The Vanara feat Climbing Tail is as follows:
Your tail makes it much easier for you to climb. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Athletics checks to Climb, you gain the Combat Climber skill feat, and you reduce the number of free hands required to Climb or Trip by one.
And Combat Climber is as follows:
Your techniques allow you to fight as you climb. You’re not flat-footed while Climbing and can Climb with a hand occupied. You must still use another hand and both legs to Climb.Your techniques allow you to fight as you climb. You’re not offguard while Climbing and can Climb with a hand occupied. You must still use another hand and both legs to Climb.
(Both are identical, pick your favourite.)
As written:
• Climbing normally requires two free hands.
• If you have Combat Climber, you can also climb by using one hand and two legs.
• If you have Climbing Tail, you gain Combat Climber, and also reduce the number of free hands needed by one. (You presumably also have to use your tail, but for some reason this isn't listed as a mechanical requirement. Perhaps it's merely being used to balance and steer, like many actual monkeys do.)
So... how exactly do these things interact, since there's a bit of ambiguity here? As written, which of these climbing options are valid?
1. You can climb using two free hands and no other limbs. [Default, should still be available.]
2. You can climb using one free hand and no other limbs. [Default, reduced by Climbing Tail.]
3. You can climb using one free hand and two legs. [Combat Climber, should still be available.]
4. You can climb using zero free hands and two legs. [Combat Climber, reduced by Climbing Tail.]
I would assume that all but #2 is allowed, myself, though I'm not entirely sure. I've also heard people (including at least one person that's reasonably familiar with the game) claim that Climbing Tail's hand requirement reduction gets folded into Combat Climber because they "do the same thing" (which appears to be untrue, since one is an alternate method and one is a requirement reduction), and there doesn't seem to be a real consensus over how exactly Climbing Tail works, so I figured I'd ask here. Which of these are correct, and are there any I missed?
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Honestly, Vanara Climbing Tail needs a bit of clarification. It looks suspiciously like the writer who wrote it forgot that Combat Climber by itself will reduce the number of free hands needed to climb.
But as it is written, I can't see any other interpretation than that a Vanara with Climbing Tail only needs both legs and their tail to climb. Both hands can be occupied. Redundancy and non-stacking rules are only written for bonuses of the same types, and conditions with values.
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This isn't limited to just Vanara by the way. Monkey/tailed goblins have the same language.
Given that the ability to use one hand less is given in the same ability that also gives you the feat, I think the writers knew what they were doing.
There's also some artwork here and there of them hanging purely by their tail. (Aesthetic evidence if you will.)
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What Finoan says.1. You can climb using two free hands and no other limbs. [Default, should still be available.]
2. You can climb using one free hand and no other limbs. [Default, reduced by Climbing Tail.]Not that though. Legs are always used, both default and with Combat Climber. And for Vanara.
Yes, they aren't mentioned in Climb. No, it doesn't mean you can climb without legs (unless some special ability says that). Both because it's clearly implied in Combat Climber and because it's obvious and no reasonable GM would allow climbing with hands only (well, for prolonged time at least: one action with very hard DC could probably be allowed).
This does bring in some interesting questions for those with differing numbers of feet from the Howl of the Wild: for instance, merfolk and centaurs aren't mentioned as having any unique issues with climbing but the logistics of that in game in a head scratcher. The image of either climbing a ladder is amusing to say the least.
This does bring in some interesting questions for those with differing numbers of feet
Agreed. Sacred Nagaji as well.
I see, it did seem a bit messy. Thanks for answering, everyone, hope the wording'll be cleaned up in future errata or something.