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monty
2008-12-30, 01:35 AM
From my experience, no adventuring pack is complete without a ten-foot pole. One thing that always confused me was how exactly this pole is carried. Lacking magical storage, how do you carry such a thing in narrow passages, through dense forest, or while fighting? I just can't quite visualize it.

Inyssius Tor
2008-12-30, 01:43 AM
Mine is three three-foot poles which screw together when needed.

Malacode
2008-12-30, 01:48 AM
See, the best thing to do here is to ignore it. According to the rules, my barbarian can lift over 500 pounds of styrofoam and then carry it for as long as he wishes.... How does he balance it? Doesn't matter. How does it fit into, well, anything? Doesn't matter. All that matters is that it weighs 500 pounds. The awkwardness of carrying things just isn't accounted for. Besides, everyone knows the 11' pole is sooo much better

Prometheus
2008-12-30, 01:51 AM
My adventurers never carried any pole, but if they did, they would have had a place to put it. I don't care for keeping track of space and weight, so in most games they find their way to a bag of holding relatively quickly and in one case they had a wagon/carriage everywhere they went (which they occasionally left in towns nearby when traveling in denser lands).

Leon
2008-12-30, 02:06 AM
Why carry a pole when your have a vast array of Pole-arms to choose from

horseboy
2008-12-30, 02:19 AM
Well, we always just tied them to the horse's saddle, there where you tie on your spears, polearms, and/or staves. When in use it was in the point guys shield hand.

herrhauptmann
2008-12-30, 02:44 AM
My favorite was a 2nd edition game where a character carried around a 7ft voulge.
I asked him once, how do you use that when we're crawling through the sewers balanced on a 20in ledge?
"I choke up on the voulge so there's only a foot or so between my hand and the blade."
So I ask: What about the extra 3 feet or more sticking out behind you. How do you manage to not hit the wall or the wizard now?
"I choke up on the voulge so there's only a foot or so between my hand and the blade."


But using a 10ft pole, never needed. Usually have a polearm (as mentioned) or some other form of reach weapon to whack the ceiling with. Provided with great laughs in a 3.5 LG game when DM realized I'd been carrying it around for 2 levels.

xanaphia
2008-12-30, 02:47 AM
Mine is three three-foot poles which screw together when needed.

I'd like to point out that 3 time 3 is nine. However, considering the intelligence of the people on these forums, I probably don't need to.

What is a 20ft pole for, apart from the old ladder/pole infinite wealth trick?

Disarming traps?

Inyssius Tor
2008-12-30, 02:51 AM
You poke buttons and golden idols with it.

And the screwy bits are each three inches long. :smallamused:

horseboy
2008-12-30, 02:53 AM
Disarming traps?
Detecting Traps, poking things to make sure it's dead. Reaching down to give the guy stuck in the pit something to grab hold of while you pull them up. Tying things to, probing under water/slime/the darkness a million uses.

arguskos
2008-12-30, 02:54 AM
I'd like to point out that 3 time 3 is nine. However, considering the intelligence of the people on these forums, I probably don't need to.

What is a 20ft pole for, apart from the old ladder/pole infinite wealth trick?

Disarming traps?
Well, what could YOU do with a 10 ft pole in a dungeon situation? See, there's your answer (eg. I poke the darkness, does it poke back?).

3Power
2008-12-30, 02:57 AM
I'd like to point out that 3 time 3 is nine. However, considering the intelligence of the people on these forums, I probably don't need to.
I'd like to point out that 10/3 = 3.3333333, which is rounded to 3.

Fizban
2008-12-30, 03:17 AM
You poke buttons and golden idols with it.

And the screwy bits are each three inches long. :smallamused:
Assuming they somehow screw together without losing length, you're still 3 inches short :smallamused:

ShadowFighter15
2008-12-30, 03:19 AM
And the screwy bits are each three inches long. :smallamused:

That still only adds up to nine feet, nine inches. An easier way would be two three-foot pieces and a four-foot piece; neatly adds up to ten feet.

TempusCCK
2008-12-30, 04:36 AM
How does my Rogue perform such neat little tumbles with 33 pounds of stuff strapped to his back and rear? Or how does me move so silent with all that stuff jangling? It's kind of silly, but I've always kind of assumed that it was unspecified that adventurers just drop all their stuff while fighting and pick it up when they head out, with no need to say anything.

As for balancing on the ledge, well, obviously you choke up on the pole...

