#hookshots

Grappling Hook Launchers (common), also known as a “Poor Man’s Hookshot”, are projectile launching devices fitted to shoot out grappling hooks farther than simply throwing them. Most are essentially crossbow, although more expensive variants like a pneumatic launcher are available. All are made to fit conventional rope and grappling hooks.

The Reel Hookshot (uncommon), considered the most simplest of “true” hookshots, is a pneumatically powered hookshot with a compartment for the storage of the hookshot’s cord and it’s namesake “reel”, a spool-like mechanism connected to the cord storage compartment that allows the cord to be pulled in or released to bring the user closer or farther from the hook, by spinning the connected handle and arm clockwise or counter-clockwise. The reel hookshot is a mostly mechanical device, with multiple devices within to secure the cord and prevent it from going loose from the reel and causing the user to fall. This hookshot is best used with a protective harness in conjunction with other climbing gear and techniques, but can also be used to easily scale flat rooftops.

The Motor Hookshot (rare), sometimes just called a “True” Hookshot, is what most people would think of when asked about hookshots. This hookshot uses a pneumatic launcher to shoot the hook and a motor to pull the cord in or out, operated by a special “stick” within the handle. The motor hookshot is operated with one hand, and has cables and straps meant to be attached to a gauntlet to prevent the hookshot from leaving the user’s grasp. The motor itself can only be activated with a “key”, for safety purposes. This hookshot, as with all hookshots, has a valve for inserting compressed air, and a pressure gauge. True hookshots usually run out of pressure after around 4 to 8 hours, so most users carry capsules with additional compressed air to refuel in the field.

The motor hookshot has a special handle with a trigger pulled with the index finger to fire the hook, and has pressure sensitivity that is combined with a “stick” moved with the thumb to adjust the speed and acceleration. After being fully pressed in, the trigger then functions somewhat like a car accelerator, increasing the acceleration of the motor. The stick is similar to a gear stick, and when it is “slid” up or down, it triggers the motor to release or pull the cord, respectively. When moved to it’s center-side state, the cord is “locked” in place to keep the hookshot in place. Moving the stick slightly from the center manually controls the motor. There are also buttons on the side of the handle (operated with the middle and ring fingers) to further adjust the speed and acceleration, and a smaller “break” trigger above the main trigger to reduce the motor’s movement in the same way a break pedal would. Two “release” buttons on the side of the handle must be pressed in conjunction with the stick itself to release the hook and return it to the hookshot. An emergency break exists on the outside of the hookshot, which is used to disable the motor and physically locks the cord in place within the hookshot.

A hookshot’s cord is made of metal and alchemically reinforced to prevent breaking, and has multiple notches used to secure it and prevent it from becoming loose from the hookshot’s mechanisms. The hookshot’s hook itself is enchanted to “dematerialize” and phase through objects it couldn’t otherwise pierce while it is being propelled fowards, only returning to normal when it reaches an object and begins to return towards the hookshot. Although a hookshot can be shot into any surface theoretically, the possibility of the hook being knocked back before it can sufficiently phase into the surface means it’s best to shoot it into cracks or materials weak enough to be broken through, like wood. Some more specialized hookshots have the ability to set the hookshot into a unique “reach-extension” mode that triggers the hook to instead “grasp” objects that it hits, allowing it to pick up items from afar and bring them to the user.