Originally posted on the official website on February 14th, 2020
Recruit the Wild: Loftwing Core v2.03
Table of contents
Art by Nintendo
Loftwings are one of the various unique creatures in the Zelda franchise, as they are a cross between horses and shoebills. Although only shown in Skyward Sword, they certainly made an impact: it’s a fantastical creature fans can imagine caring for, explore the skies with, and use in fantasy aerial dogfights. If you should want to include them in your game, click on!
| Loftwing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 Natural Hunter | |||||
| HP: 12 | MP: 0 | SP: 12 | |||
| Defense: 4 (Light) | Concentration: 14 | ||||
| Initiative: +4 | Evasion: 14 | ||||
| Size: Large | Vitality: 13 | ||||
| Movement: 8 (Natural Flyer; Unnatural Walker) | |||||
| Strike | Damage: 9, Sharp | ||||
| To-Hit Check: +7 | Range: Melee | ||||
| Default Weapon: Loftwing Beak | |||||
| (Rank 1 Natural Sword) | |||||
| Accuracy: 3 | Attack: 6 | Durability: 6 | |||
| Night Blindness (Passive) | |||||
| At night, or when in dim light or total darkness, this creature is Slowed. | |||||
| Limited Intelligence, Mount | |||||
| Combat | 3 | Willpower | 0 | Accuracy | 4 |
| Hearts | 3 | Magic | 0 | Stamina | 3 |
| Athletics | 5 | Arcana | 0 | Nature | 3 |
| Civilization | 1 | Perception | 3 | Agility | 4 |
| Fortitude | 3 | Influence | 2 | Command | 1 |
| Intimidate | 2 | Discipline | 4 | Insight | 4 |
| Mechanics | 0 | Perform | 1 | Guile | 1 |
| Smithing | 0 | Enchanting | 0 | Cooking | 0 |
| Drops | 1x Loftwing Bill (Rank 1 Monster Part) | ||||
| 2x Feathers (Rank 1 Cloth) | |||||
Click here for a Google spreadsheet version
New Rules
Below you will find some options to progress a Loftwing Companion, or for GMs to create more advanced Loftwings for Heroes to encounter.
New Feat: Burrowing Bill
6 tokens
Trait requirement: Loftwing
Effect: You are capable of digging through solid earth with your bill. You may treat an empty hand as if it had a Shovel of Rank (base Fortitude / 2). If your use would break a normal Shovel, you cannot dig until you take an Extended Rest.
New Feat: Molter
6 tokens
Trait requirement: Loftwing
Effect: Your feathers molt on occasion. Every Extended Rest, you may make up to (base Discipline / 3) units of Cloth, of up to Rank (base Fortitude / 3).
New Feat: Night Flyer
9 tokens
Trait requirement: Loftwing
Effect: You lose the Night Blindness passive.
New Technique: Bill Drill
6 tokens
Learn requirement: Loftwing, Spiral Charge
Use requirement: Flying
Cost: 8 Stamina
Damage: Combat, ignores Defense
Effect: During this attack, you may use your remaining Movement as normal, but can only move in a straight line. You may move through foes, dealing damage as you do so. If you try to move through a non-swarm foe that is Large or larger, roll To-Hit versus Vitality. On a success, you deal damage again; otherwise, the foe is only damaged once. This attack cannot be performed if you are Halted or Slowed.
New Technique: Spiral Charge
6 tokens
Learn requirement: Loftwing, Dash Attack
Use requirement: Flying
Cost: 12 Stamina
Damage: Weapon + 2x Combat
Effect: During this attack, you may use your remaining flying Movement as normal, but can only fly in a straight line. You may move through foes, dealing damage as you do so. You may only attack a given target once during this attack. This attack cannot be performed if you are Halted or Slowed.
New Mundane Tools
Saddle
(Cloth) A saddle can be placed on any mount. When on a mount wearing a saddle, the rider gains a (Rank) bonus to Guard stats against any attempts to dismount them, directly or indirectly (such as Pushing).
Sailcloth
(Cloth) As a Reaction, you can replace all non-Hands-Free items in your hands and deploy this Sailcloth. Deploying the Sailcloth reduces your damage from falling to (5 – Rank), if it is higher. In addition, while falling, you can adjust your position up to (Rank / 2) squares in any horizontal direction, and you are affected by air currents as if you were Gliding.
Art by Nintendo
Quest Ideas
A man claims to have seen a large bird, the size of a horse, fly toward Madorna Mountain. His description matches the legendary, and long extinct, Loftwing. Anyone who manages to domesticate the birds once again will certain benefit! Assuming, of course, it isn’t a dangerous roc!
A Knight Academy student’s Loftwing has gone missing! Given the importance of the Wing Ceremony in a day’s time – advancement to the next level – the squire enlists the aid of anyone who will help – be it a fellow student, townsfolk, or travelers. The culprit is likely a fellow squire, given how fierce the competition is, but the student faces expulsion if they cannot find the loftwing.
Changelog
5 July 2020:
- Clarified that the Saddle provides a bonus to the Guard stats of the Mount rider. Added in text to specify that non-Hands-Free items held in the Hands are placed away when the Sailcloth is deployed.
23 March 2021:
- Changed “larger or larger” to “Large or larger” for the Bill Drill technique.
20 June 2021:
- Changed the text for Burrowing Bill and Molter to specify the use of a base Trait.