Can undead creatures (raised by a necromancy spell) climb a rope, climb a ladder, or swim?

Question

I'm thinking about making a Necromancy wizard, but had a few questions about RAW.

Would undead from the animate undead spell (or any necromancer spells), e.g. skeletons or zombies, be able to climb a rope, climb a ladder, or swim?

I feel like they would be able to climb a ladder, the rope is a little iffy, and swimming would be a no.

That said, I haven't found any restrictions or parameters in the PHB or DMG that mention those rules.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Answer 1

There are no secret rules

These creatures have a speed and “movement can include jumping, climbing, and swimming.”

There is nothing in their stat blocks that says they can’t nor is there anything specific to undead that says they can’t. So they can.

Now, in your game you can make this rule because the rules say you can override the rules.