The 10-foot pole, antithesis of what adventuring should be?
- Thread starter Odhanan
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Wolv0rine
First Post
The entire topic strike me as vaguely funny, really. It illustrates a difference of approach between me and the guys I used to game with as a teenager, and apparently everyone else.
For us, 10' poles weren't for finding traps. There were other tools for that purpose. We thought of 10' poles as items of equipment used to prop something up (and hope it's dropping strength/weight wasn't greater than the structural integrity of the pole), tools to reach something you either couldn't or didn't want to approach too closely to, and first and foremore for crossing pits.
It still shocks me that most everyone seems to immediately think "Cast Fly, duh" when presented with a pit that is too large to jump. I never had that happen when I was younger. We used the 10' pole as a balance beam. (which is why I started carrying 10.5' poles. Obnoxious DMs would present you with a 10' 1" wide pit or somesuch, just to get that look on your face when your 10' pole was JUST too short, and fell into the pit, because you'd come to assume a pit was 10' wide)
For us, 10' poles weren't for finding traps. There were other tools for that purpose. We thought of 10' poles as items of equipment used to prop something up (and hope it's dropping strength/weight wasn't greater than the structural integrity of the pole), tools to reach something you either couldn't or didn't want to approach too closely to, and first and foremore for crossing pits.
It still shocks me that most everyone seems to immediately think "Cast Fly, duh" when presented with a pit that is too large to jump. I never had that happen when I was younger. We used the 10' pole as a balance beam. (which is why I started carrying 10.5' poles. Obnoxious DMs would present you with a 10' 1" wide pit or somesuch, just to get that look on your face when your 10' pole was JUST too short, and fell into the pit, because you'd come to assume a pit was 10' wide)
Personally, if a player started walking around with a 10' pole, I'd get antagonistic with them. But in as many narrow windy corridors with low ceilings - require skill checks to get the thing around them.
Use traps with a 20'+ radius and generally do all I can to convince them that the bloody thing is no use.
When I play I want it to be like a movie or a book, and carrying a 10' pole (along with standard procedure search/listen/lockpick on every door in a dungeon) wrecks it for me.
To me, if there's a trap it should be there for a reason and there should be a clue to its existance - whether its a spot roll, a realisation that the door leads to the treasure room, research on the location - whatever.
Use traps with a 20'+ radius and generally do all I can to convince them that the bloody thing is no use.
When I play I want it to be like a movie or a book, and carrying a 10' pole (along with standard procedure search/listen/lockpick on every door in a dungeon) wrecks it for me.
To me, if there's a trap it should be there for a reason and there should be a clue to its existance - whether its a spot roll, a realisation that the door leads to the treasure room, research on the location - whatever.
babomb
First Post
It seems to me there are two ideas about what 10' poles are for. The first is that one can use it to set off known or suspected traps, cross pits, pole vault, control a raft, get something to high to otherwise reach, keep your balance when tight rope walking, etc.
The other is that the only use for a 10' pole is to check every square foot of every dungeon.
The latter would be strongly discouraged in my game, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the "antithesis of what adventuring should be".
10' poles don't kill adventuring; people kill adventuring.
The other is that the only use for a 10' pole is to check every square foot of every dungeon.
The latter would be strongly discouraged in my game, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the "antithesis of what adventuring should be".
10' poles don't kill adventuring; people kill adventuring.
First thing I decide with gear is how would I carry it. A 10-foot pole fails that test for most of my characters just for being too unwieldy, especially in a dungeon. Quarterstaff maybe, or a polearm.
The idea to poke everything with a stick to see if it's dangerous I consider about as fun as going to the dentist. Now, figuring out something with primitive tools to deal with a trap seems fun.
In short - no 10' pole from me, no poking every square inch, but plenty of ideas how to use a quarterstaff when the party goes "oops" or "what do we do now?".
The idea to poke everything with a stick to see if it's dangerous I consider about as fun as going to the dentist. Now, figuring out something with primitive tools to deal with a trap seems fun.
In short - no 10' pole from me, no poking every square inch, but plenty of ideas how to use a quarterstaff when the party goes "oops" or "what do we do now?".
DragonLancer
Hero
In all my years DMing D&D and other fantasy RPG's, I have never known players to bother with the old ten-foot pole. Instead, they always ensure that they have a thief or rogue type who can find traps. Careful progress checking each and every step of the way, each and every door, is the order of the day.
Now from a DM perspective, I think that I would find a dungeon crawl boring as all hell if they just used a ten-foot pole to bypass traps.
Now from a DM perspective, I think that I would find a dungeon crawl boring as all hell if they just used a ten-foot pole to bypass traps.
PapersAndPaychecks
First Post
In fact, why bother having equipment at all? Your character's a hero, so s/he should be able to complete the dungeon without relying on anything as boring as equipment. And carefully looking for traps is boring: your character's a hero, so s/he should be able to be as reckless as you like and not die.
Actually, dungeons are just too detailed and they take too long, and all that combat is boring too. Why not just have a table where you can roll to see how much xp you got, and then advance your character to the recommended wealth total for his/her new level? That's so much more streamlined.
Plus you can get your character to epic level in an evening's dice rolling. How cool is that?
Actually, dungeons are just too detailed and they take too long, and all that combat is boring too. Why not just have a table where you can roll to see how much xp you got, and then advance your character to the recommended wealth total for his/her new level? That's so much more streamlined.
Plus you can get your character to epic level in an evening's dice rolling. How cool is that?
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