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Wind Whisper Bolas WWB082

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by

Dale
in

From: Gyre Leaper 771

A specialized ranged weapon for catching Gyre-Leapers, often used by “Catchers” in coordinated drives. Unlike traditional bolas, the Wind-Whisper Bolas consists of three spherical weights, each about the size of a fist, connected by strong, thin “Zephyr-Cord” woven from elemental air-silk. The weights themselves are not lead or stone, but hollow spheres of magically treated “Float-Wood” filled with a carefully balanced alchemical compound. When thrown, these bolas are designed to spin with minimal air resistance and maximal stability. The “Float-Wood” core ensures that should a throw miss or only partially connect, the bolas will drift slowly downwards rather than plummeting, allowing for easier retrieval and reducing environmental impact. The chemical compound inside each weight generates a fleeting, localized “gravity-pull” effect when it encounters kinetic resistance (like hitting a Gyre-Leaper), causing the cord to wrap around the target with greater efficiency and tightness, briefly binding its limbs or tail.

Lore and Origins

The Wind-Whisper Bolas (WWB-082) are the signature creation of the Aerie Artisans, a semi-nomadic culture that lives exclusively on the floating sky-islands and the highest, most inaccessible mountain peaks. They are masters of working with lightweight materials and harnessing the power of wind and gravity. The key components are sourced from their unique environment: Float-Wood is harvested from the buoyant, cloud-like trees that grow only on the edges of the sky-islands, and Zephyr-Cord is not woven from dead material, but is the coaxed and treated aerial filaments of benign, jellyfish-like air elementals that drift in the upper atmosphere.

The alchemical compound within the weights, known to the Artisans as “Gravity Draught,” is a highly unstable substance distilled from the crushed gizzards of Storm Rocs, which naturally consume heavy minerals to anchor themselves in high winds. The WWB-082 pattern is a specific, time-honored design that perfectly balances the weight, cord length, and alchemical potency, making it the preferred tool for capturing agile sky-fauna or for defending their homes against intruders without resorting to lethal force.

Tier 1 Statistics

  • Item Type: Thrown Ranged Weapon (Entanglement)
  • Durability: 25/25
  • Range: 30/80 feet
  • Effect: On a successful hit, the target is Entangled.
  • Escape DC: 14 (A creature must succeed on a Strength or Dexterity check against this difficulty to escape).
  • Damage: Non-Lethal. Deals no physical damage on impact.
  • Weight: 0.5 lbs

Slot

  • Weapon Slot (Thrown): The bolas are typically carried looped onto a belt or shoulder harness for quick access. A character can comfortably carry two or three without being encumbered.

Temporary Skills Gained

  • Predictive Throwing: Repeatedly using the bolas’s perfectly stable flight path trains your ability to lead fast-moving targets, making it easier to land shots on agile foes.
  • Momentum Sense: Handling the unique balance and spin of the bolas gives you an intuitive feel for kinetic forces, aiding in tasks that involve judging momentum or trajectory.

Passive Magics

  • Whispering Flight: The Zephyr-Cord is enchanted to cut through the air with almost no sound. The bolas make no audible whistling or whirring noise as they fly, making it very difficult for a target to dodge based on sound alone.
  • Gentle Descent: The Float-Wood’s inherent magical buoyancy is always active. If a throw misses the target, the bolas will lose all momentum and drift slowly to the ground like a seed pod, preventing damage to the weapon and making retrieval in difficult terrain (like canyons or dense forests) much easier.

Active Magics

  • Gravity-Draught Binding: This is an “on-hit” triggered ability. The moment one of the weights strikes a target with sufficient kinetic force, the fragile vials inside shatter, activating the alchemical “Gravity Draught.” This creates a fleeting, localized gravity field that pulls the cords and weights into a tight, efficient wrap around the target’s limbs, greatly increasing the effectiveness of the entanglement.
  • Alchemical Release: By speaking the command word “Unburden,” the user can send a resonant magical frequency to their bolas. This instantly neutralizes the Gravity-Draught compound, causing the localized gravity-pull to cease. The Zephyr-Cord immediately goes limp, making it easy for a creature to disentangle itself. This is used to safely release a captured creature or to quickly reset the bolas after a successful capture.

Tags: Thrown Weapon, Bolas, Non-Lethal, Capture Weapon, Magical, Alchemical, Ranged, Restraint, Air-Aspected, Lightweight, Reusable, Entanglement, Subdual, Hunting, Sky-Crafted, Artisan-Made, Elemental, Self-Tightening, Silent, Anti-Agility, Command-Word, Exotic

The Wind-Whisper Bolas are not items of common commerce. Their components are born of the high, empty spaces of the world, and they rarely find their way into the markets of the earth-bound. Acquiring a set is a mark of a traveler with unique connections or one who knows the specific, rarefied channels through which the treasures of the sky trade flow.

Types of Shops and Venues

1. The Sky-Port Bazaar: This is the most likely and direct place to purchase a Wind-Whisper Bolas. In major cities that feature a Zeppelin tower or a landing platform for great airships, a unique market often develops. Shops like “The Zephyr’s Landing” or “The Aerie Trader” specialize in goods from the floating islands and high peaks.

