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I have a medium character with an 8 str so climbing is not something I am good at. I have a medium eidolon with str 16 and the climb evolution so climbing is something he is very good at. I want to figure out a legal way for him to carry me up a cliff or surface. Any by carry, I don't mean with his hands since he needs them for climbing. I mean carry me on his back. (Think Princess Bride Movie with the giant and the inconceivable guy) The rules seem somewhat unclear on this issue. Can anyone help me nail it down based on RAW or RAI.
To be clear, I don't want to ride my eidolon as a mount. My eidolon looks like a humanoid panda and has the climb evolution (climb speed 30 feet) and a very high str (16). I want to be able to securely attach myself to him, either by riding in a harness (presumably not a saddle), tying myself to him, or hanging onto his neck (not preferred due to my low str). Whatever works best, with the least chance of one or both of us falling to our deaths is what I want to do. Generally, I don't want to do this in combat, but since he has the climb evolution he could do it and take 10 while doing it, even in combat.
The ride evolution and the riding skill don't seem applicable here at all. "Typical riding actions don't require checks. You can saddle, mount, ride, and dismount from a mount without a problem." Ride skill is mainly for guiding with your knees and doing things while in the saddle. It's pretty much always for sitting upright on a quadruped's back, and panda is a biped that I am clinging to or tied to. All I'm doing is either strapping myself in or holding on. I'm not using it as a mount for charge attacks, or riding on its back into combat. I'm only using its climb speed to get me up surfaces that my pathetic 8 str will not allow me to safely do. Ideally, I would not have to make a str check to hold on at all. (strapping myself in, tying myself to my eidolon, using a climbing harness, etc.)
His str of 16 gives him a medium load of 77-163 pounds. My character weighs 110 pounds plus gear, which is well under 163 pounds total. A medium load penalty imparts a -3 check penalty and reduces sped to 20. (Just like medium armor). Essentially my character would act as if the eidolon was carrying a big sack full of loot on his back or wearing medium armor.
"A creature with a climb speed has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC higher than 0, but it can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. If a creature with a climb speed chooses an accelerated climb (by accepting a –5 penalty, it can move half its speed (instead of one-quarter its speed)), it moves at double its climb speed (or at its land speed, whichever is slower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Such a creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing."
So his climb skill is a 15 normally or a 12 with me on his back. Since he can take 10, he can get up to a 25 normally or a 22 with me on his back. This means that he can easily climb the following surfaces with listed DC's:
0 A slope too steep to walk up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against.
5 A rope with a wall to brace against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell.
10 A surface with ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall or a ship’s rigging.
15 Any surface with adequate handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a very rough natural rock surface or a tree, or an unknotted rope, or pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands.
20 An uneven surface with some narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon.
21 A typical buildings upper-story wall
25 A typical buildings lower-story wall
So how should I handle this? Am I missing something?
Depending on your size, have him wear a large backpack (if you are Small), or wear some kind of harness.
