In a Kingmaker game I'm playing, my 13th level Paladin king and his companions just won a tournament and received a Rod of Lordly Might. This Wondrous Item has a lot of cool features, but one of them intrigues me, buttons 4 and 5. According to the item's stat block:
When button 4 is pushed, a spike that can anchor in stone is extruded from the ball, while the other end sprouts three sharp hooks. The rod lengthens to anywhere between 5 and 50 feet in a single round, stopping when button 4 is pushed again. Horizontal bars 3 inches long fold out from the sides, 1 foot apart, in a staggered progression. The rod is firmly held by the spike and hooks and can bear up to 4,000 pounds. The wielder can retract the climbing pole by pushing button 5.
The ladder function can be used to force open doors. The wielder plants the rod's base 30 feet or less from the portal to be forced and in line with it, then pushes button 4. The force exerted has a Strength modifier of +12.
My thought is trying to use the rod as a unconventional weapon. When being used as a ram to force open doors it has a STR of +12! Imagine using that on an enemy. It also has a "range" of 5-50 ft. in a round. Imagine an enemy standing 30 ft. away, you aim at him and use Button 4, and the ladder strikes him at +12 STR. That's gotta do some damage/knock him prone. It has spikes and hooks, so maybe piercing/bludgeoning damage?
I'm looking for advice about this, what are your thoughts? Is there any way this can be a viable unconventional/surprising weapon?
It sounds like an Improvised Weapon to me. It also sounds oversized.
I suppose it could sound like a Battering Ram.
Talk to the GM. It might be a useful trick in adversity.
I am planning on talking to my GM about it, but I wanted to present some numbers to her when I ask about it. But I was unsure of how that would function mechanically.