Okay I searched the forum and there are all sorts of inane arguments of torches as weapons and two weapon fighting style and whether you get duelist damage with them etc. But none that answered the basic question of what damage a torch does.
I figured a torch is a improvised weapon so it would do a 1d4 bludgeoning damage. And it might be enough like a club to even give the player their proficiency bonus on the attack roll. But what stumped me was when I looked at the entry for torch in the players and found this.
"A torch burns for 1 hour, providing bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. If you make a melee attack with a burning torch and hit, it deals 1 fire damage."
So now I am asking myself. Is a unlit torch a improvised weapon doing a d4 and then lit it transforms to doing 1 point of fire damage. Or does it just do 1 point of bludgeoning unlit and lighting it just makes it into fire damage.
I went with ruling a torch is a improvised weapon doing 1d4 damage and if lit it adds 1 point of fire damage.
How say you?
That's how I would rule it as well. I could see a heavy torch being similar to a club (made out of make-shift material, such as a large branch, for instance); but, I don't think most torches would be that heavy.
@running bear
I would assume its add 1 fire damage. Though on a natural one, you might have a chance of putting the torch out. what with the swinging it around and all
lawrencehoy wrote:
cowleymen wrote:
A normal torch isn't the size of the ones you see in the movies. It's a smaller piece of wood. 1 fire damage or 1 bludgeoning damage seems fine.
Jenks wrote:
I would think you wouldn't want to swing the torch as a club or you might break it. So instead of thinking of it as a club attack with some added fire damage, it's more likely that you're just extending the torch outward to burn something for 1 fire damage.
I would rule that a torch is similar to a club and can be treated as such. That being said, I don't have to club you with a burning torch in order to deal fire damage, I merely have to touch you with it. Ultimately, it boils down to the narrative: Am I beating you with a burning torch, or am I just trying to set you on fire? Given context, 1d4 bludgeoning + 1 fire damage has a place, and 1 fire damage has a place.
