Article:
D&D 4th ed: The Halfling Segmented Pole

Much as the Swiss are famed for their Army Knives, I am sure the D&D world should have something similar. Halflings are a hardy and resourceful race, and they should be, in a world full of things that want to eat, murder or simply step on them.
With dungeons and lairs typically built by the larger races, it must be handy to carry a pole, and over the centuries, this tool might have developed into an all purpose gadget with 101 uses.
The Segmented Pole is made up of one foot (30 cm) lengths of hollow metal tubing that screw together at either end, the last segment is topped with an attachment, one of many special attachments that are handy in various situations, and are similar to the kind you find on a Swiss army knife.
Any number of attachments can be carried and may include some, or all, of the following.

• A Metal saw blade or toothed saw for wood, ropes, etc.
• A curved hook blade, for snagging and cutting a rope or strand of web
• A spike of metal
• A sturdy hook
• A heavy knob of metal or leather
• A mirror with adjustable angle
• A candle holder
• A socket for a hunk of chalk or coal
• A simple pincher clamp the opens when a string is pulled (pictured below)
• A hollow tube with a plug opened by pulling on a string, handy for delivering or collecting liquids or powders
• A spring loaded dart or crossbow bolt launcher, fired by pulling a string
• A pair of wheel grips that feed some rope in our out of the inside of the hollow pole, very good for feeding rope into a tight spot
• A detachable hollow vial which drops off when a string is pulled
• A spear tip or pole arm blade

The Segmented pole can function as a quarter staff, javelin, spear, long spear, or a pole arm, but it is not a sturdy weapon and may be ruined with a few critical hits.