variant
Adventurer
Yeah, 1d6 for two-handed helps a lot with the feel too.
For a Tavern Brawler, the only difference between punching someone or slashing at them with a broken bottle is damage type and style. If there is no benefit for using a two-handed object, then that is also limited to style.
But if two-handed objects do a tad more damage, you are now encouraged to pick up the bar stool and smack someone over the head with it. And this really adds to style, because most objects of that sort break once you use them, so you will have to go back to one handed strikes or objects. Now that's the kind of fight scene I want to see!
And of course, if you are lucky enough to have a nice hefty frying pan at your beck and call, then you just have a leg up over those poor fools breaking your barstools.
As far as I can see it there is no drawback to having two-handed improvised weapons do 1d6 rather than 1d4. Not sure why the change was made. Seriously doubt they will ever change it back, because they won't consider it significant enough. As soon as it came up in any game I was in I'd ask the DM if he would consider allowing 1d6.
The rules say if it doesn't resemble a weapon it deals a default 1d4. If it is something like a heavy chair, a DM may rule that it resembles a great club which would be 1d8. If anything the idea that a improvised two-handed weapon always deals 1d6 is a lot less flexible than simply letting a DM decide. It also doesn't always make sense. Let's say you use a saddle as a weapon because it is the only thing on hand. It doesn't even remotely resemble any kind of weapon and I really doubt a saddle is going to deal 1d6 damage.