Windwalkers Boots

From: The Winds Grace

Boots that grant the ability to walk on air for short periods, enabling the wearer to traverse gaps and avoid ground-based hazards.

Description: These supple boots are fashioned from a strange, almost weightless leather that shifts color subtly with the breeze. Faint swirling patterns are etched along the soles, reminiscent of swirling dust devils or gentle cyclones. Tiny threads of shimmering silver seem to be woven into the laces, suggesting a magical component.

Lore: Legends tell of the Cloud Dancers, an elusive tribe that lived among the highest mountain peaks, where the air was thin and winds unpredictable. It’s said their shamans crafted these boots to bridge impossible chasms and escape treacherous ground, drawing inspiration from the whirlwinds that danced across the valleys below.

Tier One Stats

• Cloud Step: As an action, the wearer can magically solidify the air beneath their feet for 1 minute. This creates an invisible platform roughly 5 ft across, supporting the wearer and a limited amount of additional weight.
• Airborne Stability: The wearer gains advantage on Athletics checks for maintaining balance or resisting push effects while on unstable surfaces or within strong winds.
• Feather Fall: Automatically reduces falling speed to a safe descent as if under the effect of the Feather Fall spell (no concentration required).

Cost: 3000 Gold Pieces

Requirements:

• Attunement: The boots require attunement to function.
• Skill: A basic understanding of acrobatics or survival in mountainous terrain aids in maximizing the boots’ potential.

Tags: Uncommon, Transmutation, Exploration, Utility, Movement

Potential Enhancements — With greater mastery and risk, these boots could eventually unlock further abilities:

• Extended Duration: Higher tiers might allow Cloud Step to last longer or support more weight.
• Ascent: Limited bursts of upward ‘jumps’ by solidifying air beneath.
• Wind Channeling: In areas of extreme winds, the boots could provide increased speed or even minor flight if the wearer possesses incredible acrobatic mastery.

Where They Might Be acquired or sold

• Sky Markets: Hidden bazaars or trading camps high up in remote mountain ranges. These might require dangerous journeys to reach, with access potentially granted only to those who prove themselves capable climbers or adventurers.
• Traveling Caravan: Led by eccentric merchants who claim to source their wares from far-off worlds or forgotten civilizations. Their stock often contains a bizarre collection of objects, and it may take cunning negotiation to even convince them to part with the boots.
• Ancient Repositories: Lost cities within perilous ruins where relics might be entombed or protected by forgotten guardians. This is high risk and high reward as such places typically hide other rare treasures.
• Reclusive Artificer: There may exist skilled craftspeople who imbue ordinary footwear with these wondrous properties. Finding them, however, could involve piecing together cryptic puzzles, following rumors, or undertaking quests they deem valuable.

Environments and End Results

• Mountainous Terrain: Climbers and explorers find unparalleled use for the Windwalker’s Boots. They open up inaccessible routes, allowing traversal of sheer cliffs, dangerous chasms, or sudden rockfalls – turning impossible paths into thrilling trails.
• Stormy Skies: Airship crews battling volatile weather might employ the boots as a last resort for high-risk repairs or to safely abandon a failing vessel. In naval combat, they offer unparalleled escape options across turbulent seas.
• Collapsing Structures: Traversing a burning building, escaping a crumbling dungeon, or navigating a ruin full of treacherous pitfalls becomes far more survivable. This makes them sought after by both rescue workers and audacious thieves.
• Performance & Spectacle: Acrobats or daring entertainers might incorporate Windwalker’s Boots into their acts. Whether defying seemingly impossible heights or incorporating mid-air feats, their performances draw gasps and inspire awe.

Important Considerations

• Ethical Sourcing: Some sellers might have acquired the Windwalker’s Boots through dubious means, perhaps stolen from ancestral tombs or plundered from those in need.
• Mastery: It takes practice and skill to avoid overconfidence and truly master these boots. Misjudging a step when high above the ground could quickly turn triumph into disaster.
• Limitations: Extremely strong winds or magical disturbances might disrupt the boots’ effects, emphasizing a reliance on understanding the surrounding environment to safely leverage their power.

The Windwalker’s Boots might engage the senses and reveal extra-sensory information upon activation:

• SIGHT
  • Perception: A subtle shimmering appears beneath the soles of the boots when activated, resembling heat haze or shimmering water.
  • Description: The air surrounding them begins to gently twist and distort, giving the illusion of standing on a slightly reflective surface.
  • Positives: Provides visual confirmation of the enchantment and may aid with initially gauging the extent of the solidified ‘platform’.
  • Negatives: Could be distracting if trying to maintain stealth, especially in dark areas where the glow is most noticeable.
• SOUND
  • Perception: A faint chiming, like tiny wind chimes, emanates from the boots as you take a step on solidified air.
  • Description: The sound increases in pitch and volume slightly with faster movement or more forceful steps.
  • Positives: Serves as helpful audible feedback. Can warn you if the ‘platform’ is fading while mid-stride.
  • Negatives: Makes stealth difficult; enemies will quickly learn to listen for this specific sound.
• TOUCH
  • Perception: Your feet sense a solidifying resistance, but still retain a strange “floaty” sensation compared to walking on solid ground.
  • Description: Think of the feeling of wading in shallow water but with firm resistance upon putting your full weight down.
  • Positives: This helps users quickly adapt to the balance needed. Provides tactile feedback if visual effects are impaired (thick mist, smoke, etc.).
  • Negatives: Takes getting used to and can be a bit disconcerting on initial use if expecting solidity.
• SMELL
  • Perception: A slight, crisp scent like air after a distant lightning storm (ozone with a faint tang) becomes distinct around the boots.
  • Description: Not overpowering, but definitely noticeable upon close and focused smelling.
  • Positives: Could subconsciously reinforce the sensation of air walking and act as a focus for some wearers.
  • Negatives: In stealthy scenarios, a creature with advanced scent tracking might follow this unusual odor.
• TASTE
  • Perception: A very subtle metallic taste lingers in the mouth for a few minutes after the boots are activated.
  • Description: Think of the faint, coppery taste sometimes noted upon touching metal to skin.
  • Positives: May increase alertness through association with a slight physical stress response.
  • Negatives: Could be nauseating for those sensitive to such tastes, disrupting concentration.
• Extra-Sensory Perceptions
  • Airsense: You gain a vague sense of wind currents and density nearby, almost feeling how the air flows and its relative ‘solidity’ before solidifying it with the boots.
    • Positives: Aids in predicting gusts, helps to place steps more intelligently to maximize duration, and gives a warning of strong winds that might disrupt the enchantment.
    • Negatives: In chaotic environments, this could be an overload of information.
  • Groundsense:  Very faint tremors or disturbances through the earth (not enough for pinpointing threats) travel upward as your boots solidify air.
    • Positives: Detects collapsing structures or dangers underfoot that may not be visible (thin ice, a concealed pit, etc.).
    • Negatives: Sensitive wearers might find this distracting or even headache-inducing over time.

Whisperstep Infusion Ritual

• Materials Needed:
  • Cloudstrider Leather: Hide taken from rare flying mammals native to high-altitude environments. It retains a strange buoyancy despite being durable. (Quantity: Enough to fashion standard boots)
  • Essence of Ascendance: Distilled from air elementals or powerful updrafts in specific locations known for strong wind magic.
  • Windchime Dust: Crushed chimes imbued with ancient wind-songs passed down in various nomadic tribes.
  • Skyglass Beads: Glass formed in the aftermath of powerful lightning strikes against pure silica sand. They contain small traces of harnessed storm energy.
• Tools Required:
  • Leatherworker’s Crafting Kit: High-quality instruments are essential for intricate work and handling the unique aspects of the Cloudstrider Leather.
  • Enchanter’s Table: An area for performing arcane rituals, focusing ambient magical energies, and safely handling unstable elemental essences.
  • Jeweler’s Tools: Required for grinding the Skyglass Beads into a suitable powdery form and setting them within the crafting.
• Skill Requirements:
  • Leatherworking (Proficiency): Mastery in shaping, stitching, and working with unusual hides is crucial for the boots’ structure and integrity.
  • Arcana (Expertise): Deep knowledge of transmutation and the ability to channel magical energies in precise ways is paramount to the enchantment.
  • Survival or Nature (Advantage): Experience in harsh climates and knowledge of wind currents aids in finding materials and potentially understanding the boots’ connection to the elements.
• Crafting Steps:
  • Preparation: The Cloudstrider Leather must be tanned and shaped into the foundation of the boots. This requires exceptional leatherworking skill due to its unique, almost weightless quality.
  • Ritual Focus: During a night with at least moderate winds, arrange the boots before the enchanter’s table. Windchime Dust is drawn in intricate patterns on the soles, forming the basis of the enchantments.
  • Essence Infusion: Carefully add Essence of Ascendance into the ritual circle, guiding wisps of energy into the wind patterns embedded on the Windwalker’s Boots. This requires both magical control and careful handling of volatile elemental energy.
  • Skyglass Activation: The Skyglass Beads are incorporated along the upper rim and laces of the boots. These serve as an amplifier and stabilizer for the unpredictable energies channeling through.
  • Ritual Completion: With all materials ready, the crafter must invoke ancient wind-songs or incantations that resonate with the elements. Success depends heavily on a combination of Arcana skill and intuition for the natural forces imbued in the components.
• Additional Notes:
  • This recipe assumes a relatively moderate difficulty enchantment. More powerful versions (longer duration, greater supported weight, etc.) require even rarer materials, locations with powerful wind vortexes, and a master craftsman.
  • Risk of failure exists at all stages, potentially rendering the materials unusable or requiring additional components based on what went wrong.
  • This recipe draws heavily on themes of natural magic and respect for the element of air.

The Whisper of Clouds Below

Long before the tongues we know, there danced the Sky-Walkers. Not wings as birds they bore, but in their steps, the air grew strong as stone. Legend-singers tell of how their boots drank from the storm’s heart, where eagles shiver and only giants tread.

There was Elara, swift as sunlight, the one who traced paths where mountains ended. But she saw hunger in the valley folk, children like pale sprouts starved for rain. Her chief, old with years but not wisdom, warned: “Not ours to tread where ground gods set their law.”

Yet Elara’s heart was no mountain—restless as summer air. At moon’s peak, with only owls as witness, she crafted the gift forbidden. Not leather she used, but cloud mist caught in moon nets. Nor hammer, but whispers of lost blizzards coaxed from ancient bone. Silver thread wove it fast, stolen from the dawn star itself.

Come morning, Elara was gone, a puff of white on the highest peak. Down she stepped, not on winds but ON them, as a dragonfly skates the water’s skin. Grain she brought and seeds that the high places alone grew strong. Her laughter echoed then, so men say, carried on the breeze to this day.

But the old chief cursed her name, saying the sky was jealous now, its touch no longer free. Rain would turn to stone, winds carry fire instead of sweet scent. Yet the valley sang for Elara, plump babies proof of her heart. When their hunters scaled once-bare cliffs, and their healers carried cures from forgotten blooms on high… then the chief fell silent.

So it may always be – when one breaks the old world’s rules, there is fear, yes.  But also, sometimes, bread where only stones lay before.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

• Item Lore: Ancient artifact steeped in pre-human history and unknown rituals. Requires Occult or Archaeology to study, risking Sanity loss to decipher its dangerous origins.
• Sanity Cost: Using the boots may draw attention from aerial entities or evoke unsettling dream-visions of falling endlessly through empty skies.
• Stat & Skill Focus:
  • DEX (Dexterity): For balance and acrobatic movement
  • Spot Hidden: To anticipate gusts or subtle shifts in the air
  • Mythos Lore: Unraveling the item’s full mystery likely involves disturbing truths
• Key Mechanics:
  • Temporary Sanity cost at the Keeper’s discretion
  • Rolls determine duration and stability of the air platform
  • Repeated use risks attracting an unnatural wind-entity from beyond the stars

Blades in the Dark

• Faction Asset: Potentially tied to a cult of forgotten sky-worshippers or a smuggler crew dealing in contraband from high in the mountains. Acquiring it would involve scores based on social infiltration, daring rooftop heists, or navigating arcane turf wars.
• Stress Mechanic: Using the boots pushes a character to their physical and mental limits. Stress increases quickly under pressure, and failing to keep your cool could involve plummeting, being spotted, or alerting supernatural forces.
• Action Ratings:
  • Prowl: Scaling sheer surfaces, silent rooftop chases
  • Skirmish: Dodging hazards in treacherous mountain climbs or escaping collapsing structures
  • Attune: Risky rituals at high altitudes to attune more deeply with the item’s secrets
• Key Mechanics:
  • Devil’s Bargain: Gain greater durations or capabilities by risking whispers of ancient knowledge haunting the wearer
  • Clocks are useful to track attention gained with frequent use

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

• Rarity: Very Rare, potentially Legendary. It may require heroes to brave crumbling sky-cities or barter with reclusive storm giants.
• Attunement: Likely required
• Abilities:
  • Wall of Wind effect as an action (shorter duration, smaller area of effect)
  • Enhance Acrobatics/Athletics in environments where strong winds are common
  • Water Walk-like effect but specifically on solidified patches of air
• Key Mechanics:
  • Concentration check required to maintain effect
  • Consider limited charges per day, recharging in areas of powerful updraft currents or during storms
  • Potential curse where overuse draws a powerful air elemental foe seeking to reclaim its magic

Knave

• Simple Stats: +2 DEX, + 2 to Defense with acrobatic maneuvers or dodging projectiles while using the boots. A fantastic upgrade for the Scout, Thief, or other agility-focused builds.
• Usage: Advantage mechanic at its core. Advantage when scaling cliffs, crossing gaps, or creatively overcoming obstacles with aerial feats.
• Drawback:
  • Disadvantage on any Stealth rolls, the chimes subtly disrupting efforts to go unnoticed.
  • Failing DEX rolls while using them has dramatic consequences – tumbling from great heights, getting swept away in gales, etc.
• Key Mechanics:
  • Keeps narrative focus with simple bonuses
  • Encourages clever descriptions of how the boots are used to solve problems

Fate

• Aspect: “Cloudstrider” or “Whispers on the Wind” – This provides narrative permissions for incredible air-walking feats and compels when overconfidence or fear might cause hesitation.
• Stunts:
  • “Ride the Updraft”: Create an Advantage while ascending high places, leaping across chasms, or even escaping a foe’s grasp with well-timed gusts.
  • “Dance on Empty Air”: Overcome obstacles involving unstable footing, sudden drops, or hazards within environments influenced by strong winds.
  • “Sky-Echo Intuition”: Overcome an obstacle or Discover vital details about the environment through careful sensing of air currents.
• Compels & Consequences: Failure when using the boots should be dramatic: plunging unexpectedly, being carried astray by sudden gales, or attracting those who envy such power. Consequences could escalate in severity by invoking other Aspects in play.

Numenera & Cypher System

• Artifact (Level 6+): Likely crafted from substances infused with ancient wind phenomena, beyond even a typical numenera scavenger’s understanding.
• Abilities:
  • Asset to any Speed-based task related to climbing, navigating treacherous terrain, or acrobatics in windy conditions.
  • Depletes Might pool to briefly solidify air platforms (costs could escalate based on size and duration).
  • Potential to enhance existing Cyphers or abilities reliant on understanding or channeling unseen energies.
• Depletion: d20 roll with penalties applied according to how recklessly the boots are used. Consequences range from losing your footing, falling great distances, or even drawing hostile entities who track disturbances in the flow of air.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

• Rarity: Rare, potentially with hidden tiers to unlock at later levels tied to unique locations or rituals.
• Invested Trait: Requires attunement for full abilities.
• Abilities:
  • +2 Circumstance bonus to Athletics checks involving balance, jumping over rough terrain, or evading aerial hazards.
  • Ignore difficult terrain caused by high winds or sudden gusts.
  • Activate to cast Fly (limited rounds per day) with restricted maneuverability due to the unpredictable nature of the enchantment.
• Flaw/Curse: Misusing the boots, especially for selfish gains, draws a curse. This might make them temporarily unreliable or attract misfortune tied to jealous air elementals.

Savage Worlds

• Edge: Zephyr’s Grace – Requirements include Agility d8+, knowledge of the Survival skill, and either the Aeromancy Arcane Background or Arcane Background (granted with this unique relic).
• Benefits:
  • +2 to relevant Climbing or Agility rolls involving scaling heights, crossing treacherous ground, or fighting in unpredictable updrafts.
  • Can solidify air in patches using the standard Power Points rules for spells. Range/duration is likely low initially, depending on rank.
  • Immune to falling damage with proper skill rolls due to a preternatural understanding of how to ‘catch’ the air.
• Backlash: Overexertion on failed Spirit rolls results in Fatigue. At higher stakes, a dramatic failure results in being swept away by an unpredictable gust or attracting malevolent aerial beings.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

• Gear Type: Focus (Aerokinetic) – Imbued with ancient magic, this item could be the product of forgotten shamanic ritual or technological manipulation of magical currents.
• Qualities:
  • Increased Dice Pools: For skill tests tied to Athletics, Gymnastics, or maneuvering in environments heavily influenced by wind.
  • Awakened Resonance: Awakened runners gain more benefit. Spells focused on air manipulation could work in tandem, allowing brief bursts of controlled flight or enhanced leaps (at GM’s discretion).
• Astral Signature: The boots leave a lingering trace that skilled mages and spirits may pick up, attracting curiosity…or predatory beings who resent disruptions in the flow of mana.
• Drain Vulnerability: Pushing the boots beyond limits with magical augmentation is taxing, dramatically increasing Drain for associated spells. Especially risky in low-mana environments.

Starfinder

• Classification: Hybrid Item (Level 4 – 8 depending on capabilities) – Requires attunement by mystics, technomancers, or other classes able to tap into similar energies. Ancient relic pre-Gap, or perhaps constructed by wind-elemental worshiping civilizations.
• Mechanics:
  • +1 or +2 to Acrobatics/Athletics checks involving jumping, overcoming difficult terrain with strong winds, or maneuvering in areas of low gravity.
  • Environmental Protection (Atmosphere) as per the standard spell, but limited duration and potential drawbacks in extremely chaotic atmospheric conditions.
  • At higher levels, could allow the wearer to expend limited Resolve Points to solidify platforms of air, allowing jumps that defy ordinary physics or to briefly navigate otherwise deadly conditions.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Ed)

• Tech Level: TL13+. Considered ‘lost tech’ salvaged from ruins or an alien civilization obsessed with weather manipulation. Scientists studying them would be envious. Black market operatives would pay handsomely to retrieve this unique prototype.
• Mechanics:
  • Skill Boost: +1 or +2 DM for tasks requiring Acrobatics, Athletics in turbulent wind conditions, Vacc Suit skills while outside normal gravity situations.
  • Limited Charges: Likely powered by some unknown type of battery. Allows bursts of ‘flight’ before becoming inert and requiring special knowledge to recharge.
• Drawback: Malfunction is always a risk in extreme heat, intense gravity, or electromagnetic storms. This could turn them into inert weights on your feet at the worst possible time.

Warhammer (Fantasy or 40K)

• Lore: This could lean either towards forgotten Aelven craftsmanship (Fantasy) or an ancient device constructed by an aeronaut cult (40K). Chaos corruption is a real possibility given the item’s unnatural connection to air.
• Warhammer Fantasy:
  • Requires Arcane Magic Use skill to channel, non-mages risk attracting misfortune on use.
  • Grants the Fly spell with limited duration, increasing risks associated with the Winds of Magic.
  • Tzeentch Corruption: Whispers in the boots promise more power (flight speed increases), but each use invites Tzeentch’s attention, risking unpredictable manifestations or mutation.
• Warhammer 40K:
  • Xenos Device: Highly sought after by radical Inquisitors or the Adeptus Mechanicus. It may require Tech-Use skill to interact with safely.
  • Limited ‘jump-pack’ capabilities to escape low-gravity situations or breach areas otherwise unreachable.
  • Taint of the Warp: This could manifest as whispers from the immaterial plane or attracting Warp entities drawn to the unnatural movement through reality.