Need character build idea

[Nosta]

I'm looking for a character who is good at exploring / must be good at climbing . Kinda want a ninja like like character. Some combat skills would be nice but we'll be exploring caves in this game . And there will be a lot of 5ft ledges and drop offs so I need a good character that can do this. A ranger could be fun as well

[CMCC]

Yeah that’s a gloomstalker maybe with some Druid (forest, mountain, underdark) for spider climb

[RogueJK]

I'd go with a Tabaxi, taking 5 levels of Gloomstalker Ranger and 3+ levels of Thief Rogue. Start with a 1 level of Rogue, then 5 levels of Gloomstalker, then back to Rogue. (Or if you're not that worried about combat, then stop Gloomstalker at just 3 levels and make a beeline for Rogue 11 when you get Reliable Talent.)

You'd be an ideal cave explorer, since you'd have:

-Expertise in two and eventually all four of the most useful cave exploration skills - Acrobatics, Athletics, Perception, and Stealth
-Lots of Skill proficiencies - Stealth, Perception, Acrobatics, Athletics, plus 5 more. I'd probably pick up Nature and Survival as 2 of my other 5, to aid in recognizing cave-related hazards.
-Invisibility to Darkvision
-90 foot Darkvision
-20" racial Climb speed from Level 1 until whenever you hit Thief 3, and then a Climb speed equivalent to your full movement (Climb speed means no need for the Spider Climb spell, unless you're wanting to do something two-handed like firing a bow while climbing, or plan on climbing something that's otherwise unclimbable like a sheer slick wall with no hand/footholds.)
-Extra jumping distance equivalent to your DEX modifier (so 5 more feet once you raise DEX to 20)
-Useful Ranger exploration spells like Jump, Longstrider, and Pass Without Trace.


Put your highest score in DEX, next highest score in WIS, then STR, then CON, then INT, then CHA. With the Standard Array, it'd look something like:

STR 13
DEX 15+2
CON 12
INT 10
WIS 14
CHA 8+1

(Or if using the customizable racial stat bonuses from Tasha's, move the racial +1 into STR instead of CHA.)

[Wraith]

Just as an alternative to the Rangers suggested, I'd offer Way of Shadow Monk.

Athletics (ie, climbing) is a class skill, you get proficiency in STR and DEX saves, Safe Fall lets you drop down wherever you want safely, and only a few levels in you can teleport from shadow to shadow within 60ft and probably avoid the need to climbing at all - just warp up there and drop a rope for your allies.

Picking virtually any race with Darkvision will be a huge advantage for you being underground, but aside from that there's plenty of options to give you a personality and an archetype that you can role-play with. Bugbear would be fun, jumping in and out of shadows and dropping down from ledges to Surprise Attack unsuspecting enemies in the dark.

Alternatively, Simic Hybrid would be interesting - Martial Arts with 4 limbs is always fun, and their Nimble Climber ability is pretty much ideal for what you're asking in terms fo getting around inside a cave system.

[Falconcry]

I’m a fan of my Grung Mercy Monk / Spore Druid. Why climb when you can standing jump (though they also get a climb speed). Slow fall to jump down. 4 levels of druid nets you an ASI, darkvision and enough water to keep you skin silky, slimy.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

The Moon Druid has a lot of options for turning into beasts that can climb amongst other useful abilities.