The Skyswinger
A human wearing an hefty contraption on their waist suddenly fires a grappling hook, shooting through the air and slicing down the hill giant that threatens his comrades.
An elf rigs a thin wire to the roof of a tall building and slowly descends down the dark tower, eyes on the now open jeweled pot below them, a prize worth thousands of gold.
A tiefling hooks her grapples to two close trees and pulls back, planning to release them when the string is taught so she may fly after her chosen enemy.
The air is a domain few are able to use to their advantage, and Skyswingers are one of those few. Using high powered grappling hooks, incredible acrobatics, and a whole lot of magical gas, Skyswingers can swing through the air at rapid speeds, cutting down their enemies no matter how tall. To be a Skyswinger means that you are a tinkerer, an acrobat, and, most importantly, not sane whatsoever. I mean seriously, who thought this was a good idea. Swinging around at speeds that would kill a normal man? This is dangerous. We shouldn’t be advertising this-
Skyswinger Proficiencies:
As a Skyswinger you must be able to skillfully sling through the air and be able to build the gear you use to swing. At 3rd level when you choose this archetype you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics skill and with Tinker’s Tools if you don't have them already.
Skyswinger Gear:
At 3rd level, using Tinker Tools and materials, you can craft Skyswinger Gear, Skyswinger gear ammunition, repair damaged Skyswinger gear.
Each Skyswinger is slightly different in design, but all contain 5 main parts to function, detailed below. Your DM may allow you to create a new type of Skyswinger with different parts at their discretion. A set of Skyswinger Gear weighs 40 lbs, and if the character using it is not strong enough to wear it without being encumbered they are unable to use it. Crafting each individual piece to make basic gear costs a specific amount of gold and time to do, and may require certain checks also specified by the piece. Typically, a character will need to commission pieces and put them together themselves, but if a character has the means too they may also make the individual pieces to construct each part. Additional add ons and upgrades can be made, which are detailed after the basic pieces.
A Skyswinger requires Gas Points to use. You can spend gas points on the Swings detailed later. You have a number of gas points equal to triple your proficiency bonus, and regain any spent points after a short or long rest.
As a bonus action you may shoot one or two grappling hooks at a target within 30ft of you. While hooked to that point you have a swinging speed of 60ft, which you can use to swing to a point within 30ft of the hooked point. Swinging mostly has to follow gravity, however defying it slightly is possible with miniscule amounts of gas. Fully going against gravity requires spending gas, and is only possible if you've chosen a swing that allows you to do so. The DM can rule an acrobatics check is needed to swing around or through certain objects. You do not need to spend gas points to launch a grappling hook, however you must have at least 1 Gas Point to fire them.
If an ability requires a saving throw, the Save DC is 8 + Prof + Dex mod
The 5 main parts of a Skyswinger are as follows:
Main Housing (40 gp total for parts, 4 hours assembly) - The Main Housing sits on the wearer’s lower back and contains the winch that reels in or lets go of cable and the actual spools of cable.
Controller Grips (30gp, 15gp each, 4 hours assembly) - The Skyswinger system is controlled via a pair of hand held controllers that also serve as hilts for the wearer's weapons. The top trigger fires the anchor with the bottom trigger firing compressed gas. Pulling the lever reels the wire back in, letting go makes it stop. The hammer switch located at the back allows the angle of fire for both anchor mechanisms to be adjusted while the auxiliary switches release and lock the blades in place. The control grip is approximately 18cm in height.
Compressed Gas Cylinder(s) (100Gp, 8 hours assembly, and a DC 14 Arcana Check to initiate the magical gas) - One or more cylinders store compressed gas which is used to both fire and retract the grapples and power swings. The gas contained within is created by a magical process, which is why it’s able to replenish itself relatively quickly. These gas cylinders are typically located either on the back or on large sheaths worn at the hips.
Turbine (30gp, 2 hours assembly) — Gas from the cylinders is blown directly into the turbine powers the winch to retract the grapple cables. The pressure of the gas is regulated to control how quickly the cables are retracted.
Weapons (Vary) - Each Skyswinger has its own weapon. Some have swords, others powerful firearms, and some even use exploding spears. Some weapons work better with certain swings and some weapons work better against certain sized creatures. A Skyswinger can only have one weapon at a time unless specified otherwise, and it takes 3 hours to swap weapons. Examples of weapons are detailed here:
Swords (15 gp a blade): Carrying up to 6 blades at a time within large sheaths (3 blades on each hip), a double sword user spins about cutting down their enemies. A blade does 1d8 damage, has the finesse and light properties. If one or both blades break, a creature wearing their sheaths can replace one or both when they draw their weapon. If you use these types of blades, your grappling hooks are fired from your hips.
Firearms (250 Gp a firearm, 5 Gp per ammo): One who uses firearms is more adept at taking down smaller enemies than towering foes. They have longer range and do more damage, but it’s hard to use them with the fancy swings one could do with a sword. A firearm user wields two powerful firearms, one in each hand, and each firearm does 2d8 damage, has a range of 40/120, and has the loading and light properties. Ammo is carried on their legs, and a character can carry up to 12 ammo total (6 on each leg) unless they have other means of carrying the ammo. Each piece of ammunition is a foot long steel cylinder. With Firearms equpited, grapples are typically shot from the base of the firearm, which means that while you are swinging you can only shoot in the direction of your grapple with a given hand.