  • Atmosphere: These shops are airy and open, filled with the scent of strange pollens and ozone. They sell lightweight goods, exotic feathers, sky-beast leather, and rare crystals. The merchants are often quiet, patient folk with a distant look in their eyes.
  • Inventory: They will have a small, precious stock of Wind-Whisper Bolas, often displayed on beds of cloud-cotton. They are the primary source for refit vials of the “Gravity Draught” compound.

2. The Beastmasters’ or Hunters’ Guildhall: Elite hunting guilds that specialize in the live capture of rare creatures for nobles and alchemists prize these bolas above all others.

  • Atmosphere: These are private, professional establishments, not open markets. Business is conducted with the guild’s quartermaster in a secure store room filled with cages, traps, and alchemical tranquilizers.
  • Process: These are not typically sold for coin to outsiders. A guild member in good standing might be able to requisition a set for a mission. A non-member would have to earn one, perhaps by taking on a difficult contract for the guild and receiving the bolas as partial payment or as essential equipment for the job.

3. The Alchemist’s Atelier: Given the unique “Gravity Draught” compound, alchemists are fascinated by these items. A high-end alchemical supply shop may stock one or two, less as a weapon and more as a scientific curiosity.

  • Atmosphere: A meticulously organized shop smelling of exotic herbs and simmering potions. The proprietor would be more interested in discussing the alchemical principles of the Gravity Draught than its use in the field.
  • Inventory: They would sell the bolas at a significant markup. They are more likely to be a buyer, offering a high price for a used or broken one they can dissect and study.

How the Item is Bought and Sold

The transaction for a Wind-Whisper Bolas is unlike that for a simple sword or shield.

  • Demonstration of Flight: A reputable merchant will have a way to demonstrate the bolas’s unique properties. This often involves a small, enclosed courtyard or a large room with a high ceiling, where they will throw a “dummy” bola (one without the alchemical compound) to show its dead-silent flight and the gentle, hovering descent of the Float-Wood.
  • The Consumable Component: The Gravity Draught compound is a critical part of the sale. The bolas are typically sold “charged,” with one dose of the compound sealed in each of the three weights. The seller will make it clear that this effect is single-use per throw. Once the bolas captures a target, the compound is spent, and the weights must be refilled and resealed, a service that they, of course, provide for a fee.
  • Authentication: A genuine Wind-Whisper Bolas is identified by the cordage. The Zephyr-Cord has a unique, faint shimmer and feels cool to the touch, regardless of the ambient temperature. The Float-Wood weights are impossibly light for their size.

Cost and Value in the World of Saṃsāra

The price of a Wind-Whisper Bolas reflects its exotic materials, complex craftsmanship, and the consumable nature of its magical effect.

  • Price per Bola: A single, fully charged Wind-Whisper Bolas (WWB-082) costs approximately 2 Platinum coins. This high price for a thrown weapon makes it a tool for specialists and the wealthy.
  • Alchemical Refills: A set of three replacement vials of Gravity Draught costs around 8 Gold coins. A skilled alchemist or the original merchant is needed to properly unseal, refill, and reseal the Float-Wood weights.
  • Barter Value: The Aerie Artisans who create the bolas have little use for the gold of the world below. They value lightweight, practical goods. They would readily trade their wares for: masterwork navigational tools (sextants, compasses), rare seeds for high-altitude herbs, lightweight but strong metal alloys (like Mithral), or potent, non-perishable medicines.

The roleplay of using a Wind-Whisper Bolas is one of elegance, precision, and control. A character who chooses this tool is not a brute-force warrior; they are a strategist, a hunter, or a peacekeeper. Using it is an expression of skill over strength, favoring the capture of a foe over their destruction. Its unique magical properties encourage creative, non-lethal solutions to problems, turning every throw into a calculated puzzle of momentum, timing, and intent.

In the Open Skies and High Canyons (Intended Environment)

Offensive Roleplay: This is the bolas’s ideal hunting ground. Imagine a character, Zephyra, part of an airship crew tasked with capturing a rare Cloud-Serpent. The roleplay is in her patient observation. She stands calmly at the rail, watching the serpent’s elegant, looping flight. She isn’t looking for an opening to wound it, but for a moment of aerodynamic vulnerability. As the serpent banks, its long, slender body exposed, she begins to swing the bolas. The motion is smooth and rhythmic, the Float-Wood weights feeling like an extension of her will. Her throw is a silent, fluid release. There is no whistle of air, just a shimmering line uncoiling against the sky. The moment the weights touch the serpent’s body, there’s a muffled thump as the Gravity-Draught activates. The Zephyr-Cord constricts with impossible speed, binding the creature’s coils. Its flight becomes an awkward, clumsy struggle, forcing it to descend. The capture is clean, quiet, and humane.

Defensive Roleplay: Zephyra’s airship is attacked by pirates on gliders. One swoops low, preparing to throw a grappling hook. A lethal shot might send him plummeting, but Zephyra chooses control. The roleplay is in her precise, defensive aim. She throws the bolas not at the pirate, but at the complex rigging of his glider. The cords whip around the control struts. The Gravity-Draught’s sudden pull doesn’t break the glider, but it violently yanks the controls, disrupting the airflow. The pirate’s graceful dive turns into a panicked, uncontrolled spiral away from the ship. She has neutralized the immediate threat and showcased her crew’s superior skill without taking a life.

In a Dense Forest or Cluttered Urban Alley

Offensive Roleplay: A rogue, Kael, is chasing a rival spy through a crowded, labyrinthine market. A crossbow bolt is too risky, a dagger too close. The spy leaps for a rope dangling from an awning. In that moment of airborne suspension, Kael makes his throw. The roleplay is in the split-second timing. The bolas fly silently through the narrow, crowded space, unheard over the market’s din. They connect with the spy’s ankles just as he grabs the rope. The Gravity-Draught’s binding force makes his legs feel like they’ve been shackled to a stone, ruining his momentum. He dangles helplessly, caught between the rope and the bolas, completely subdued without a single drop of blood being shed.

Defensive Roleplay: Kael is the one being pursued, this time by an armored city guard who is slow but relentless. Kael ducks into a narrow side-alley and needs to buy time. He throws the bolas, not at the guard, but aiming high and intentionally missing. The roleplay is in this clever misuse of the item’s properties. The bolas drift silently down, thanks to the Float-Wood, becoming a dangling, nearly invisible obstacle hanging between a drainpipe and a window grate. The guard, charging around the corner, runs face-first into the trap. The Gravity-Draught activates on impact, wrapping the cords around his helmet and a nearby pipe. He is not injured, but he is thoroughly stuck, bellowing in frustration as Kael vanishes.

During a High-Stakes Race or on a Chaotic Deck

Offensive Roleplay: Zephyra is in a high-speed skiff race, roaring through a labyrinth of stone pillars. A rival racer tries to pull ahead, their skiff’s rudder dangerously close. Lethal force is forbidden. The roleplay is in the daring, tactical sabotage. Zephyra times her throw with a swell of air, casting the bolas across the gap. They whip around the rival’s rudder control. The Gravity-Draught’s sudden, sharp pull wrenches the rudder to one side, forcing the rival skiff to veer off course. She has used her weapon to “out-maneuver” her opponent, winning the race with a display of superior precision.

Defensive Roleplay: A sudden squall hits the party’s sailing ship. A heavy cannonball crate breaks its moorings and begins to slide across the slick, rolling deck, threatening to crush a crewmate’s leg. There’s no time to reach it. Zephyra, holding onto the rigging, makes a desperate throw. The roleplay is in the heroic improvisation. The bolas wrap around the crate and a nearby mast cleat. The Gravity-Draught activates, creating an instantaneous, supernaturally strong bond. The crate jerks to a halt, its momentum arrested by the magical force. The bolas have become an emergency brake, a life-saving tool whose “attack” has been repurposed to impose order on chaos. Once the danger is past, Zephyra can simply speak the release command and retrieve her valuable tool.

Perception of Activation:

Sight

  • What’s Perceived: A Contained Implosion of Light.
  • Description: The moment one of the Float-Wood spheres makes contact, there is a brief, brilliant flash of silvery-white light that emanates from within the sphere itself. It’s not an explosion but an implosion, as if light is being violently pulled inward. For a split second, the semi-translucent Zephyr-Cord visibly darkens to a shadowy grey as the gravity-pull magic surges through it, causing it to constrict violently around the target.
  • Positives: Provides clear and instantaneous visual confirmation that the alchemical charge has been triggered and the binding effect is active, even at the edge of the weapon’s range.
  • Negatives: The flash of light, though contained, is still a magical signature. It can easily draw the attention of other hostiles in low-light conditions and confirms to any observer that a magical effect has occurred.

Sound

  • What’s Perceived: A Crack and a Snap.
  • Description: The activation has a unique, two-part sound. First is the initial impact, which is a soft, muted thud as the lightweight Float-Wood strikes the target. This is immediately followed by the sharp, contained tink of the internal alchemical vial shattering. The final and most distinct sound is a low, vicious snap-hiss, like a thick whip cracking, as the Zephyr-Cord is supernaturally pulled taut around the target.
  • Positives: The distinct sequence of sounds provides clear auditory feedback of a successful hit and activation. The overall process is relatively quiet, preserving a degree of stealth compared to a loud weapon.
  • Negatives: While not loud, the sounds are unnatural. In a completely silent environment, they are unmistakable and will alert anyone nearby who is not already engaged.

Smell

  • What’s Perceived: Cold Ozone and Mint.
  • Description: A faint, sharp scent is released as the Gravity-Draught compound is expended. It smells like cold ozone after a winter lightning strike, with an unusual, sharp undertone of something akin to crushed mint leaves. The scent is born from the violent reaction of the alchemical agent with elemental air and dissipates within a breath.
  • Positives: For a user at close range or downwind, it offers a tertiary confirmation that the chemical payload was successfully delivered.
  • Negatives: The scent is incredibly faint and fleeting, making it a completely unreliable indicator at any significant distance or in windy conditions.

Touch

  • What’s Perceived (by the target): A Gentle Tap, then Unnatural Weight.
  • Description: From the target’s perspective, the initial impact is surprisingly light and almost negligible. This is instantly replaced by a powerful, constricting force as the cords wrap themselves with supernatural speed and efficiency. The most disorienting sensation is a sudden, localized feeling of immense weight, as if the entangled limbs have been transformed into lead, pulling the target off balance.
  • Positives (for the user): The description of the effect confirms its potency; it doesn’t just bind, it cripples a target’s balance and momentum.
  • Negatives (for the target): The unnatural sensation of sudden, localized gravity is deeply unnerving and often causes more panic than a conventional weapon, making the target thrash wildly.

Taste

  • What’s Perceived: None.
  • Description: The alchemical reaction is too localized and dissipates too quickly to produce any aerosols that could be tasted.
  • Positives: Ensures no unwanted or distracting sensory input for the user.
  • Negatives: This sense provides no useful information.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

Arcane Sense (Aura)

  • What’s Perceived: A Violent Magical Vortex.
  • Description: To a magic-sensitive individual, the dormant aura on the bolas erupts upon activation. It is a chaotic, violent burst of raw magical energy as the alchemical potential is converted into a physical force. It feels like a small, localized vortex of Conjuration and Transmutation magic appears, wrapping around the target before stabilizing into a tight, humming field of force.
  • Positives: An attuned user can feel the activation from a great distance. They can also gauge the strength and stability of the binding effect by the “hum” of the magical field left behind.
  • Negatives: This magical flare is the equivalent of a shout in the arcane world. It instantly alerts any nearby magic-users or magically-sensitive creatures to the exact location of the event, drawing immense and immediate attention.

Aeromantic Sense (Wind Sense)

  • What’s Perceived: A Sudden Inrush of Air.
  • Description: For someone attuned to the element of air, the activation is perceived as a sudden, sharp vacuum. It feels as if the air immediately surrounding the target is rapidly inhaled by the bolas as the gravity effect takes hold. This creates a momentary void that is instantly filled with a rush of surrounding air.
  • Positives: Provides a unique, non-visual and non-auditory confirmation of activation. The strength of the inrushing air gives a tactile sense of how well the bolas connected.
  • Negatives: The sensation can feel like a sudden, unexpected punch of wind, which can be disorienting. In a true gale or other high-wind situation, this subtle perception would be completely overwhelmed and useless.

Gravitic Sense

  • What’s Perceived: A Jarring Lurch.
  • Description: For a user with a natural or learned sensitivity to gravity, the activation is a deeply unpleasant and jarring sensation. It feels as if a heavy weight was momentarily dropped onto the fabric of local space-time, causing a single, nauseating ripple to emanate from the target. It is a feeling of profound wrongness.
  • Positives: This is the most direct and certain perception of the bolas’s primary function. The user knows with absolute certainty that the Gravity-Draught has worked.
  • Negatives: The sensation is physically and mentally disorienting. It can cause a moment of intense vertigo or nausea in the user, potentially hindering their ability to immediately act on their successful throw.

Aerie Artisan’s Formula for the Wind-Whisper Bolas (WWB-082)

This recipe details the esoteric and multidisciplinary craft required to create a Wind-Whisper Bolas. The process is a delicate dance between alchemy, weaving, and aeromancy, a tradition perfected by the sky-dwelling Aerie Artisans. Success requires a light touch, a deep understanding of volatile compounds, and a respectful connection to the element of air.

Materials Needed

Structural Components:

  • Three (3) flawless, cured spheres of Float-Wood, each roughly the size of a fist.
  • One (1) 10-foot hank of raw Zephyr-Cord, carefully harvested and stabilized.
  • Three (3) masterfully spun, paper-thin Glass Vials, designed to shatter on kinetic impact.

Alchemical Compound (Gravity Draught):

  • One (1) ounce of finely powdered Storm Roc Gizzard Stone.
  • Three (3) drops of alchemically liquefied Lodestone-Iron, for gravitational anchoring.
  • A small vial of Cloud-Poppy Nectar, to act as a stabilizing binder.

Magical Reagents:

  • A flask of purified Elemental Air Essence.
  • One (1) Zephyr Falcon primary flight feather.
  • A small amount of Aerie Artisan’s Sealing Resin, a lightweight, airtight sealant.

Tools Required

  • Non-Ferrous Alchemical Kit: A set of ceramic or glass retorts, mortars, and pestles for safely handling the volatile Gravity Draught.
  • Float-Wood Carver’s Tools: A set of exceptionally sharp, delicate knives and spherical hollowing spoons.
  • Aether-Loom: A specialized, lightweight loom designed for weaving ethereal fibers like Zephyr-Cord without snagging or breaking them.
  • Enchanter’s Aether-Pipe: A long, slender pipe of polished weirwood and crystal, used to gently breathe magical essences onto an object.

Skill Requirements

  • Master Alchemist: The Gravity Draught is highly unstable. The crafter must have exceptional skill to balance the compound, preventing it from becoming inert or dangerously explosive.
  • Expert Weaver (Ethereal Fibers): Working with the semi-sentient Zephyr-Cord requires a unique, gentle touch to braid it without losing its magical properties.
  • Artisan Woodworker: Hollowing the Float-Wood spheres to the perfect thickness without compromising their structural integrity is a task of extreme delicacy.
  • Adept Aeromancer: The final enchantment requires a strong connection to the element of air to imbue the bolas with its magical silence and command-word functionality.

Crafting Steps

Step 1: Distilling the Gravity Draught (Approx. 6 hours) This is the most dangerous and precise step. In the ceramic mortar, the powdered Storm Roc Gizzard Stone is carefully mixed with the Cloud-Poppy Nectar to form a thick, grey paste. The three drops of liquefied Lodestone-Iron are added one at a time, with the mixture being constantly stirred. A low-level containment spell is advised. The final compound is a heavy, shimmering, silvery liquid that hums with potential energy. It is then carefully divided and sealed within the three glass vials.

Step 2: Carving and Weaving (Approx. 10 hours) Using the specialized carving tools, each Float-Wood sphere is meticulously hollowed out, leaving a thin but durable outer shell. A small cavity is made to perfectly fit one of the glass vials. Concurrently, the Zephyr-Cord is braided on the Aether-Loom to the required length. The ends of the cord are seamlessly anchored from within two of the Float-Wood spheres.

Step 3: Assembly and Sealing (Approx. 2 hours) One charged vial is placed within each of the three hollowed spheres. The final sphere is then anchored to the cord. The small openings used for insertion are sealed with a masterfully carved Float-Wood plug and made airtight with the Aerie Artisan’s resin. The result is a completed, but mundane, alchemical bolas.

Step 4: The Breath of the Sky (Approx. 1 hour) This is the final enchanting ritual. The crafter takes the assembled bolas and the Zephyr Falcon feather. They burn the feather in a crystal bowl, a symbolic release of the concept of “silent flight.” Using the Aether-Pipe, the crafter inhales the feather’s magical smoke and then gently breathes the Elemental Air Essence through the pipe, bathing the entire bolas in a shimmering, invisible aura. During this exhalation, they must whisper the command word, “Unburden,” binding it to the alchemical matrix within the spheres. This final step imbues the bolas with its Whispering Flight and Alchemical Release properties, transforming it into a true Wind-Whisper Bolas.

King’s Chains and Hunter’s Gentle Grasp

Listen, for this story is a faint echo from a high place, and its words may be changed by the long journey down.

There was a King whose kingdom was of stone and iron. His heart was heavy with power, and his solution to all things was a strong chain. In his court, there lived a mischief, a creature of air called the Giggle-Gale. It was not evil. It stole the shine from spoons and tied the beards of sleeping guards. It made the heavy King look foolish.

The King grew angry. He sent his archers, but their arrows only found the tapestries. He sent his mages, but their fire only found the curtains. He ordered his guards to catch it in nets of iron chain. And the guards swung their heavy nets, and they broke the statues, and they broke the windows, but the Giggle-Gale was only a laugh in the air. The King’s strength only broke his own house.

Then the King heard of the Sky-Hunter, a man who lived in the high peaks and knew the ways of the wind. He summoned this hunter. The King showed his broken things and his angry face. “Use your art and destroy this creature,” the King commanded.

The Sky-Hunter watched the air for a long time. He said, “This is not a creature of malice, O King. It is a creature of joy. To kill it would be like killing a child’s laugh. It does not need a cage of iron, only a lesson of air.”

The King grew angrier. “Your words are wind! My chains are real! Use your toy of wood and string, or I will burn the forest where this thing sleeps!”

So the Sky-Hunter waited in the great hall. Soon the Giggle-Gale came, a flicker of wind stealing a jewel from a cup. The guards made a great violence with their swords, fighting only the air and each other. The Sky-Hunter stood still. His arm made one slow, graceful circle. The Wind-Whisper Bolas flew from his hand. It made no sound. It was a thrown whisper.

And the Giggle-Gale fell. Not with a crash, but like a falling leaf landing on soft moss. It lay on a cushion, tangled in the shimmering Zephyr-Cord. The Gravity-Draught had made it heavy, and it could not fly. It was caught, but it was not broken. It looked only surprised.

The King looked at his broken hall, shattered by his own strength. Then he looked at the mischief, captured and unharmed by a tool as light as the air itself. And he learned a great thing.

The Moral of the Story: The heaviest chain cannot hold a whisper. To capture a thing of air, you must not use a hand of stone, but a grasp that is as light as the thing itself.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

High-Level Overview: This is not a weapon but a preternatural artifact, perhaps found in a curiously preserved state in a ruin from ancient Mu or Leng. The “Float-Wood” feels unnervingly light, and the “Zephyr-Cord” seems to move on its own. Its ability to defy gravity and bind a target with a silent, unseen force is deeply unnatural. It is an ideal tool for an Investigator needing to capture a specimen or subdue a frenzied cultist without the noise of a firearm, but its alien physics are a subtle testament to the wrongness of the cosmos.

