..... but DM is saying you need to spend your regular action to initiate the climb and then move-speed to actually climb.

any quotes that proves this wrong?

[Kane0]

Well, phb covers climbing as well as swimming and crawling in the same paragraph on page 182, and none of them call for an action. They all take up 2x movement (x2 again in difficult terrain) unless you have a swim or climb speed. The DM can also call for a check if the climbing/swimming/crawling is particularly difficult or hazardous, such as if you are lacking in handholds.

I can make an educated guess that that is where the issue is coming from. As a general rule using a skill can require an action, such as using stealth, and that might be what your DM is doing here.
However using skills are often required as part of doing an action (such as climbing or jumping) rather than the action itself. PHB Page 174 covers using skills and it doesn't outright say they require an action to do, but they are often required to successfully do something you are attempting already.

Edit: Also note that 'Use a skill' is not an action listed on pages 192/193, which might also suggest that the skill check itself does not require an action be used, the thing you are doing might require the skill check. The hide and search actions are the closest you get, and the skill check is a part of the action, not the action being the skill check. If that makes sense.

[Bellberith]

Well, phb covers climbing as well as swimming and crawling in the same paragraph on page 182, and none of them call for an action. They all take up 2x movement (x2 again in difficult terrain) unless you have a swim or climb speed. The DM can also call for a check if the climbing/swimming/crawling is particularly difficult or hazardous, such as if you are lacking in handholds.

I can make an educated guess that that is where the issue is coming from. As a general rule using a skill can require an action, such as using stealth, and that might be what your DM is doing here.
However using skills are often required as part of doing an action (such as climbing or jumping) rather than the action itself. PHB Page 174 covers using skills and it doesn't outright say they require an action to do, but they are often required to successfully do something you are attempting already.

He is trying to say that making a strength check takes an action, therefore it costs an action to swim/climb and stuff.

[Kane0]

He is trying to say that making a strength check takes an action, therefore it costs an action to swim/climb and stuff.

Well, page 174/175 also covers that. To quote: "A DM calls for an ability check when a character or monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure."
It does not say the check requires the action, it is saying the check is made as a part of an action being made. This might be the typical WotC tendency of using the same word to mean different things (in this case action, much like level has been used a lot to mean 3+ things).
Under strength checks on page 175, nothing there states you need to spend an action to make a check, you just need to make the check when asked to do so by your DM. So nothing says that you need to spend an action to climb at half your movement speed because you need an athletics check to do it successfully, but the DM may rule that you need to spend your action because of the time and effort involved in doing so (rather than say, providing a higher DC).

Is it what is recommended or what many DMs ask? No. But it was common practice in the 3.pf days.
Move action to open a door, and another to move through it, anyone remember that?

[Bellberith]

Well, page 174/175 also covers that. To quote: "A DM calls for an ability check when a character or monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure."
It does not say the check requires the action, it is saying the check is made as a part of an action being made. This might be the typical WotC tendency of using the same word to mean different things (in this case action, much like level has been used a lot to mean 3+ things).
Under strength checks on page 175, nothing there states you need to spend an action to make a check, you just need to make the check when asked to do so by your DM. So nothing says that you need to spend an action to climb at half your movement speed because you need an athletics check to do it successfully, but the DM may rule that you need to spend your action because of the time and effort involved in doing so (rather than say, providing a higher DC).

Is it what is recommended or what many DMs ask? No. But it was common practice in the 3.pf days.
Move action to open a door, and another to move through it, anyone remember that?

We got it sorted, thank you.

[Kane0]

Its why we're here :smallbiggrin: