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Stalkers Soft Soles CFT038

—

by

Dale
in

From: Gyre Leaper 771

A pair of specialized boots or shoe soles designed for absolute stealth, especially on hard surfaces like rock and stone.

  • Primary Component: The cured, dense pelt of a Gyre-Leaper.
  • Additional Materials:
    • Tough, flexible leather from a Shadow-Deer.
    • Shadow-Weave Thread, a cord enchanted with a minor silencing charm.
  • Crafting Process: The sole of the boot is crafted entirely from the Gyre-Leaper’s pelt, with the short, slick fur facing outwards. The upper part of the boot is made from dark, supple Shadow-Deer leather for comfort and durability. The two parts are stitched together using Shadow-Weave Thread, which reinforces the item’s stealthy properties.
  • Properties: The unique texture of the Gyre-Leaper fur on the sole absorbs and deadens the sound of footsteps on hard surfaces. A person wearing these can move across a stone floor or rocky outcrop with almost no discernible noise, making them invaluable for infiltration and tracking.

Lore

The Stalker’s Soft-Soles are the official footwear of the elite members of the Silent Striders guild, and their creation is a guarded secret. The design philosophy is to combine the magical properties of two of the stealthiest creatures known: the silent, ricocheting Gyre-Leaper and the gloom-haunting Shadow-Deer.

The true magic of the boots comes from the synergy of their components. The Gyre-Leaper pelt on the sole not only dampens sound but is believed to retain an echo of the creature’s gravity-defying agility. The Shadow-Deer leather of the upper boot doesn’t just provide comfort; it naturally blurs the wearer’s form in dim light. Finally, the Shadow-Weave Thread acts as a magical conduit, binding the two properties together and amplifying them with its own silencing charm. To wear these boots is to walk with the silence of a shadow and the certainty of a canyon predator.

Tier 1 Statistics

  • Item Type: Magical Footwear
  • Effect: Grants a +2 bonus to all Stealth checks. When moving on hard surfaces like stone, wood, or metal, this bonus increases to +4.
  • Weight: 2 lbs

Slot

  • Footwear Slot: These boots are worn in place of any other footwear.

Temporary Skills Gained

  • Silent Footwork: The boots guide the wearer’s steps, teaching an instinctive understanding of how to place their feet to avoid creaky floorboards, loose gravel, or dry leaves.
  • Controlled Slide: The slickness of the Gyre-Leaper fur allows the user to perform short, controlled slides on smooth surfaces to duck under obstacles or move quickly from cover to cover.

Passive Magics

  • Sound Absorption: The primary enchantment. The combination of the fur and the Shadow-Weave Thread passively absorbs and magically cancels the sound of footsteps on hard surfaces, making the wearer almost completely silent.
  • Shadow Blending: The Shadow-Deer leather possesses a passive enchantment that causes the wearer’s form to appear indistinct and blurry when they are in dim light or shadow, making them harder to spot.

Active Magics

  • Moment of Silence (3/Day): As a bonus action, you can command the Shadow-Weave Thread to flare with power. For the next minute, your movement is perfectly silent, regardless of the surface you are moving across. This allows you to walk on crunchy leaves, broken glass, or a gravel path without making a sound.
  • Wall Run (1/Day): By channeling the essence of the Gyre-Leaper, you can defy gravity for a moment. As part of your move action, you can move up to 15 feet along a vertical surface, such as a wall, without needing to make a check. You must end this movement on a solid, horizontal surface.

Tags

Footwear, Stealth Gear, Magical, Silent, Guild-Crafted, Leatherwork, Beast Component, Light Armor, Infiltration, Shadow Magic, Sound-Dampening, Boots, Scouting, Assassination, Movement, Anti-Detection, Masterwork, Enchanted, Urban, Dungeon, Evasion, Fur-Soled

The Stalker’s Soft-Soles are signature gear of the Silent Striders guild and are almost never sold on the open market. They are symbols of rank and mastery, earned through service or acquired through dangerous, illicit channels.

