Boomerangs

[khrynn]

So our group has recently started playing 5e and I wanted to make a character who uses boomerangs as weapons! I am not interested in the most min/maxed character, but being completely useless seems unfair to my party as well, I wanted to make a Mountain Dwarf Barbarian, who uses fist weapons as well as boomerangs. I've talked to my DM about the damage and decided the boomerangs would be a 1d6 thrown weapon. Actually getting to the point of this post, What other things should I consider to make this character fun to play, but unique is his own way, I haven't found anything on boomerangs in 5e and want to know what some more experienced 5e players would think!
This is my first post on this sight, sorry if the post seems a little drawn out!

[themaque]

I would make it 1d6 returning with a range of 60 feet. Returning property.

What's returning? It automatically returns to you provided if you miss.

Feat

Boomerang Master
when attacking with a returning weapon, the weapon returns to you even if you hit the target.
When attacking with a boomerang, take no penalties for anything less than full cover.

It's not a realistic portrayal but I think fairly balanced and feels fun.

[Gritmonger]

I'd probably do just like you did: 1d6 bludgeoning, you could add the "finesse" descriptor if you want to act as if they are more precision throwing clubs... which compared to a log, they are. Biggest difference from throwing axes (and similar to another throwing item like the chakram for instance) is whether or not they are suited for use as a hand-to-hand weapon.

But they really wouldn't return unless they were really light and too small to do much beyond a point of damage - and even then they wouldn't return unless you missed. And even then, they need quite a lot of room to do that, so they'd bounce off the walls and ceiling in a dungeon...

Not that this is a simulationist game, but really, you'd probably open with your boomerangs and then close to melee, like you would with other thrown weapons.

[SharkForce]

on the flip side, it isn't unbalanced, and i can't see much harm in letting the player do it. you'd let dragons fly in an antimagic field which is physically impossible, why not just let someone throw a returning boomerang and also bash people in the head with it? as long as you're not playing with someone who can't ignore physics while playing, i'd say allow it. at most, i'd require a feat like was suggested.

[Gritmonger]

Pet peeve. Hunting boomerangs, the kind you use to do damage, are shaved-down throwing clubs. No returning. The thrown kind that return are toys, separate from the weapon. Assuming one is the other is kind of cultural.

[khrynn]

Not that this is a simulationist game, but really, you'd probably open with your boomerangs and then close to melee, like you would with other thrown weapons.

This is what i was planning to do! thanks for the insight.

[khrynn]

I would make it 1d6 returning with a range of 60 feet. Returning property.

What's returning? It automatically returns to you provided if you miss.

Feat

Boomerang Master
when attacking with a returning weapon, the weapon returns to you even if you hit the target.
When attacking with a boomerang, take no penalties for anything less than full cover.

It's not a realistic portrayal but I think fairly balanced and feels fun.

Thanks for the idea, but my DM really wants to stick to the original hand book, because he is also not familiar with 5e, I was planning on taking sharp shooter as a feat anyways.

Instead I was going to use returning shot from boomerangs in 3.5, make a standard action to make your boomerang return if it does not hit the target and has a path to return, but take a -3, to hit. Also DC12 to catch a boomerang, otherwise it will be on the ground next to you.

Source: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Boomerang_%283.5e_Equipment%29

[SharkForce]

Pet peeve. Hunting boomerangs, the kind you use to do damage, are shaved-down throwing clubs. No returning. The thrown kind that return are toys, separate from the weapon. Assuming one is the other is kind of cultural.

well sure, but dragons can't fly, and giants would barely be able to move under their own weight using official rules. yet we have flying dragons and super-strong giants that can lift more (not less) because those things are iconic; in much the same way, the returning boomerang is iconic. completely absurd of course, but iconic.

[themaque]

Pet peeve. Hunting boomerangs, the kind you use to do damage, are shaved-down throwing clubs. No returning. The thrown kind that return are toys, separate from the weapon. Assuming one is the other is kind of cultural.

Unfortunately, it's kind of become the image of the boomerang in popular culture. I know what they are REALLY like, but that isn't typically what someone wants in a situation like this, which is typically Captain Boomerang or Xena style awesomeness. It's not REAL but it's fun.

I would use a different game for a simulation experience.

I would also be tempted to reduce the damage I listed down to a d4, but I wasn't sure.

[themaque]

Thanks for the idea, but my DM really wants to stick to the original hand book, because he is also not familiar with 5e, I was planning on taking sharp shooter as a feat anyways.

Instead I was going to use returning shot from boomerangs in 3.5, make a standard action to make your boomerang return if it does not hit the target and has a path to return, but take a -3, to hit. Also DC12 to catch a boomerang, otherwise it will be on the ground next to you.

Source: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Boomerang_%283.5e_Equipment%29

One thing about 5e is KISS. Keep It Simple S... uhm... Silly.

Does all the extra work and rolls make it fun? What actual harm does it do just to make it return on a miss? Other than annoy people who know what they really do. ;-) We love you Gritmonger.

[Draken]

One of my players has boomerangs in his arsenal (mainly because his character comes from a continent that we nicknamed Grellstralia in my homebrew world).

They are essentially handaxes that he doesn't need to pick up again after throwing.