Climbing with one hand or no legs?

[gadren]

So, I like to go climbing as a hobby, and for SOME reason whenever I go to the bouldering gym with one particular female friend, a lot of the experienced male climbers in the gym feel compelled to start showboating around wherever we are.

The other day, after we were having trouble climbing one particular route, one particularly skilled and boastful climber decided (by coincidence, I'm sure) to climb that same route, with one hand literally behind his back. After completing it successfully, he decided to do the same route again using just his hands and no legs.

Being a total nerd, this got me wondering how much that increased his climb DC.

I was surprised that by RAW, this is strictly impossible. So I thought I'd ask, from a rules-balance standpoint, how much of a DC increase you guys would say 1-handed and legless climbing would merit?

[Ashtagon]

Personally, I'd apply a -4 penalty for 3 limbs in use, or -8 for two limbs in use. In all cases, at least one arm must be available to attempt it.

[Geddy2112]

I second -4 to using one hand, as it is a -4 to grapple one handed. So a -8 for having 2 of 4 limbs used also makes sense.

[Chewychunga]

What about just 2 legs? I've seen a person do it on a easier wall or a ladder

[Ashtagon]

What about just 2 legs? I've seen a person do it on a easier wall or a ladder

If you're only using two legs, I'm not sure it meets any useful definition of "climbing". Climbing a ladder without holding is more of a test of Balance than of Climb skill. Ditto for a steep hill.

(yeah, I'm sure there's a corner case. I'm not sure there's a useful corner case)

[gadren]

I think climbing with just legs should be something doable only on like, DC 10 "walls". Like steep but not vertical rocky cliffs or ladders or something.

[Necroticplague]

None. I've seen creatures with absolutely no limbs of any type move straight up sheer walls without too much difficulty.

[Belzyk]

Personally, I'd apply a -4 penalty for 3 limbs in use, or -8 for two limbs in use. In all cases, at least one arm must be available to attempt it.

But what if I'm an awakened gelatenous cube? What type of penalty do I get for climbing?

[Ashtagon]

But what if I'm an awakened gelatenous cube? What type of penalty do I get for climbing?


None. I've seen creatures with absolutely no limbs of any type move straight up sheer walls without too much difficulty.

somethingsomething useful corner cases somethingsomething

[Belzyk]

somethingsomething useful corner cases somethingsomething

Oopse I missed all that Lol thank ya.

[Troacctid]

Some degree of common sense has to be applied to the Climb rules when dealing with creatures that do not have hands. Snakes, for example, have climb speeds, but obviously lack both arms and legs.

[gadren]

Yeah, I was talking about humanoid climbers in this thread.

It is kind of funny though that, by RAW, snakes are incapable of using their own climb speed.