Torches as weapons?

[Moe Ronalds]

I've been contemplating the use of torches as weapons lately in D&D. My thoughts would be that they'd be an exotic melee weapon, doing 1d6 fire damage. They could be finesseable, but a weilder with high strength doesn't get bonus damage.

Thoughts? Opinions? Too strong? Too weak?

 

[Scion]

Maybe I'm just confused but I am pretty sure there are already rules for useing a torch as a weapon. Basically it is a club that is on fire. In reality that is all it is as well.

As far as exotic weapons usually go they are normally better than a regular weapon while this one is pretty much worse in most ways.

All in all, I thought the rule was d4 damage plus d3 fire, but no idea where i am getting those numbers from. Someone who has a book handy might be able to find the real stats.

Failing that, wrapping a club in oil laden rags, set aflame, and beating someone with it sounds like d6 club +str +d3 fire damage to me.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I'm pretty sure that torches are supposed to be small. I think that'd be d4+str+fire, and finnesable like Moe said.

Maybe you could fill an aspergilium with alchemist's fire. THAT would be crazy-cool.

 

[Scion]

use the sunrod building method, up the price by a bit, make something like a small acetiline torch (sorry about the spelling). Maybe it'd make a light radius of a torch, burn blue (or purple or green, whatever), be fairly lightweight doing d3 bludgeoning damage but an extra d8 fire damage. Sounds like fun!

At that point if you want to make it a specialty weapon made by some race perhaps this?

Exotic weapon prof (Radient Rod)

small weapon
d3 bludgeoning x2/20

This weapon has a small hole in the end where the radient essence is placed. When struck against a hard object it burns for 30 minutes with a light radius of 30'.

Any creature or object struck by the fire takes an extra d6 damage (if you have the proficiency with this weapon then it does 2d6 instead, as they are skilled in its use). Holding the flame against a creature or object for one full round triples this damage.

dont know, its just a rough sketch

 

[FireLance]

According to the SRD, if a torch is used in combat, it is treated as a one-handed improvised weapon that deals bludgeoning damage equal to that of a gauntlet of its size, plus 1 point of fire damage. For a Medium-size character, that is 1d3 bludgeoning + 1 fire damage.

If you're prepared to spend a feat to use a torch *really well* in combat, I guess you could remove the -4 penalty for attacking with an improvised weapon, and the opponent hit must make a DC 5 Reflex save or catch on fire (DC 10 on a critical hit). I don't think I would increase the base damage of the torch - it only weighs one pound, and a club (1d6 damage for a medium-sized opponent) weighs 3 pounds.

Of course, you could always come up with a "combat torch" exotic weapon that weighs 3 pounds and does damage as a club plus 1 point fire plus chance of opponent catching on fire.

 

[Li Shenron]

According to the SRD, if a torch is used in combat, it is treated as a one-handed improvised weapon that deals bludgeoning damage equal to that of a gauntlet of its size, plus 1 point of fire damage. For a Medium-size character, that is 1d3 bludgeoning + 1 fire damage.

If you're prepared to spend a feat to use a torch *really well* in combat, I guess you could remove the -4 penalty for attacking with an improvised weapon, and the opponent hit must make a DC 5 Reflex save or catch on fire (DC 10 on a critical hit). I don't think I would increase the base damage of the torch - it only weighs one pound, and a club (1d6 damage for a medium-sized opponent) weighs 3 pounds.

Of course, you could always come up with a "combat torch" exotic weapon that weighs 3 pounds and does damage as a club plus 1 point fire plus chance of opponent catching on fire.

DOH! I didn't notice is it an addition from 3.5? Nice.

I was just going to post (before reading your post) that I have used a Torch in combat exactly for 1d4 bludgeoning +1 fire damage! I thought it was fair as a house rule, since when you hit, the fire doesn't really do much damage (think that you are swinging it fast to do same damage). Also, I let the character do instead a touch attack to do 1d4 fire damage and no bludgeoning. The Torch was considered Exotic (I missed the rule about improvised weapon, but being exotic still gave -4 attack, with the only difference that you could actually take the proficiency in it if you wanted).

This rule of 1d3 +1 is probably better, the torch is not much of a club, but rather a tied up set of thin branches or otherwise a wooden mace with some cloth on top...