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I found several abilities that say things like "you gain a climb speed equal to your base land speed," but what exactly IS your base land speed?
Say I am a catfolk barbarian with boots of striding and springing. Is my base land speed 30 feet, 40 feet, or 50 feet?
The race builder guide includes a section that refers to 'base speed quality' and then points to the speed listed for the race. Based on that, I believe that normally 'base speed' refers to the movement speed(s)* granted by your race.
You would then only include alterations to that speed that state that they are specifically modifying your base speed.
Strangely, that would mean the boots would be considered part of your base speed (for land movement only), while the Barbarian's Fast Movement would not (because it never states that it is part of his base speed).
[edit]
Sorry, using the example above (catfolk Barbarian with boots of striding and springing), I would say a base land speed of 40 feet; Fast Movement does not state that it is increasing your base speed.
*You could technically have multiple base speeds - the normal base speed would be base (land) speed, while if you had a swim speed from your race, that would be your base (swim) speed.
Strict reading says 50 feet.
Normal cat folk move 30. Barbarian fast movement takes that base value and adds 10 to make a new base value of 40. The boots take that adjusted base value and adds 10 more feet to it for 50. Your climb speed is your base land speed and thus 50.
1) You could disallow the boots on the grounds that their bonus applies only to the feet, whereas climbing will require our catfolk to use her hands.
Climbing with only the hands is a very diccult task. Normally you use both hands and feet. So, even if you would use that, it's a bit nonsensical disallow boot for climbing.
2) You could disallow Fast Movement on the grounds that it's a bonus to land speed alone. But you'd be on thin ground there.
Unfair: barbarian gets improvemend to his land speed, and if you gain a XXX speed equal to your land speed, I don't see why you shouldn't deny the fast movement. A barbarian move faster on land, if he gains a climb speed equal to his base speed, his base speed remain +10 ft.
So really -- I don't know. Personally I'd allow both to apply. But it seems to be an area where the rules get fuzzy.
I don't see all that fuzzy. Just take your land speed in terms of tactical movement. Anything that raise your movement, raise other modes at well.
After all, your normal climb speed is 1/4 of your base speed, so a barbarian should move a 10 feet (wheter or not he wears the boots), while other moves at 5 ft. And, really, do you find so strange a big raging thing that climb faster than other more moderate fighters?
All you need is right here. I'm borrowing a previous posters quotes and adding boldface:
Catfolk:
Normal Speed: Catfolk have a base speed of 30 feet.
Since catfolk only travel on land (they can't fly, earthglide, etc., and only swim like anyone else by using a swim skill), this IS a Base Land Speed.
The barbarian class feature says:
Fast Movement (Ex): A barbarian's land speed is faster than the norm for her race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when she is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor, and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the barbarian's speed because of any load carried or armor worn. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses to the barbarian's land speed.
This references a land speed, but not a "Base" Land Speed, so it does not increase the Base land speed - it is just a bonus that increases your current, not base, land speed. Much the way that using a +1 sword does not increase your "Base" Attack Bonus.
The boots of striding and springing say:
These boots increase the wearer's base land speed by 10 feet. In addition to this striding ability (considered an enhancement bonus), these boots allow the wearer to make great leaps. She can jump with a +5 competence bonus on Acrobatics checks.
This clearly says it affects your "Base" Land Speed, so it does.
Adding all that up, your Base Land Speed is 40 (Catfolk + Boots) but your current land speed in the right armor is 50 (Base + Barbarian).
Just to muddy the waters a little further I give you the following.
Creatures with a base land speed above 30 feet receive a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed above 30 feet. Creatures with a base land speed below 30 feet receive a –4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed below 30 feet.
The interesting thing there to me is the type of bonus/penalty you get due to your "base land speed".
It's a racial bonus.
So that being the case if abilities like fast movement and items like boots of striding and springing raise your base land speed then you end up getting a racial bonus from items and class abilities.
That seems weird to me.
- Torger
And on a second read I just noticed the bolded bits
Creatures with a base land speed above 30 feet receive a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed above 30 feet. Creatures with a base land speed below 30 feet receive a –4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed below 30 feet.
The second time they don't say base land speed, they just say speed. Makes me wonder if the designers intended for them to be two separate game terms at all.
- Torger
And on a second read I just noticed the bolded bits
Creatures with a base land speed above 30 feet receive a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed above 30 feet. Creatures with a base land speed below 30 feet receive a –4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed below 30 feet.The second time they don't say base land speed, they just say speed. Makes me wonder if the designers intended for them to be two separate game terms at all.
- Torger
I think this case was just a combination of:
1. laziness2. limited word count
3. the general rule that it's a bad idea to be too redundant in text, so saying "base land speed" twice so close together is actually bad form.
On the other hand, being unclear is also bad form, so maybe they should have been more clear.
I suggest that, since they explicitly use "Base Land Speed" the first time, that future callbacks in the same sentence are referencing the first usage. But I can see how a strict rules lawyer would argue that they deliberately meant "If your BASE land speed is over 30, then you use all of your current land speed to calculate the acrobatics bonus". It's certainly hard to prove that they didn't mean it that way.
I think this case was just a combination of:
1. laziness
2. limited word count
3. the general rule that it's a bad idea to be too redundant in text, so saying "base land speed" twice so close together is actually bad form.On the other hand, being unclear is also bad form, so maybe they should have been more clear.
I suggest that, since they explicitly use "Base Land Speed" the first time, that future callbacks in the same sentence are referencing the first usage. But I can see how a strict rules lawyer would argue that they deliberately meant "If your BASE land speed is over 30, then you use all of your current land speed to calculate the acrobatics bonus". It's certainly hard to prove that they didn't mean it that way.
I think that you're probably right. Still it's unclear enough that I'm left wondering and when speed is already a game term... seems to me like bad technical writing.
- Torger
I'd say 40, the Boots don't count as they aren't a permanent increase. Nothing really to add to discussion of RAW that isn't already said above, but for RAI if you can't be stripped naked in an antimagic/dead magic zone and continue to move at that speed it won't count as part of your base speed.
The boots are explicit though in stating they increase your base land speed, and nothing in the descriptions suggests that only permanent effects to base speed apply. And there is no restriction on wearing your boots for 24 hours similar to stat enhancing items to qualify as though it were a permanent effect.
My statement is basically in agreement with DM_Blake's, but I think there's enough confusion here to call for an FAQ.
Guess we're ust going to have to FAQ it.
*Crossing fingers for 50*