Might

Epic Path \ Skills Might\

• Ability Score Used: Strength
• Usable Untrained? Yes
• Armor Check Penalty Applies? Yes

Might is a general skill, allowing characters to perform acts of strength, such as the classic "bend bars and lift gates" from 2nd edition D&D. In addition, Might is the skill used for climbing up ropes and vertical surfaces, such as city walls and cliff-faces.

Creatures with a natural climb speed frequently gain a racial bonus to Might checks for purposes of climbing. This bonus does not apply to the other uses of Might.

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. You need at least one hand free to climb, and 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). If you are using a light shield or buckler, and are using the hand carrying that shield to climb, you also lose your shield bonus to AC.
Action Required:	Climbing is part of movement, so it's generally part of a move action (and may be combined with other types of movement in a move action). Each move action that includes any climbing requires a separate Climb check.
DC of Check:	The DC of climb checks is based on the surface you are attempting to climb: Example Surface or Activity DC A slope too steep to walk up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against. 0 A rope with a wall to brace against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell. 5 A surface with ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall or a ship's rigging. 10 Any surface with adequate handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a very rough natural rock surface or a tree, or an unknotted rope, or pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands. 15 An uneven surface with some narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon. 20 A typical buildings upper-story wall 21 A typical buildings lower-story wall 25 A rough surface, such as a natural rock wall or a brick wall. 25 An overhang or ceiling with handholds but no footholds, or a typical city wall 30 A perfectly smooth, flat, vertical (or inverted) surface cannot be climbed. -
Modifiers to Check	Accelerated Climbing: While climb checks are normally made at 1/4 speed, you can move at half speed by adding +10 to the DC of the check. You can move at full speed by adding +20 to the DC. Bracing on two opposite walls: If you are climbing a natural (or artificial) chimney, where you can brace your legs and arms against two nearby opposite walls, the DC is decreased by -10. Bracing on a corner: If you are climbing in a corner, or a space with a perpendicular wall you can brace against, the DC is decreased by -5. Slippery surface: If the surface is slippery, the DC is increased by +5. Climb Speed: Creatures with Lesser Climb or Greater Climb get a +8 bonus on climb checks made with the Might skill (creatures with Brachiating get a +4 bonus). This bonus does not apply to any other uses of the might skill, unless they are specifically applicable to climbing. Taking damage: Anytime you take damage while climbing, you must make an additional Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall.
Take 10? / Take 20?	{{{Take10-Take20}}}
Allows Assists?	{{{Assist}}}
Results of Success	{{{Success}}}
Consequences of Failure	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.
Retry Allowed?	Yes
Provokes AOO?	Yes, since it is made as part of a move action.

You can perform a feat of strength, such as tearing the bars out of a barred window, bending the bars of a portcullis, punching a camel and knocking it out cold, or even knocking over large, heavy objects. This use of the Might skill is broad in application, and GM's are the final arbiters of how it can be used. As a general rule of thumb, Might should not be used in place of an existing combat maneuver, such as sunder, to replicate its effects. In such a case, the creature needs to use CMB to determine the outcome. This means that actually breaking an object cannot be achieved with the Might skill, though deforming the object is very frequently possible. However, GM's may decide that a raging barbarian who wants to smash in the gates of the keep with his bare fists is just so cinematic that it should have a chance to work, even though smashing gates is usually so hard it requires siege weapons and hours or days of pounding on the gates to smash them in. Sometimes, it's important to let the players be superheroes, so again, GM's are the final arbiters of what is possible here. GM's may also want to grant a free Intimidate check to anyone who successfully pulls off a particularly showy Feat of Strength. By their very nature, feats of strength are showy things, and any attempt, even unsuccessful, is going to bring attention to the person doing it. You cannot attempt to brute-force your way out of a jail cell without making any noise.
Action Required:	Standard action
DC of Check:	Depending on the action, typically a Hard DC vs. the level of the owner of the thing being acted upon, or the campaign level.
Modifiers to Check	A creature cannot affect any object that weighs more than their maximum Heavy Load for their Strength score. Feats of Strength cannot be used on a creature (that's what combat is for!) Some feats of strength are so absurd that they require an Impossible DC check for the level of the owner of the thing being acted upon, or the campaign level. However, GM's should use this sparingly, as impossible checks are aptly named.
Take 10? / Take 20?	{{{Take10-Take20}}}
Allows Assists?	{{{Assist}}}
Results of Success	{{{Success}}}
Consequences of Failure	A failure means you are unable to pull off the attempt. A failure by less than 5 might mean partial success, if the GM decrees it so.
Retry Allowed?	Yes
Provokes AOO?	Yes

You can catch yourself while falling, by grabbing onto some piece of passing terrain, such as a tree branch, a cliff's edge, an abutment, etc. By doing so, you take only the falling damage you have accumulated by falling up to this point. Similarly, you can grab onto a creature which is falling past you, to attempt to arrest their fall. You must have at least one hand free to attempt this.
Action Required:	Immediate action
DC of Check:	10 + the amount of damage the falling creature takes up to the point where the fall might be halted.
Modifiers to Check	If you have both hands free, the DC is reduced by -5.
Take 10? / Take 20?	{{{Take10-Take20}}}
Allows Assists?	{{{Assist}}}
Results of Success	{{{Success}}}
Consequences of Failure	If you fail the check, you do not stop the fall of yourself or the falling creature. The fall continues all the remaining distance to the ground, and all of the falling damage is added together before any defenses, such as DR, are applied.
Retry Allowed?	No
Provokes AOO?	Yes

You can attempt to scramble along the underside of a surface, such as an overhang or a ceiling. As with climbing, you can't move to avoid a blow, so you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). If you are using a light shield or buckler, and are using the hand carrying that shield to climb, you also lose your shield bonus to AC.
Action Required:	Move action, or part of a move action
DC of Check:	80
Modifiers to Check	Good handholds: A surface with available hand- and foot-holds lowers the DC by -5. Slippery: a slippery surface inflicts a +5 penalty to the DC.
Take 10? / Take 20?	{{{Take10-Take20}}}
Allows Assists?	{{{Assist}}}
Results of Success	{{{Success}}}
Consequences of Failure	You fall from the surface to the ground below.
Retry Allowed?	No
Provokes AOO?	Yes, as movement