Clamp boots

Type: Hunter Equipment

Clam boots are a piece of Hunter equipment that allows a hunter who is currently in possession of them to lock their feet onto a surface to easily keep themselves in place. It can help with recoil mitigation and movement, while also capable of assisting a hunter in holding down a favorable position, such as a sniper on a tree limb that is normally too small for them to maneuver properly without assistance.

## Design

The Clamp boots are a Hunter designed tool that draws heavy inspiration from traditional dwarven designed technology, with a strong emphasis on clockwork gears, brass Antirezin, and a skeletal frame. Though technically called a boot, as it is worn on the foot, it is actually more of a boot extension and can be fitted over more than one type of footwear, similar to a more extreme version of a snow shoe. Gears run along every point where articulation is needed, such as along the foot itself and the ankles, and a skeletal metal frame runs about halfway up the shins. The frame has multiple leather straps along it's rims that allows the wearer to adjust the size of the frame, though at a base size where it is unaltered it is large enough to fit around the largest size of a factory produced shoe. four plates of metal, each with multiple large ejecting metal spikes, can be triggered to open up and close from a trigger connected to a wire, which is then connected to the base of the boot. On the trigger there is also a strap, which allows the wearer to connect the device to their toes and slip it down their normal shoes with the rest of their foot. The spikes also have artificial hair-like carbon fiber spatulae, which in turn are covered in multiple setae, which allows the boots to clamp to any surface as long as it isn't Teflon, water, or sand. (this design was influenced by a gecko's ability to stick to any surface.) the Antirezin clamps are so strong that they are more likely going to tear off the ground it is attached to then to disconnect, be it concrete, wood, or even shingling. More recent designs have included safety releases if the foot bends too far, as when this happened in prior models most people could very well break their shins or ankles if they were not careful. It can prove useful in many situations.

## History and modifications

basic designs of the clamp boots originally came from scrapped dwarf blueprints that were sold to a group of hunters during the early-late 19th century. These hunters bought and sold multiple different materials to gain enough money for the expensive Antirezin, and were able to create a basic design that included all the basic functions that modern day clamp boots possess. As time went on, the design was patented and redesigned multiple times until it is what it is today. The design originally came from scrapped dwarven blueprints, as mentioned above, and it is still easy to notice in the base design.

Not many modifications are exactly as easy to create with this piece of equipment in comparison to the Daggerfell gauntlet, but people have been creative nonetheless. The fact that this equipment clamps onto solid surfaces harder than a bulldog on a bull has allowed some to add heating pads or coolant cells to the bottom, meaning that when they latch onto a monster, they can heat up or cool down, exploiting one of the most common weaknesses that many monsters have to temperature. Others have attached compressed air canisters to their clamps, allowing them to jump farther, and others have added a skeletal locking frame that reaches to their waists and backs that gives them even better recoil control and grit to a surface. One of the most common modifications is to add a spring mechanism to the sole, which allows the wearer to jump from heights greater than the average without experiencing ill effects. Personally, Hunters have done the same to the clamp boots that others have done with the Daggerfell gauntlet. Multiple creative paint jobs, lucky trinkets, and unique add-ons to the base design have been seen throughout the years.