MSRD:Improvised Weapons

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This material is published under the OGL 1.0a.



Improvised Weapons

Any portable object can be used as a weapon in a pinch. In most cases, an object can be wielded either as a melee weapon or a ranged weapon.

A character takes a –4 penalty on his or her attack roll when wielding or throwing an improvised weapon. An improvised weapon is not considered simple, archaic, or exotic, so weapon proficiency feats cannot offset the –4 penalty.

Table: Improvised Weapon Damage by Size
Object Size Examples Damage
Diminutive Ashtray, CD disk case, crystal paperweight 1
Tiny Fist-sized rock, mug, screwdriver, softball, flashlight, wrench 1d2
Small Bottle, drill, fire extinguisher, flower pot, helmet, metal hubcap, vase 1d3
Medium-size Bar stool, brick, briefcase, bowling ball, garbage can lid, hockey stick, nail gun 1d4
Large Empty garbage can, guitar, computer monitor, office chair, tire iron 1d6
Huge 10-foot ladder, mailbox, oil barrel, park bench, sawhorse 1d8
Gargantuan Desk, dumpster, file cabinet, large sofa, soda machine 2d6
Colossal Junked vehicle, stoplight, telephone pole 2d8

A character can effectively wield or throw an object of his or her size category or smaller using one hand. A character can effectively wield or throw an object one size category larger than him or herself using two hands. An improvised thrown weapon has a range increment of 10 feet. Increase the range increment for creatures of Large size or larger as follows: Large 15 feet, Huge 30 feet, Gargantuan 60 feet, Colossal 120 feet.

Damage: Improvised weapons deal lethal damage based on their size, although the GM may adjust the damage of an object that is especially light or heavy for its size. The wielder’s Strength modifier applies only to damage from Tiny or larger improvised weapons; do not apply the wielder’s Strength modifier to damage from Diminutive objects. Table: Improvised Weapon Damage by Size gives the damage for improvised weapons of varying size. Improvised weapons threaten a critical hit on a natural roll of 20. Improvised weapons of Fine size deal no damage.

Unlike real weapons, improvised weapons are not designed to absorb damage. They tend to shatter, bend, crumple, or fall apart after a few blows. An improvised weapon has a 50% chance of breaking each time it deals damage or, in the case of thrown objects, strikes a surface (such as a wall) or an object larger than itself.



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