Returning weapons

[Cicciograna]

I don't like very much the "returning" magic enhancement of ranged weapons: I thought of a bad stuation that I hope will never show up. Suppose that one of my PC drops into a deep chasm: one of his allies has a returning dagger and throws it down in the chasm, hitting the ground. As the dagger hits the ground the falled PC gets it, and in the next round the dagger drags it towards the thrower, helping him to exit the chasm. I don't like it. More, if one of my players hits a foe with a returning throwing axe and the foe grabs the axe (which is what everyone would instinctively do, when hurt), at the beginning of the next round he's dragged towards the thrower. I can't get it.
I made up this rule: a returning weapon has a limited probability to fly back to the thrower. When something (even objects in which a returning weapon could nail in, so a wooden wall is in, a stone door is out) is struck by a returning weapon, the thrower rolls a d%: he has to score more than 100-(the damage dealt by the weapon + strength)*10 (only the damage dealt by the weapon and the strength are counted, not any magical enhancements or sneak attack damage or anything else). I made up this rule because I think the weapon is able to return to the thrower only if it can get back from the wound it caused (or the break in an object): if it penetrated deep in the flesh (or in the wood or whatever) it has a harder time to get out.
Tell me what you think about this rule...

 

[Kisanji Arael]

Delete me, please!

Thanks,
Post #2

 

[Kisanji Arael]

http://goblinscomic.com/d/20060806.html

I always understood it more like this.

 

[Siberys]

Well, in all honesty, that'd never happen. The returning property doesn't say anything about being able to lift weight; ergo, it doesn't. Plus, the character grabbing the weapon'd have to make some checks to hold on (grabbing an item the instant before it stops moving and keeping hold of a small, flimsy thrown weapon as it travels a few hundred feet in a matter of seconds would not be an easy task, and in the end would likely hurt a LOT). If the player thought of it off-the-cuff during play I might reward him by allowing it. Might.

Besides that, the blade doesn't necessarily have to fly back. For example, it could blink back - after being used, the weapon disappears, instantaneously reappearing in the space the user last used the weapon - a simple change of description does the exact same thing as the mechanics given. [EDIT - just as illustrated in the webcomic previously linked to... ]

As for the ruling itself, it makes sense, but is both unnecessary and a bit complicated. I'd keep things as-is.

Sto Exstasis

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've seen discussion elsewhere that says that just like the thrower of a returning weapon has to catch it to continue wielding it (3.5Ed DMG p225), any other creature along its flight path may try to catch it as well, thus depriving the wielder of its use. (And it specifically says that "a returning weapon flies through the air back to the creature that threw it".)

However, I've never seen anyone suggest that a creature catching the weapon would be dragged along behind it.

 

[Siberys]

Of course it does say it flies back, but my point in that statement was that the fluff is mutable.

Although the 'catching on the way back' is an interesting idea...