Throwing Weapons

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Echamil

Dec 25, 2014 21:50:29

This might be a dumb question but here goes;

 

A few months back, I played Dungeon Master to an adventure of The Lost Mines of Phandelver. I had a slight situation occur and I want to double check that I handled it rightly so, and how I should go about doing a rule around what happened.

 

The party, a Human Fighter, Halfling Rogue, Human Wiazard and a Dwarven Paladin were entering into the first goblin cave. Having explred a good bit of the area, they discover the Goblin Cheiftain holding Sildar by the neck over the 10 ft. ledge. A bit of fighting and then the cheiftain demanded that either the party help or Sildar would drop to his death and the party would be quick to follow.

 

The dwarven paladin decided to **** his warhammer back, and lanch it at the Goblin Chieftain's face.

 

I wasn't entirely sure how to handle such a situation, but I figured that any weapon can be thrown, albeit not as nicely as a weapon designed to be capable of being thrown, and with some increased difficulty.

 

I know that a magic warhammer exists that can be thrown and returned to the hand.

 

So I told the Paladin to make a ranged attack, without thinking of increasing the difficulty. With a lot of luck on his side, the Paladin rolled a Nat 20. The warhammer landed true, killing the Goblin and Sildar dropping.

 

Now.. I am not 100% on if there was something I was supposed to do regarding a weapon being thrown, as it didn't have a Thrown tag or range on it in the PHB. I know that the rules are open for some discussion, but I am curious if I handled it right.

 

I went by the premise that any weapon can be thrown, just with difficulties and it might not go as expected.

 

I'd appreciate some insight from other people.

#2

Novacat

Dec 25, 2014 22:33:24

If a weapon doesn't have the Thrown property, then throwing it is an improvised attack, reducing its damage die to 1d4 and disallowing the character's proficiency bonus to the roll (unless that character happens to be proficient in improvised weapons). That die would be doubled as normal on a crit, but it should do significantly less damage than a normal attack with it.

#3

Echamil

Dec 25, 2014 23:18:54

I can't find a rule on "Improvised" attacks, but the "improvised weapons" says that it is up to the DM option to allow a charachter to be proficient in an improvised weapon that resembles a weapon the character is already proficient in.

 

Ontop of that, the Dwarf Paladin would already be proficient in Martial Weapons AND Warhammers.

#4

El_Condoro

Dec 26, 2014 1:38:27

PHB p.148. If a character ... throws a melee weapon that does not have the thrown property, it also deals 1d4 damage.

 

It would be at the DM's discretion if the proficiency bonus to hit was applied but I would say that, unless the paladin had been training to throw his warhammer, not to.

 

Its range as a thrown improvised weapon is 20 ft./60 ft., so would probably be made with disadvantage in that cave, too.

 

That said, the episode is a memorable and heroic one. For the sake of the group and the fun, perhaps build it up but explain that it was a one-off due to the awesomeness of the dwarf rolling that natural 20 in such a situation. Sildar may not see it that way!

#5

Echamil

Dec 26, 2014 2:17:13

I guess if the party ever asks, I can say th Warhammer flew true and killed the Goblin on hit, because it was willed by Moradin.

#6

raleel

Dec 26, 2014 8:25:58

Sounds like a great spell for a paladin of Moradin. "For the duration of the spell, Moradin bleses your warhammer and it gains the thrown property. Additionally, it will magically return to your hand after each attack roll" or something. 

#7

Echamil

Dec 26, 2014 10:17:40

raleel wrote:
#8

CariadocThorne

Dec 26, 2014 16:02:09 		Funny, after rereading some of the Raymond Feist Midkemia books (specifically the fight at the abbey in "Silverthorn") recently I was hoping there'd be a spell like that for clerics. Maybe something like a 1 action spell, which includes making a ranged throwing attack with a normal mace or hammer, temporarily granting it the returning property and some bonus radiant damage, or something.
#9

BRJN

Dec 27, 2014 11:46:28

El_Condoro wrote: