Immovable Rod Monkey Bars?

[Kilroy]

Anyway the ladder action isn't even the coolest thing to do with those rods. Stopping doors, stapling people to walls, and hanging things in mid air are the truly useful things they do.

Clotheslining people who are chasing you on horses (or, better yet, on flying mounts) can be neat, to, if you have that sort of game.

 

[apsuman]

Well, if you were prepared...

With just two rods, attach a rope to each with hand and foot holds (loops). If the rods were wide enough, you can have a fancier rope ladder attached to each rod.

Affix the first
Climb to the top.
With your free hand reach up as far as you can, and affix rod number 2.
Switch to rod 2 ladder.
Deactivate rod 1
Repeat.


Still, slow going.

g!

 

[Bonedagger]

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Connected by ropes

You only need two!

 

[Alcamtar]

Okay, here is a general "immovable rod" transportation device. It uses two rods together on a lightweight frame. Using it is similar to using stilts.

Basic design (see diagram): each rod is rigidly attached to the top of a lightweight wooden pole. At the base of the pole is a stirrup. The length of the pole should be such that standing in the stirrup, the rod is about chest height. The rod is position as a handgrip, with the button in the "thumb position" for easy operation. The two wooden poles are joined by ropes so that a rod cannot be dropped or taken away. Finally, rings are privoded for attaching a safety harness, so the user cannot be dislodged.

Climbing: Activate one rod, climb on, and activate the other rod. Feet should inserted snugly into the stirrupts, with hands on grips. Now deactivate a rod with your thumb, lift the pole 6-12 inches, and reactivate. Repeat, alternating rods. Since feet are in stirrups and the poles are rigid, the legs can be used to help lift the rods, so weight is not on the arms.

The device can also be used to walk horizontally over chasms, water, etc, in the manner of stilts.

If the rods were joined with a rigid sliding-type bearing instead of ropes, it would be possible to lay the rods horizontally and hang from them, extending first one hand and then the other monkey bar style. Heck, it wouldn't be hard to modify it so you could *sit* on it like a go-cart and push the poles forward with your hands.

It seems like there ought to be some way to create a pulley device (sort of like a ski machine) that would allow you to use your body weight in a stirrup to propel the frame upward. But I'm not mechanically inclined enough to figure it out... if only I were a gnome...

Of course at some point, it's worth the money to spring for winged boots or a flying carpet and just skip the hassle.

Edit: hmm, I attached a JPG but it disappeared into the ether. Oh well.

 

[Alcamtar]

Attachment this time?

 

[Lela]

Re: Re: Immovable Rod Monkey Bars?

It's an idea I already had... I'm just imagining someone like that paralytic boss in the Avengers (or was it James Bond or some other ?) who moved around by grabing pulls on the ceiling. But with immovable rods, no need for pulls !

Imagine a pair of immovable gauntlets ? That would be a cool gadget ! Brachiating in empty air ! You'll be Tarzan & Superman's hidden lovechild !

Also, check out our new magical gadget, the immovable belt (just a belt with an immovable rod strongly afixed on it): when you're falling, lock it instantly. Then, unlock & relock briefly, so as to never fall for more than one or two seconds (OK, activating a magic item is a standard action, so you could do it only once per round -- 6 seconds) at a time and fall safely ! An item of featherfall would be more comfortable, though.

That would be a long wedgie. Over and over and over.

 

[0-hr]

What would be funny (at least to me) would be a truely Immovable Rod.

You press the buttons and WHAM, it goes flying off towards the west at thousands of miles an hour as the earth continues it's roation about it's axis and about the sun, and the entire solar system continues on it's merry way...

 

[apsuman]

imagine 1000 immovable rods placed over a chasm, gorge, or otherwise really big hole in the bod guys lair. They are so close together that you can't fall though them, but they are so far apart you have to climb over all of them to get to the other side.

Take too many (four or more) and you ruin the "path" and fall through.

g!

 

[Lela]

What would be funny (at least to me) would be a truely Immovable Rod.

You press the buttons and WHAM, it goes flying off towards the west at thousands of miles an hour as the earth continues it's roation about it's axis and about the sun, and the entire solar system continues on it's merry way...

Assumming your world works like that. But it would be fun to watch someone hold onto that. "WHOSH!! There goes Celesta."

 

[sbwoodside]

Really, the only option is to put one in each hand, and alternate turning them off, moving them up, then turning them back on. But this amounts to doing many one-handed pull-ups over and over. This is significantly harder than normal climbing, as you have no support from your feet, and all of your weight is on one hand/arm.

I wonder if you just did little steps it might be easier. Anyway, another thing to do is to rig up a pair of boots with the rods attached firmly to the soles, and your big toe over the button on each one. Then you start climbing like a staircase..

Simon

http://www.simonwoodside.com/dnd/