Expandable Pole

This sturdy but hollow bamboo rod is one foot long and capped at each end. By removing the caps, the user can slide out up to five additional sections from each tip. When extended and rotated into "locked" position (a move-equivalent action), each of these sections adds one foot to the total length of the rod. Since each end can produce the same number of extensions, the pole can be set at any one-foot increment up to eleven feet. The usual settings are five, seven, nine, and eleven feet. Collapsing the pole back to its original one-foot length requires twisting each section to unlock it, then sliding it back inside the next larger piece (a move-equivalent action).

The primary function of this device is to bridge holes or gaps and anchor ropes for decent into pits and shafts. How far the pole is extended determines how much weight it can bear. It can hold 150 pounds at five feet, 120 pounds at seven feet, 100 pounds at nine feet, or 50 pounds at eleven feet. Halflings and gnomes in particular find this a useful piece of dungeoneering equipment.