How far can someone throw something that is not a
weapon? How much damage would a hit with such an
object deal?
Here’s an informal system the Sage worked up for throwing
things. It’s offered to readers for commentary and playtesting.
You can throw an item that weighs up to one third your light
load rating as an improvised thrown weapon. Your light load
rating depends on your Strength score and size, as shown on
Table 9–1 in the Player’s Handbook. Improvised thrown
weapons are discussed on page 97 of the Player’s Handbook.
Remember that nobody is proficient with an improvised thrown
weapon, and an attack with an improvised thrown weapon
takes a –4 nonproficiency penalty. You can throw the item with
one hand, provided it is no larger or heavier than what would
be a one-handed weapon for you (see page 97 in the Player’s
Handbook). Medium-size weapons (which Medium-size
creatures can wield one-handed), for example, range from clubs
to dwarven waraxes. Anything bigger than what would be a
one-handed weapon for you must be thrown with two hands
and the throw requires a full-round action.
If you want to throw an object that’s heavier than one third
your light load, you cannot use it as a weapon. Instead, you
make a Strength check to lob it near your target in the hopes of
doing some damage. The result of the check determines the
distance you throw the object, according to the guidelines
below. If the item does not exceed your light load rating, triple
the distance you can throw it as figured by the guidelines
below. If the item exceeds your light load rating but does not
exceed your medium load rating, double the distance as figured
by the guidelines below.
For a running throw (at least 10 feet of movement toward
your target), you throw the item 5 feet +1 foot per point your
Strength check exceeds 10.
For a standing throw, you can throw the item 5 feet +1 foot
per 2 points your Strength check exceeds 10.
If the item exceeds your maximum load rating but is not
heavier than what you can lift, 5 feet is the maximum distance
you can throw the item (but see below); you can’t throw what
you can’t lift. For these heavy objects, don’t bother with an
attack roll. Just have the thrower pick a spot for the object to
land.
If the Strength check result is too low to reach the target
spot, the DM should pick one that’s on a straight line between
the thrower and the target spot. All such heavy objects require
two hands to throw and thus throwing them is a full-round
action.
In all such cases, use the deviation diagrams on page 69 of
the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide to see where the item really
lands (assume a range increment of 10 feet). It’s possible that
the deviation roll will make the item travel slightly farther than
the Strength roll indicates. If the throw was only 5 feet, do not
roll for deviation.
A creature in the object’s landing space gets a Reflex save
(DC 15 + the thrower’s Strength modifier) to avoid the object.
Damage from an improvised thrown weapon or a larger
thrown item is equal to the thrower’s unarmed strike damage or
1d6 points per 200 pounds of weight (which is the minimum
for a falling object of that weight, see page 89 in the DUNGEON
MASTER’s Guide), whichever is higher.
Here are a few numbers that illustrate the effects of this
system:
A human with a Strength score of 12 throws a 16-pound
bowling ball, on average, 18 feet on a standing throw and 21
feet on a running throw. Maximum on the standing throw is 40
feet, and maximum on the running throw is 50 feet.
At 4th level, Krusk, the half-orc barbarian (Strength 18), can
throw a full keg of beer (160 pounds) 14 feet standing and 18
feet running. Maximum distances are 24 feet and 38 feet
respectively.
A 20th-level Tordek (Strength 30) can throw his warhorse
(1,400 pounds) 10 feet standing and 15 feet running. Maximum
distances are 20 feet and 35 feet respectively.