Dervag
2008-12-30, 04:45 AM
Assuming they somehow screw together without losing length, you're still 3 inches short :smallamused:Which is why you only screw them 2/3 of the way in. :smallamused::smallamused:


How does my Rogue perform such neat little tumbles with 33 pounds of stuff strapped to his back and rear? Or how does me move so silent with all that stuff jangling? It's kind of silly, but I've always kind of assumed that it was unspecified that adventurers just drop all their stuff while fighting and pick it up when they head out, with no need to say anything.Rogues would probably go to a lot of trouble to stow their equipment in ways that don't jangle and clank, but I see the problem.

Bayar
2008-12-30, 05:17 AM
From my experience, no adventuring pack is complete without a ten-foot pole. One thing that always confused me was how exactly this pole is carried. Lacking magical storage, how do you carry such a thing in narrow passages, through dense forest, or while fighting? I just can't quite visualize it.

The paladin's role in a party is...

Muad'dib
2008-12-30, 05:41 AM
That still only adds up to nine feet, nine inches. An easier way would be two three-foot pieces and a four-foot piece; neatly adds up to ten feet.

The middle section has two screwy ends.

Waspinator
2008-12-30, 05:48 AM
Why carry a pole when your have a vast array of Pole-arms to choose from
For not touching the Grinch?

only1doug
2008-12-30, 06:21 AM
Which is why you only screw them 2/3 of the way in. :smallamused::smallamused:


ummm... I'm not going to touch the mechanic of why this doesn't work with a 10' pole.

I actually did something similar once, I had four billy-clubs made, 3' long, 6" handle, screw thread at end so you could attach them all together into a 12' long half ladder.

Pauwel
2008-12-30, 06:46 AM
The paladin's role in a party is...

So the paladin does have a use!

Post-Man
2008-12-30, 06:52 AM
I'd like to point out that 10/3 = 3.3333333, which is rounded to 3.

Then again, after the first nine feet, how important is the tenth, really?

Heliomance
2008-12-30, 07:09 AM
Very. Actually, you need an 11 foot pole. The number of things hat have a 10-foot blast radius.

Leon
2008-12-30, 08:53 AM
But using a 10ft pole, never needed. Usually have a polearm (as mentioned) or some other form of reach weapon to whack the ceiling with. Provided with great laughs in a 3.5 LG game when DM realized I'd been carrying it around for 2 levels.

Yep, a Pole Arm is a great thing to have
When not in Use my PCs tend to peace-bond them and use them as walking stave's / assist in carrying things

Ive a player who has his Pole Arms always made so they can be dismantled

MickJay
2008-12-30, 10:05 AM
Make your players go through a dense forest and constantly remind them that their polearms/poles get entangled in bushes, hit on trees, get stuck between trees... lots of fun, and then you can either reward them (either for persistence in keeping the poles with them, or for common sense they showed in leaving them in the forest) or punish them (for stubbornness in doing something as stupid as carrying a long stick through dense woods, or recklessness in abandoning a crucial piece of equipment). Poles can provide a lot of fun.

Another_Poet
2008-12-30, 10:27 AM
Guys, tsk tsk, for so many math & computer folks on these boards....

Section 1: 36"
+
Screwy Bit A: 3"
+
Section 2: 36"
+
Screwy Bit B: 3"
+
Section 3: 36"

=114" or 9 feet 6 inches.

There are only two screw conector sections on the whole thing. So it doesn't become 9'9", and it doesn't become 10".... it becomes 9'6".

Geez, do I have to do all the nerdery around here? Gosh!


And don't try to tell me there are two parts to each screwy bit, thus doubling them to 6" apiece... if that's true then they would be built into the three wooden segments and includeed in their 3' length. No one is going to make money by selling adventurers life-saving equipment with 7 separate parts that need screwing together (7 standard actions to assemble?). Not when it could come in just 3 parts. :P :P :P

MickJay
2008-12-30, 11:01 AM
Guys, tsk tsk, for so many math & computer folks on these boards....

Section 1: 36"
+
Screwy Bit A: 3"
+
Section 2: 36"
+
Screwy Bit B: 3"
+
Section 3: 36"

=114" or 9 feet 6 inches.

There are only two screw conector sections on the whole thing. So it doesn't become 9'9", and it doesn't become 10".... it becomes 9'6".

Geez, do I have to do all the nerdery around here? Gosh!


Mua'Dib already pointed out that there are only 2 screwy bits, so apparently you're not doing all the nerdery ;)

Another_Poet
2008-12-30, 11:09 AM
Mua'Dib already pointed out that there are only 2 screwy bits, so apparently you're not doing all the nerdery ;)


My interpretation of his post was that he meant there were two on the middle section, plus the one on each of the other sections. Which does mean I'm assuming he's wrong, sure, but since his post seemed to argue that the pole does in fact add up to 10' there's not many ways around that.

I'm also assuming Mua'Dib is male, but since the actual Mua'Dib is male....

Well, I'm just full of assumptions and tenuous evidence today.


ap

OracleofWuffing
2008-12-30, 11:14 AM
Yup, nothing beats my 10-piece three-foot-pole set for-

...

Waaait...

LibraryOgre
2008-12-30, 12:32 PM
I know that the dwarves section in the Tales of the Lance boxed set actually included some weapons that were designed to be used as tools... I think it included a pole with a joint in the middle, and another that could be carried in multiple sections.

Frequently, in ancient militaries, everyone would carry a portion of communal gear. Every person would carry a couple stakes for the evening fortification in the Roman army, for example... between a legion, they carried everything needed for a stout fortification. Now, you obviously can't carry a fortification without magic in a party, but you can carry a few sections of staff that are designed to work together.

Lappy9000
2008-12-30, 12:53 PM
From my experience, no adventuring pack is complete without a ten-foot pole. One thing that always confused me was how exactly this pole is carried. Lacking magical storage, how do you carry such a thing in narrow passages, through dense forest, or while fighting? I just can't quite visualize it.

Retractable? They even have an official one in Dungeonscape, possibly courtesy of Mr. Burlew himself.

herrhauptmann
2009-01-02, 01:37 PM
As for balancing on the ledge, well, obviously you choke up on the pole...

But now he's got an extra two or three feet sticking out behind him. That's actually worse, because now he's going to go all 3 stooges with the bit that he can't see because it's behind him.

Bryn
2009-01-02, 02:12 PM
To illustrate what I think I'm getting from the three-segment-pole discussion...
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/8020/10footpolemk4.png
Seems plausible enough.

Another_Poet
2009-01-02, 03:04 PM
Agreed, but by your diagram the 4 connectors are built into the wooden segments - they are not separate. In that case I no longer think they should be referred to as three 3' wooden sections, since they are neither 3' long (two are 3'3" and one is 3'6") nor are they all made of wood.

Please note that I am carrying a humorous, ridiculously over-thought argument to its even more ridiculous conclusion here. I think in reality we would all refer to them as 3' sections since it's close enough and it's less of a mouthful. But since we were correcting each other's math, there ya go.

To get back to the main point there's no need for collapsible ones. A single solid 10' pole is sturdier, and can easily be carried through narrow hallways. Your point guy should have the pole out ahead of him, not hitting the eye of the guy behind him.

If you're in tiny twisting passages like a stove-pipe then you have to leave it behind but, really, once you're in passages like that you're asking for trouble.

I'd rather carry a single big one, myself.

ap

Berserk Monk
2009-01-02, 06:36 PM
I thought the party paladin stored it up their ass. It's like a class feature or something.

Neek
2009-01-02, 06:59 PM
You know, this entire argument could be countered if you just added one inch to each section. 3' 4" (4/12 == 1/3). Not sure if you're being daffy or serious at times, I tells ya.

You know, I play characters dumb enough to not warrant the need for a 10' pole. But they definitely need more love.

metagaia
2009-01-02, 07:11 PM
Agreed, but by your diagram the 4 connectors are built into the wooden segments - they are not separate. In that case I no longer think they should be referred to as three 3' wooden sections, since they are neither 3' long (two are 3'3" and one is 3'6") nor are they all made of wood.

You are not counting the actual screw bit either (merely the connectors) so you have one that is 3'3", one that is 3'6" and one that is 3'9".

Geez, good job this is all roleplay. All these adventurers and they can't even figure out the logistics of a 10 foot pole :smallamused:

Jack_Simth
2009-01-02, 07:22 PM
Why use a 10-foot pole? Use a Wizard (or Sorcerer) with a wand (or Sorcerer) of Unseen Servant, plus a 100 pound bag of rocks and sticks. Have the unseen servant beat on anything that needs beating on. I'm 25 feet away, around a corner, not connected to said stick.

Higher up, use the Summon Elemental Reserve Feat, and a Permanencied Detect Magic.

monty
2009-01-02, 09:39 PM
I thought the party paladin stored it up their ass. It's like a class feature or something.

But then you wouldn't be able to take it out to use. They wouldn't let you have it.

Dogmantra
2009-01-02, 10:40 PM
But then you wouldn't be able to take it out to use. They wouldn't let you have it.

Ah, but in this case, the "Good" part of their alignment would trump the "Lawful", so it's okay!

Another_Poet
2009-01-03, 12:57 AM
You are not counting the actual screw bit either (merely the connectors) so you have one that is 3'3", one that is 3'6" and one that is 3'9".

