Spider climb, can you tumble?


Rules Questions


Hi peeps
I have a sorc/rogue, when using the spider climb spell can you tumble?

I don't see how you can't as you have a climb speed of 20ft so you would move at 10ft a move action while tumbling. My gm was being a pain saying that I can't tumble with just my hands.

Can any one clarify if this is possible


Show him any spiderman movie.


Since you retain your DEX bonus to AC when using the spell (which implies that you retain enough DEX to actively defend yourself versus attackers), I don't see why you could not. I'm not aware of any specific RAW covering it however.


Must be hands free and can't run are the only restrictions in the Spider Climb spell.

I could see a GM adjudicating that because of the hands free requirement that the act of tumbling make it difficult to have enough points of contact.

Also, Spider Climb negates the need to make climb checks while climbing. So ask yourself, if you did have to make climb checks while climbing, could you tumble?


I used the Spiderman card and he said that he has sticky feet aswell, where as spiderclimb implies just hands to my gm but that said when climbing a ceiling you would be climbing with legs hanging which sounds stupid if you ask me.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Frosticus89 wrote:
spiderclimb implies just hands to my gm but that said when climbing a ceiling you would be climbing with legs hanging which sounds stupid if you ask me.

...Wow. I don't even know what to say to that.


My understanding of Spider Climb is you climb like Spider-man does, with both hands and feet (which is why the free hands is the requirement). I don't see anything in the spell that prohibits tumbling.

That being said, tumbling wouldn't work the same way because gravity wouldn't be pulling you back to the surface, so I might increase the DC as DM, depending on what they PC was trying to do.


I would deffo say that it would have an increased DC but I couldn't find anything that said you could or couldn't tumble while spider climbing, my understanding was along as you have a movement speed of a type u can tumble, like flying, or swimming.


Generally spells do exactly what they say they do. You can avoid a lot of pain. By not. Reading too much or too little into them.

The spell gives you a climb speed which basically let's you move up the wall as fast as a man in medium armor can walk.

On a side note I'm pretty sure tumble doesn't have to be cartwheels.


I don't see why you couldn't use acrobatics with any movement mode you have a listed speed for. Spider Climb gives you a legit climb speed with the +8 racial bonus to climb.

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