CapnZapp
Legend
I came here for the "nobody tosses the Dwarf" joke.
I am disappoint.
Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app
I am disappoint.
Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app
D&D 5E Tossing an opponent
- Thread starter Not a Hobbit
- Start date
TheCosmicKid
Hero
You gotta walk a fine line with this sort of stuff. Throwing skeletons once: awesome. Deciding to throw bad guys every single session because it's better than hitting them with your sword: quickly becomes stale.
Improvised Weapon is 1d4 damage (see PHB).
Also, while one could argue that a Skeleton isn't especially heavy for a Medium creature, you really should put a cap on the size of what can, realistically, be thrown. That way as noted above it won't become something that people try to do all the time and it all becomes silly. Personally I'm OK with a creature throwing something two sizes smaller than them, but anything bigger I struggle to see how far one could throw it...
For example, imagine picking up a Cat (size: tiny) and throwing it - do big deal, you might throw it 20/60 as per PHB, although the cat might try and grapple you to stop being thrown. Consider throwing a Child (size: small) - you'd be struggling to throw it more than about 5-10 feet max IMO, maybe 20 if you manage a "hammer throw" style. Consider trying to 'throw' a person the same size as yourself - at best, you could slam them down adjacent to you, ala WWF.
Also, while one could argue that a Skeleton isn't especially heavy for a Medium creature, you really should put a cap on the size of what can, realistically, be thrown. That way as noted above it won't become something that people try to do all the time and it all becomes silly. Personally I'm OK with a creature throwing something two sizes smaller than them, but anything bigger I struggle to see how far one could throw it...
For example, imagine picking up a Cat (size: tiny) and throwing it - do big deal, you might throw it 20/60 as per PHB, although the cat might try and grapple you to stop being thrown. Consider throwing a Child (size: small) - you'd be struggling to throw it more than about 5-10 feet max IMO, maybe 20 if you manage a "hammer throw" style. Consider trying to 'throw' a person the same size as yourself - at best, you could slam them down adjacent to you, ala WWF.
I'm playing a Goliath Barb with 20 Str in one of my campaigns and he like to grapple, slam, and throw enemies. The DM has been great about rewarding me for flavor. Typically, throwing one enemy at another would probably only do 1d4+str to both while using an enemy as a weapon to hit another enemy would do 1d6+str to both. Throwing an enemy into a wall, off a cliff, into a fire pit would do a lot more. Slamming an enemy on the ground Hulk style usually does at least 2d6+str if not more depending on how well I rolled. It's a very fun character to play for sure.
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
Another approach is to let the barbarian roll all of his attacks at once as normal for his weapon, then describe them any way he wants to.
Hit twice while nominally wielding a greataxe? The combined effect can be narrated as "grab a skeleton and throw him into the other skeleton". Hit once? Grabbed a skeleton and missed the other one with it. Hit 3 times? one skeleton thrown into two. Or two skeletons picked up and smashed together around a third.
Worried about to-hit bonuses and damage types etc? Don't be. Apply the bonuses the same as the weapon, and the damage types as whatever the player wants to describe. The game is just cooler if your players don't have to have a golf-bag of weapons... unless they're the type of character who feels like they should have a golf-bag full of weapons (I always wanted to run a fighter with a henchman as a caddy...)
Hit twice while nominally wielding a greataxe? The combined effect can be narrated as "grab a skeleton and throw him into the other skeleton". Hit once? Grabbed a skeleton and missed the other one with it. Hit 3 times? one skeleton thrown into two. Or two skeletons picked up and smashed together around a third.
Worried about to-hit bonuses and damage types etc? Don't be. Apply the bonuses the same as the weapon, and the damage types as whatever the player wants to describe. The game is just cooler if your players don't have to have a golf-bag of weapons... unless they're the type of character who feels like they should have a golf-bag full of weapons (I always wanted to run a fighter with a henchman as a caddy...)
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