Equipment Oddities

[Zom B]

Everyone's scanned over the equipment list when creating a new character, such as I am now, but there are items on there that I can't conceive of ever buying for any character, mostly because of the lack of any description. Anyone here regularly buy these items? Any additions?

1. Block and Tackle - How much weight can the parts support? Where are the details on how it should be secured? Does it come with some sort of anchors for securing it to stone or wood such as nails or screws?
2. Fishhook - Where's the line that I secure this to? Or does it come with it?

Honorable Mention:
Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.
Masterwork Tool - What skills can this aid in? Can I claim that my sassy monocle is a masterwork tool so it adds +2 to my Diplomacy checks?

[freebiewitz]

I liked using the fish hook tool. You know how clothes have two layers? I inserted the hook in between the two to hide it. Basically because it's sharp and thin you can use it to pick locks. So if I'm ever without my equipment I just have to make sure I still have my pants.

At a -2 penalty who cares?

[Caphi]

Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.

There are collapsible poles. I recall one from Dungeonscape. Makes life much easier.

The most weight-efficient ways to replace a battering ram are shatter and mountain hammer. You could also be a dungeoncrasher or, in a pinch, a barbarian.

Or you could just buy a bag of holding or Heward's handy haversack and ignore space considerations altogether.

[Lysander]

Masterwork tools are provide a bonus to any craft check. Pretty handy if you plan on making a lot of stuff.

[Zom B]

Masterwork tools are provide a bonus to any craft check. Pretty handy if you plan on making a lot of stuff.

You're thinking of Artisan's Tools.

[Aroka]

Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.

When they can save your life, you absolutely do drag them around. (And I mean drag. Obviously you just carry them by hand and put them down for fights.) I haven't seen any of those used since I played Basic D&D, admittedly.

[PId6]

Masterwork Tool - What skills can this aid in? Can I claim that my sassy monocle is a masterwork tool so it adds +2 to my Diplomacy checks?

It works for anything for which such tools don't already exist. So yes, if you can think of something to aid in Diplomacy (such as the aforementioned monocle), then you can use it.

[Maerok]

It works for anything for which such tools don't already exist. So yes, if you can think of something to aid in Diplomacy (such as the aforementioned monocle), then you can use it.

For that much gp, it beats wasting a feat on Skill Focus.

[arrowhen]

Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.

Heh. You don't strap the 10 ft. pole to your back, you slowly advance down the dungeon corridor with your 10 ft. pole extended in front of you as far as it can reach, constantly tapping the walls, ceiling, and floor in an effort to set off any traps which might be there, because otherwise you're waiting on the Thief's 25% chance to Find Traps after searching for ten minutes... but only after the ten linkboys you picked up in town for a gold piece have all been killed by traps or failed their morale checks and run away. And besides, when you've been lugging around a fifteen-foot Awl Pike for the last two dungeon levels, that ten-foot pole is nothing.

[Psyx]

10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons?

Honestly; the youth of today... Don't know they've been BORN!

[Thurbane]

An oldie but a goodie: but a 10 ft ladder (5cp), disassemble it into two 10 ft poles (2sp ea) and the rungs (rungs = firewood, 1cp per 20 lb).

Profit!

[hamishspence]

DMs can probably get round it by saying that part of a ladder just isn't as good as the standard 10 ft pole (it has holes in it) and thus, won't sell at the same price. Or won't sell at all.

[hewhosaysfish]

DMs can probably get round it by saying that part of a ladder just isn't as good as the standard 10 ft pole (it has holes in it) and thus, won't sell at the same price. Or won't sell at all.

But surely, Hamish, given the truly colossal demand for 10 ft poles in the shops, there will still be dozens of people queueing up to buy even a slightly holey one?

[Thurbane]

DMs can probably get round it by saying that part of a ladder just isn't as good as the standard 10 ft pole (it has holes in it) and thus, won't sell at the same price. Or won't sell at all.

Have the Cleric cast Make Whole on them. Voila!

[Tyndmyr]

Honorable Mention:
Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.
Masterwork Tool - What skills can this aid in? Can I claim that my sassy monocle is a masterwork tool so it adds +2 to my Diplomacy checks?

You go into dungeons WITHOUT a ten foot pole? Until I get mage hand whenever I want, I *need* these.

Masterwork tools. Buy one of everything. Seriously. There's really no reason not to. Not that much money or weight.

[Tyndmyr]

Have the Cleric cast Make Whole on them. Voila!

We don't need to Make Whole, we need to Fix Whole!

[KillianHawkeye]

Have the Cleric cast Make Whole on them. Voila!

Wouldn't make whole merely reassemble the ladder?

[panaikhan]

My druid never goes anywhere without his trusty 10' pole / quarterstaff / shilleleigh...

[kjones]

Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.

You damn kids today, no respect for your roots! Back in my day if you so much as set foot in a dungeon without your trusty 10-foot pole, you'd be dead before you could say "Acererack"! And even if you did have one, your odds weren't so good!

And we walked to the dungeons through blinding snowstorms, uphill both ways, and killed dragons with rusty butterknives for a treasure hoard that consisted entirely of copper! And then on the way back to town you'd be killed by an owlbear, but we didn't complain, no sir. Things were simpler back then, none of your "prestige classes" or "feats" or "character options". Fighters were fighters, and they used swords, dammit! If you even so much as brought up the idea of a "spiked chain" they'd laugh you out of the group, before they made you do the Walk of a Thousand Four-Siders.

Now get off my lawn!

[Darrin]

[*]Block and Tackle - How much weight can the parts support? Where are the details on how it should be secured? Does it come with some sort of anchors for securing it to stone or wood such as nails or screws?

I think that's what the Sovereign Glue is for. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever played any RPG where a block and tackle was used for anything.

[*]Fishhook - Where's the line that I secure this to? Or does it come with it?

Twine is in the Arms & Equipment Guide and Dungeonscape, 50' for 1 SP. For +1 SP, I recommend 50' of candle wick (A&EG). This does everything twine does, and can also be used as a timing device, 1 inch burns in 30 seconds (5 rounds). In a pinch, a sack or any piece of woven clothing can be unraveled for thread.

Honorable Mention:
Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.

That's what Shapesand (Sandstorm p. 102) is for! 100 GP, and any tool you can think of up to 4 lbs is at your fingertips.

Masterwork Tool - What skills can this aid in? Can I claim that my sassy monocle is a masterwork tool so it adds +2 to my Diplomacy checks?

There's some debate about that... and several threads listing possible tools for various skills.

[oxybe]

Everyone's scanned over the equipment list when creating a new character, such as I am now, but there are items on there that I can't conceive of ever buying for any character, mostly because of the lack of any description. Anyone here regularly buy these items? Any additions?

1. Block and Tackle - How much weight can the parts support? Where are the details on how it should be secured? Does it come with some sort of anchors for securing it to stone or wood such as nails or screws?
2. Fishhook - Where's the line that I secure this to? Or does it come with it?

Honorable Mention:
Barrel, Portable Ram, Ladder, 10 ft. Pole - I can understand purchasing these when needed, but does anyone lug these heavy and/or unwieldy items through dungeons? I can't imagine having to deal with doorways while carrying a ladder or having a pole strapped to my pack.
Masterwork Tool - What skills can this aid in? Can I claim that my sassy monocle is a masterwork tool so it adds +2 to my Diplomacy checks?

-block and tackle : it's a fancy 5 lb weight.

-fish hook : rope can be usually unraveled into strands and used for fishing.

-barrel : shapechange into ape, throw? generally only usefully if you have something to A) put in the barrel & B) carry the barrel, like a cart.

-portable ram : generally of little use i find. a strong PC with an adamantine weapon or wizard polymorphed into a treant can work just as well in the few times one is needed

-ladder : too bulky to carry around in a normal environment. levitate is a 2nd level wizard spell and updraft is a 1st level cleric spell. if you can get a collapsible version it's ok, but will usually stay in the cart.

-10-ft pole : the fishing gaffe has one-upped the 10 ft pole by adding a crook/hook on the end. like the ladder, it's a very unwieldy thing to have on your back. if possible, get a collapsible version.

-masterwork tools: only if the monocle comes with a jaunty chapeau, a fabulous cravate and a diamond-tipped walking stick.