Improvised Weapon

Sometimes objects not crafted to be weapons nonetheless see use in combat. Because such objects are not designed for this use, any creature that uses one in combat takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls made with that object. To determine the size category and appropriate damage for an improvised weapon, compare its relative size and damage potential to listed weapons to find a reasonable match.
An improvised weapon scores a threat on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a Critical hit.
An improvised thrown weapon has a range increment of 10 feet. All improvised weapons are considered simple weapons. Throwing Items to Allies is also considered an improvised thrown weapon, but a Splash Weapon is not.

Determining Improvised Weapons

Most improvised light, one-handed, and two-handed weapons appropriately sized for a Medium character should deal 1d4, 1d6, and 1d8 points of damage, respectively. The following examples of improvised weapons adhere to this guideline.

• Light Weapons: Arrow or bolt (as melee weapons), book, bottle, broken bottle, bucket, chisel, frying pan, kitchen knife, rolling pin, scissors, skull, spade, straight razor, or tankard.
• One-Handed Weapons: Branding iron, candlestick, chain, chair leg, crowbar, femur, grappling hook, scabbard, scepter, shovel, or walking stick.
• Two-Handed Weapons: Brazier, chair, digging bar, metal pipe, ornamental greatsword, pitchfork, Small statue.

At the GM’s discretion, some improvised weapons may have additional qualities, such as those listed below. Improvised weapons only ever have one quality, determined by the GM.

• Burning: A burning or heated object, such as a fireplace poker or burning log, deals 1 point of fire damage, but its base damage die is usually one size category smaller.
• Covering: A large, soft item like a sheet of canvas, a blanket, or a drapery can be used to entangle foes as a net, though it is always treated as being unfolded, and thus imparts and additional –4 penalty on the attack roll to use it as an improvised weapon.
• Disk-Shaped: Plates and other thin, circular objects have a range increment of 20 feet, but they are usually destroyed after an attack, like ammunition.
• Gross: Disgusting items, like hunks of rotting meat, the severed limb of a target’s ally, or the contents of a chamberpot, can be used as improvised weapons that deal no damage but sicken the target for 1d4 rounds. A successful DC 12 Fortitude saving throw negates this condition.
• Jagged: Broken bottles and similar jagged, fragile items have a critical threat range of 19–20 but are destroyed on an attack roll of a natural 1.
• Heavy: Anvils, sledgehammers, and other very heavy items deal damage as if one size category larger, but attacking with the weapon puts the attacker off-balance, imparting a –2 penalty to AC until the start of the attacker’s next turn.
• Pronged: Items with large prongs or flanges, like a pitchfork or the antlers of some taxidermic trophies, provide a +1 bonus on combat maneuver checks to disarm an enemy.
• Silverware: Items made of silver bypass damage resistance like alchemical silver weapons, but the wielder takes a –1 penalty on damage rolls.
• Weapon-Like: Wall hanger swords, replicas, and other objects shaped very much like real weapons impart only a –2 nonproficiency penalty if the wielder is proficient in the weapon the object resembles.