Revamped Item: Hookshot

The Hookshot and its variants have been a recurring part in the Zelda franchise since A Link to the Past. The Core Rulebook includes the Hookshot as a Magical Tool, allowing GMs to award it to Heroes as a dungeon’s special treasure or the like. However, Magical Tools do not interact with the Crafting system that is central to Reclaim the Wild, nor do they allow the player to customize the Tool to really make it their own. As an alternative, we present the Hookshot as a Personalized Tool.

Hookshot Beginnings

The Hookshot is a rather complicated tool that not just any Smith can craft. As such, the feat below represents the specialized training required to craft a Hookshot.

New Feat: Hookshot Craft

3 tokens
Requirement: Quest Reward or GM Approval Only
Effect: You can now craft the Hookshot. When you learn this feat, choose between Magic or Stamina. Any Hookshot you craft will use the resource you specify.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. This will allow you to choose whether the Hookshot you craft will use Magic or Stamina. This may require completing a different quest.

Starting with a Hookshot

The Hookshot is relatively expensive to craft (see below), so a player cannot start the game with one without a GM’s permission.

If the GM does decide to allow a player to begin with a Hookshot, we recommend keeping the Hookshot to either Rank 1 or Rank 0, depending on the character and their circumstances. We also recommend replacing one of the character’s starting Tools with their starting Hookshot.

Using a Hookshot

The Hookshot is a one-handed Personalized Tool that allows the wielder to cast the Ravio’s Hookshot Spell, using either Magic or Stamina, as determined by the Hookshot Craft feat options the creator has.

The Projectile range of any Spells or Techniques granted by this Tool is increased by (1 + Rank). If any To-Hit Rolls are called for when using the Hookshot, use 5 as the weapon accuracy.

You can Sprint while holding a Hookshot.

The Hookshot uses Durability much like a weapon would; see the rules for the Everything Breaks Master Mode. Only subtract Durability once for each scene in which the Hookshot is used, similar to usage of a Weapon in battle. Unlike weapons, the Hookshot can be repaired; see the rules for Repairing & Upgrading Weapon Spirits.

Heroes may place Hookshots in their Pack, in the Tools pouch.

Hookshot Appearance

Hookshots have a varied appearance both within and outside the land of Hyrule. Skilled Hookshot craftsmen, rare as they are, often put their own personal spin on the Tool. Player characters are no exception.

The classical Hookshot uses Stamina and is a mechanical cylinder that has a grip on one end, and a grappling hook on the other. Curled inside its metal casing is a long metal chain. When the trigger is pulled, the hook fires straight ahead, grabbing onto whatever it hits, and attempts to retract.

A Hookshot that uses Magic may instead be a hollow cylinder with runes inscribed on the outside. With the use of Magic, a hook made of energy forms and fires at the directed location.

Other potential varieties include:

A special bracer that is easily concealed under clothes;
A grappling gun with a line that attaches to a utility belt;
A small summoning circle;
A plant vine that can be directed with magic;
A snake-like Armos that can extend on command;
Gas-powered piston-shot grapple hooks attached to a full-body harness;
Canisters that shoot off fluids that harden into fibers.

The appearance and mechanics of a Hookshot might depend on its creator, the world, and the themes and tone of your campaign. GMs and players should work together to stretch their creativity!

Crafting a Hookshot

Crafting a Hookshot requires a Forge and consumes:

1 unit of Monster Parts
3 units of Cloth
5 units of Ancient material
7 units of Metal

… all of the same rank. This creates a Hookshot of that Rank. (You can, of course, use higher-Ranked Materials, but the Hookshot will be of the lowest-Ranked unit of Material used in its construction.)

The Rank of Materials you can use to craft a Hookshot is limited by your Mechanics Trait: you may only use Materials of a Rank equal to (Mechanics / 2, rounded down) or less.

Deconstructing a Hookshot

Deconstructing a Hookshot typically returns 1 Cloth, 2 Ancient Materials, and 4 Metal, of the Hookshot’s Rank.

If the Hookshot was made with a different combination of Cloth, Metal and Ancient material than is typical, then you might get back a different amount of those Materials, based on that ratio. Or, for simplicity, you could just get back 4 Metal and 1 Cloth, even if Metal and Cloth were not used in construction of the Hookshot.

Upgrading a Hookshot

Hookshots can be upgraded, allowing you to improve their abilities and alter their Personal Touches (see below).

Upgrading a Hookshot is mechanically the same as creating a new Hookshot, and deconstructing the old Hookshot at the same time: you consume Materials to create your new Hookshot at the new Rank, and you receive the Materials of the Hookshot’s old Rank from deconstructing it.

Personal Touches

When you craft or upgrade a Hookshot, you also decide on its Personal Touches, much like when you build a Castle using the rules found in Rebuild the Wild. Hookshots may have up to (Rank) many Personal Touches. Each Personal Touch may only be taken once, unless otherwise stated.

When you upgrade a Hookshot, you may change any existing Personal Touches it had, in addition to adding new Personal Touches based on its Rank.

Below are just a handful of the Personal Touches your Hookshot might have – but don’t be afraid to discuss your own ideas for Personal Touches with your GM!

Attuned: This Hookshot is specifically attuned to you. Treat this as if the Hookshot had the “Loyal” Enchantment on it, of a Rank equal to the Hookshot’s Rank. Further, anyone who does not have your explicit permission to use the Hookshot will treat the target of any of the Spells or Techniques granted by the Hookshot as being Hard to Hit.
Belt-Mounted: You may use your Hookshot if it is in one of your Belt slots, without needing a free hand.
Extension Lock: You can decide to keep the Hookshot’s chain extended once you’ve fired it, rather than immediately reeling it in. While locked, a taut chain extends in a straight line between you and the target, preventing either of you from moving any further from the other (though you may move closer, reeling in the chain as you approach). When someone attempts to move through the chain, you may attempt a special Combat Maneuver as a Reaction: Athletics and Perception vs. Concentration; on success, the target is immediately Knocked Prone. As long as the chain is taut, your allies can also walk along the chain like a tightrope; an Agility or Athletics trait check may be necessary to do so.
Failsafe: When you use the Hookshot Spell, you learn whether the target is lighter or heavier than yourself. You may then choose to have the Spell fail, preventing any movement. For instance, if you learn that a tree branch you used the Hookshot on is lighter than you, you can engage the failsafe and prevent the Hookshot from reeling the tree branch towards you.
Hookshot Expertise: When you target a willing ally with Ravio’s Hookshot, you can choose to pull yourself toward your ally, or your ally toward yourself, regardless of your relative weights. You can always target an ally with Wings of Freedom and be pulled toward them, regardless of your relative weights.
Hookshot Save: You gain the Hookshot Save Spell. You can cast it even if your Hookshot is in your Belt slot and you do not have the Belt-Mounted Personal Touch; you replace anything in one Hand with your Hookshot as part of casting that spell.
Jabu-Jabu’s Switchhook: You can use the Jabu-Jabu’s Switchhook Spell, using the same resource (Magic or Stamina) as with Ravio’s Hookshot, with the same benefits.
Pinpoint Shot: When rolling To-Hit using Spells and Techniques granted by the Hookshot, increase your roll by (1 + (Rank / 2)).
Practiced Efficiency: Reduce the cost of using all the Spells and Techniques granted by the Hookshot by 25%, as if you have taken the Practiced Efficiency feat for all of them.
Reel in: You can use the Reel In Spell, using the same resource (Magic or Stamina) as with Ravio’s Hookshot, with the same benefits.
Reinforced: The Hookshot gains (Rank + 1) extra Durability.
Shrinkable: This Hookshot can shrink and grow back to size on command. It can be safely placed within a Pack’s Key Items pouch, rather than in the Tools pouch. It can also easily be used when the Hero is under the effects of any shrinking effects that the Hookshot was not also affected by.
Wings of Freedom: You can use the Wings of Freedom Spell, using the same resource (Magic or Stamina) as with Ravio’s Hookshot, with the same benefits.

Hookshots and Master Mode

Irreparable Hookshots

As a Master Mode rule, your GM may disallow Hookshot repair and upgrades. This brings Hookshots into line with Weapons and most other equipment, which cannot be safely repaired or upgraded unless inhabited by a Weapon Spirit.

Feats and Spells

New Errata: Tether Recovery

Tether Recovery can now be used with two-handed Extending weapons. This better aligns Tether Recovery as the equivalent of the Hookshot Save Spell.

New Feat: Hookshot Expertise

3 tokens
Effect: When you target a willing ally with Ravio’s Hookshot or Hook-ARMS you can choose to pull yourself toward your ally, or your ally toward yourself, regardless of your relative weights. You can always target an ally with ARM-Swinger or Wings of Freedom and be pulled toward them, regardless of your relative weights.

New Spell: Hookshot Save

3 tokens
Learn requirement: Ravio’s Hookshot
Cost: 2 Magic
Use requirement: You begin falling due to a Push or other forced movement
Reaction
Effect: You anchor the end of Hookshot in the square you just left, and you cease falling.

New Spell: Reel In

6 tokens
Learn requirement: Ravio’s Hookshot
Cost: 8 Magic
Use requirement: Target is not Halted or otherwise immobile
Range: Projectile 8
Effect: Roll To-Hit target’s Fortitude. On a success, your target lands in the square adjacent to you.

New Spell: Wings of Freedom

9 Tokens
Learn requirement: Ravio’s Hookshot
Cost: (Movement cost) Magic per Square moved, see below
Use requirement: You are not Halted
Minor Action
Range: Self
Effect: Until the end of this turn, you can move by targeting creatures or objects heavier than you, or terrain, within Projectile 8 range. When you do so, you shoot out a hook that harmlessly embeds within or wraps around the target. This Spell allows you to move anywhere within Projectile 8 squares of that target, as long as there is a clear line between you and your target; you will spend Magic and Movement to do so. At any point in your movement, you can retract the previous hook and move as normal. After retracting the hook, you may also fire off another one at a different target. You can continue moving in this way as long as you have not moved beyond (Movement) range this turn.
You move in a Natural manner as a result of this Technique; typically this will mean that the Movement and Stamina costs per square will be 1 each. However, if you are affected by a condition that increases Movement costs – such as carrying a “burdened” load, Slowed, Sneaking, or moving through Difficult Terrain – then the Stamina costs will be increased as well.

To better visualize this Spell, please see the “A Helpful Example…” section at the end of the article.

New Technique: ARM-Swinger

9 Tokens
Learn requirement: Hook-ARMS
Cost: (Movement cost) Stamina per Square moved, see below
Use requirement: You are not Halted
Minor Action
Range: Self
Effect: Until the end of this turn, you can move by targeting creatures or objects heavier than you, or terrain, within Projectile 8 range. When you do so, you shoot out a hook that harmlessly embeds within or wraps around the target. This Spell allows you to move anywhere within Projectile 8 squares of that target, as long as there is a clear line between you and your target; you will spend Stamina and Movement to do so. At any point in your movement, you can retract the previous hook and move as normal. After retracting the hook, you may also fire off another one at a different target. You can continue moving in this way as long as you have not moved beyond (Movement) range this turn.
You move in a Natural manner as a result of this Technique; typically this will mean that the Movement and Stamina costs per square will be 1 each. However, if you are affected by a condition that increases Movement costs – such as carrying a “burdened” load, Slowed, Sneaking, or moving through Difficult Terrain – then the Stamina costs will be increased as well.

To better visualize this Technique, please see the “A Helpful Example…” section at the end of the article.

New Technique: Tether Grab

6 tokens
Learn requirement: Hook-ARMS
Cost: 8 Stamina
Use requirement: Target is not Halted or otherwise immobile
Range: Projectile 8
Effect: Roll To-Hit target’s Fortitude. On a success, your target lands in the square adjacent to you.

A Helpful Example…

… for ARM-Swinger and Wings of Freedom.

In the scenario below, the Hylian uses his Hookshot to cast Wings of Freedom as a minor action. He pulls himself past a pit to land next to the Moblin, then attacks the Moblin with his standard action. Finally, he uses Wings of Freedom to pull himself northward to be on the other side of the pit.

The Hylian can also use Wings of Freedom to aim the Hookshot at the purple block above the southern set of pits. He can swing over eastward toward the Moblin, then northward. However, he would not be able to swing past the northern pit; as such, he’d have to use the hookshot on the block directly north of him.

Either way, the total cost for the 6 squares of swinging movement is 6 Magic/Stamina. If the Hylian or the Hookshot have the Practiced Efficiency Feat/Personal Touch, then the total cost of the movement is 4 Magic/Stamina.

A more frugal Hylian may instead use this Spell to only swing past the pits, which will reduce the swinging to 4 squares. This will cost 4 Magic/Stamina, and Practiced Efficiency will reduce the cost to 3 Magic/Stamina.

Edit 17 September 2020 – The Yank Closer Personal Touch has been renamed to Reel In, to match the name of the proper Spell.