Climbing     Climbing up or over things is a frequent necessity in many forms of adventuring, especially in caves or decrepit ancient ruins. Being able to scale a difficult cliff can also provide a useful shortcut in an otherwise long trip. Many Athletics Abilities and devices can assist with climbing.
    Climbing rules are divided into two sections. Turn-by-turn climbing rules should be used when there are other dangers happening simultaneously with the climb; in other words, the climbing characters face distractions from combat or other perilous interference. Otherwise, single-roll climbing rules should be used; not only are they quicker and easier to apply, but they also provide fewer opportunities for catastrophic failure, as the characters are less distracted.
    Climbing is impossible if you have 3 or more degrees of encumbrance. You take a -TN of 2 in all climbing rolls if you have 1 degree of encumbrance, or a -TN of 6 for 2 degrees.
    Climbing requires two hands. You may hold an item in one hand while climbing if you accept a -TN of 2, but must have one hand completely free. Characters completely unable to see must climb only by feel, adding 2 Hindrance to climbing rolls. Climbing is also affected by all Hindrance from Hand/Arm Injuries on either hand, and additionally adds the 2 Hindrance from a 1st-degree Mobility Injury. Climbing is impossible with a 2nd-degree or higher Mobility Injury.
    Creatures without hands (such as nearly all animals) cannot attempt climbing unless they have an Ability related to climbing, in which case they are considered to have two uninjured free hands for the purposes of climbing rules.

Single-Roll Climbing     When using single-roll climbing rules, first obtain the difficulty based on the surface being climbed. This will determine the die size used in the roll:

Difficulty	Examples	Roll
Very Easy	Ladders or similar structures designed to be climbed	d4
Easy	Knotted ropes, rusty ancient ladders	d6
Medium	Trees, ropes, rough & uneven natural rock surfaces, heavily damaged ruin walls	d12
Hard	Rough brick or cobblestone walls, smoother cliffs, most ruin walls	d20
Very Hard	Smooth stone walls, well-preserved ruin walls	3d20

    Next, add Hindrance to the roll, in an amount determined by the distance of the climb. Note that these distances are identical to those used for determining falling damage.
Climbing characters take exhaustion in an amount also determined by the distance. If taking the listed exhaustion would result in you having two or more degrees of exhaustion, you cannot perform the climb.

Distance	Examples	Hindrance	Exhaustion
Engagement	A short height not greater than melee range; on top of a boulder.	0	1
Short range	Up to the height of a typical one or two story building; a short cliff.	1	3
Medium range	Height of a moderately tall building; a large cliff.	2	10
Long range	Height of the tallest post-Fall buildings; an enormous cliff.	4	25

    A long climb can be handled as multiple smaller climbs if there is a place in the middle where characters can stand and take a break, or if the climb consists of two very different surfaces. Remember that there are Athletics Abilities and devices that can assist in climbing.
    Finally, make the resulting climbing roll on DEX. If you succeed on the climbing roll, you successfully make the climb. If you succeed by 10 or more, you make choose to make the climb in roughly half the expected time, or take half the normal exhaustion. Characters with lucky breaks or extremely high climbing TNs may cut the time or exhaustion in half again for every additional 10 by which they succeed. Whenever there is any other question of timing, the GM may consider the margins of how well the climbers succeeded on their roll.
    If you fail the roll by 1 or 2, or by 10 or more, you fail to climb but are not directly endangered (perhaps you fall a non-damaging distance, or just struggle and waste time). You take the normal exhaustion. If the climb was being done stealthily, you may draw attention to yourself.
    If you fail the roll by 6 to 9, you follow the same rules as the failure above, except that you also fall and possibly take damage. You fall from a height one range shorter than the height of the climb (for example, if attempting a medium-range climb, you would suffer short-range falling damage).
    If you fail the roll by 3 to 5, you almost made it; you fall and take falling damage of the same height as the climb instead.

    If you are skilled in climbing and can concentrate (that is, when single-roll climbing rules are being used), you are able to assist other characters who need to attempt the same climb. In some cases, this may not require a special rule - perhaps you make a difficult climb first and anchor a rope for your friends, giving them an easier roll as shown above (see Rope in General Equipment). But if you are all attempting the same climb simultaneously, you can prevent disasters without any additional rolls.
    When making the same climb together, all characters roll at once. Before resolving the results of the rolls, characters who succeed may "loan" their extra margin of success as a reactive +TN to another character who has failed. For example, if you succeed by 4, you may "save" a character who failed their own roll by granting them a +TN of up to 4. This may cause them to succeed, or to not fail enough to take worse fall damage. If you have Climbing Proficiency (Athletics), you may split your +TN amongst multiple failing characters. You and all characters you assist must take full time and exhaustion for the climb, regardless of how much you succeeded by on your roll. The GM may require more time for a climb in which a lot of assistance was needed between characters.
    Willpower cannot be used to pass single-roll climbing rolls (since the climb takes too long), unless the climb is of engagement range.
Turn-By-Turn Climbing     When using turn-by-turn climbing rules, follow the same process as single-roll climbing to determine the die size and exhaustion (resolve exhaustion once the climb is complete). Do not add Hindrance from climb length; the added difficulty is instead produced by having more chances to fail a roll, as you will be rolling every round.
    Climbing replaces a character's movement phase in combat. It is not a major action, but does occupy a character's hands every turn. To progress in the climb, you must roll on DEX on your turn, as shown above in single-roll climbing. Failing by 10 or more results in a fall. If you succeed, you apply the success to your climb goal. Generally, the climb goal will be 1 success for an engagement-range climb, 3 successes for short range, 10 for medium range, and 25 for long range. For every 10 by which you succeed on your roll, you may count your success as an additional success. You may also count an additional success by taking 5 fatigue after successfully making your roll. Once you reach your climb goal, the climb is finished and you may continue combat according to normal rules.
    You may also pause your climb to do other actions. This still occupies one hand, but leaves the other free. You neither fall nor progress in your climb. You must also pause your climb if you will be doing any slowing actions.
    While climbing (whether paused or not), you have 3 degrees of melee disadvantage against all non-climbing characters, if any are close enough to reach you. You cannot do any action or use any Ability which is prohibited to characters who are knocked down. You can use a shield if pausing your climb, but cannot use cover. Anything which would normally knock you down will instead cause you to fall. Beginning a grapple causes you to fall (along with your target, if you establish the grapple). You are considered grouped-up or engaged with any character whose climb progress is within 1 success of your own; ignore all rules about group defense, group movement, or leaving an engagement. Since flying characters can freely change their altitude, they can engage with any climbing character (and all characters within 1 success of that character); consider the climb goal rules above to determine how many successes is equivalent to a given amount of vertical flying movement.

Climbing and Stealth     Stealth can be a great incentive to use climbing for characters that normally have other means (such as flight or teleportation) to overcome an obstacle. Climbing ordinarily creates the same level of noise as normal movement.
    Climbing characters may freely use Medium Stealth, just as characters during normal movement. High Stealth may be entered via the normal roll, and maintained as a major action while climbing. However, climbing rolls must add 2 Hindrance while maintaining High Stealth.
    Any failed climbing roll causes a character to revert to Low Stealth.