Eventually we have to stop adding more and more screw to it. When people say 3' foot sections I assume they mean 3', total. Then we're adding 3" "screwy bits" to them. Okay, I figure, now we have 3'3" sections, period, done. Now we're adding 3" of "actual screw bit" in addition to the "screwy bits" and we're renaming "screwy bits" as "connectors". WTF?????

Let me put it this way. The screws, however long they are, have a male and female end. One fits into the other. If one has 3" of screw hanging off of it the other should have a 3" deep socket to absorb it. You ain't gainin' no length no how.

ap

Thrud
2009-01-03, 03:49 AM
Wait, you mean you don't all have Rods of Lordly Might?

:smallbiggrin:

I still think that the first one was comissioned by a fighter who was having major Staff of the Magi envy just coz he didn't have a magical phallic symbol to grasp hold of. So he had to make one that grew bigger and bigger. . .

Randel
2009-01-03, 01:06 PM
Simple:

All ten foot poles are actually little pieces sawed off of Pinocchio's nose. He's cornered the market not only because he can create an infinite number of them just by lying, but since they are still a part of his near-immortal wooden body then they retain a fraction of his magic.

To retract a ten-foot pole to a size you can carry, hold it in your hand and tell the truth. To lengthen it to ten feet, tell lies. Note that you can't extend a pole past ten-feet long (unless you pay extra for the eleven-foot one or get a pole custom made by pinocchio.).

Some paladins dislike ten-foot poles because they encourage people to lie in the line of duty, thats why they hide them. This is also a reason why some paladins are seemingly incapable of lying, if they do so while a fragment of a ten-foot pole is inside them... it could get uncomfortable.

herrhauptmann
2009-01-03, 01:22 PM
To retract a ten-foot pole to a size you can carry, hold it in your hand and tell the truth. To lengthen it to ten feet, tell lies. Note that you can't extend a pole past ten-feet long (unless you pay extra for the eleven-foot one or get a pole custom made by pinocchio.).

Some paladins dislike ten-foot poles because they encourage people to lie in the line of duty, thats why they hide them. This is also a reason why some paladins are seemingly incapable of lying, if they do so while a fragment of a ten-foot pole is inside them... it could get uncomfortable.

Awesome.
Now does it take a single lie to reach 10 feet?

Another_Poet
2009-01-03, 02:16 PM
Simple:

All ten foot poles are actually little pieces sawed off of Pinocchio's nose. He's cornered the market not only because he can create an infinite number of them just by lying, but since they are still a part of his near-immortal wooden body then they retain a fraction of his magic.

To retract a ten-foot pole to a size you can carry, hold it in your hand and tell the truth. To lengthen it to ten feet, tell lies. Note that you can't extend a pole past ten-feet long (unless you pay extra for the eleven-foot one or get a pole custom made by pinocchio.).

Some paladins dislike ten-foot poles because they encourage people to lie in the line of duty, thats why they hide them. This is also a reason why some paladins are seemingly incapable of lying, if they do so while a fragment of a ten-foot pole is inside them... it could get uncomfortable.

Randel, you have won the thread.

Randel
2009-01-03, 05:53 PM
Randel, you have won the thread.

Thank you, thank you. *gladly accepts the thread*

I will now donate this thread to the Catgirl Protection Fund which will hopefully save many innocent catgirls from logic related deaths.


Oh, and due to the lying/truthtelling induced resizing nature of Pinocchio wood, its the only wood a rational adventurer would use to have a ten-foot pole made out of, and its completely infeasible to make anything else out of it! Make a boat out of Pinocchio wood? The individual boards would bend against eachother and the whole thing would shatter the second anyone told a truth while touching it! Same with boxes, houses, golems, and of course... ladders!

Some smart-arse heros think they can break a ladder in half to make two ten-foot poles and resell them for massive profit. Well no sane person would make a ladder out of wood that resizes and no sane person would try selling ten-foot poles out of wood that doesn't (you can of course make broomsticks or fishing poles out of mundane wood. But if you're planning on making those then just get the raw materials to make them instead of going around busting up ladders!).

So remember, you can't break a ladder in half and resell it as two ten-foot poles because ten-foot poles are made of pieces of Pinocchio's nose while ladders are made of regular wood. Thats why you have to spend two silver pieces for a ten-foot stick and can get a whole ladder for five copper.

Thurbane
2009-01-03, 08:26 PM
Mine is three three-foot poles which screw together when needed.
For the sake of the pedantic, let's assume each section is 40 inches long when connected. 3 x 40 = 120. 120 inches = 10 feet. Done. :smallbiggrin:

Or, you know, Dungeonscape, p.30 - Collapsible Pole. :smalltongue: