# Talk:Polearm
I should add that in basing this page on http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~fine/Fun/polearms.html, I do so with permission from Tom. Thanks, Tom! --Jayt 16:34, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
As polearms work differently from other Nethack weapons, I think there should be a basic explanation of how they work, covering the following points:

Walking into a monster while wielding a polearm is useless - it does not do much damage or train polearms skill.
Instead you should apply the polearm (how this works is already explained in the article).
Things change if you are riding, but I'm not clear on the details, which is why I'm putting this on the talk page.  If you are riding and wielding a lance, walking into a monster becomes good - it is an attempt to joust them?  If you are riding and wielding any other polearm, can you attack at close range or not?
Ekaterin 16:33, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

This is the best damn article on the wiki. 76.240.215.22 23:28, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Guisarme Origins Theory
The slightly useless guisarme (pruning hook) may have come about due to a Biblical reference...
"He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." Micah 4:3
This passage could intimate to some that a pruning hook would be a more pious weapon.--PeterGFin 18:01, February 5, 2010 (UTC)

Vulgar Polearm
Isn't it more likely that it's called a "vulgar polearm" because of the lewd thing it resembles?
71.132.207.141 17:22, June 4, 2010 (UTC)

Bit of thread necromancy here.  No.  "Vulgar" had as its more primary meaning "of the common people" for quite a long time; think "vulgar Latin" or "vulgar tongue." -Ion frigate 05:57, 7 September 2011 (UTC)
Passive attacks
From the page: "Another useful feature of polearms is that, like missile weapons, pounding deprives monsters of their passive attacks." This is not true of all passive attacks -- a black pudding for example will still corrode a polearm. Does anybody have more specific details to add? 74.103.4.158 05:17, 7 September 2011 (UTC)