GearAscendancy.com

Pressure Dampening Sabatons 117

—

by

Dale
in

From:Lineage 942 of the Vitreous Weaver

  • Description: These boots are made of layered steel plates with thick, enchanted rubber soles. The interior is lined with velvet to prevent the glass-like feet of the Weaver from grinding against the metal.
  • Properties: Due to the high density and weight of the Vitreous Weaver (145 kilograms), these sabatons are designed to distribute weight evenly. They grant the avatar a +1 bonus to balance-related checks when moving across narrow shafts, pulleys, or the rigging of a zeppelin.
  • Tier: 1

Lore

The Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117 were engineered during the “Age of Shattered Glass,” a period when early Vitreous Weaver explorers found themselves falling through the very rooftops and catwalks they were meant to repair. Given the Weaver’s immense density—often exceeding 140 kilograms despite their slender appearance—standard footwear offered no protection against the stress of their own footsteps. The 117 series introduced the revolutionary “Enchanted Rubber” compound, harvested from the sap of mana-drenched trees in the floating jungles.

These soles act as a kinetic buffer, absorbing the downward force of the avatar’s silicate weight and spreading it horizontally across the steel plates. The velvet lining was a later addition by a compassionate Artificer who noticed that the micro-vibrations of industrial gear-works were causing “stress-fractures” in the crystalline feet of the avatars. By cradling the feet in soft fabric while shielding them in layered steel, the 117s transformed the Weaver from a lumbering hazard into a precise, sure-footed surveyor of the 73 islands’ highest and most precarious structures.

Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117

  • Tier: 1
  • Specific Slot: Feet
  • Tier One Stats:
    • Weight Distribution: +1 bonus to balance-related checks (narrow shafts, pulleys, rigging).
    • Impact Protection: Provides 1 point of Armor to the lower limbs.
    • Weight: 3 kilograms.
  • Skills Gained:
    • Precision Footing: The wearer is trained in navigating “Unstable Ground.” They treat difficult terrain caused by rubble or narrow footing as normal terrain for the purposes of movement speed.
  • Passive Magics:
    • Kinetic Dampening: The enchanted rubber soles silence the wearer’s footsteps. Even though the avatar weighs 145kg, they make no more noise than a creature weighing 10kg when walking on hard surfaces.
    • Structural Anchor: The sabatons automatically adjust their grip based on the material beneath them. This grants the avatar a “sticky” quality, preventing them from being easily pushed or slid across slick surfaces like oil-covered factory floors.
    • Velvet Buffer: The interior lining absorbs 1 point of internal “vibration damage” or “phantom pain” that might be caused by high-frequency industrial environments.
  • Activatable Magics:
    • Mag-Lock Pulse (Normal Casting): By clicking the steel heels together, the wearer can activate an electromagnetic bond between the sabatons and any metallic surface. For 1 minute, the avatar can stand vertically or upside down on iron or brass structures without falling.
    • Safe Descent (Ritual Casting): By spending 10 minutes tracing the runes on the steel plates, the wearer “lightens” the sabatons. For the next hour, if the avatar falls more than 10 feet, the enchanted rubber expands to absorb the impact, reducing falling damage by half.
  • Tags:
    • Armor, Footwear, Steel, Rubber, Kinetic, Industrial, Surveying, Absorbing, Articulated, Balanced, Buffer, Clamping, Dampening, Gasketed, Heavy-Duty, Impact-Resistant, Reinforced, Traction-Enhanced

In the industrial reality of Saṃsāra, the Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117 are considered essential safety equipment for any Vitreous Weaver assigned to high-altitude or “catwalk-heavy” zones. Because a Weaver’s 145kg mass can easily snap rotted wood or buckle thin tin, these boots are often the first major investment for a surveyor.

Methods of Acquisition

  • Industrial Apprenticeship: Many Weavers receive a refurbished pair upon attaining the rank of “Journeyman Surveyor” within a city’s Infrastructure Bureau.
  • Aviation Scavenging: Given their use in zeppelin rigging, these boots are frequently found in the wreckage of downed airships or in the lockers of abandoned dry-docks.
  • Custom Forging: Wealthy avatars may commission a pair from an Artificer specifically to match the aesthetic of their silicate “skin,” though the internal mechanics remain the standardized 117 design.

Trading and Purchasing Environments

The buying and selling of the 117s usually happens in places where heavy machinery and high-altitude gear are the primary trade.

  • Aeronautical Outposts: These shops are usually located on the highest platforms of mountain cities or hanging from the underside of floating islands. They smell of grease and ozone. They sell the 117s as “Standard Safety Kit” for rigging crews.
  • The Iron Wharves: In coastal or lowland cities, these boots are sold in massive hardware emporiums that cater to the dockworkers and crane operators. Here, the boots are sold based on their “Weight Rating” rather than their fashion.
  • Scrap-Heaps and “Loose-Screw” Markets: These are the back-alley shops where Rule Breakers and scavengers trade. You can find “well-loved” 117s here, though the rubber soles may be worn thin, requiring the buyer to possess the skills to re-enchant them.

Cost and Valuation

Prices for the 117 series are generally higher than the Artificer’s Cincture due to the sheer volume of steel and the complexity of the enchanted rubber soles.

  • Aeronautical Outpost Cost: A brand new, calibrated pair costs 18 to 22 Electrum (90 to 110 Silver). This price includes a “Balance Tuning” performed by a resident technician.
  • Iron Wharf Cost: Standard industrial-grade pairs go for 15 Electrum (75 Silver). They are rugged but lack the finer “velvet” finish of aeronautical models.
  • Scrap-Heap Cost: A salvaged pair with scuffed plates or faded enchantments can be bartered for 6 to 8 Electrum (30 to 40 Silver).
  • Resale Value: A Weaver selling a pair in good condition can usually recoup 50% of the original cost, as the steel plates are always in high demand for melting and re-casting.

The Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117 transform the avatar’s movement from a liability into a tactical advantage. In roleplay, they emphasize the contrast between the Weaver’s immense weight and their supernatural grace.

Roleplay in Designated Safe and Somewhat Safe Areas

In the stable environments of city centers or guild halls, the boots are a mark of a disciplined professional who respects the architecture around them.

  • Social Offense: The avatar can use the Kinetic Dampening to move with “Ghostly Presence.” Roleplay the unsettling effect of a 145kg metallic entity appearing behind a rival without a single floorboard creaking. It is a subtle display of power—proving that the avatar has total control over their physical impact on the world.
  • Passive Defense: While walking across fragile glass walkways or antique wooden floors in a governor’s mansion, the avatar can roleplay the “Stress-Free Step.” While others might walk gingerly, the Weaver moves with confidence, the Weight Distribution ensuring they don’t accidentally cause a costly (and embarrassing) structural failure.

Roleplay in Normal and Unsafe Areas

In the wilderness or neglected industrial sectors, the 117s provide the stability needed to survive unpredictable terrain.

  • Tactical Offense: During a pursuit across narrow pipes or zeppelin rigging, the avatar utilizes Precision Footing. Roleplay the Weaver sprinting across a rain-slicked iron beam with the same speed as if they were on a paved road. They can use their weight as a weapon, jumping from heights to land with a “Dampened Thud” that surprises enemies who expected a much louder or more damaging impact.
  • Physical Defense: When facing an opponent who uses “Push” or “Shove” attacks, the avatar invokes the Structural Anchor. Roleplay the avatar planting their feet as the enchanted rubber “bites” into the stone or metal floor. They become an immovable object; an enemy’s strike that would knock a human back ten feet barely makes the Weaver’s velvet-lined boots slide an inch.

Roleplay in Deathly Areas

In zones where the environment itself is trying to kill the visitor, the sabatons are the difference between life and a long fall into the void.

  • Vertical Offense: Using the Mag-Lock Pulse, the avatar can perform “Gravity-Defying Maneuvers.” Roleplay the Weaver running up the side of a rusted iron tower to gain the high ground, or standing upside down on a ceiling to drop an alchemical explosive onto a guardian. It turns the industrial graveyard into a 360-degree battlefield.
  • Critical Defense: If a platform collapses or the avatar is blown off a ledge, they activate Safe Descent. Roleplay the ritualistic focus as they plummet; the steel plates glow faintly, and the enchanted rubber soles expand like a heavy-duty gasket. Upon impact, instead of their silicate legs shattering, the boots absorb the “bone-shaking” force, leaving the avatar standing in a small crater, unharmed and ready to fight.

Interaction with Rule Breakers and Gestalts

  • Rule Breaker Synergy: A Rule Breaker might push the Mag-Lock Pulse to its limits, using it to anchor themselves to a high-speed projectile or a moving gear-train. The roleplay focuses on the strain between the boots’ grip and the sheer force of the world trying to rip the avatar away.
  • Gestalt Coordination: In a gestalt, one avatar might focus entirely on the Precision Footing to maintain balance on a spinning gear while another avatar uses the shared Mind’s Eye to aim a long-range weapon. The sabatons provide the “Steady Platform” necessary for the entire gestalt to function at peak efficiency.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

When the Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117 are engaged, the Vitreous Weaver experiences a sudden “Grounding of the Core.” The most immediate sensation is the Muffling of Impact; as the enchanted rubber compresses, the usual vibration of walking on metal surfaces ceases, replaced by a sensation of walking on thick, mossy earth. Kaelen-7 feels a strange, comforting “hug” around their lower limbs as the velvet lining tightens to stabilize the silicate joints.

  • Internal Tactile: A low-frequency hum that travels from the soles up to the knees, signaling that the kinetic dampeners are synchronized with the avatar’s 145kg mass.
  • Extra-Sensory – Surface Affinity: The user feels a “pull” toward the ground. The sabatons provide a mental map of the friction levels and structural integrity of whatever surface is being stepped upon, identifying a rotted beam before weight is fully committed.
  • Extra-Sensory – Magnetoreception: When the Mag-Lock is active, the user perceives the “flavor” of metal. Iron feels like a sharp, cold pull, while brass is a warm, buzzing resistance.

Observer’s Perspective

An observer sees the heavy, industrial silhouette of the sabatons suddenly “soften” in their movements. Despite the avatar’s density, their gait becomes fluid and predatory, lacking the heavy clanging typical of armored boots.

  • Visual: When the Mag-Lock or Safe Descent triggers, the runes etched into the steel plates glow with a steady, neon-blue light. The rubber soles seem to expand slightly, visibly “gripping” the environment.
  • Auditory: A distinct lack of sound. The heavy thud of a 145kg entity is replaced by a soft, pressurized “hiss”—the sound of air being squeezed out of the enchanted rubber cells.
  • Extra-Sensory – Gravitational Anchor: Those standing near the avatar may feel a slight, phantom “heaviness” in their own feet, as the sabatons’ weight-distribution magic creates a localized micro-zone of high stability.

Positives

  • Sure-Footedness: The avatar can traverse environments that would normally be impassable for their weight, such as thin catwalks or rope bridges.
  • Stealthy Mass: Allows for heavy-hitting avatars to perform sneak attacks or quiet scouting roles that would otherwise be impossible.
  • Structural Preservation: The boots prevent the avatar from accidentally destroying the infrastructure of “Somewhat Safe” zones, avoiding costly repair bills or diplomatic incidents.

Negatives

  • The Static Snap: When disengaging the Mag-Lock, a buildup of kinetic energy can cause a sharp “static shock” to the avatar, causing a momentary twitch in the silicate legs.
  • Velvet Abrasion: If the boots are worn for days without maintenance, the velvet lining can trap industrial grit, which acts like sandpaper against the avatar’s crystalline feet, causing minor “surface-etch” damage.
  • Magnetic Interference: In areas with powerful, fluctuating magnetic fields (like near a failing mana-reactor), the Mag-Lock can activate or deactivate randomly, potentially leaving the avatar stuck to a wall or falling unexpectedly.

Blueprint: Vulcanizing the Surveyor’s Sabatons 117

Materials Needed

  • Tier-1 Layered Steel Plates: Six articulated plates per boot, treated with anti-corrosive oil to resist industrial steam.
  • Enchanted Rubber Resin: Three liters of raw sap from the Cradle-Root trees of the floating jungles, known for its kinetic-absorption properties.
  • Crushed Magnetite: Used as a conductive medium for the Mag-Lock circuitry.
  • High-Grade Alchemical Velvet: Two square meters of velvet infused with silicate-soothing agents to protect the avatar’s feet from grinding.
  • Mana-Reactive Solder: A silver-tin alloy that glows when carrying a kinetic charge.
  • Industrial Gaskets: Heavy-duty seals to prevent moisture from entering the velvet-lined interior.

Tools Required

  • Hydraulic Plate Press: Used to curve the steel plates to the specific anatomical requirements of a Vitreous Weaver.
  • Vulcanizing Kiln: A temperature-controlled oven used to bake the enchanted rubber resin into its final, bouncy form.
  • Precision Rune-Chisel: For etching the Mag-Lock and Safe Descent patterns into the steel exterior.
  • Silicate Polishing Cloth: To ensure the interior of the plates is smooth enough not to snag the velvet lining.
  • Induction Wand: For “charging” the magnetite pathways within the rubber soles.

Skill Requirements

  • Advanced Cobbling (Trained): Understanding the complex biomechanics of a 145kg entity to ensure the gait remains natural.
  • Kinetic Engineering (Trained): Required to balance the dampening rubber so it absorbs force without losing “ground feel.”
  • Runic Metalwork (Trained): Necessary to etch the Mag-Lock circuits without compromising the structural integrity of the steel.

Crafting Steps

  • Plate Articulation: Forge and press the steel plates into overlapping segments. Each plate must slide over the next with zero friction to allow for the Weaver’s “Precision Footing” skill.
  • Etching the Logic: Use the rune-chisel to carve the Mag-Lock patterns onto the heel and toe plates. Fill these grooves with crushed magnetite mixed with mana-reactive solder to create a closed circuit.
  • The Velvet Lining: Bond the alchemical velvet to the interior of the steel housing. The adhesive must be non-reactive to silicate skin to prevent “surface-etching” during long marches.
  • Rubber Vulcanization: Pour the enchanted resin into a custom sole-mold. Bake it in the vulcanizing kiln at a steady heat. During the cooling phase, use the induction wand to align the magnetite particles toward the sole’s surface.
  • Sole Integration: Mechanically bolt the vulcanized rubber to the steel plates. Install the industrial gaskets around the ankle seam to ensure the “Velvet Buffer” remains dry and free of industrial grit.
  • Kinetic Calibration: The crafter must drop the finished sabaton from a height of three meters. If it bounces more than once, the dampening is insufficient; if it thuds without a “hiss,” the rubber is too dense.
  • The Static Test: Tap the heels together to trigger the Mag-Lock. The crafter must verify the blue rune-glow is steady and that the magnetic pull is strong enough to hold 145kg of weight against a vertical iron surface.

Heavy Walker and Silent Path of Clouds

In the season when the World-Machine was yet dripping with the oils of its birth, there was a Great Surveyor known as The Stone-That-Breathes. He was a being of glass and light, but his feet were as heavy as the foundations of the 73 countries. It is written in the “Ink of Dust” that wherever he walked, the earth would scream and the iron floors of the sky-cities would shatter like thin ice. He was a master of the “High Wires,” but he could not walk them, for his weight was a curse that broke the very things he loved to mend.

The Stone-That-Breathes traveled to the Floating Forest of Tears, where the trees do not grow from dirt, but from the “Breath of the Void.” He found the King of Gaskets, a spirit whose skin was made of the Sap-That-Sings. “I wish to walk upon the spider’s silk without waking the spider,” the Surveyor spoke into the mist. “I wish to stand upon the clouds without falling through to the Great Mercury Sea.”

The King of Gaskets gave his own blood, which was a black and bouncy resin. The Surveyor then went to the Fire-Hole of the North, where he took the “Steel of many Layers.” He placed his crystalline feet into the metal, but it bit him, and his glass toes wept. So, he took the velvet from the “Robes of Silence” to cradle his pain. He baked the resin and the steel together in the “Oven of the Sun’s Heart” for seven days and seven nights.

When he stepped forth, the translation says, “The thud was swallowed by the air.” He walked upon the thinnest copper pipes of the Great Steam Works, and they did not bend. He walked across the “Sleeping Maiden’s Ceiling,” and she did not stir. But a Great Shadow, the Iron-Eater, saw him and tried to cast him into the abyss. The Surveyor clicked his heels—the sound of “two stars kissing”—and he became a part of the metal wall. He stood as a fly stands, defying the pull of the Deep Earth.

The story ends in the “Fragment of Salt,” which tells that the Surveyor eventually walked so softly and so high that he stepped off the world entirely. He found the “Path of Clouds” that leads to the Forbidden Gear, and because his boots made no sound, the Gods of the Engine did not notice him enter their halls. It is said he still walks there, checking the pressure of the stars, his feet forever silent in their steel and velvet cocoons.

The Moral of the Story: Strength that is not softened by grace will only break the world it tries to build; to walk high, one must first learn how to leave no scar upon the ground.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: The Silent Strider Sabatons 117

  • Item Type: Specialized Footwear
  • Sanity Loss: 0

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Kinetic Muffling: The wearer gains a Bonus Die on Stealth checks made while walking on hard, resonant surfaces (metal, wood, stone).
  • Structural Safety: When moving across unstable or fragile surfaces, the wearer ignores the first Penalty Die assigned due to their physical weight or the delicacy of the floor.
  • Mag-Lock (Activatable): By spending 1 Magic Point, the wearer can magnetically adhere to a vertical or inverted metal surface for 1D10 minutes. This grants a Bonus Die to Climb checks on metal structures.
  • Impact Absorption: Reduces damage from falls by 1D6.

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: 117 Pressure-Dampers

  • Type: Rare Utility Item (1 Load)

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Precision Balance: When you Sling or Prowl across precarious heights (rigging, narrow beams, pipes), you gain +1 Effect.
  • Ghost-Step: The enchanted rubber soles negate the “Heavy” penalty normally associated with metal armor. You do not take a penalty to your dice pool for stealthy movements despite your silicate mass.
  • Mag-Lock Pulse: You may expend 1 Stress to “cling” to a metallic surface. This allows you to perform an action from an impossible angle (like hanging from a ceiling) or provides a +1d to Resistance Rolls against being pushed or knocked down.
  • Structural Awareness: You gain +1d to Survey rolls when checking the stability of floors or mechanical pathways.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Unique Name: Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117

  • Wondrous Item, uncommon (requires attunement)

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Sure-Footed: While wearing these boots, you have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks made to balance or stay upright on narrow or unstable surfaces.
  • Kinetic Muffle: You ignore the disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks caused by wearing heavy armor, provided the movement is limited to walking on solid ground.
  • Mag-Lock (Action): You can activate the boots to gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed on metallic surfaces. This allows you to move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you click your heels again.
  • Safe Descent: You take half damage from any fall, and you always land on your feet.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: 117 Surveyor’s Sabatons

  • Armor: +1 (Lower Limbs)
  • Slots: 1 Slot

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Precise Footing: You automatically succeed on checks to balance on beams or pipes unless the environment is actively trying to throw you off (e.g., an earthquake or a direct attack).
  • Silent Mass: Despite your 145kg weight, you make no more noise than a house cat. You never suffer a disadvantage on Sneak checks due to your size or weight.
  • Magnetic Grip: Once per day, you may stand on a metal wall or ceiling as if it were flat ground for 10 minutes.
  • The Gods’ Pain: If you carry more than 10 attuned items, the boots become “Spiritually Magnetic.” You must succeed on a STR save to lift your feet from any metal surface, reducing your movement speed by half.

Fate Core / Fate Condensed

Unique Name: 117 Precision-Dampening Sabatons

  • Aspect: Heavy-Metal Boots with a Ghostly Tread
  • Stunts:
    • Sure-Footed Surveyor: Because I am wearing the 117 Sabatons, I gain a +2 to Overcome actions with Athletics when navigating narrow, unstable, or precarious industrial surfaces like zeppelin rigging or high-tension pipes.
    • Kinetic Muffling: I can use Stealth to move quietly even in heavy gear or across resonant metal floors. I gain a +2 to Stealth rolls when my 145kg mass would normally be a liability.
    • Mag-Lock Pulse: Once per scene, I can automatically succeed at a movement action to stand on or traverse a vertical or inverted metallic surface without a roll.
  • Drawback: Magnetic Interference. In the presence of powerful mana-reactors or magnetic traps, the GM can compel this aspect to make my feet “stick” to the floor, hindering my movement or making me an easy target.

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: Kinetic-Stabilizing Sabatons

  • Level: 3 (Tier 1)
  • Form: Layered steel boots with thick, blue-glowing rubber soles.
  • Effect:
    • Balance Asset: These boots serve as an Asset for all tasks related to balancing, climbing metal structures, or resisting being knocked prone.
    • Silent Step: The wearer’s footsteps are dampened. Any task involving moving silently on hard surfaces gains an Asset.
    • Safe Descent: The wearer treats all falls as if they were 20 feet shorter than they actually are.
    • Mag-Lock (1 Intellect point): The wearer can walk on vertical metal surfaces or ceilings for 10 minutes as if they were level ground.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d100 (Checked only after using the Mag-Lock or absorbing a fall of 50+ feet).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117

  • Item 2 | Rare | Abjuration | Invested | Magical
  • Usage: worn footwear; Bulk: 1

Mechanics and Syntax

  • Precision Footing: You gain a +1 item bonus to Acrobatics checks to Balance. You ignore difficult terrain caused by uneven industrial surfaces (rubble, narrow beams, grates).
  • Kinetic Muffle: You do not take the standard -5 foot speed penalty for being “Encumbered” if that encumbrance is caused solely by your own body weight. Your footsteps are dampened, granting a +1 item bonus to Stealth checks.
  • Activate (Single-Action): Heel-Click (Manipulate); Effect You activate the Mag-Lock. Until the end of your next turn, you gain a climb speed of 20 feet, but only on metallic surfaces. You can sustain this effect for up to 1 minute.
  • Gods’ Pain: If you exceed 10 invested items, the boots feel like lead. You are Clumsy 1 as long as the boots are worn.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: Model 117 Industrial Sabatons

  • Attributes: +1 Armor to legs.

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Sure-Footed: The wearer ignores 2 points of penalties for Difficult Terrain when moving across man-made structures (buildings, ships, bridges). They gain a +2 bonus to Athletics rolls made to balance.
  • Silent Mass: The wearer gains +2 to Stealth rolls when moving on hard surfaces, as the enchanted rubber absorbs all sound.
  • Mag-Lock Pulse: As a limited action, the wearer can adhere to metal surfaces. They can walk on walls or ceilings at half their normal Pace.
  • Safe Descent: Falling damage is reduced by half.
  • The Burden of the Gods: If carrying more than 10 Attuned items, the wearer’s Pace is reduced by 2 and their Running die drops by one die type (minimum d4).

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Unique Name: 117 Kinetic-Dampening Sabatons

  • Item Type: Armor / Footwear
  • Armor Rating: +1
  • Availability: 3
  • Cost: 1,500¥

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Muffled Tread: Despite the avatar’s high body mass, the enchanted rubber soles provide a +2 dice pool bonus to Stealth (Sneaking) tests on hard surfaces.
  • Structural Safety: The wearer ignores the first 2 points of Environmental penalties related to unstable or narrow footing (catwalks, pipes, rubble).
  • Mag-Lock (Minor Action): The user can magnetically adhere to any ferrous metal surface. This allows them to walk on walls or ceilings at their normal Walking rate but reduces their Running rate by half.
  • The Gods’ Pain: If the user’s total number of “Attuned” magical items exceeds 10, the magnetic pulse becomes unstable, inflicting a –1 penalty to all Agility-based tests as the boots intermittently “stick” to the ground.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Unique Name: Pressure-Dampening Sabatons 117

  • Level: 2
  • Price: 425 Credits
  • Bulk: 1

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Precision Balance: You gain a +1 item bonus to Acrobatics checks to Balance. You ignore difficult terrain caused by narrow or precarious surfaces.
  • Kinetic Buffer: Your footsteps are magically silenced. You gain a +1 item bonus to Stealth checks to Sneak on hard surfaces.
  • Mag-Lock Pulse (Move Action): You gain a climb speed of 20 feet that works only on metallic surfaces. While this is active, you can move across vertical and inverted metal surfaces.
  • Safe Descent: You treat any fall as if it were 20 feet shorter for the purpose of calculating falling damage.
  • Attunement Strain: If you exceed 10 attuned items, you gain the Encumbered condition regardless of your actual Bulk carried.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: 117 Surveyor’s Magnetic Sabatons

  • TL: 4 (Advanced Industrial)
  • Weight: 3 kg
  • Cost: Cr 800

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Sure-Footed: The Traveler receives a DM+2 to all Athletics (Dexterity) checks made to balance or move across narrow scaffolding and rigging.
  • Dampened Step: On resonant surfaces like metal decking, the Traveler receives a DM+1 to Stealth checks.
  • Mag-Lock: The boots can be set to “Magnetic Mode” as a Minor Action. On a metal surface, the Traveler can walk at half-speed on walls or ceilings. Attempting to run in this mode requires an Athletics (Dexterity) check.
  • The Burden: In Saṃsāra, if the Traveler carries more than 10 “Attuned” items, the boots fluctuate in weight. Every 10 minutes, the Traveler must pass a DEX check or suffer a DM-1 to all physical actions for the next hour due to leg fatigue.

Warhammer (Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition)

Unique Name: The Cloud-Walker’s Sabatons 117

  • Price: 1 Gold Crown
  • Encumbrance: 1
  • Availability: Rare

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Traits: Durable, Fine, Kinetic-Dampening.
  • Precision Footing: The wearer gains a +10 bonus to Athletics Tests when navigating narrow beams, ropes, or precarious industrial ledges.
  • Silent Step: The wearer ignores the “Arabyan Silk” requirement for silent movement; they gain a +10 bonus to Stealth Tests on resonant floors (metal, wood).
  • Mag-Lock (Action): The wearer can adhere to metal surfaces. They may move across metal walls or ceilings as if it were difficult terrain.
  • Safe Descent: Reduce the Damage of any fall by the wearer’s Toughness Bonus + 4.
  • The Gods’ Decree: If the wearer possesses more than 10 “Attuned” items, they gain 1 Fatigue condition that cannot be removed until the boots are taken off, representing the spiritual weight of the gear.