[Rooks]

So Grappling guns when you use them to climb up how do you handle it is it automatic do I really need to take an exotic weapon skill just to shoot a grappling gun at a bulding the size of a skyscrapper?

[Prætus]

Personally I would go with the following.

To hit a building, not so much.  To hit a person/drone/vehicle, especially when it is moving, yeah.

[Medicineman]

or you could (as a Houserule) include a Grappling Hook in Archery
I don't see a big difference between a Grapling Hook Gun and a Crossbow .
The difference between a Knife and an Axe  is bigger ( both are Blades)
or the difference between a Black Jack and a Bo Staff ( both are Clubs)

with an included Dance
Medicineman

looks down to Brackhaus' post
The use of both is SIMILAR nonetheless !
( more similar than some of the Weapons in Blades or Clubs !!)

[Herr Brackhaus]

Medicineman
Try affixing a 3-5 pound load bearing grappling hook to the end of a crossbow bolt and see what that does to its ballistic performance

Rooks
It's not really well explained to be honest. You'll need the Exotic Ranged Weapon skill to use it according to the rules, but it's not clear if this is to use it as a weapon (it has a stat line) or for its original intended purpose.

[Sterling]

Medicineman
Try affixing a 3-5 pound load bearing grappling hook to the end of a crossbow bolt and see what that does to its ballistic performance

Not to mention the line trailing after it!

Rooks
It's not really well explained to be honest. You'll need the Exotic Ranged Weapon skill to use it according to the rules, but it's not clear if this is to use it as a weapon (it has a stat line) or for its original intended purpose.

I've always taken it that you can fire it untrained to try and hook it to a building, say 1 hit required, with more hits for tougher targets like moving vehicles, small packages below you, etc.  Obviously taking the Exotic Weapon Proficiency would make you more likely to hit first time. 

[Herr Brackhaus]

Unforunately, Sterling, Exotic Ranged Weapon is not a skill you can default on in SR5.

[Sterling]

Unforunately, Sterling, Exotic Ranged Weapon is not a skill you can default on in SR5.

It's not?

<flick, flick, flick>

The table on p. 151 SR5 Core (2nd Print) has those skills you cannot default on in italics.  Exotic Ranged Weapon (Specific) is not in italics.  That's my go to for a quick check, but yes, you're right, the actual skill description says no to defaulting.

Bollocks.

So, given the description in the book reads:

This gun can shoot a grappling hook and attached rope, using Light Crossbow ranges. It comes equipped with an internal winch to pull back the grapple (or pull up small loads). Use the Exotic Ranged Weapon skill to shoot it

(my emphasis), then by RAW you can't use it at all without the Exotic Ranged Weapon.

[Triskavanski]

Medicineman
Try affixing a 3-5 pound load bearing grappling hook to the end of a crossbow bolt and see what that does to its ballistic performance

Not to mention the line trailing after it!

Well, if you want get into that..

Harpoon gun.

It uses Archery. Can have a line and quite a bit of pull power apparently. (Though yes, Mechanically its not listed)

In all honesty, The reason why its an exotic weapon doesn't have anything to do with the weapon. Just that who ever made it  in forth edition, thought it was different and should be considered to be exotic. Possibly because he felt it shouldn't be used as a weapon and if you wanted to make it one, well, it shouldn't be easy to use as one.  then Fifth just copy pasted that. (It could have gone further back, but thats all I have)

So I'd go with Medicine man's suggestion here and see if you could house rule it in as a projectile weapon, or just assume you can point and click at buildings no problem. Big targets that don't really move, but if you shoot at a badguy moving around, then use it as an exotic.

[Herr Brackhaus]

Honestly though, grappling guns can only lift "small loads", which to my mind excludes most metahumans. In most situations except where it's raining, you're better off with a pair of gecko tape gloves as they provide the exact same benefits.

[Triskavanski]

Yeah probably. But you don't get to be as cool.

