Climbing modifier for smaller and larger creatures
Okay, this house rule may hurt some, especially some of the opponents
but I was thinking about how it could work.
Climbing is proportional to your ability to lift your own weight and is purely a muscular work. I don't think dexterity plays a role here.
we can approach this proportion in several ways.
One way is to relate the
average weight of your race to your carrying capacity.
Say, Toot is an average jermlaine with his 7 pounds and can lift 25 pounds or 350% of his own weight.
Now, considering an average human being about 150 pounds, it would equal to an average man lifting 525 pounds, corresponding to 22 str.
Thus, instead of -3 based on his sheer strength, Toot could have +6 to climb, or to make it the familiar powers of two,
+8 size bonus to climb.
Another way of putting it is that every size category is about half the height and
quarter (or one-eighth) of weight.
Since +5str = x2 carrying capacity, +20str = x16 capacity, giving Toot
+10 size bonus to climb. (with one-eighth it would be +30str = x64 c.c. i.e.
+15 bonus to climb)
A third way of putting it is that the spells
Enlarge person and Reduce person approach.
They modify your size category by one and your Str by 2.
This is roughly in accordance with most races that have no racial hit dice at least. Thus, Toot has -4Str due to size (even though jermlaine have a total of -6 racial modifier to Str which is because they are even weaker than the average tiny guy), thus it makes sense to compensate this by giving him a +4 size bonus to climb.
I also considered jermlaine in particular. Rats and dire rats have a +8 racial bonus on
Climb checks and can always choose to
take 10 on
Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. While this is something absolutely missing from the official jermlaine description it may make some sense. Not as an addition but instead of the generic "size modifier" thingy.
Note that since Portho is small he would get a similar (though smaller) benefit to climbing. On the other end of the scale, Giant is still Medium so he wouldn't get a penalty.
Opinions welcome.