Game Mechanics:

Wind-Whisper Bolas

  • Description: An unsettlingly lightweight set of three pale, fist-sized spheres connected by a shimmering, translucent cord.
  • Skill Use: Requires a Throw roll to use effectively.
  • Effect: On a successful hit, the target takes no damage but is entangled. The target must succeed in an opposed STR vs. the bolas’s POT of 70 on the Resistance Table to break free.
  • Uncanny Properties:
    • Silent Flight: The bolas are completely silent when thrown. A target receives one Penalty Die on any Listen roll to detect the incoming attack.
    • Supernatural Recovery: If the throw misses, the bolas hover and float gently back to the user’s hand on the following round. Witnessing this blatant defiance of physics costs 0/1 Sanity.
    • Command Release: A user who has studied the bolas (successful Occult roll) can learn the command word to make the cords go limp.

Blades in the Dark

High-Level Overview: In Doskvol, a Zephyr Bola is a rare and valuable tool crafted by esoteric spirit-weavers in the Lost District. The cord is woven from captured wind-echoes, and the weights contain a volatile alchemical mixture distilled from leviathan adrenal glands. For a crew of Shadows, it is the ultimate tool for a rooftop chase or a silent abduction. It allows for a non-lethal takedown with style and finesse, ensuring the target is secured and the city’s bluecoats are not alerted by the sound of a struggle.

Game Mechanics:

Fine Zephyr Bola (Special Item, 1 Load)

  • Description: An elegant bola made of pale, lightweight wood and shimmering, ethereal cord.
  • Qualities: Fine, Silent, Non-Lethal.
  • Mechanical Effect: When you use the Zephyr Bola to achieve a goal, it grants you a distinct advantage.
    • When you make a Finesse or Prowl roll to ambush and capture a target, you gain Potency. The GM will describe how the bola’s self-tightening mechanism makes your takedown brutally efficient.
    • On a failed roll, you can choose not to suffer the consequence of losing the gear; the bola’s gentle descent means it is always easily recoverable.
  • Special Abilities:
    • Gravity Draught: When your throw successfully hits, you can spend 1 Stress to activate the potent alchemical charge. The target is completely immobilized and cannot take physical actions until they are freed or successfully resist with overwhelming force (a Prowess resistance roll).

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

High-Level Overview: The Wind-Whisper Bolas is an uncommon magical weapon, likely crafted by artisans from the Elemental Plane of Air or by reclusive elven hunters. It is a tool that embodies the philosophy of subduing a foe rather than killing them. It is highly sought after by bounty hunters, rangers, and rogues who value silence, efficiency, and the ability to bring their quarry back alive.

Stat Block:

Wind-Whisper Bolas Weapon (bolas), uncommon

This magical weapon consists of three spheres of impossibly light wood connected by a shimmering, silk-like cord.

You have proficiency with this weapon if you are proficient with nets. It has the Thrown property with a normal range of 30 feet and a long range of 90 feet. It has the following magical properties:

  • Binding. On a successful hit, the target takes no damage and must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be restrained. A creature can use its action to make a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the cord (AC 12) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the weapon.
  • Silent Flight. The bolas make no sound when thrown.
  • Gentle Descent. If a thrown attack with the bolas misses a target, the weapon floats gently to the ground in the target’s space, landing unharmed.
  • Release Word. As a bonus action, you can speak the command word to cause a creature restrained by the bolas to be immediately freed.

Knave (2nd Edition)

High-Level Overview: In Knave, the Wind-Whisper Bolas is a rare and fantastical tool. Its utility is defined by its straightforward description, inviting players to think creatively about how to use its unique properties. It is a prize for any adventurer, offering a reliable, reusable, and non-lethal method of dealing with fast-moving foes, a welcome alternative to a bloody sword or a loud pistol.

Item Description:

Wind-Whisper Bolas (1 inventory slot)

  • Description: A thrown weapon made of three lightweight wooden spheres and a silvery, silk-like cord.
  • Properties:
    • A successful attack against a human-sized or smaller creature deals no damage, but the target becomes entangled and cannot move. The target has disadvantage on all STR saves to escape.
    • Silent: The bolas make no sound when thrown, making it impossible for a target to hear the attack coming.
    • Floating: On a miss, the bolas float gently to the ground, ensuring they are never lost or damaged from a fall.
    • Command Release: You can speak a command word to cause the bolas to instantly loosen and fall away from a captured target.

Fate Core System

High-Level Overview: In Fate, where narrative is key, the Wind-Whisper Bolas is an Extra that grants a character unique capabilities. It is a storytelling tool that embodies the concept of control over violence. Its Aspects provide mechanical hooks for the Fate Point economy, while its stunts give the player clear, potent ways to affect a scene by non-lethally capturing or hindering opponents with grace and style.

