[Basic] Skill of the week: Climbing

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Climbing covers everything vaguely related to climbing for humans. Could someone specialize or hyperspecialize for just free-climbing?

My current character would likely specialise in climbing without the aid of spikes/ropes/etc. if such an option existed. But I suspect this option is not RAW.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

My current character would likely specialise in climbing without the aid of spikes/ropes/etc. if such an option existed. But I suspect this option is not RAW.

Why shouldn't it be? It would be a greatly reduced skill compared to all of what basic Climbing covers.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Why shouldn't it be? It would be a greatly reduced skill compared to all of what basic Climbing covers.

Because:

Originally Posted by B169

Optional Specialties
Many IQ-based skills – notably
“academic” skills such as Literature
and Physics – have countless subfields
but do not require you to select a spe-
cialty. As written, if you learn a skill
like this, you are a generalist, knowl-
edgeable about every aspect of the
skill. However, you may opt to special-
ize in a single, narrow area. You may
only do this with an Average or harder
IQ-based skill, and only if the GM
agrees that the chosen subfield is
logical given the skill and your TL.

It would also merely provide a skill level one worse for non-free climbing.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Because:It would also merely provide a skill level one worse for non-free climbing.

Yes, unless ropes etc. always give at least a relative +2 bonus over the free climb, there will be times when it would be safer to abandon the gear and climb without it.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

Yes, unless ropes etc. always give at least a relative +2 bonus over the free climb, there will be times when it would be safer to abandon the gear and climb without it.

And they don't give it:

Originally Posted by B349, Climbing

Type of Climb          Modifier        Combat       Regular
Ladder going up        no roll         3 rungs/sec  1 rung/sec
Ladder going down      no roll         2 rungs/sec  1 rung/sec
Ordinary tree          +5              1 ft/sec     1 ft/3 sec
Ordinary mountain      0               1 ft/2 sec   10 ft/min
Vertical stone wall    -3              1 ft/5 sec   4 ft/min
Modern building        -3              1 ft/10 sec  2 ft/min
Rope-up                -2              1 ft/sec     20 ft/min
Rope-down
(w/o equipment)        -1              2 ft/sec     30 ft/min
(w/ equipment)         -1              12 ft/sec    12 ft/sec

And climbing spikes from Low-Tech reduce the penalties of Scaling, but it's probably better for a free-climber to invest into Scaling.

[Flyndaran]

So cats that know Climbing must by R.A.W. know how to rappel, use spikes, harnesses, etc.? That makes sense to everyone here?

I feel that limited free Climbing should benefit from at least a one point specialization. I simply cannot imagine any internally consistent argument to the contrary.
Most characters above TL 0 would be much better served with the full skill, but Gurps is supposed to be generic and work for non-humans.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

Yes, unless ropes etc. always give at least a relative +2 bonus over the free climb, there will be times when it would be safer to abandon the gear and climb without it.

From my admittedly limited knowledge, most climbing gear seems to mitigate failure and drastically increase safety rather than make climbing itself easier.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

So cats that know Climbing must by R.A.W. know how to rappel, use spikes, harnesses, etc.? That makes sense to everyone here?

I feel that limited free Climbing should benefit from at least a one point specialization. I simply cannot imagine any internally consistent argument to the contrary.
Most characters above TL 0 would be much better served with the full skill, but Gurps is supposed to be generic and work for non-humans.

Cats are IQ<6, so they can't know those things.

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

From my admittedly limited knowledge, most climbing gear seems to mitigate failure and drastically increase safety rather than make climbing itself easier.

Oh, so this. There's one item that negates penalties, but that's still not the same as a flat Quality bonus.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Because:It would also merely provide a skill level one worse for non-free climbing.

It isn't enough to qualify as a Technique? Not quite the same since you'd still have at least a point into the regular Climbing Skill, but then again how good can you be at one form of climbing without being at least a little more competent in general climbing?

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Otaku

It isn't enough to qualify as a Technique? Not quite the same since you'd still have at least a point into the regular Climbing Skill, but then again how good can you be at one form of climbing without being at least a little more competent in general climbing?

Free-Climbing as a Technique? That sounds unbalancingly tempting.