What can you do with a Climb Speed?(Jungle Domain)

[Byrhtnoth]

Hi All,

I'm currently making a melee combat oriented Druid, and was looking into the Jungle Domain as a possible domain for him to take primarily to use this ability:

Brachiation (Ex)
As a free action for a number of rounds per day equal to your druid level, you may climb with a climb speed equal to your land speed, and gain a bonus on Acrobatics checks equal to your druid level. These rounds do not have to be consecutive.

I'm wondering what sorts of applications this could have. A few that I've brainstormed are

1.Crossing a large chasm: Have the party mage cast feather fall on me, tie a long rope to myself, fall down the chasm, and run up the other side with the climb speed.

2.If the GM rules it, and the roof is sufficiently un-flat, run along the walls or the roof to get to an enemy hiding behind a frontline of fighters.

Does Climb Speed work in this way or am I misinterpreting something.

[DM_Blake]

Climbing is not the same as running up a wall or running along walls or roofs. It does not turn you into a spider that can cling to any surface.

Core Rule Book wrote:

Climb

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 (see above), 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.

Core Rule Book wrote:

Climb Skill

With a successful Climb check, you can advance up, down, or across a slope, wall, or other steep incline (or even across a ceiling, provided it has handholds) at one-quarter your normal speed. A slope is considered to be any incline at an angle measuring less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline at an angle measuring 60 degrees or more. A Climb check that fails by 4 or less means that you make no progress, and one that fails by 5 or more means that you fall from whatever height you have already attained. The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb. Compare the task with those on the following table to determine an appropriate DC.

You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand. While climbing, you can’t move to avoid a blow, so you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You also can’t use a shield while climbing. Anytime you take damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means you fall from your current height and sustain the appropriate falling damage.

So you MUST still use your climb skill to make all climb checks when the DC is greater than zero - vertical surfaces, and certainly climbing across the underside of a ceiling are always harder than 0. You do get a +8 to the roll which helps.

You need your hands to climb, and there must be handholds, so no spiderman-like ability to just stick to a wall or ceiling.

Also, you cannot run, though you can move your full land speed instead of 1/4 your land speed.

[Isil-zha]

Being able to always take 10 together with the +8 bonus makes most climb checks automatic, though, even with just a few ranks.