The ubiquitous pole

[monty]

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]

Mine is three three-foot poles which screw together when needed.

[Malacode]

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]

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]

Why carry a pole when your have a vast array of Pole-arms to choose from

[horseboy]

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]

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]

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]

You poke buttons and golden idols with it.

And the screwy bits are each three inches long.

[horseboy]

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]

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]

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]

You poke buttons and golden idols with it.

And the screwy bits are each three inches long.

Assuming they somehow screw together without losing length, you're still 3 inches short

[ShadowFighter15]

And the screwy bits are each three inches long.

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]

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]

Assuming they somehow screw together without losing length, you're still 3 inches short

Which is why you only screw them 2/3 of the way in.

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]

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]

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]

Why carry a pole when your have a vast array of Pole-arms to choose from

For not touching the Grinch?

[only1doug]

Which is why you only screw them 2/3 of the way in.

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]

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

So the paladin does have a use!

[Post-Man]

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]

Very. Actually, you need an 11 foot pole. The number of things hat have a 10-foot blast radius.

[Leon]

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]

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]

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!

Spoiler

Show

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]

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]

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]

Yup, nothing beats my 10-piece three-foot-pole set for-

...

Waaait...

[LibraryOgre]

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.