Piton Launcher 075

From: Aiptas Ouroborus 113

This is a heavy-duty utility tool designed for navigating difficult, vertical, or inverted surfaces. It is a compact, pneumatically-powered launcher mechanism that has been securely bolted to one of the creature’s central dorsal armor plates. The launcher holds a single, large, barbed piton which is attached to a twenty-foot coil of flexible, woven metal cable. The other end of the cable is anchored to a reinforced ring on the creature’s armor. If Kastor needs to work on a ceiling or a sheer wall, it can aim its body and fire the piton deep into the surface with a loud hiss of compressed air. Once anchored, it can safely perform its slow work without fear of falling. A series of strong, rhythmic tugs on the cable engages a release lever in the piton’s head, allowing the creature to retrieve it once its task is complete.

Lore This device is a relic of high industry from the Steam-Powered Age, a testament to a time when magic and mechanics were fused for grand construction projects. It was created by the legendary Ironwrought Bridge-Builders Guild, a company of engineers who dared to span chasms and erect towers that touched the clouds. The Piton Launcher was a standard-issue safety tool, mounted directly onto their heavy, steam-powered Forge-Golems. When a golem needed to operate on a sheer cliff face or the underside of a massive archway, it would use the launcher to securely anchor itself before lifting a multi-ton girder or drilling into the rock, preventing catastrophic falls.

Unit #075 was mounted on a golem working on the “Great Chasm Bridge,” a project that was abandoned when the builders broke through into a hostile, unexplored cavern system. The golem and its crew were lost, and the machine lay dormant on a high, inaccessible ledge for centuries. Eventually, the creature Kastor discovered the wreckage. Drawn to the decaying energies of the golem’s steam-core, it spent years consuming the machine. During this slow process, the launcher, bolted to a dorsal plate, became fused to Kastor’s own carapace through rust, mineral deposits, and its own calcifying secretions. The pneumatic firing mechanism, disconnected from its steam-engine, was accidentally integrated with Kastor’s biology, allowing the creature to power it with its own internally generated gas pressure.

Slot: Dorsal Mount (Back)

Requirements:

Must be physically bolted to a hard, durable surface, such as a creature’s natural armor or a vehicle’s chassis.
Requires a source of high-pressure compressed gas (steam or biological) to be channeled into its firing mechanism.
The user must possess the physical strength to tug the cable for retrieval, or have access to the remote release function.

Tier One Stats:

The fired piton can penetrate up to two feet of solid rock or six inches of steel.
The woven metal cable can support up to ten tons of weight without snapping.
Provides a secure anchor point on any solid vertical or inverted surface.

Skills Gained:

Proficiency (Advanced Traversal): The user becomes an expert at navigating vertical terrain, using the launcher to create secure anchor points to rest, work, or defend from.
Knowledge (Structural Engineering): The user gains an intuitive understanding of load-bearing physics and can identify the most stable points in a structure to place an anchor.

Passive Magics:

Grasping Barbs: The head of the piton is enchanted with runes of holding. Once it has penetrated a surface, interior barbs expand with magical force, making it nearly impossible to remove by pulling directly. It will hold fast even in brittle or fractured stone.
Self-Coiling Cable: The woven metal cable is imbued with a minor “memory” enchantment. After the piton is released, the cable will automatically retract and coil itself perfectly back into the launcher mechanism, preventing tangles and allowing for rapid reuse.
Impact Absorption: The reinforced ring where the cable anchors to the user’s armor contains a minor abjuration ward. This ward absorbs the kinetic shock of a sudden fall, preventing the violent jerk from ripping the anchor free or damaging the mounting point.

Activatable Magics:

Pneumatic Launch: This is the primary function. By channeling a powerful burst of compressed gas into the mechanism, the user fires the piton with incredible force, accompanied by a loud, sharp hiss.
Resonant Release: As an alternative to physically tugging the cable, the user can send a specific, low-frequency magical hum down the cable’s length. This vibration triggers the release mechanism in the piton’s head, causing the barbs to retract and allowing for a silent, remote retrieval of the device.
Tension Lock: Once the piton is set, the user can activate a locking enchantment on the spool. The woven metal cable becomes magically rigid and unyielding, transforming it from a flexible rope into a solid iron bar. This can be used to brace a collapsing ceiling, bar a heavy gate from across a room, or create a perfectly stable tightrope to cross a chasm.

Tags: Mechanical, Tool, Tier One, Ancient, Engineering, Utility, Climbing, Anchoring, Non-Combat, Traversal, Pneumatic, Industrial, Grapple, Ranged Tool, Safety Gear, Mount, Heavy-Duty, Construction

The Piton Launcher 075 is a piece of heavy-duty, lost industrial technology. It is not an item of common magic or something easily replicated. Its sale would be limited to niche markets that cater to clientele with very specific, and often dangerous, professions. A buyer would not find this in a city market square, but would have to seek out specialists who deal in either high-end exploration gear or industrial salvage.

The Elite Exploration & Mountaineering Supplier
- Example Establishment: “The Alpinist’s Anchor,” a high-end outfitter located in a city at the base of a great, impassable mountain range or on the edge of a chasm-pocked wasteland. They supply gear for wealthy explorers, monster-hunting expeditions, and airship crews who need to make landfall in difficult terrain.
- Method of Sale: A functional Piton Launcher would be a prized, top-tier item in their inventory, likely displayed on a large automaton or a section of rock wall in the center of the showroom. The sale would be a professional consultation. The shopkeeper would advise the client on the launcher’s power requirements (compressed air, steam, or a biological equivalent) and the structural necessities for mounting it. The sale would be to a well-funded party that understands the immense value of a reliable, reusable anchoring system in vertical environments. The shop would also offer the services of their on-staff master armorer to handle the complex mounting procedure.
- Cost: The price reflects its status as a life-saving tool of lost design. Estimated Cost: 50,000 Gold Sovereigns. The custom mounting service would be an additional 7,500 Imperials, including the cost of reinforced plating for the user’s armor.
The Industrial Salvage Yard
- Example Establishment: “Cogsworth & Rust, Industrial Reclamation,” a sprawling, muddy salvage yard located downwind of a major industrial city. The yard is a maze of decaying steam-constructs, wrecked factory parts, and the metal skeletons of failed inventions.
- Method of Sale: A Piton Launcher would not be for sale here in any official capacity. It would be found, by chance, still bolted to a large, half-buried section of a rusted automaton’s chassis. The yard boss would likely have no idea what it is, classifying the entire wreck as “high-grade scrap metal.” A knowledgeable engineer or historian could recognize the device and purchase it for a tiny fraction of its true worth. The transaction would be a simple, haggled sale by weight. The catch is that the buyer would be responsible for physically extracting the multi-ton piece of wreckage from the yard and then undertaking the immense task of removing, cleaning, and restoring the launcher to functionality.
- Cost: Based on scrap metal prices. Estimated Cost: As little as 800 Gold Sovereigns for the entire wreck. The true cost is the weeks of expert-level labor required to make the device usable again.
The Guild of Constructors and Artificers
- Example Establishment: “The Modern Ironwrought Guildhall,” the headquarters of the premier engineering and construction guild, whose members see themselves as the direct descendants of the original Bridge-Builders.
- Method of Sale: The Guild would never sell such an item. They are fanatical collectors and hoarders of their own history. They would, however, be the most motivated buyers in the world. An adventurer bringing a functional Piton Launcher to them would be met with immediate and intense interest from the Guild’s highest-ranking masters. The transaction would be a secretive, formal negotiation. The Guild’s primary goal would be to acquire the lost technology to study and hopefully replicate it, restoring the lost glory of their ancestors. They would pay a premium not just for the item, but for the seller’s silence regarding its existence and the location where it was found.
- Cost: The Guild would be willing to pay far above market value to secure a piece of their technological heritage. Estimated Payout: 75,000 Gold Sovereigns. This price would be contingent on the seller signing a magically-binding contract swearing them to secrecy about the transaction and the location of the ruin where the launcher was discovered.

The Piton Launcher 075 is a heavy-duty utility tool, and its use in roleplay for offense and defense is a testament to creative, environmental problem-solving. It allows a slow, heavy creature to manipulate the battlefield, control enemy movement, and turn verticality into a powerful weapon.

Environment 1: On the Deck of a Soaring Airship

During a chaotic, ship-to-ship battle in the sky, the Piton Launcher becomes a tool for naval superiority and unconventional grappling.

Roleplay for Defense: As a pirate airship pulls alongside, preparing to board, the user can use the Launcher defensively to control the engagement. “With a loud HISS of compressed gas, Kastor fires its piton not at an enemy, but at the mast of the pirate vessel. The barbed tip punches deep into the wood. The user then activates Tension Lock. The 20-foot cable becomes as rigid as an iron bar, physically binding the two ships together. The pirates’ attempt to make a quick strafing run is foiled; their ship is now anchored and vulnerable to a counter-attack from Kastor’s crew.” In another scenario, a charging pirate boards the deck. “Kastor, too slow to engage directly, fires the piton into the deck of its own ship and uses Tension Lock, creating a taut, ankle-high tripwire. The pirate, focused on his target, doesn’t see the bar and is sent sprawling, completely defenseless.”
Roleplay for Offense: The Launcher can be used as a non-lethal offensive tool to capture key targets. “The pirate captain, a massive ogre, stands on the railing of his ship, shouting orders. Kastor aims the launcher directly at his center of mass. The barbed piton strikes with enough force to stagger the ogre and securely snag his thick leather armor. Before the captain can react, Kastor uses the Self-Coiling Cable function. The powerful mechanism rapidly retracts the cable, yanking the surprised ogre off his feet and dragging him helplessly across the gap between the ships, depositing him on the deck to be captured.”

Environment 2: A Crumbling, Ancient Bridge Over a Chasm

When faced with environmental instability and ranged attackers, the Launcher is a tool of survival and geological warfare.

Roleplay for Defense: The user is halfway across a rickety rope bridge when bandits on the far side begin cutting the supports. “As the bridge lurches violently, Kastor fires the Piton Launcher into the solid cliff face it just came from. The Enchanted Barbs find a secure hold in the rock. The bandits sever the final rope, and the entire bridge plunges into the chasm. Kastor, however, is left swinging safely from its 20-foot cable. The Impact Dampening anchor point absorbs the jarring shock, preventing the piton from being ripped free. The immediate threat of the fall has been defended against.”
Roleplay for Offense: Now a dangling target, the user can turn the tables on the crossbow-wielding bandits above. “Kastor aims the launcher at the precarious rock ledge the bandits are standing on and fires. The piton strikes the stone with a loud crack. Instead of retracting, Kastor puts its full 900-pound weight against the cable and activates Tension Lock. The rigid cable becomes a massive lever. The immense force fractures the old rock, and the entire ledge collapses, sending the bandits screaming into the chasm below. The user has defeated their enemies by making the environment itself their weapon.”

Environment 3: A Pillared Chamber Against a Brute

Against a single, powerful but clumsy foe like a Minotaur in a complex environment, the Launcher is used for tactical repositioning and trap-setting.

Roleplay for Defense: The user is too slow to dodge the charging Minotaur. “As the beast thunders forward, Kastor fires the Piton Launcher past the Minotaur and into a large stone pillar on the far side of the room. It immediately uses the Self-Coiling Cable function, which rapidly drags the creature across the floor and behind the pillar just as the Minotaur smashes into the spot where it just was. The Launcher is used as a short-range grappling hook, allowing the slow creature to outmaneuver a much faster foe through clever positioning.”
Roleplay for Offense: The user can create a complex trap. “After using its Resonant Release to detach the cable, leaving the first piton in the pillar, Kastor reloads a new piton. It moves to the other side of the chamber and fires this one into an adjacent pillar. It then activates Tension Lock. A bar-tight cable now spans the 20 feet between the two pillars, about two feet off the ground. Kastor makes a noise, luring the enraged Minotaur into a charge. The beast, blinded by rage, thunders across the room and hits the taut, unyielding cable at full speed. The trap works perfectly, sweeping the Minotaur’s legs out from under it and sending the massive creature crashing to the floor, stunned and vulnerable.”

Perception of Activation:

(The following perceptions focus on the Launcher’s primary ability: Pneumatic Launch)

User’s Perspective

Sight: For a sighted user, the activation is a blur of controlled violence. There is a brief, powerful cloud of displaced air, steam, or vapor that erupts from the launcher, momentarily obscuring the view. They see the metallic streak of the cable rapidly unspooling and whipping away towards the target.
Sound: The sound is a deep, mechanical clunk as the firing mechanism engages, followed immediately by a single, sharp, and deafeningly loud HISS-CRACK. It is the sound of an immense amount of compressed gas being released in a fraction of a second. The user then hears the high-pitched whistle of the cable flying through the air and the distant, satisfying thump or CRACK as the piton impacts and secures itself.
Smell: The air is filled with the scent of hot metal and lubricating seep-oil from the launcher’s internal mechanism. Depending on the power source, there might also be the smell of hot steam and ozone, or simply the smell of stale, compressed air.
Touch: This is a very physical activation. The user feels a powerful, jarring thump against their back or the mounting point as the launcher fires. The recoil is significant, a solid punch that a smaller creature would find difficult to endure. This is immediately followed by the feeling of the cable tugging as it pays out and the final, sharp jerk as the piton anchors itself and the cable goes taut.
Taste: There is no taste associated with the activation.
Extra-Sensory (Kinetic Sense): The user feels a profound and directed release of kinetic energy, not magical, but purely physical. They can intuitively sense the force of the launch and, by the final tug on the cable, can feel how securely the piton has anchored itself to the target surface.
Extra-Sensory (Magical Sense): The user feels the minor, passive enchantments on the device react. The anchor ring on their armor gives a faint, warm pulse of abjuration magic as it absorbs the shock of the cable going taut. They can also feel the subtle transmutation magic in the cable itself, willing it to retract on command.

Observer’s Perspective

Sight: The activation is sudden and shockingly fast. An observer would see a violent, instantaneous blast of vapor erupt from the device on the user’s back. The piton itself moves too fast to be seen clearly, appearing only as a brief, metallic streak. The most visible component is the thick, metal cable whipping through the air behind it.
Sound: The sound is a loud, sharp, and concussive BANG or CRACK, not like a magical explosion, but like a feat of industrial power. It is a sound that speaks of immense pressure and mechanical force. In a canyon or cavern, the sound would be deafening and produce a powerful echo.
Smell: An observer standing nearby would smell the sharp scent of hot machine oil and the clean smell of displaced, pressurized air.
Touch: The pneumatic blast is powerful enough to be felt as a strong gust of wind by anyone standing within a few feet of the user. The concussive sound can be felt as a pressure wave against the chest.
Taste: There is no taste associated with the activation.
Extra-Sensory (Magical Sense): A magically-attuned observer would be notable for what they don’t perceive. The activation is almost entirely non-magical. They would sense no build-up of evocation energy, no spell being cast. They would only perceive the faint, constant, and unchanging magical auras of the enchantments woven into the device itself, making the powerful physical result all the more surprising and impressive.

Positives

It provides an extremely fast, powerful, and reliable method of creating a secure anchor point on nearly any surface at a distance.
It is a peerless tool for vertical traversal, allowing the user to ascend, descend, or create bridges in otherwise impassable environments.
Its raw kinetic force allows it to be used creatively for non-lethal offense, such as tripping, disarming, or capturing an opponent.
As a primarily mechanical device, it is highly reliable and functions perfectly in areas where magic is dampened, nullified, or unpredictable.

Negatives

The activation is incredibly loud and concussive, announcing the user’s exact position and actions to everything and everyone within a very wide radius. It is a tool of overt action, not stealth.
The powerful recoil can be dangerous for a user who is not properly braced, potentially causing them to lose their footing or balance.
The device holds only a single shot. The process of retrieving the piton and reloading the mechanism leaves the user vulnerable for a period of time.
The fired piton can cause significant and unintentional structural damage, potentially shattering the very rock face the user is trying to anchor to if it is old or brittle.
It is a heavy, bulky, and cumbersome piece of equipment that requires significant strength to carry and a reinforced structure to mount.

Guild Engineer’s Blueprint: The Mark IV Anchor Launcher

This document contains the official design specifications from the Ironwrought Bridge-Builders Guild for the fabrication of their standard-issue, dorsal-mounted pneumatic piton launcher. This is a work of heavy industry, requiring a fully-outfitted steam-forge and a team of skilled mechanics and engineers. The design prioritizes reliability, power, and function over aesthetic grace.

Materials Needed

Launcher Body (1): A single, high-density, cast-iron pressure cylinder, rated to withstand up to 3,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.
Mechanical Components (50 lbs): A collection of precisely-milled steel and brass parts, including gears, levers, triggers, and the primary spool housing.
Piton Head (1): The petrified beak of a mature Cockatrice, valued for its legendary hardness and natural point.
Cable (20 feet): A length of expertly braided, high-tensile steel wire, treated with a rust-inhibiting alchemical solution.
Enchantment Coils (x3): Pre-fabricated “Kinetic Wards,” small, self-contained magical circuits created by the Enchanters’ Guild. One is needed for the grasping-barb function, one for the self-coiling mechanism, and one for impact dampening.

Tools Required

A Heavy-Duty Metal Lathe & Milling Machine: Essential for shaping the pressure cylinder and machining the intricate gears and trigger mechanisms.
A Steam-Forge and Power Hammer: For forging the launcher’s main structural frame and the reinforced anchor ring.
A Wire-Braiding Machine: A specialized industrial machine for twisting raw steel wire into a durable, flexible cable.
An Artificer’s Calibration Bench: Equipped with magical gauges and diagnostic tools for the safe installation and tuning of the Enchantment Coils.
A High-Pressure Steam Line or Air Compressor: For testing the pneumatic seals and firing mechanism.

Skill Requirements

Mastery of Mechanical Engineering: The lead crafter must have a deep understanding of pneumatic systems, pressure dynamics, and mechanical engineering.
Expertise in Blacksmithing (Industrial): Required to forge the heavy-duty frame capable of withstanding the powerful recoil.
Proficiency in Artificing: While the enchantments are pre-made, a skilled artificer is needed to properly install, insulate, and attune them to the device without a magical short-circuit.
Ability to Read Technical Blueprints: The Ironwrought Guild’s schematics are notoriously complex and precise.

Crafting Steps

Machining the Components: The process begins in the machine shop. The cast-iron cylinder is placed on the lathe and meticulously bored out to create the launch tube and pressure chamber. The various gears and levers for the trigger, release, and spooling mechanisms are then milled from steel and brass stock according to the blueprint’s precise tolerances.
Frame and Piton Fabrication: In the forge, the launcher’s main housing and the reinforced ring that anchors to the user are forged from solid steel using the power hammer. Simultaneously, the Cockatrice beak is carefully ground and shaped into a barbed, aerodynamic piton head, and fitted with the internal workings of the release mechanism.
Cable Weaving: Raw steel wire is fed into the braiding machine, which twists and weaves it under immense tension into a 20-foot length of incredibly strong and flexible metal cable. One end is fitted with a connector for the piton head, the other for the spool.
Primary Assembly & Coil Installation: The machined components are carefully assembled within the forged frame. The cable is wound onto its spool, and the piton is seated in the launch tube. The three “Kinetic Ward” enchantment coils are then carefully installed into their respective housings: one in the piton head (for the barbs), one in the spooling mechanism (for the self-coiling), and one on the main anchor ring (for impact dampening).
Pressurization, Attunement, and Testing: The completed launcher is moved to a testing bay and connected to a high-pressure steam line. The system is slowly pressurized while the artificer checks for leaks. The artificer then attunes the three enchantment coils to the device and each other. Finally, a series of test-firings are conducted, typically into a massive block of quarried granite, to ensure the launch is powerful, the piton’s enchantments function correctly, the cable is sound, and the release mechanism works reliably.

Legend of Golem’s Leap

(This story is known from etchings found on a collapsed bridge-girder at the bottom of the Great Chasm. The language is a crude, industrial dialect of the Steam-Powered Age.)

And it is said there was a great king who saw a chasm. This was a chasm that separated two great mountains, and the king wished to join them. But the chasm was very wide. The wind itself was afraid to cross it. The king’s men threw stones, but the stones grew tired and fell. They brought the tallest trees, but the trees were like small children before the great emptiness.

And the king was troubled. So he called the Ironwrought Men, the builders who had steam for blood and iron for thoughts. And the king said, “Build for me a road across the air.”

The Ironwrought Men were clever. They built a great golem to be their worker. A man of iron with a furnace for a heart and a great humming inside him. The golem was very strong. It could lift the stones for the road. But it could not fly. It stood on one side of the great chasm and could not reach the other.

And the Chief Engineer of the Ironwrought Men stood and watched the golem, and he was troubled. He said to the king, “The golem cannot step across the sky. But perhaps it can throw its hand. And where its hand holds, we can begin our road.”

So the Engineer went to his forge. He built a new thing. He built a house of iron and brass. And inside, he put a long rope made of spun steel. And at the end of the rope, he put a great, sharp tooth, like the tooth of a sky-whale, that could bite stone and not break. And he gave this iron house the breath of a great storm, a breath of steam held tight until it wanted to scream. And he put this new thing on the back of the iron golem.

And they brought the golem to the edge of the world. And the Chief Engineer said, “Leap.”

And the golem did not move its feet. But the house on its back gave a great cough. A loud hiss of storm-breath. And the stone tooth, the golem’s iron hand, flew across the chasm. It flew faster than an eagle. It flew with its iron rope behind it. And it bit the stone of the far mountain, and its magic barbs held fast. The golem had thrown its hand across the sky.

Then the Engineer commanded the golem to use its magic. And the iron rope, which was soft, became hard like a bone. And it was the first piece of the great sky-road. And the men cheered.

And the Ironwrought Men built more iron hands for their golems. And the golems stood on the edge and threw their hands again and again. They wove a great nest of iron over the emptiness. And they built their road upon it. And the king was pleased.

But stone falls and iron grows tired. An age passed. And a great shaking came to the world. And the sky-road, with its great towers, groaned. And it broke. And it fell into the deep quiet of the chasm. And the great golems, they fell with it. And their iron hands that could leap were scattered in the darkness at the bottom of the world, waiting for a new master to show them where to hold.

Moral of the Story: To cross a great distance, you must first throw a part of yourself to the other side.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons

Ironwrought Grapple-Launcher Wondrous item, uncommon

This heavy, metallic device is a product of a bygone industrial age, blending masterful engineering with minor enchantments. It is a compact, pneumatically-powered launcher that is typically mounted on a creature’s back or the chassis of a vehicle.

As an action, you can aim and fire the launcher at a point on a surface you can see within 100 feet. The launcher fires a barbed piton attached to a 100-foot cable of braided steel. The piton embeds itself securely into the target surface. The cable can support up to 2,000 pounds.

As a bonus action, you can speak a command word to cause a mechanism in the launcher to retract the cable, pulling you and anything attached to your gear towards the anchor point at a speed of 30 feet per round.

You can also use the launcher to make a ranged attack against a creature. This attack has a range of 30/60 feet. Make a ranged attack roll as if proficient with the weapon. On a hit, the target takes 2d6 piercing damage and the piton is embedded in them. A creature can use its action to make a DC 15 Strength check to remove the piton.

Call of Cthulhu

The Bridge-Builder’s Anchor Gun A heavy, pneumatic device of iron and brass, clearly of industrial origin from a more advanced or perhaps alternate age. It fires a barbed iron spike attached to a 25-meter steel cable with a loud hiss of compressed air.

System Mechanics:

Function: The Anchor Gun can fire its piton into any non-metallic surface up to 25 meters away. Reloading the piton and re-pressurizing the system requires a successful Mechanical Repair roll and takes 1D3 rounds.
Utility: The cable can safely hold up to 1000 kg, allowing it to be used to cross chasms, scale buildings, or anchor heavy objects.
Hazard: Firing the device is incredibly loud. It automatically alerts anyone within a city block or a large cavern complex to the user’s exact position. Anyone within 5 meters of the user when it fires must make a CON roll or be temporarily deafened for 1D10 minutes. Fumbling a Mechanical Repair roll while reloading may cause the high-pressure system to rupture, dealing 1D6 damage to the user.

Blades in the Dark

The Spider’s Kiss A bulky, pneumatic launcher that fires a grappling hook on a line. It’s loud, unsubtle, and brutally effective. A favorite tool of Leech’s who specialize in breaking and entering through unconventional, high-altitude routes.

Special Abilities:

This is a Heavy tool, worth 2 Load.
When you use the launcher to overcome an obstacle related to height or distance (like scaling a high wall or crossing a canal), you gain +1d to your Prowl or Finesse roll.
When you use it to create an advantage by anchoring something or someone, you get +1 Effect. For example, you could create the aspect Secure Anchor Line or Harpooned Thug.
You can push yourself to use it as a weapon, firing the piton directly at a person. This is a messy ranged attack that inflicts level 2 harm (“Impaled”).

Knave

Pneumatic Piton Gun Slots: 2 A heavy, loud, hissing device that fires a grappling spike attached to a 100-foot steel cable. Requires a canister of compressed air to function.

Qualities: Heavy, Bulky, Noisy
Mechanics:
- Firing the gun takes a full turn. It automatically hits any surface within 100 feet. The cable can support the weight of 10 armored people.
- A clockwork motor can retract the cable, pulling 50 feet of cable per turn. Each canister of compressed air has enough for 3 shots.
- The gun can be used as a weapon. It is a ranged weapon with a short range of 30ft and a long range of 60ft. An attack roll is required. On a hit, it deals 1d8 damage and the target is harpooned. A harpooned creature cannot move more than 100ft away from you. They can spend their turn making a Strength save to remove the piton.

Pathfinder

Bridge-Builder’s Launcher – Item 7 UNCOMMON, MAGICAL, EVOCATION Usage Worn (mounted on armor); Bulk 2

This heavy apparatus is a marvel of magical engineering from a bygone age. It consists of a pneumatic launching mechanism bolted to a reinforced backplate, with a coil of thin but incredibly strong metallic cable connecting to a barbed piton.

Activate [one-action] manipulate

Effect You fire the piton at a solid surface within 100 feet. The piton magically embeds itself, creating a secure anchor that can hold up to 4,000 pounds.

Activate [one-action] manipulate

Effect You engage the magical retraction mechanism. The cable pulls you, and anything you are carrying, up to 40 feet towards the anchor point. You can use this as part of a Climb or Leap action.

You can also use the launcher to make a ranged Strike against a creature. It is a martial weapon with a range increment of 30 feet that deals 2d8 piercing damage. On a successful Strike, the piton is embedded in the target. You can then use the retraction mechanism on your turn; if you do, the target must succeed at a DC 23 Athletics check or be pulled up to 20 feet towards you.

Numenera & Cypher System

Pneumatic Grapple-Spike Level: 5 Form: A bulky, metallic launcher mounted to the user’s back or a vehicle, connected to a coil of metallic cable and a barbed spike. Effect: This is a powerful, reusable traversal and utility tool.

Activation (Action): The user can fire the spike at any surface up to a long distance away. The spike automatically embeds itself in any material of level 6 or lower, creating a secure anchor point.
The cable can support up to one ton of weight.
Activation (Action): A second activation causes the cable to retract with great force, pulling the user (and anything they are attached to) towards the anchor point at a rate of 50 feet per round. This can be used to rapidly ascend cliffs or pull heavy objects. Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (each shot has a chance to deplete the pneumatic charge, requiring a lengthy recharge process).

Fate

The Golem’s Helping Hand This is a piece of heavy equipment that functions as an Extra, costing 1 Refresh. It is a large, pneumatic launcher mounted to a harness worn on the back. It is loud and visually impressive.

ASPECTS: Ironwrought Bridge-Builder Tech, A Hand That Leaps Chasms, Loud, Powerful, and Unsubtle

STUNTS:

Create an Anchor: Because the launcher fires a powerful piton, when you have a moment and a suitable surface, you can use it to Create an Advantage, placing the aspect Perfectly Secure Anchor with two free invocations on it for climbing, securing, or swinging.
Rapid Traversal: Because the launcher can pull you with great force, when you need to cross a gap or scale a wall quickly, you can spend a Fate Point to fire the launcher and move to the anchor point instantly. This is a single Overcome action that resolves your movement for the turn, even across seemingly impossible distances (within the cable’s length).
Get Over Here!: Because the piton can snag a foe, you can make a ranged Attack using your Shoot skill. If you succeed, you don’t inflict stress; instead, you harpoon the target and create the situation aspect Tangled and Snagged! with one free invocation on them. You can then use an Overcome action with your Physique skill to drag them towards you.

Savage Worlds

The Siege Grapple A heavy, steam-powered or pneumatically charged grappling hook launcher, a relic of a more industrious age. It is a piece of Adventuring Gear.

Weight: 15 lbs. Cost: $1,500 Mechanics:

Launch (Action): A user can fire the grapple at a surface up to 24″ away (Range 12/24/48). This is an Athletics roll, with a -2 penalty at Medium range and -4 at Long range. On a success, the grapple is securely anchored.
The cable can support 500 lbs. A built-in winch operates with a Strength of d12+2 for pulling objects or hoisting characters.
Weapon Use: The grapple can be fired at a person using the same ranges and skill. If the attack hits, it deals Str+d6 damage. If the target suffers a Wound, they are Entangled (and may be Bound with a raise). A character can try to break free with a Strength roll at -2 on their turn.

Shadowrun

Gaeatronics “Foreman” Utility Grapple This is a heavy-duty piece of industrial hardware, not intended for combat but often repurposed for such by creative shadowrunners. It’s a bulky, pneumatically-powered launcher designed to be mounted on construction drones or vehicles, firing a heavy, barbed spike attached to a reinforced synthetic-steel cable.

Type: Gear
Availability: 8R
Cost: 5,000 Nuyen
Mechanics:
- Utility: When fired at a surface, make a Gunnery + Agility [Physical] (2) test to hit a specific point up to 50 meters away. The cable can support up to 500 kg. A built-in, powered winch has a Body of 8 for pulling objects or personnel. Requires a source of compressed air.
- Weapon: It can be used as a ranged weapon with the same test. If it hits, it deals 8P damage with an AP of -3. If the target takes at least 1 point of damage after their soak roll, they are harpooned. A harpooned character cannot move away and can be winched in. They can use a Complex Action and a Strength + Body (4) test to rip the piton free, taking an additional 1d6P damage in the process.

Starfinder

Industrial Grapple-Launcher – Level 5 CATEGORY Heavy Weapon; PROFICIENCY Heavy PRICE 3,100 credits; HANDS 2; BULK 2 DAMAGE 1d10 P; RANGE 60 ft.; CRITICAL Grapple CAPACITY 1 piton; USAGE 1; SPECIAL Analog, unwieldy

This is a heavy-duty tool used for construction, salvage, and ship-to-ship docking. It uses a powerful pneumatic charge to fire a heavy, barbed piton attached to a 100-foot reinforced cable.

Mechanics:
- As a standard action, you can fire the grapple-launcher at a solid surface. This requires no attack roll and creates a secure anchor that can support up to 2,000 pounds.
- You can make a ranged attack against a creature. If the attack hits, the target has the grappled condition until they or another creature succeeds on a DC 20 Strength check to remove the piton as a standard action.
- A built-in motorized winch can retract the cable, pulling an object or a grappled creature towards you at a rate of 20 feet per round.

Traveller

Utility Anchor Launcher (TL-9) A standard piece of equipment for ship crews, Belters, and construction teams. It is a pneumatic launcher that fires a barbed, often magnetic, grappling head attached to a 50m armored cable.

Tech Level: 9
Weight: 8 kg
Power: 10 shots per power pack
Cost: Cr 4,000
Mechanics:
- Anchoring: Firing the grapple at a surface is an Athletics (Dexterity) check. A success at Average (8+) difficulty means the grapple is secure. The cable can hold 1 ton of weight.
- Weapon Use: It can be used as a ranged weapon with a range of 15m. An attack roll using the Gunnery (turret) skill is required. A successful hit deals 3D6 damage. If damage is dealt, the target is considered grappled and cannot move away from the user without winning an opposed Strength check.

Warhammer

Dwarf Engineer’s Grapnel-Hewer A masterwork of Dwarfen engineering, this heavy, iron-and-bronze contraption uses a canister of highly compressed steam to fire a barbed spearhead attached to a finely-wrought iron chain. It is loud, powerful, and exceptionally reliable.

Qualities: Dwarfen Craftsmanship, Impractical, Reload 2
Encumbrance: 80
Mechanics:
- The Grapnel-Hewer is a two-handed ranged weapon that uses the Trade (Engineer) skill instead of a standard ranged skill, as it requires precise knowledge of pressure and trajectory. Its effective range is 20 yards.
- On a successful hit, it deals +10 Damage and the target gains the Entangled Condition as the heavy chain wraps around them.
- The chain can support the weight of a full-grown Demigryph and can be used with its built-in winch to pull with a Strength of 70.
- Impractical: If the Test to use the Grapnel-Hewer results in a Fumble (a roll of 96-00 on the skill test), the complex steam mechanism jams. It requires a Challenging (+0) Trade (Engineer) Test and 1d10 minutes of work to clear.

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