I think the best way to use a grapple gun, is to fire the microwire type across the street  as that enemy Street sam  comes racing after you, as this should allow you to get ahead of him.

[Rooks]

SR 3rd
Grapple Gun: This gun can shoot a grappling hook more than
50 meters. It comes equipped with an internal spool. If used as
a weapon, it fires at Heavy Crossbow ranges and does 5M Stun
damage. The grapple line can easily hold 1,000kg.

SR 4th
Grapple Gun
This gun can shoot a grappling hook out to 75 meters. It comes
equipped with an internal winch, to pull back the grapple (or pull
up small loads). Use Exotic Ranged Weapon skill to wield this as a
weapon; grapple gun attacks are resisted with Impact armor.
Micro rope can support a weight of up to 2,000 kg; all other ropes
can support a weight of up to 4,000 kg.

SR 5th OMG REALLY?
This gun can shoot a grappling hook and attached
rope, using Light Crossbow ranges. It comes equipped
with an internal winch to pull back the grapple (or pull
up small loads). Use the Exotic Ranged Weapon skill
to shoot it. Micro rope can support a weight of up to
100 kilograms; standard and stealth ropes can support
a weight of up to 400 kilograms. Drek this Drek Im out!

ya I usually used gecko gloves but my team needed up an elevator shaft like stat and no one else thought to bring climbing gear we ruled it if its stationary and target is as big as a building no roll cause it willl pull back and eventually catch on something but if you shooting it at a moving object or person you are basically using it as a weapon and would need the skill

[Raven2049]

Maybe that's a typo and they missed a 0 at the end?

[Moonshine Fox]

SR 3rd
Grapple Gun: This gun can shoot a grappling hook more than
50 meters. It comes equipped with an internal spool. If used as
a weapon, it fires at Heavy Crossbow ranges and does 5M Stun
damage. The grapple line can easily hold 1,000kg.

SR 4th
Grapple Gun
This gun can shoot a grappling hook out to 75 meters. It comes
equipped with an internal winch, to pull back the grapple (or pull
up small loads). Use Exotic Ranged Weapon skill to wield this as a
weapon; grapple gun attacks are resisted with Impact armor.
Micro rope can support a weight of up to 2,000 kg; all other ropes
can support a weight of up to 4,000 kg.

SR 5th OMG REALLY?
This gun can shoot a grappling hook and attached
rope, using Light Crossbow ranges. It comes equipped
with an internal winch to pull back the grapple (or pull
up small loads). Use the Exotic Ranged Weapon skill
to shoot it. Micro rope can support a weight of up to
100 kilograms; standard and stealth ropes can support
a weight of up to 400 kilograms. Drek this Drek Im out!

To be fair, 4000 kilos is enough to lift my car up. With me inside it. And a lot of my stuff. 400 kilos is more then enough for Shadowrunners outside of trying to ride 4+ people up at once    Though micro-rope is pretty much off limits to anyone but small runners, I could see that being bumped up to 200. That or just tell the troll to suck it and get thicker rope!

[Herr Brackhaus]

The topic of load ratings could quickly devolve into a real world comparison of ropes used for climbing and those used for static loads. I think it's fair to say that simplifying the concept of load ratings to "most can support 400kg of weight" is "close enough" for the purposes of shadowrunning. Only the heaviest of trolls are going to have issues here.

I also think it's interesting to note that neither 3rd or 4th specifies any additional rules for using these devices. The way I see it then, you could choose to enforce the exotic weapon requirement, or just allow any use to be successful as long as you have enough rope.

Personally, I'd rather have an expert climber scale a wall using gecko tape gloves and carrying climbing gear so he can set a line for the rest of the team, as this would allow climbers who fall to make a safety harness test. Alternatively, just use a mage who knows Levitate.

[Rooks]

True grapplings hooks are for fast evacs as batman points out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDGHBumvIA