Taking damage while climbing

[Zavarov]

In PF1, when a character took damage while climbing, they would have to make an Athltics check (DC = surface DC) to avoid falling. I can't find how PF2 handles this. Can someone point me in the right direction?

[Squark]

The only penalty I am aware of is that you are off guard while climbing if you don't have a climb speed (or the combat climber feat), and if you're knocked unconscious you're going to fall. Given how high climbing monster's athletics modifiers can get, I suspect the rule was abandoned as needlessly punishing to players.

[Zavarov]

Abandoned altogether, you say? Interesting. How about the Shove action? Would this work? Say a player is climbing a ladder and a guard tries to shove him back down. Or is this impossible since the hero is holding onto something?

[Agonarchy]

Holding onto something would, at best, give you a circumstance bonus if the GM felt like it, but ladders are not super easy to hold tight to. Shove should work basically exactly as normal.

Though why shove down when you can shove down and *out*.

[NorrKnekten]

The rules don't actually say to my knowledge, But most interpretations is that you fall when shoved due to forced movement.

Player Core pg. 422 2.0 Forced Movement wrote:

Usually the creature or effect forcing the movement chooses the path the victim takes. If you're pushed or pulled, you can usually be moved through hazardous terrain, pushed off a ledge, or the like. Abilities that reposition you in some other way can't put you in such dangerous places unless they specify otherwise. In all cases, the GM makes the final call if there's doubt on where forced movement can move a creature.

And you absolutely fall if something would render you prone, Like being tripped.

Player Core pg. 445 2.0 Prone wrote:

If you would be knocked prone while you're Climbing or Flying, you fall. You can't be knocked prone when Swimming.

In either case, you need to use the grab a ledge reaction or fall all the way back down.