D&D 5E Fighting Style for Melee Knife/Dagger Use

[Cap'n Kobold]

LOL so how about this:

My 8th level fighter with STR 20 (or whatever, as long as it is better than DEX) picks up a light x-bow and throws it at an orc 50 feet away under 3/4-cover.

He has Archery Fighting Style, granting him a +2 on the attack roll. After all, the light x-bow is a "ranged weapon".

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He has Tavern Brawler, so has proficiency with Improvised weapons so still gets to add his prof bonus on the attack roll.

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He has Sharpshooter, so can throw it up to 60 without disadvantage and ignoring the cover in this case.

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Since this is an attack with a ranged weapon with which he is proficient, he accepts the -5 to hit for +10 to damage.

All-in-all, he is +5 to hit (+3 prof, +2 archery) and will do 1d4+15 if he hits, killing the orc.

Should this happen? No, probably not. Once the light x-bow is thrown it becomes an "improvised weapon", but by the rules it IS a "ranged weapon". It is also a "ranged attack" because he throws it.

Add the SA to this as well:

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So, yeah, a "ranged weapon attack" means a ranged attack (he throws it) with a weapon (which, it is, even if improvised).

Have fun with that one.

Nah. You can't throw a crossbow unless you have a bolt to drop on the ground. As per the "Ammunition" property.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Nah. You can't throw a crossbow unless you have a bold to drop on the ground. As per the "Ammunition" property.

Oh, you're right! I suppose that means I had better use it as a melee weapon with GWM--it has the heavy property and the character has proficiency.

 

[Quartz]

This happens at the end of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves when Azeem kills the witch with a well-thrown scimitar. A longsword would just be thrown more like a spear.

Check out this video. It shows a longsword being thrown at around the 60 second mark. The technique is called The Archer's Guard.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Check out this video. It shows a longsword being thrown at around the 60 second mark. The technique is called The Archer's Guard.

Probably with disadvantage for not being proficient.

 

[Garthanos]

Probably with disadvantage for not being proficient.

Probably advantage for being a bloody surprise and unlikely risk.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Probably advantage for being a bloody surprise and unlikely risk.

But that isn't how surprise works in 5E.

 

[Garthanos]

But that isn't how surprise works in 5E.

"surprise" is natural language... not a game mechanic and that is fully 5e compatible usage

 

[DND_Reborn]

"surprise" is natural language... not a game mechanic and that is fully 5e compatible usage

Watch the video. Clearly the target isn't surprised. And surprise is a game mechanism, with a clear definition of what happens (or more precisely, doesn't happen) to a surprised target and how it comes about:

"If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other."

It's pretty obvious from the video they notice each other. The attacker even assumes the stance to throw the sword! The attacker moves to defend and block as usual. I would hardly think the attacker has surprise over the defender.

Frankly, I get tired of all this "natural language" garbage in 5E.

 

[Garthanos]

Watch the video. Clearly the target isn't surprised. And surprise is a game mechanism

The video isn't an actual fight that is comparing practice in a KATA/exercise where you announce where you are attacking and take a position for much longer than you would really do and an actually fight scene LOL. Also I wasn't using it as game language I was using it as natural language... ie the attack being unusual unexpected or with strange timing is surprising so whatever.

Frankly, I get tired of all this "natural language" garbage in 5E.

Yes it seems an excuse for sloppy game writing or game interpretting, but really whose fault is that. AND yes I was picking a bit on the assertion that 5e is all natural language more than anything else.

 

[aco175]

I can see something simple to make it easy to use. Something like +1 to hit and a situation bonus like advantage to hide to weapon on your body makes it worth the extra damage larger weapons cause. Not sure if it needs a 3rd die of damage on crits as well.