Example Establishments

  • The Silent Striders’ Guildhall: This is the only place to acquire a new, perfectly fitted pair of Stalker’s Soft-Soles. They are not for sale. They are crafted by the guild’s master artisans and ceremonially gifted to members who have achieved the rank of “Shadowfoot,” or to an outsider who has performed a truly legendary service for the guild.
  • Brokers of Illicit Gear: This is the most likely way for a non-member to acquire a pair. In the back rooms of major cities, specialized brokers who deal in stolen or “recovered” guild items might get their hands on a set. These transactions are incredibly secretive, as the Silent Striders are known to ruthlessly hunt down thieves who steal from their fallen members.
  • Thieves’ Guild Quartermaster: A powerful and wealthy thieves’ guild might have a single pair in their central vault. This pair would be loaned out only to their most elite operatives for the most critical infiltration missions. It would not be for sale, but could potentially be stolen by a very ambitious crew.

The Transaction

  • From the Guild: Receiving the boots is a formal, respected ceremony. The recipient is measured by the guild’s master cordwainer to ensure a perfect fit, as the magic works best when the boot is like a second skin. It is a moment of profound honor.
  • On the Black Market: A transaction for Stalker’s Soft-Soles is a tense, high-stakes affair.
    • Secrecy: The meeting would be held in a magically-silenced room or a remote, secure location. The seller and buyer would both likely be disguised.
    • Authentication: A potential buyer would need to be an expert to spot a fake. They would inspect the nearly invisible Shadow-Weave Thread stitching and feel the unique, slick texture of the Gyre-Leaper fur. A demonstration on a stone floor to prove their silence would be a standard part of the negotiation.
    • The Risk: The buyer must accept that the boots are almost certainly stolen from a dead Strider. The guild may have ways of tracking their signature items, and owning a pair could put a permanent target on the new owner’s back.

Cost and Value

The value of these boots is immense, reflecting their powerful enchantments and extreme rarity.

  • Market Price: There is no “market price” for a new pair. On the black market, a used pair of Stalker’s Soft-Soles would command a price of 60 to 80 Platinum coins. This price reflects not only their power but the immense risk involved in both selling and owning them.
  • Barter Value: The Silent Striders would never trade a pair of these boots for coin. They might gift a pair to an ally who has done the impossible: saving a sacred grove the guild protects, retrieving a lost artifact of their order, or assassinating a powerful tyrant that the guild could not reach. The value is measured in legendary deeds, not in currency.

Roleplaying the Stalker’s Soft-Soles is about describing a character’s transformation into a silent, ghost-like figure who uses impossible mobility to control and escape any situation. The avatar should move with a newfound, predatory confidence, treating surfaces like stone floors and sheer walls as their personal allies.

In a Guarded Castle or Stone Dungeon

Offensive Roleplay This is the boots’ ideal environment. Your roleplay should emphasize absolute silence. You describe your character, Elara, moving down a stone corridor. Her feet make no sound, the Sound Dampening soles absorbing every scrape and shuffle. When she ducks into a shadowy alcove to avoid a patrol, you describe how the Shadow Blending leather seems to merge with the darkness, making her form indistinct. When faced with a floor covered in crunchy gravel or shattered glass, you announce the activation of Moment of Silence. “A profound hush falls around Elara’s feet. She glides over the noisy debris, and not a single sound is made, as if she were a ghost floating inches above the ground.”

Defensive Roleplay When an alarm is raised, these boots are an unparalleled escape tool. You’re being pursued down a long hall that ends in a chasm where a bridge has collapsed. The roleplay is about using impossible mobility to survive. “With guards closing in, Elara doesn’t hesitate. She activates Wall Run, her feet finding purchase on the vertical stone wall. You describe her taking three, four, five silent steps horizontally across the sheer surface, bypassing the chasm completely. She lands on the other side without a sound, leaving her pursuers stranded and staring in disbelief.”

On Treacherous Mountain Cliffs

Offensive Roleplay Your character is an unseen predator. You’re stalking a target along a series of narrow, rocky ledges. You describe how the Sound Dampening soles allow you to move at a near-run without sending a single pebble skittering down the cliff face to alert your quarry. The Shadow Blending effect makes you nearly invisible against the dark rock in the early dawn light. You are not just a climber; you are a vertical stalker, closing the distance with unnatural quietness before you strike.

Defensive Roleplay A sudden rockslide cuts off your escape route, leaving you trapped on a ledge with a sheer, 50-foot wall as your only way out. The roleplay is about a desperate, gravity-defying escape. “Seeing no other path, you channel the boot’s magic. You activate Wall Run and sprint vertically up the cliff face for 15 feet, not to escape completely, but to reach a higher set of handholds that were previously out of reach.” You have used the boots’ magic to turn an impassable wall into a temporary ladder.

In a Magically Warded Tower

Offensive Roleplay The floor of the wizard’s library is a trap—a mosaic of enchanted tiles that will scream if they detect the sound of a footstep. This is a perfect moment to describe the use of Moment of Silence. “You activate the boots’ deepest magic. A bubble of perfect silence envelops your feet. You describe your character walking calmly and deliberately across the trapped floor. The tiles depress under your weight, their magical mouths open to shriek, but absolutely no sound emerges. You are walking through a symphony of silent screams.”

Defensive Roleplay You’ve been discovered, and a lumbering, powerful Golem has been activated to block the only exit. You cannot fight it. The roleplay focuses on non-traditional movement. The Golem is between you and the grand staircase. “You look at the tall, curved library wall. With a running start, you activate Wall Run. You describe your character sprinting horizontally along the wall, books and shelves a blur below you, as you bypass the slow, lumbering construct entirely. You leap from the wall to the staircase landing, your soft soles making no sound as you land and continue your escape.”

Perception of Activation:

Sight

  • What’s Perceived: A Deepening of Shadows or a Fleeting Grey Light.
  • Description:
    • Moment of Silence: The boots themselves do not change visually. Instead, the shadows immediately around the wearer’s feet seem to deepen and coalesce for a moment, as if actively swallowing the potential for any light to reflect off a scuffed surface.
    • Wall Run: The furred soles of the boots emit a brief, faint, grey glow the instant they make contact with a vertical surface. The user perceives the wall itself as momentarily shifting its orientation, appearing as a steeply inclined, tangible path.
  • Positives: The visual cues, though subtle, provide clear confirmation that the magic is active. The perceptual shift during Wall Run makes the gravity-defying maneuver feel more intuitive.
  • Negatives: The faint glow from the Wall Run, though momentary, can be spotted by an alert observer in darkness, betraying the user’s position and the use of magic.

Sound

  • What’s Perceived: A Perfect Null or a Whisper of Wind.
  • Description:
    • Moment of Silence: The user perceives a profound, localized “sound vacuum” around their feet. It is not just quiet; it is the absolute absence of sound. Even the normal rustle of clothing or the creak of leather vanishes, creating an unnerving, pressure-like sensation.
    • Wall Run: A very faint, whispering sound, like a fast-moving shadow or a sudden gust of wind, is audible only to the user as their feet make contact with the wall.
  • Positives: The auditory null-zone is the most direct and certain confirmation that the Moment of Silence is working perfectly. The whisper of the Wall Run provides useful feedback without alerting others.
  • Negatives: The sudden, perfect silence can be disorienting, making it difficult for the user to judge the effect of their own movement on the environment (e.g., if they kicked a loose stone they can’t hear).

Smell

  • What’s Perceived: The Scent of Cool, Undisturbed Air.
  • Description: Both activations release a faint, cool, and clean scent, like the air from a deep, untouched cave or the smell of dust just before a snowfall. It is the scent of shadow and silence made manifest.
  • Positives: A minor, secondary sensory confirmation that the boots’ magic has been invoked.
  • Negatives: The scent is extremely faint and fleeting, making it an unreliable indicator for anyone but the user.

Touch

  • What’s Perceived: A Muted Disconnection or an Unnatural Grip.
  • Description:
    • Moment of Silence: The wearer’s feet feel strangely numb and disconnected, as if they are walking on a cushion of thick, cool fog. The sensation of the ground beneath them—the grit, the texture—becomes muted and distant.
    • Wall Run: As their feet touch the vertical surface, the user feels an impossible, powerful tacky adhesion, a tangible force that grips the soles and allows them to push off for the next step.
  • Positives: The distinct tactile feedback for each ability is unambiguous. The powerful grip of the Wall Run is incredibly reassuring during the maneuver.
  • Negatives: The feeling of disconnection during Moment of Silence can be disconcerting, making the user feel less certain of their footing even though their steps are completely silent.

Taste

  • What’s Perceived: None.
  • Description: The activation of the boots’ magic is purely kinetic and illusory, producing no effect that can be tasted.
  • Positives: No distracting or unpleasant sensory input is generated.
  • Negatives: This sense provides no useful information regarding the item’s activation.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

Arcane Sense (Aura)

  • What’s Perceived: A Swirling Vortex of Shadow or a Flare of Transmutation.
  • Description:
    • Moment of Silence: The aura around the user’s feet condenses into a swirling, dark vortex of Illusion magic that actively absorbs and cancels sound waves.
    • Wall Run: The boots’ aura flares with a brief, sharp pulse of Transmutation magic, which temporarily alters the laws of gravity and friction in a localized area between the soles and the wall.
  • Positives: Allows a magically-aware user or ally to know exactly which specific ability is being used, enabling better tactical coordination.
  • Negatives: Both activations are clear magical signals to any nearby watcher or ward, telegraphing the user’s actions and confirming their use of powerful enchantments.

Umbral Sense (Shadow Sense)

  • What’s Perceived: An Invitation from the Shadows.
  • Description: For a character with a connection to shadows, activating either ability feels like the darkness itself is offering its aid.
    • Moment of Silence: It feels as if the shadows on the floor are actively reaching up to wrap the user’s feet in a blanket of silence.
    • Wall Run: It feels as if the shadow cast by the wall solidifies for a moment, offering itself as a temporary ramp or path.
  • Positives: Provides a deep, intuitive confidence and a feeling of being empowered and “at home” while using the boots’ magic in dim or dark environments.
  • Negatives: This heightened connection to the shadows can feel cold, alienating, and slightly sinister, especially for characters of a holy or radiant nature.

Kinesthetic Sense (Motion Sense)

  • What’s Perceived: A Muting of Sensation or a Gravitational Shift.
  • Description:
    • Moment of Silence: The user’s own kinesthetic sense of their footfalls becomes muted and indistinct, as if they are watching themselves walk from a distance.
    • Wall Run: The user feels a powerful, unnatural lurch as their body’s innate understanding of “down” is temporarily rewritten. For a moment, “down” feels like it is pulling them horizontally, directly into the wall.
  • Positives: The bizarre perceptual shift during Wall Run, while strange, makes the act of running horizontally along a wall feel momentarily natural and achievable.
  • Negatives: The sensory feedback for both abilities is deeply unnatural and can be profoundly disorienting, potentially causing a moment of vertigo or hesitation until the user becomes fully accustomed to the sensations.

Mood setting excerpt from:
Book of Footsteps and Faded Trails
Chapter III: Of the Thief Who Stole the Silence

…Hearken to this telling, for it is a quiet one. It is a tale of a man who wished to be a shadow, and of the price he paid for his wish.

There was a Thief in a great city, and his feet were nimble, and his pride was a sharp knife. He desired to steal the Silent Tear, a diamond that slept in a temple where the very floor was enchanted to hear the fall of a single pin.

The Thief tried, but the floor always betrayed him. So he went to the First Weaver of the Silent Striders, a woman who knew the old ways of shadow and fur. He begged for her aid. The Weaver looked upon him and saw his great skill, and his greater pride. She gave him the Stalker’s Soft-Soles, the boots of Gyre-Leaper fur and Shadow-Deer hide.

But she spoke a warning. “These boots will silence your feet,” she said. “But the magic is a jealous thing. It will teach your soul the way of silence. Be ye ware that in stealing the Tear, you do not let the silence steal you.”

The Thief laughed. “I am already a shadow,” he boasted. “These will simply make me a deeper one.”

He put on the boots. And the noisy world grew quiet beneath his feet. He walked upon the listening floor of the temple, and the floor did not hear. He passed the sleeping guards, and their dreams were not troubled. He moved through the world of sound, but he was not a part of it. He was not a man. He was a thought.

He came to the Silent Tear. He took it. His heart made a great shout of triumph. But when he opened his mouth to laugh, no shout came out. His throat was silent. He looked for his reflection in a polished shield, and he saw not a man, but a smudge of smoke in the shape of a man. He had walked the path of silence for so long, he had forgotten how to make a sound. He had become the path.

They say he escaped with the gem. He became a legend, the ghost who walked through walls. But no man ever saw him again, nor heard his name spoken, for he could not speak it himself. He had stolen the jewel, but the boots had stolen his voice, his step, his very place among men.

The Moral of the Story: Be careful what you ask for from the shadows. For when they give you their greatest gifts, they may ask you to become one of them in payment.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

High-Level Overview These are “Silent Step” Boots, a deeply unsettling artifact. They are not merely quiet; they seem to exist in a state of perpetual silence, as if your feet are walking in another dimension. Crafted from the hide of some unnatural creature that leaves no trace, wearing them feels cold and disconnected from the world. They are a perfect tool for infiltration, but their unnatural properties may take a toll on the user’s psyche.

Game Mechanics

Silent Step Boots

  • Description: A pair of form-fitting, matte-black leather boots with soft, fur-like soles that feel strangely cold to the touch.
  • Effect: When worn, the user gains one Bonus Die on all Stealth rolls. Furthermore, when moving on any solid surface (stone, wood, metal, etc.), the user’s footsteps are completely silent, requiring no roll to move quietly unless they are running at a full sprint.
  • Unnatural Agility: Once, the user may attempt to run along a wall for a short distance (up to 20 feet). This is a shocking defiance of physics and requires a Hard Climb roll. Success costs the user 1D4 Sanity points as their mind struggles to comprehend the act. Failure results in a fall and a Sanity roll (0/1).

Blades in the Dark

High-Level Overview In Doskvol, these are “Ghost-Soles,” a piece of fine, esoteric gear. They are said to be crafted by a reclusive Whisper from the hide of a rare marsh-cat and stitched with thread spun from solidified echoes. They are the ultimate tool for a Lurk or Shadow, allowing for impossible feats of stealth and entry into the city’s most heavily guarded vaults and manors.

Game Mechanics

Fine Ghost-Soles (Special Item, 1 Load)

  • Description: Sleek, dark boots with soft, furred soles that seem to absorb sound and light.
  • Function: When you wear these boots, you can move across any surface (creaky floors, gravel, broken glass) without making a sound. This allows you to bypass a danger or obstacle that relies on hearing without a roll.
  • Special Ability: When you push yourself on a Prowl or Finesse action involving a daring acrobatic maneuver, you can choose one of the following effects in addition to the normal benefits:
    • Perform a brief, gravity-defying run along a wall for a few steps.
    • Land from a significant height without making a sound or taking harm.
    • Slide silently and swiftly across a smooth surface to dodge or take cover.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

High-Level Overview The Stalker’s Soft-Soles are an uncommon magical item perfect for any stealth-based character. They are highly sought after by rogues, rangers, and monks for their ability to nullify the sound of footsteps and provide a burst of supernatural mobility for infiltration or escape.

Stat Block

Boots of the Silent Strider Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)

While you wear these dark, soft-soled leather boots, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Additionally, your footsteps make no sound, regardless of the surface you move across, unless you want them to.

The boots have 3 charges. As a bonus action, you can expend 1 charge to activate the Moment of Silence for 1 minute, allowing you to ignore difficult terrain made of non-magical debris (such as rubble or ball bearings).

As part of your move, you can expend all 3 charges to cast the Spider Climb spell on yourself. The boots regain all expended charges daily at dawn.

Knave (2nd Edition)

High-Level Overview In Knave, the Soft-Soles are a rare and highly effective item. Their rules are their description, providing a clear and potent advantage for any character who values stealth. Taking up the boot slot, they are a significant choice that defines a character’s capabilities in exploration and infiltration.

Item Description

Stalker’s Soft-Soles (occupies the boot slot)

  • Description: Masterfully crafted boots made of dark leather with soles of thick, dark fur.
  • Properties:
    • You have advantage on all saves made to move silently.
    • Your footsteps are completely silent on hard surfaces like stone, wood, and metal.
    • Once per day, you can run up or along a wall for a distance equal to your normal movement.
    • Once per day, you can become perfectly silent for one turn, allowing you to move across even the noisiest terrain (broken glass, dry leaves) without making a sound.

Fate Core System

High-Level Overview In Fate, the Stalker’s Soft-Soles are a potent Extra that grants the character narrative permission to be supernaturally stealthy. They are a signature item that defines a character’s capabilities as a master infiltrator. Their power is expressed through Aspects that can be invoked and compelled, and a stunt that allows for impossible feats of movement.

Game Mechanics

Extra: The Stalker’s Soft-Soles

  • Aspect: Silent as a Falling Shadow. You can invoke this Aspect whenever you are moving silently or trying to blend into the darkness. A compel could be that you are so unnaturally quiet that an ally doesn’t notice you, leading to a complication.
  • Stunt:
    • Ghost on the Wall: You can spend a Fate Point to perform a feat of impossible mobility for one turn. This allows you to automatically Overcome a physical obstacle by running along a wall, across a ceiling, or through a space that should not support you. You can move to any zone in the immediate area, no matter the barriers in between.

Numenera & Cypher System

High-Level Overview These are “Phase-Shift Boots,” an artifact from a prior civilization that mastered localized spatial warping. They don’t just muffle sound; they briefly shift the soles into a phased state where they don’t fully interact with surfaces, preventing sound generation. The “Wall Run” is a brief activation of a powerful gravity-adhesion field.

Game Mechanics

Phase-Shift Boots

  • Level: 6
  • Form: A pair of sleek, dark, form-fitting boots with soft, fur-like soles that seem to shimmer and distort the air around them.
  • Effect: The wearer gains an asset on all tasks involving stealth. The wearer’s footsteps are completely silent on any surface.
  • Special:
    • Moment of Silence (Action): The user can activate the boots’ full phasing effect for one round. During this round, they can move their normal distance and their movement ignores any non-electronic, ground-based traps or difficult terrain as their feet pass harmlessly through it.
    • Gravity Adhesion (Action): The user can activate the boots’ adhesion field, allowing them to move their normal distance along a vertical surface or even upside-down for one round.
  • Depletion: 1 on a d20 (Check each time a special ability is activated).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

High-Level Overview The Stalker’s Soft-Soles are a valuable magical item for any character specializing in stealth and infiltration. They provide a significant item bonus and versatile activated abilities that allow the wearer to bypass common obstacles and traps, making them a Rogue’s or Ranger’s best friend.

Stat Block

STALKER’S SOFT-SOLES ITEM 6 RARE ILLUSION MAGICAL TRANSMUTATION

  • Price 250 gp
  • Usage worn footwear; Bulk L

These masterfully crafted boots are made of dark, supple leather with soles of soft, sound-absorbing fur.

  • Passive: You gain a +2 item bonus to Stealth checks. When you move across a stone or wood surface, you are completely silent, allowing you to automatically succeed at the Sneak action as long as you are not observed.
  • Activate [A] command; Frequency three times per day; Effect You gain the benefits of the Moment of Silence for 1 minute. During this time, your footsteps are silent on any surface, and you can’t trigger traps that use pressure plates or tripwires.
  • Activate [A][A] command, envision; Frequency once per day; Effect You gain the effects of the spider climb spell for 1 minute.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

High-Level Overview In Savage Worlds, the Silent Strider Boots are a piece of Rare Magical Gear that makes a character the ultimate stealth expert. Their benefits are straightforward and potent, designed to make the character feel exceptionally competent in their role as a scout, thief, or assassin.

Game Mechanics

Silent Strider Boots

  • Description: A pair of dark leather boots with soft, furry soles that seem to cling to shadows.
  • Effect:
    • Silent Step: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to Stealth rolls. Furthermore, they make no sound when moving at their normal Pace on hard surfaces, requiring no Stealth roll unless they are being actively watched.
    • Shadow Blend: The boots’ magic helps the wearer blend into the darkness. Attackers targeting the wearer in Dim or Dark lighting suffer an additional -1 penalty (for a total of -2/-3 respectively).
  • Special Ability:
    • Wall Run: Once per encounter, the wearer may, as part of their normal movement, run up to their full Pace along a vertical surface as if it were the ground.

Shadowrun (Sixth World)

High-Level Overview In the Sixth World, these are Vashon Island “Ghost” Tactical Boots. They are a high-end piece of illegal B&E gear, combining advanced materials with Awakened components. The soles use a sound-dampening smart-material, while the upper boot is woven with optical-camouflage fibers linked to a minor illusion spell. They are the choice of elite corporate spies, assassins, and shadowrunners who need to leave no trace.

Game Mechanics

Vashon Island “Ghost” Tactical Boots

  • Type: Armor Accessory (Boots)
  • Availability: 14R
  • Cost: 22,000 nuyen
  • Description: A pair of sleek, form-fitting boots made of non-reflective smart-fabric.
  • Effect:
    • The boots provide a +3 dice pool bonus to all Stealth tests.
    • The sound-dampening soles mean the user’s footsteps make no sound on hard surfaces.
    • The optical-camouflage fibers provide -2 visibility in dim light or darkness.
  • Special Function:
    • Gecko-Grip (Once per run): The user can spend a point of Edge to activate the boots’ micro-suction grips. For one Combat Turn, the user can move up to their full movement rate along a vertical surface.

Starfinder

High-Level Overview These are “Shadow-Walker Boots,” a hybrid item favored by Shirren infiltrators and Kasathan shadow assassins. They use a combination of light-bending technology and shadow-plane magic to render the wearer nearly undetectable. The “Wall Run” function is a brief, targeted activation of a personal gravity-control field.

Game Mechanics

Shadow-Walker Boots, Hybrid Level 7

  • Price 6,500 credits; Bulk L
  • Slot Feet
  • Description: Dark, supple boots that seem to absorb light. The soles are made of a soft, strange, fur-like material.
  • Effect: While wearing these boots, you gain the following benefits:
    • You gain a +3 item bonus to Stealth checks.
    • Your footsteps are completely silent, and you do not need to move at half speed to avoid a penalty on your Stealth checks for moving quietly.
  • Special Activation (1/day): As a move action, you can activate the boots’ gravity-defying magic. For 1 minute, you gain the benefits of the spider climb spell.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

High-Level Overview These are TL-13 “Stalker” Boots, a piece of advanced intelligence-agency or special forces hardware. The soles are made of a sound-absorbent meta-material, and the upper boot is woven with powered optical camouflage fibers that actively sample and project the surrounding environment. The “Wall Run” is a function of powerful, short-burst micro-suction grips powered by a small energy pack.

Game Mechanics

“Stalker” Infiltration Boots

  • Tech Level: 13
  • Mass: 1 kg
  • Cost: Cr 80,000
  • Description: A pair of durable, form-fitting boots with a small, integrated power pack.
  • Effect:
    • These boots grant the user DM+2 on all Stealth checks.
    • The meta-material soles make no sound on any surface, regardless of the user’s movement speed.
    • The optical camouflage provides an additional DM+1 on checks to avoid being seen in dim or dark lighting (this bonus stacks for a total of DM+3).
  • Special Feature (Micro-Suction Grips): The boots’ power pack holds enough energy for 3 activations. As part of their movement, the user can activate the grips, allowing them to walk or run along a vertical or inverted surface for one minute per activation.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

High-Level Overview These are Shadow-Skinned Boots, a rare and likely cursed magical item. They are said to be crafted from the cured hide of a Shadow-Daemon, stitched with the hair of a powerful wizard of the Grey Order. They don’t just make the wearer quiet; they actively pull the shadows around them and muffle their presence from the world. To wear them is to feel cold, isolated, and unnervingly disconnected from reality.

Game Mechanics

Shadow-Skinned Boots

  • Description: A pair of unnaturally dark leather boots with soft, furry soles that seem to writhe in the corner of your eye.
  • Qualities: Magical, Fine, Rare, Unreliable
  • Effect:
    • Unnatural Silence: The wearer gains a +30 bonus to all Stealth (Agility) Tests.
    • Shadow’s Grace: The wearer is immune to the Prone Condition from slipping or falling, always landing on their feet with eerie silence.
  • Special Ability:
    • Walk the Walls: Once per day, the wearer may whisper a phrase in the language of shadow. For the next minute, they can move along walls and ceilings as if they were the floor, at their normal Movement speed.
  • Curse: The boots are woven with the stuff of shadow. Whenever the wearer rolls a Fumble on a Stealth Test, the boots’ magic rebels, becoming incredibly loud and clumsy (inflicting a -20 penalty to Stealth) for the next hour. Furthermore, extended use is said to attract the attention of other daemonic entities of the shadow.

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  1. Gyre Leaper 771 – GearAscendancy.com

    […] Stalker’s Soft-Soles (CFT-038) […]