Grapnel

“You think only burglars use grapnels? You must have been asleep during that lesson at Birkholt Academy.”
—Derya Garling, female warrior and bricklayer, 1035 FB

Unlike the smaller climbing hook, the grapnel has three to five long, bent steel struts and attaches to a rope, and the whole thing may be thrown to a respectable height.

Grapnels are particularly well suited for mountain climbing, but even when the surface appears solid, climbers should pull firmly on the rope before climbing to ensure that the grapnel is secure, otherwise it may slip unexpectedly. Rope and grapnel should both be checked frequently when many people are climbing, whether they proceed all at once or one after the other.

For these reasons, grapnels belong in the standard kit of every mountain climber. Even in cities, any self-respecting cat burglar wouldn’t be caught dead without one.

A grapnel attached to a rope can serve as an improvised weapon. However, learning to swing the hooks and hit an opponent takes training and practice, and can easily end badly, just like with a morning star.

Item	Weight	Structure Points	Cost	Complexity
Grapnel	1 stn / 2 lbs	20 SP	7 S	primitive

Rules

A grapnel combined with a climbing rope can be thrown and hooked onto an appropriate surface, such as a sturdy branch or rock outcropping. This requires a check on RC for Thrown Weapons. The throw takes 2 actions, and the check receives a -1 penalty for every 16 feet of distance to the target.

A grapnel with at least 3 feet of rope can serve as an improvised weapon (see page 139).