Wheelchair Catapult — v0.5

developing full revision

A joyful long-range artillery kid who is fast on pavement, slow on lawns, and unable to move while firing.

Why: Keeps the chair and catapult as ordinary tactical equipment and makes the kid's role instantly readable.

Archetype

A joyful long-range artillery kid who is fast on pavement, slow on lawns, and unable to move while firing.

Personality

Wheelchair Catapult is a twelve-year-old builder who takes pure delight in his own machine. He picked the acid-lime frame, installed the amber tubing, and knows what every pin does. He shouts "WEEEE" when the arm releases because the arc itself makes him happy.

He treats terrain trouble as a problem to solve, not a tragedy. When the front castor sinks into wet grass, he backs up, changes the angle, and tries again. He is more interested in the wrong little wheel than in anybody feeling sorry for him.

Motivation

Winning means making the machine work under real pressure. He wants the next launch to travel farther and land closer than the last one. The field gives him problems worth solving, and every clean arc proves the rig belongs there.

How they fight

His chair carries a surgical-tubing catapult that can throw a heavy balloon far down the block. He is fast on sidewalks, can change firing positions quickly on hard ground, and reaches targets behind ordinary ranged kids. He is strongest with a clear paved route and time to set the wheel locks.

He cannot move while the arm is raised, and the reload is long. Lawns, mud, and soft ground slow the small front castor. The Little Sibling can steal a required pin, and close attackers can reach him before the next balloon is ready.

Field data

Age: 12.
Height / build: approximately 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) body height and about 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) seated; large build.
Weight: approximately 50 kg (110 lb), not including the chair or catapult.
Speed: fast on pavement and slow on lawns (target); exact value unset.
Stamina / soak: called in at full soak (target); exact capacity and slowdown unset.
Strengths: long range, strong balloon attack, fast repositioning on pavement.
Weaknesses: immobile while firing, long reload, poor movement on lawns and mud.

From the studio

This revision keeps the v0.4 dossier and replaces the CHARBOOK-1 breakdown sheet. Anthony display-approved V3S1 on 2026-08-24 ("I like V3S1"): the two-armed A-frame is on the empty rig and both seated variants, with the rigging cleaned — four brass pulleys bolted to the uprights, taut tubing only from basket to pulleys, nothing hanging in the air. The v0.4 breakdown remains on that revision. The role is unimplemented and remains paired with the Slingshot Crew as a competing concept. Earlier published revisions remain unchanged in the timeline.

Featured question

Can he keep a clear firing lane when the fight leaves the sidewalk?

Send feedback →

Artifact shelf

Paired study of the Wheelchair Catapult shouting down the block as his lime throw arm whips upright and a red balloon climbs away on a high arc, both gloved hands still braced on the push-rims. — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
He keeps both hands on the push rims while shouting at the launch.
Source
docs/art/prompts/wheelchair-catapult-studies-v1.md#study-1--the-launch-call
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
GPT-5.6 built-in image generation (tool reported by Anthony)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool

Paired study of the Wheelchair Catapult seating a red balloon in the pouch of his home-built lime catapult arm, with the amber tubing, brass bolts, winch crank, and pivot bracket all visible on the chair frame. — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
He seats a red balloon while amber tubing and brass hardware remain visible.
Source
docs/art/prompts/wheelchair-catapult-studies-v1.md#study-2--where-the-tubing-anchors
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
GPT-5.6 built-in image generation (tool reported by Anthony)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool

Paired study of the Wheelchair Catapult cranking his throw arm down against stretched amber tubing at a driveway mouth while the fight runs across the stretch of street his last three shots have already bracketed. — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
He cranks the throw arm down while the fight crosses the street bracketed by his last shots.
Source
docs/art/prompts/wheelchair-catapult-studies-v1.md#study-3--the-long-reload
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
GPT-5.6 built-in image generation (tool reported by Anthony)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool

Paired study of the Wheelchair Catapult calling after a six-year-old who is running away with the brass pin that stows the catapult arm shut in one fist. — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
A six-year-old runs away with the pin needed to stow the catapult arm.
Source
docs/art/prompts/wheelchair-catapult-studies-v1.md#study-4--the-kid-with-the-pin
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
GPT-5.6 built-in image generation (tool reported by Anthony)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool

Paired study of the Wheelchair Catapult at the edge of a lawn with one front castor sunk in soft ground, hands set back on the push-rims to reverse and try a different angle. — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
The front castor sinks into soft ground as he sets his hands to reverse.
Source
docs/art/prompts/wheelchair-catapult-studies-v1.md#study-5--the-wrong-little-wheel
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
GPT-5.6 built-in image generation (tool reported by Anthony)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool

Front, three-quarter, side and back views of the Wheelchair Catapult in chunky low-poly toy-soldier proportions on a plain grey background, for the 3D character build. — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
Wheelchair Catapult — turnaround reference sheet (front, three-quarter, side, back).
Source
docs/art/prompts/refsheets/wheelchair-catapult-prompt-turnaround-v1.md
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
OpenAI built-in image generation (driven from Codex CLI by the co-lead session)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool

The Wheelchair Catapult drawn in a row of animation beats (idle, movement, the archetype's own actions, flinch, out, the walk home — or, for the Toddler, only her safe bubble beats) in the same low-poly toy-soldier style. — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
Wheelchair Catapult — pose strip: the animation beats, for the 3D build.
Source
docs/art/prompts/refsheets/wheelchair-catapult-prompt-poses-v1.md
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
OpenAI built-in image generation (driven from Codex CLI by the co-lead session)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool

The Wheelchair Catapult's clothing and equipment laid out separately like a toy's parts: grey tee, shorts, gloves, sneaker, spare tubing and crank, then the empty two-armed acid-lime catapult chair with cleaned rigging, and the same kid shown small in both team colours (blue and red). — Early exploration — not representative of final direction.
Wheelchair Catapult — outfit and prop breakdown, two-armed frame with cleaned rigging (display-approved v3).
Source
docs/art/prompts/refsheets/wheelchair-catapult-prompt-breakdown-v3.md
Rights state
generated-with-terms-reviewed
Tool
OpenAI built-in image generation (driven from Codex CLI by the co-lead session)
Model
not exposed by built-in tool