Thunder Spears (40gp per spear, each weighs 5lbs, LEVEL 13 PREREQUISITE): Thunder Spears are powerful explosive rockets made for taking down heavily armored creatures. A creature can have up to 8 spears on them at a time, 4 on each arm, and can only fire off an amount of Thunder Spears at once equal to half their proficiency bonus. A creature can activate a spear as an action, targeting a large or larger creature. The spear has a range of 15ft. The targeted creature must make a Dex save or be hit by the spear. The spear explodes when the creature who shot it moves 15ft or more from the targeted creature, pulling the thin cable that triggers the explosion. The creature hit by the spear takes 5d10 force damage, plus an extra 2d10 for each extra spear shot. For each spear, reduce the target’s armor class by 1 IF they have a Natural Armor bonus or are wearing armor.
Skyswinger swings:
Lastly, also at 3rd level, as part of using Skyswinger gear, you can learn how to use Swings, special maneuvers to greatly increase your swinging expertise. You can prepare a number of swings equal to your Dexterity modifier, and can switch swings out when you take a long rest. Some swings work better with different types of weapons and against different creature sizes.
Evasive Swinging:
At 9th level you've learned how to use your gas to evade being hit. When you're hit with an attack you can spend 1 Gas Point to use uncanny dodge without using a reaction. You may only do this once per turn.
Sudden Refuel:
At 13th level you regain a gas point when you roll a 20 and crit on an attack as the power of the attack jolts the magic within your gas cylinders.
Swinging Master:
At 17th level, all your swings are upgraded, as detailed in their description. In addition, all your swings now only cost 1 Gas point, as you've learned how to make the best out of little gas.
Swing Maneuvers:
Advantageous swing: While swinging you can swing in such a way that opens your enemy for an attack. You can spend 1 Gas Point while swinging to gain advantage on an attack roll if it's made while swinging.
17th level - In addition to opening your enemy up for an attack, you make yourself harder to hit, effectively giving yourself the dodge action.
Aim for Weakness (LEVEL 7 PREREQUISITE): As a bonus action you can make an Intelligence
check to find the weakness of a creature of large or larger size. The dc is the creatures CR or 10, whichever is higher. On a success, you deduce the target's weak point. The next time you attack the target with a melee attack while swinging, the attack is considered a crit if you spend 3 Gas Points and make an acrobatics check equal to the target's CR or 10, whichever is higher, and hit. After this swing is used, both your blades break.
17th level - You have advantage on the acrobatics check made.
Cripple: The next time you attack a large or larger creature with a melee attack while swinging, the attack can cripple the target by spending 2 Gas points. Make an acrobatics check, with the dc being the target's CR or 10, whichever is higher. On a success, the target either falls prone, is unable to use one of its arms, is blinded, or is unable to move it's mouth. At the end of its turns, it can make a constitution saving throw against the total of half the damage dealt to stop the effect. After this swing is used, both your blades break.
17th level - The cripple lasts for 1 minute before the creature can start remaking saving throws.
Double attack (5th level prerequisite): If you hook your grappling hooks to two separate points, and two enemies are within swinging distance of both, you can spend 2 gas points while swinging to make a single attack against each creature. Both of these attacks can trigger sneak attacks if the conditions are right. After this swing is used, both your blades break.
17th level - You can attack up to 3 creatures with this swing.
Gas cushion: As a reaction you can take no falling damage when you take falling damage by spending 1 Gas Point, using the gas to cushion your fall.
17th - After you complete falling you may move up to half your movement without provoking opportunity attacks.
Intimidating swing: When you hit a creature while swinging with an attack, you can force either it or another creature who saw the attack to make a wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they are terrified of your skills and are frightened for 1 minute. They can remake the saving throw at the start of their turns.
17th level - The target doesn't make the save at the end of its turns, and is frightened for the entire minute.
Quick Maneuver: While swinging you can spend 1 Gas Point to move anywhere within 30ft of the hooked point, ignoring gravity and physics for that moment. You can use this maneuver in addition to other maneuvers, but can’t use it more than once per turn.
17th level - Your swing speed increases by 20ft when you use this swing.
Slingshot: While swinging, if you've hooked your grappling hooks to two points within 15ft of each other you can spend 2 gas points to shoot through the middle of those two points, moving up to 60ft in a straight line and releasing your grappling hooks. If you hit an object or creature, you must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a success you take half of the falling damage you would if you tell the amount of feet moved, on a failure you take full. The object or creature takes the same damage.
17th level - Distance shot is brought up to 100ft
Spinning swing: While swinging you can spin by spending 2 gas points. As you move, if you're wielding one melee weapon in each hand, any creature you pass within melee distance of you must make a Dex save or take your sneak attack damage. Once you do this both your blades break.
17th level - In addition to sneak attack damage you also deal normal weapon damage.
Thunderous attack: When you damage a creature with a ranged weapon, you can spend 2 gas points to cause that attack to make a thunderous noise. The target must make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
17th level - The Stun lasts for 1 minute, and the creature can make a save at the end of its turn.