Game Mechanics:

Extra: The Wind-Whisper Bolas

  • Aspects:
    • As Light as a Cloud, as Tight as a Fist: This can be invoked to emphasize the bolas’s silent, unerring flight or the surprising strength of its magical binding. A compel could be that its lightweight nature makes it ineffective against a truly massive or armored target.
    • A Tool for Capture, Not for Killing: Invoke this when trying to subdue a foe without causing harm to gain their cooperation or information. A compel might be its inability to function as a lethal weapon in a situation where lethal force is the only answer.
  • Stunts:
    • Silent Flight, Gentle Fall: When you use the bolas to Create an Advantage and fail the roll, you do not suffer any negative consequences. Your throw was silent and the bolas drift back to you, your attempt going completely unnoticed.
    • Gravity Draught Binding: Spend a Fate Point after a successful hit to activate the bolas’s alchemical payload. The binding is instantaneous and powerful. You place the Perfectly Ensnared situation Aspect on the target with two free invocations instead of one.

Numenera & Cypher System

High-Level Overview: This is an Artifact from a prior world that had mastered aeromancy and localized gravity control. The “Zephyr-Cord” is a smart-fiber monofilament, and the “Float-Wood” contains a payload of nanites that generate a temporary, targeted gravity field upon kinetic impact. To the people of the Ninth World, it is a magical hunter’s tool that seems to defy the laws of physics.

Game Mechanics:

Gravitic-Tether Bola

  • Level: 5
  • Form: Three pale, fist-sized spheres of a porous synth material, connected by a shimmering, hair-thin monofilament cord.
  • Effect: When thrown at a target up to a long range, the user makes a Speed-based attack. On a success, the target is entangled. An entangled creature’s Speed-based tasks and movement are hindered (their difficulty is increased by one step). The creature can take an action to attempt a Might-based task against the artifact’s level (5) to break free. The bolas deals no damage. If the attack misses, the artifact’s internal levitation matrix activates, causing it to float gently to the ground without being damaged or lost. The user can speak a command word to deactivate the gravity-tether on a captured target.
  • Depletion: 1 on a d20.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

High-Level Overview: In the tactical environment of Pathfinder, the Wind-Whisper Bolas are a rare magical weapon designed for battlefield control. Likely of elven or gnomish design, they offer a ranged, non-lethal option to incapacitate a single foe, making them a valuable tool for characters who specialize in disabling opponents or capturing them alive. Their unique properties make them a significant upgrade over mundane bolas.

Stat Block:

WIND-WHISPER BOLAS ITEM 4 RARE AIR MAGICAL NONLETHAL THROWN

  • Price 100 gp
  • Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk L
  • Activate [A] Strike

This martial thrown weapon has a range increment of 20 feet. It is made of three lightweight spheres connected by a shimmering cord. It deals no damage.

  • Special: On a hit, the target must attempt a DC 18 Reflex save to avoid the entangling cords.
    • Critical Success The target is unaffected.
    • Success The target is flat-footed for 1 round.
    • Failure The target is immobilized for 1 round.
    • Critical Failure The target is restrained for 1 minute or until it Escapes (DC 18).
  • Properties:
    • Silent: This weapon makes no sound when thrown.
    • Gentle Fall: On a critical miss with a Strike, the bolas are not lost. They float gently to the ground in a space adjacent to the target.
  • Activate [A] Command; Effect You speak a command word, ending the immobilized or restrained condition on a creature captured by the bolas.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

High-Level Overview: In Savage Worlds, the Wind-Whisper Bolas are a piece of Rare Magical Gear, perfect for a fast-paced game. They provide a simple and effective way to apply the Entangled or Bound conditions with a bit of extra magical flair. Whether a relic from a lost temple or the product of a powerful wizard, they are a reliable tool for any hero who prefers to outsmart their foes.

Game Mechanics:

Wind-Whisper Bolas

  • Description: An exotic thrown weapon of three lightweight spheres and a silvery cord that flies silently through the air.
  • Effect: This is a ranged weapon used with the Athletics skill (Range 4/8/16).
    • On a successful hit, the target is Entangled.
    • On a raise, the target is Bound.
  • Special Properties:
    • Non-Lethal: The bolas deal no damage.
    • Gravity Draught: The alchemical payload in the weights makes the binding incredibly effective. A victim attempting to break free from the Entangled or Bound condition does so at a –2 penalty.
    • Silent & Recoverable: The bolas make no sound in flight. On a miss, they are never lost, floating gently to the ground near the target.
    • Command Release: The wielder can release a captured target as a free action.

Shadowrun (Sixth World)

High-Level Overview: In the Sixth World, this is the Wuxing “Zephyr” Bola, a sophisticated piece of talistech designed for corporate and underworld special operations. It eschews crude force for elegant, non-lethal capture. The “Zephyr-Cord” is a smart-fiber monofilament infused with magical reagents, while the “Float-Wood” weights are ultra-light composite spheres containing a chemical payload that causes the filament to rapidly constrict and harden on impact. It is a quiet, expensive, and highly effective tool for extractions where the target is needed alive and unmarked.

Game Mechanics:

Wuxing “Zephyr” Bola

  • Type: Thrown Weapon (Exotic)
  • Accuracy: 5
  • DV: — (see Effect)
  • AP: —
  • Mode: SS
  • Ammo: 1(m)
  • Availability: 10R
  • Cost: 1,500 nuyen
  • Effect: This weapon deals no damage. A target hit by the Zephyr Bola must succeed on a Reaction + Intuition (3) test or gain the Entangled status. A character can escape by winning an opposed Strength + Body vs. the bola’s Strength of 5 test.
  • Special Features:
    • Silent: The weapon is completely silent when thrown. All Perception tests to notice it in flight are made at a -3 dice pool penalty.
    • Self-Righting: On a miss, the bola’s internal mechanisms cause it to hover gently to the ground, making it easily recoverable.
    • Wireless Release: The bola can be released from a target with a Minor Action via a wireless signal from the user’s commlink.

Starfinder

High-Level Overview: The “Tempest Bola” is a hybrid item of Kasathan design, traditionally used to capture agile fauna on their high-gravity homeworld. It combines advanced materials science with elemental magic. The weights are made of a hyper-light alloy, and the cord is a strand of solidified air, a magical material sourced from gas giants. The alchemical compound is a technological payload that generates a temporary, localized gravity field on impact. It’s a prized tool for members of the Xenowardens and bounty hunters who prefer to bring their targets in alive.

Game Mechanics:

Tempest Bola, Hybrid Level 4

  • Price 2,100 credits; Bulk L
  • Type Thrown weapon (exotic); Hands 1
  • Range 30 ft.; Category Special
  • Critical —
  • Special Entangle, Nonlethal, Silent, Thrown
  • Description: This bola consists of three polished, lightweight metal spheres connected by a cord that shimmers like heat haze.
  • Effect: When you make a successful attack with the Tempest Bola, the target becomes entangled. The target can attempt to escape as a move action by making a DC 16 Acrobatics or Athletics check. The cord has AC 15, HP 20, and hardness 5.
  • Special Property:
    • Gentle Descent: If an attack with the Tempest Bola misses, it does not fall. Its internal levitators activate, causing it to float in the target’s square for 1 round before gently drifting to the ground.
    • Command Release: As a swift action, you can speak a command word to cause the bola’s cord to go limp, releasing any entangled creature.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

High-Level Overview: This is the TL-13 Gravitic Bola, an advanced, non-lethal capture device used by high-end law enforcement and corporate security throughout the Third Imperium. Its “magic” is sophisticated technology. The weights are miniaturized gravity-field projectors, and the cord is a smart-polymer monofilament. On a miss, a low-power repulsor field activates, making it recoverable. On a hit, the projectors create a powerful, localized gravity distortion that wraps the cord and pins the target.

Game Mechanics:

Gravitic Bola

  • Tech Level: 13
  • Mass: 0.5 kg
  • Cost: Cr 35,000
  • Weapon Type: Thrown
  • Skill: Athletics (thrown)
  • Range: 20m
  • Effect: This weapon deals no damage. A target successfully hit becomes entangled. The gravitic projectors activate on impact, giving the bola an effective Strength of 15 for the purposes of restraining the target. Breaking free requires an opposed Formidable (14+) STR check, taking one round per attempt.
  • Special Features:
    • Silent Flight: The weapon’s design makes it completely silent.
    • Repulsor Recovery: On a miss, a low-power repulsor field activates, causing the bola to hover 1 meter off the ground for one minute before deactivating, allowing for easy recovery.
    • Remote Deactivation: The gravitic projectors can be deactivated via a coded signal from a standard hand computer.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

High-Level Overview: These are Asrai (Wood Elf) Way-Snares, a rare and magical tool of the Waywatchers of Athel Loren. They are not forged but grown and woven from the boughs of enchanted willow trees and the silk of forest spites, imbued with the Wind of Ghyran. They are not meant to harm, but to gently but inexorably hold a trespasser or a rampaging beast, a physical expression of the forest’s will to pacify rather than destroy. To find one outside of Athel Loren is exceptionally rare.

Game Mechanics:

Asrai Way-Snare

  • Weapon Group: Thrown
  • Range: Strength Bonus x 4 yards
  • Enc: 0
  • Qualities: Magical, Fine, Rare, Silent, Non-lethal, Entangling
  • Description: Three spheres of pale, lightweight wood connected by a cord of living, green-and-silver silk.
  • Effect: When you hit a target with the Way-Snare using a Ranged (Thrown) Test, the target gains the Entangled Condition.
  • Special Rules:
    • Blessing of the Woods: The living cords actively resist being broken or escaped. Any creature attempting to remove the Entangled Condition from themselves or another does so with a -20 penalty to their Test.
    • Whispering Flight: The snare is completely silent when thrown.
    • Gentle Fall: On a miss, the snare is caught by a phantom breeze and drifts gently to the ground, never suffering damage from the fall.
    • Word of Release: The wielder can speak a single word in Eltharin (the Elven tongue) to cause the snare to uncoil and release its target.